Fantasy Football Week 11 FAAB Bids: Trey Lance, Audric Estime, Gus Edwards, Ricky Pearsall, Ja'Tavion Sanders and More
Some of the hot names on the waiver wire and what reasonable bids might look like in Free Agent Auction Bid leagues.
It’s Week 11: Time is running out to spend your FAAB dollars. You’ll see that reflected in some of my recommendations below, especially low-cost players who you can splurge a few bucks on later in the season when you wouldn’t have made that move early in the year.
It’s all about opportunity cost; don’t cost yourself an opportunity by hoarding your budget until it’s too late, though. We have players worth bidding on this week, including a few high-upside quarterbacks, a possible starting running back, and pass catchers who might have expanding roles.
Let’s run through some of the hot names on the waiver wire heading into Week 11 and what reasonable bids might look like. A lot of this depends on your roster and budget; your numbers will lean higher or lower depending on what you need and how much you can spend.
Quarterback
Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ offense was ROUGH in Week 10. With Dak Prescott ruled out for the rest of the year, Cooper Rush took over and threw for 45 yards on 23 attempts. At least Dallas ran for 97 yards.
That type of performance won’t gain Rush any confidence with the coaching staff, and a team on the way down has more to gain by starting a young QB in Lance who was the third overall pick in 2021 and hasn’t gotten a chance to play because of injury and circumstance.
If Lance plays, running the ball is going to be a big part of his game. He took over in relief of Rush last week and ran three times for 17 yards. Dallas seems like a team with no answers; injecting a new element into the offense built around Lance’s rushing ability could provide an unexpected path toward competency.
That would put Lance squarely on the fantasy radar, regardless of any passing production he adds. He isn’t a strong fantasy player guaranteed for success, but Lance has an obvious path toward fantasy points if he gets into the starting lineup.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Richardson is only owned in about 40% of leagues. Owners understandably dropped him en masse when he was benched for Joe Flacco, but I mean, how long can that last? Richardson is likely to regain the starting job before the end of the season; I’m not counting on another Flacco run of success.
Richardson was drafted around QB5 in fantasy leagues due to his explosiveness and running ability. Assuming he gets back into the lineup, those elements will still be there. As evidenced by guys like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, running quarterbacks can excel in fantasy to a level that most QBs could never reach.
A fantasy owner without a reliable quarterback who can afford to use a bench spot on Richardson might be rewarded at the most important time during the fantasy playoffs. If not sooner, Indianapolis’ Week 14 bye would be a natural time to re-install Richardson as the starter for the final month of the season.
If Flacco plays well and the team is in the playoff hunt, that change won’t happen. Assuming they have a losing record and/or Flacco isn’t balling, though, the young quarterback is likely to get another chance.
Not every owner has the roster for this move to make sense, but it’s a high-upside play that could pay off in a big way.
Conservative Bid: $0-1
Aggressive Bid: $2-4
Desperation Bid: $6
Running Back
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
The discussion on Edwards is simple: He’s a middling back who has been involved when healthy, giving him flex value some weeks. J.K. Dobbins is the better player, but Edwards has been involved when healthy.
In Weeks 1 and 2, the backs essentially split the carries. Dobbins dominated the backfield when they both played in Week 3 and 4, then Edwards was out until Week 10, when Dobbins carried the ball 15 times and Edwards 10.
LA dominated the game against Tennessee and ran the ball 39 times versus just 18 pass attempts. Their double-digit lead for the last 18 minutes of the game allowed them to run to kill clock and spread carries around.
Despite Edwards being more efficient in Week 10, Dobbins has been far better over the full season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry versus just 3.5 for Edwards. In a competitive game, the Chargers are likely to favor Dobbins, meaning Edwards will top out as a flex player with a low floor.
It’s OK to have that player on your roster, but he shouldn’t be considered a weekly option.
Conservative Bid: $1-3
Aggressive Bid: $4-6
Desperation Bid: $11
Audric Estime, Denver Broncos
Estime was Denver’s lead back for the first time in Week 10. The fifth-round rookie had 14 carries against the Chiefs while Jaleel McLaughlin and Javonte Williams combined for three rush attempts. He wasn’t necessarily efficient, as Estime averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt, but this is a major mid-season development in the fantasy world.
Williams caught the only two RB passes, but this is about true lead back status. If Estime is indeed the undisputed top back moving forward, he immediately jumps onto the flex radar. He should be rostered in every league; Estime is a rare possible starter coming available late in the season.
He is far from guaranteed to be successful, though. This could have been a one-week blip based on something in practice or related to the matchup. Williams, who had double-digit carries in six of nine games before Week 10, could regain his starting job after Estime was below-average.
This is a play about upside, though, especially this late in the season. You’re running out of time to spend your FAAB budget; spend those dollars when an opportunity presents itself. An owner with a weak running back group has a chance to make a big play here if you’re willing to live with the high risk involved.
Conservative Bid: $6-11
Aggressive Bid: $21-41
Desperation Bid: Your Whole Budget
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Spears missed the previous three games before returning in Week 10 and nearly splitting touches with Tony Pollard (who led 13 to 10). Both backs are productive in the pass game, so it’s hard for Spears to find a spot where he is clearly better than the veteran.
The split in touches might have been partly a product of the Chargers blowing out the Titans for much of the second half. It is eye-opening, though, especially as Spears just returned to a 2-7 team.
Spears is a nice pickup in a deep league or if you’re short at running back, but it’s hard to trust him any week. He’ll be a flex-level player at best unless Pollard gets hurt.
Conservative Bid: $1-3
Aggressive Bid: $4-6
Desperation Bid: $11
Wide Receiver
John Metchie III, Houston Texans
Houston has been short at receiver lately, with Stefon Diggs suffering a season-ending injury in Week 8 and Nico Collins not playing since his own injury early in Week 5. Metchie is an obvious player to step into a starting role: he was a second-round pick in 2022.
Metchie missed his whole rookie season after being diagnosed with Leukemia, though, and has dealt with injuries and lack of opportunity since. Sunday was the best game of his career, as Metchie hauled in five receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The most likely outcome given what we’ve seen is that Metchie is middling or worse the rest of the season, and this was an outlier. There is an opportunity for him to play with the losses at wide receiver, though, and Metchie has the pedigree to begin producing.
Collins will return as early as this week, but there’s still a chance for Metchie to get involved. Don’t expect big things, but it’s OK to add him to your roster if you’re short at receiver.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers
I highlighted Pearsall in our last-minute streamers for Week 10 because of a good matchup against Tampa Bay and said it was a good chance to score his first touchdown. Well, Pearsall had four catches, 73 yards, and the first TD of his career.
The rookie first rounder has been involved during each of his three games, combining for 11 receptions, 132 yards, and the one touchdown. He’s not going to step in and replicate Brandon Aiyuk’s production after the star went down for the year, but Pearsall was a first-round pick for a reason: he’s got game.
Pearsall will be a WR3/4/flex type you can consider most weeks. That’s a valuable player to have on your roster but not a must-have guy. There aren’t a lot of receivers who can say they start for one of the best offenses in the league, though.
Conservative Bid: $1-4
Aggressive Bid: $6
Desperation Bid: $11
Tight End
Tanner Hudson, Cincinnati Bengals
Hudson had by far his best game of the season, hauling in six receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. That topped his previous totals this season in every category. With multiple players at his position ahead of him on the depth chart, this is likely to be an outlier week for Hudson.
Hudson is a stand-in for a lot of tight ends who have one inflated fantasy week in which they score a touchdown, giving hope of future fantasy production. Tight end is the hardest offensive position at which to find fantasy points, so it’s easy to jump on a bandwagon early in hopes that it grows wheels.
There’s a lesson from the timing of Hudson’s big week, though: Cincinnati’s opponent, Baltimore, has allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and is in the top 10 in fantasy points per game allowed to tight ends.
Rather than hoping for a middling player to keep excelling, it’s better to chase the matchup. Picking up a tight end who plays against the Ravens every week would be much better than playing someone like Hudson. Don’t pay for a tight end based on one week of production.
Conservative Bid: $0
Aggressive Bid: $1
Desperation Bid: $2
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Sanders won’t be on many radars because he has a bye in Week 11, but that gives owners a chance to grab him either for $1 or as a free agent before he becomes popular this time next week. After the bye, Sanders has two of the best tight end matchups in Weeks 12 and 13.
While the Panthers will have trouble winning games against the Chiefs and Buccaneers in those weeks, those teams ranked first and third, respectively, in fantasy points per game allowed to tight ends entering Week 10. It’s easy to assume that Carolina will be playing from behind, meaning more pass attempts.
Sanders caught just two passes for eight yards last week, but he scored a touchdown, saving his fantasy day. He’s been moderately successful at times in his rookie season: Sanders has three games with at least four catches and 49 yards. His other seven games have combined for just 11 receptions and 56 yards, though, giving him a super low floor.
This is all about the matchups. Sanders is nothing more than a streamer, but he’s a two-week option for anyone without a weekly starter.
