Top waiver wire pickups for Week 11
From Tyler Allgeier’s rising role in Atlanta to Alec Pierce’s deep threat potential — Jacob Camenker breaks down the best adds for Week 11.
After several weeks of four-plus teams being on bye, fantasy football managers will be granted a brief reprieve. Just two teams will be on bye in Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season, giving fantasy footballers and near-full slate of options to choose from at quarterback.
The better news? Only one of the starting quarterbacks of the teams on bye – the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints – is rostered in a plurality of Yahoo fantasy leagues, Daniel Jones.
That’s a far cry from last week’s slate, which saw high-end, high-volume passers Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Joe Flacco out of action. Still, some fantasy managers will be looking for replacements for Jones or another streaming option to replace some “sit ’em” candidates in bad matchups.
Who can you trust at quarterback in Week 11? Our crew at USA TODAY Sports breaks down the quarterbacks to start and sit as the fantasy football regular season enters its stretch run.
Fantasy football start ’em: Week 11 QBsTua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (vs. Washington Commanders)
The Commanders have struggled immensely to contain the pass in recent weeks, allowing at least 250 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in each of their last four games. Their ability to do so doesn’t figure to improve after they lost starting cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore (torn ACL) and Trey Amos (broken fibula) to long-term injuries.
Tagovailoa has accounted for multiple touchdowns in six of his last nine starts. That gives him one of the highest floors among fantasy quarterbacks this year while he also has boom potential in this favorable matchup.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)
Last time Rodgers faced the Bengals, he recorded 249 yards and four touchdowns. Will he post those numbers again? Maybe not, but the Bengals have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks this season.
Further aiding Rodgers is that the Bengals are expected to be without Trey Hendrickson (hip) in this game. That will prevent Cincinnati from generating consistent pressure against Rodgers, who has shown throughout the 2025 NFL season he can still be a quality fantasy quarterback when he has time to throw.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (at New York Giants)
Starting Love, who hasn’t recorded a touchdown since Week 8, comes with some risk. However, he’s playing against a Giants team that has surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
Granted, the Giants’ ranking stems largely from their struggles against mobile quarterbacks. They have allowed a league-high 279 rushing yards to quarterbacks and four rushing touchdowns, tied for the second most in the league.
Love isn’t a big-time runner, but he tied a season-high with 28 rushing yards against the Eagles last week. If he can post similar numbers and have some positive touchdown regression, he could emerge as a top-10 fantasy quarterback in Week 11.
Fantasy football sit ’em: Week 11 QBsBo Nix, Denver Broncos (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
The Chiefs figure to be a tough matchup for Nix and the Broncos. Andy Reid’s squad is coming off a bye and is one of just six NFL teams to allow fewer than 10 passing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks this season. They should have a plan to limit Nix, who struggled against the Raiders in Week 10, so the second-year signal-caller’s ceiling is much lower than usual.
The one silver lining: Nix could do some damage against a Kansas City defense that has allowed a league-high five rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season. Still, it’s hard to trust Nix given the floor he showed against the Raiders.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Los Angeles Rams)
No, we’re not fading Darnold just because he attempted only 12 passes in a blowout win over the Cardinals. It’s all about his matchup with the Rams, which doesn’t look promising.
The Rams have surrendered the eighth-fewest FPPG to quarterbacks this season. More importantly, the team is tied for eighth in the NFL in pressures, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Darnold’s passer rating drops from 128.6 when kept clean to 83.8 when under pressure, per Pro Football Focus, so this could end up being a tougher matchup for him.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
Look, starting the quarterback playing against the Cowboys has typically been a recipe for success this season. But can you really trust Smith, who has posted one touchdown or less in four of his last five games, to be a viable fantasy starter?
Maybe if you’re bold, but it’s probably best to steer clear of the turnover-prone quarterback. The Cowboys are getting several reinforcements on defense, including trade acquisitions Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, so they might not be quite as porous as they’ve been thus far this season.
Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em, Week 11
Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports has you covered:
→ A good running back makes all the difference. A bad running back can cost you a lot of points. Here’s who to start and who to sit in Week 11.
→ The wide receiver position is one of the deepest each season. Set yourself up for success in Week 11 with start ’em, sit ’em advice for wideouts.
→ Tight ends can be the perfect X-factor for any fantasy team. Here’s who you should start and sit in Week 11.