Latest:

Vote The Process

VoteTheProcess

Vote The Process
Chip Bayless FEATURED Football Latest 

Top Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 11

votetheprocess 0 Comments
By Chip Bayless (click Howie for more Chip)

 

 

 

1) Marquez Valdes-Scantling

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 10: Marquez Valdes-Scantling #10 of the New Orleans Saints catches a pass for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Caesars Superdome on November 10, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ella Hall/Getty Images)

MVS has always been a boom or bust player, and he certainly boomed this past weekend.

While this ranking is as much about workload/opportunity as anything else considering basically every Saints’ WR is injured, the combination of MVS’ speed and Derek Carr’s deep-ball accuracy could be a fantasy-relevant formula for WR-needy teams coming down the stretch of the season.

With Olave and Rasheed on IR, and Cedrick Wilson out, Marquez Valdes-Scantling became the Saints WR1 and top deep threat overnight, and the result was 25 fantasy points despite being rostered in less than 1% of ESPN leagues.

MVS is worth an immediate add, and if Cedrick Wilson can’t go again in Week 11, then he’s also worth an immediate FLEX play.

Valdes-Scantling hasn’t accrued many notable stats yet since he’s only caught six total passes and was a healthy scratch for much of the season, but today he does rank fifth in the NFL in average scrimmage yards per touch (per Pro Football Reference).

His two 40+ yard receptions last week means MVS is tied for 15th in terms of all WRs when it comes to catches of at least 40 yards (according to FantasyPros).

Valdes-Scantling demonstrated clear chemistry with Carr as well, so even if Wilson returns, a starting role opposite him still has fantasy potential with Carr’s arm strength combined with MVS’ explosiveness in a Saints offense that is usually passing as a result of playing from behind.

While MVS has notably struggled with drops at times in his career, he’s also one of the fastest players in the NFL and has had a few stretches of remarkable consistency and fantasy relevance throughout his career.

That speed shows up on the stat sheet, as MVS is currently 10th in average air yards per reception and fifth in average yards per catch.

 

 

2) Ja’Tavion Sanders

If you’re like me and you are so desperate at TE that you started Tyler Conklin, Ja’Tavion Sanders is one of the few names out of Carolina worth mentioning.

He’s actually been a startable tight end over his past five weeks now, and profiles as a borderline-TE1 this week given his consistency for the position and considering the fact that the Panthers are one of the worst teams in football and are therefore throwing at a high clip usually due to playing with a significant deficit.

Over the past five weeks, Sanders has scored at least 8.8 fantasy points in 4/5 games, and has caught at least four passes on five targets or more with 49+ receiving yards in 3/4 weeks.

The Panthers also have very few established playmakers, if any outside of Chubba Hubbard (and he wasn’t even considered “proven” until recently), and don’t have any target hogs who command double-digit looks, and its easy to see why Sanders has fantasy upside and has seen at least five targets in three of his past five weeks.

At the moment Sanders has accrued a few impressive TE rankings, including:

  • 9th in yards after contact (FantasyPros)
  • 10th in YAC rating (per ESPN Analytics)
  • 11th in yards after contact per reception (per FantasyPros)
  • Tied for 13th in receptions for 20+ yards
  • 15th in total YAC

Sanders also played the sixth-most snaps of any TE last week by percentage.

He’s made some amazing catches on 50/50 balls while making to plays that make one question how someone can be so athletic at that size, like his hurdle from a few weeks ago over seemingly multiple defenders:

Available in 99% of leagues, Sanders is one of the only free-agent tight ends left who’s worth a claim considering even the TEs in the Conklin/Fant tier are probably rostered by now if you’re in a 12-team or deeper league.

At minimum, Sanders has to be the most skilled TE available at this late stage of the season, but as we know talent is only as good as a player’s opportunity in fantasy football.

Hopefully for fantasy managers Sanders can continue to hold off Tommy Tremble for the Panthers’ TE1 job due to the draft-day investment and his efficiency (eighth in terms of TEs when it comes to YAC per reception).

Even though he’ll be catching passes from a midget little person who could be a bigger draft bust than JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf combined, when you combine Sanders’ current and projected role with the fact that the Panthers are a pass-heavy team by necessity late in games, its easy to understand why Sanders’ fantasy merit should continue to yield at least low-end TE1 results.

Looking for one final Ja’Tavion stat to convince you to pick up a TE who’s owned in less than 1% of leagues who’s also going into a bye (like you needed a reason to roster someone with a name that cool), he leads not just TEs, but the entire NFL, in average separation.

He also has the eighth-best catch percentage across the league regardless of position (per Next Gen Stats).

Finally, Sanders has been on the field for at least 85% of snaps each of the Panthers’ last two weeks, and as far as TEs are concerned any snap share above 82% will be top-10 at the position on a weekly basis.

 

 

3) Derek Carr

When he has been at full health and the Saints haven’t been a complete dumpster fire, Derek Carr has been one of the top-10 most effective and productive quarterbacks in the NFL in 2024, in part as evidenced by the fact that Carr has the fourth-highest average completion percentage above expectation (according to Next Gen Stats).

Carr’s deep-ball accuracy is also one of the best in the league, and right now Carr’s four completions of 50+ yards are tied for the second-most among this year’s quarterbacks.

Like the resurgence of Geno Smith in Seattle, Carr is suddenly playing some of the best football in his career, and it doesn’t hurt that he has one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL in Alvin Kamara sharing the same backfield.

Carr has underrated mobility, the arm strength to hit any throw his coaches draw up, and his seasons of experience show in his pocket awareness and ability to hit a variety of different throws under pressure using different arm angles, which is arguably similar to Matthew Stafford’s skillset.

Throw in Carr’s knack for shooting timing routes into microscopic windows combined with his overall arm talent, and you’ve got an elite quarterback/

In fact, despite missing three games, Carr ranks:

  • 7th in yards per attempt (per ESPN)
  • 7th in passer rating (per ESPN)
  • 9th in efficiency versus expected (per Opta Stats)
  • 8th in well-thrown % (per Opta Stats)
  • 10th in QBR (per ESPN)

Carr is also sixth in adjusted completion percentage,

Carr’s deep passes are a thing of beauty, and while he has many detractors, few of them would likely question his arm strength and ability to put just the right amount of touch on the passes that require it.

Carr often hits the Saints’ speedy receivers in stride as he out-throws the defense, and right now Carr’s receivers are averaging the 7th-most YAC per completion, he ranks 9th in on-target throw percentage, and ranks 10th in passing yards off of play action.

Even if you don’t believe in Carr, at least mull the concept that Carr has Kamara to avert defensive attention and dump the ball off to for easy points in addition to resurrected MVS as a legitimate deep threat (scored twice last week).

Carr’s arm strength combined with the explosiveness of his pass-catchers is a sneaky scoring combination with fantasy potential, and Carr does rank seventh in TD% this season.

 

You May Also Like

ORIGINAL Travis Kelce x Jason Kelce Step Brothers Tees & Sweaters

votetheprocess 0

Top Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 7

votetheprocess 0

Breaking: Ezekiel Elliot Available to Play Against 49ers After Temporary Restraining Order

Chip Bayless 0

Leave a comment