Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire: Top QB, RB, WR & TE pickups feat. Josh Dobbs, Keaton Mitchell and more

The purpose of a waiver-wire column should be to highlight players who may be on the verge of a breakout. After all, trying to land that player after his breakout is exponentially more difficult. Additionally, waiver-wire moves should always be made to add high-upside depth for later in the season or improve your chances of winning the upcoming week.

Not all of these columns will feature a future stud or no-brainer add, but we can usually find help for our fantasy teams if we try hard enough. Furthermore, I will try to avoid recommending players coming off a 10-catch or three-touchdown game because it should be incredibly obvious to most that they need to be on a roster at that point.

The players listed below are available in at least 75 percent of ESPN leagues and stand at least a decent chance of making some kind of a difference in the coming weeks:

Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups: Quarterbacks

New Orleans Saints v Minnesota Vikings

Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings

Week 10: 268 yards passing, 44 yards rushing and two total touchdowns

While Dobbs easily exceeds the ownership threshold I have established for this column above, I have little choice but to do so since there is not a good recommendation that meets the sub-25 percent criterion I have used all season. Thus, the best I can do is choose the quarterback with the highest upside and the lowest ownership percentage. For the second week in a row, that player is Dobbs.

Fantasy managers should know by now that what Dobbs is doing is no longer a mirage. His early success with Arizona this year is proof he can succeed despite the situation. If that is not enough, things are about to get better for the "Passtronaut," who should be on the verge of getting the game's most dynamic receiver (Justin Jefferson) back from injured reserve this week or next.

Even if we discount how much Jefferson's return could help him, Dobbs' remaining schedule makes him appealing as a weekly starter in one-quarterback leagues moving forward. Of the Vikings' remaining six games on fantasy schedules (assuming a Week 17 championship game), four are against teams that rank inside the top half of most fantasy points allowed to the quarterback position.

ESPN ownership: 38.9 percent

Other potential strong add(s): Aaron Rodgers (14.0 percent - modern science would suggest we have little reason to believe he can return from a torn Achilles before the end of the season, but he seems to believe it, which is enough reason to stash him on IR); Gardner Minshew, Colts (9.0 percent)

Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Backs

Browns Ravens Football

Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens

Week 10: Three carries for 34 yards and a touchdown; one catch for 32 yards

It is apparently a repeat week at the Waiver Wire Workshop. While nearly a quarter of ESPN fantasy managers were rewarded while bumping his ownership percentage up 22.3 points over the last week, it speaks poorly about the other 75-plus percent of leagues in which he is still available. There is unlikely to be another running back who makes the kind of immediate impact that De'Von Achane did anytime soon, but Mitchell brings a similar ability to deliver big numbers on limited touches.

One week after averaging 13.4 yards and producing two plays of at least 40 yards on 10 touches against a good Seahawks defense, the undrafted rookie free agent averaged 16.5 yards per touch on four touches and ripped off two plays of at least 30 yards versus arguably the best defense in the league (Cleveland). The 190-pound Mitchell is highly unlikely to handle a huge workload anytime soon, but it seems clear after two games he does not need one to be a fantasy force.

While it is often a good idea not to put much stock into what coaches say, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh spoke about the likelihood of giving the East Carolina product more work moving forward - beginning in Week 11 against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Even if that workload matches the one from Week 9, we have already seen what he is capable of doing with it.

ESPN ownership: 23.3 percent

Other priority add(s): Leonard Fournette, Bills (10.6 percent); Rico Dowdle, Cowboys (3.8); Ty Chandler, Vikings (3.0)

Other potential strong adds (especially in deeper leagues): Latavius Murray, Bills (17.9); Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles (16.3)

Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups: Wide Receivers

Texans Bengals Football

Trenton Irwin, Cincinnati Bengals

Week 10: Two catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on four targets

Last week's 10-percent target share may not be the stuff of legend, but Irwin has been money for fantasy managers in the two games Tee Higgins has missed due to injury, producing 14 PPR fantasy points on 10 targets in Week 5 and 13.4 points in the Bengals' Week 10 loss to the Texans. Irwin was also wide open on an errant throw from Joe Burrow against Houston that would have resulted in a second touchdown catch and pushed his Week 19 fantasy total over 20 points.

With Higgins (hamstring) likely to miss at least one more game, Irwin is again in play as a WR3/flex option - even on a short week against the Ravens. Not only is Baltimore likely to be without top CB Marlon Humphrey (calf) on TNF, but there is ample opportunity for multiple Cincinnati receivers each week with Burrow averaging 38.7 throws through nine contests.

ESPN ownership: 4.3 percent

Other priority add(s): Jameson Williams, Lions (17.1 percent); Jayden Reed, Packers (15.1); Jalen Guyton, Chargers (0.2)

Other potential strong adds (especially in deeper leagues): Khalil Shakir, Bills (8.3); Jonathan Mingo, Panthers (8.1); Michael Wilson, Cardinals (6.6); Kyle Philips, Titans (0.3)

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Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups: Tight Ends

Philadelphia Eagles v New York Jets

Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

Week 10: Seven catches for 70 yards on seven targets

It feels dirty to recommend any player - outside of Garrett Wilson - from such a poor offense. There is no question the bottom could fall out at any point because the offense is very bad, but tight end is a position where fantasy managers are happy to accept production however it happens, almost regardless of HOW it happens. For Conklin recently, he has emerged as a bit of a compiler when the Jets are in desperation mode late.

Over the last two games, Conklin has come alive in the fourth quarter. In Week 9, he amassed three of his six catches and 40 of his 66 receiving yards in the final 1 1/2 minutes of a 27-6 loss. In Week 10, four of his seven receptions and 48 of his 70 receiving yards were recorded during the final 3 1/2 minutes of the contest. With the Bills and Dolphins next up on the Jets' schedule, it seems reasonable to assume they will be in desperation mode a few more times before the end of this month.

ESPN ownership: 11.1 percent

Other potential strong add(s): Cade Otton, Buccaneers (23.1 percent); Luke Musgrave, Packers (17.0); Michael Mayer, Raiders (3.3)

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