Fantasy Football
Jim McCormick, Special to ESPN.com 5y

Theo Riddick, Josh Reynolds among top last-minute pickups for Week 11

Fantasy, Fantasy NFL

Each week of the NFL campaign, we sift through the deeper options at each position with an eye on identifying streaming fantasy options with favorable matchups for you to pick up and plug into your lineup.

As bye weeks roll on and injuries mount, the need for replacement options grows. Here are players found on waiver wires in most ESPN leagues who can help fill those gaps in your roster.

Quarterback

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

You likely know all about Jackson's amazing collegiate production. The Heisman winner ran for 3,172 yards and 39 touchdowns to go with 7,203 passing yards and 57 passing touchdowns in his final two seasons at Louisville. Now potentially poised to start in place of an ailing Joe Flacco, Jackson is an exciting fantasy prospect in a matchup with a reeling Cincinnati defense that has allowed the most points per drive to opponents -- even more than the Raiders.

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

Mariota is in a nice spot to return value as a streaming option amid a busy bye week, as he's 12th in fantasy points per game among signal-callers since Week 7 and yet available in more than 80 percent of ESPN leagues. The Colts have been respectable on defense, but they still have ceded the 12th-most points per drive. Mariota will need to navigate a ball-hawking defense, but it's worth testing to see if this past week's drubbing of the Patriots is indeed a trend.

Running back

Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions

Lost in the well-deserved hype for Kerryon Johnson's breakout as Detroit's feature back is that Riddick has been targeted six times per game in his past four outings and 7.5 times per game in his past two, resulting in a reception on a quarter of his routes since Week 4. Riddick earns a streaming endorsement for the second straight week, as his receiving role should again translate to a high-floor fantasy performance in what should be a high-scoring matchup with the Panthers.

Josh Adams, Philadelphia Eagles

Forcing missed tackles at the highest rate of any player on the Eagles' patchwork depth chart at tailback, Adams is steadily earning a greater market share of rushing duties each successive week for the Birds. The team is unlikely to fully commit to Adams as a workhorse, but at this level of availability (rostered in 5.9 percent of ESPN leagues), his potential to claim a 50 percent share of early-down duties with any potential goal-to-go upside is enough to inspire interest in deeper fantasy formats.

Wide receiver

Josh Reynolds, Los Angeles Rams

With 12 air yards per target on the season, Reynolds' average depth of target is the third longest among regular receiving targets for the Rams (at least five routes per game). Injured Cooper Kupp had averaged 29.6 routes per game to Reynolds' 9.5, but now the young receiver is due to assume this valuable tertiary role and is a fun and affordable way to get a share of this amazing 63.5-point total on Monday night, the highest for an NFL game since 1986. The Chiefs, for their part, have allowed the 13th-most yards per game to receivers this season.

Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears

Through his first five games, Miller averaged just 2.2 catches and 24.8 yards thanks to a blend of low catch rate (just 50 percent) and a lack of targets (4.4 per game). In his past three games, Miller has averaged 69.3 yards and 6.3 targets with a clean 68.4 percent catch rate, while handling 11.0 air yards per target. The Vikings have been solid against receivers for much of the season, but Miller's mix of usage and wide availability supports streaming value for Week 11.

Tight end

Jeff Heuerman, Denver Broncos

The market clearly isn't chasing Heuerman's huge Week 9 against Houston. Maybe it was so long ago given the team's recent bye that he's been forgotten as a key free-agent find at this atypically shallow and fickle fantasy position. Even if Week 9's 10-catch opus is an outlier, there is an increased target bandwidth to claim with Demaryius Thomas' market share opened up. The Chargers have allowed the 11th-fewest yards per game to tight ends, so the matchup isn't ideal, but the potential for 20 percent of Denver's passing market sustains streaming interest.

Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans

Stacking Mariota with Smith certainly paid off in redraft and daily fantasy competition last week. With scores in consecutive games thanks to an improving red zone rapport with Mariota, Smith (available in 99 percent of ESPN leagues) is a worthy streaming candidate against the Colts' young back seven.

Defense/special teams

Arizona Cardinals

Available in the vast majority of ESPN leagues as of Tuesday afternoon, this aggressive defense has pressured opposing passers on 34 percent of dropbacks, third only to the Rams (37.2) and Jaguars (35.4). No team blitzes more frequently than Arizona's 38.3 percent clip, while Derek Carr is 24th in the NFL in passer rating facing the blitz and 26th in passer rating when pressured this season.

Individual defensive players

Defensive line

Jabaal Sheard, Indianapolis Colts

Enjoying a uniquely high snap rate for an edge rusher, Sheard grades out as one of the more effective 4-3 ends per Pro Football Focus. With an expectation for at least four tackles against a run-centric Tennessee offense, Sheard is a strong streamer.

Linebacker

Jordan Evans, Cincinnati Bengals

Even if Vontaze Burfict is back this week, Evans remains a worthy defensive streamer given his productive recent outings and an expectation for a steady snap rate in the weeks ahead.

Defensive back

Eric Reid, Carolina Panthers

On the field for nearly every defensive snap in the two games leading into this recent drubbing at the hands of the Steelers, Reid is a punishing safety in run support, aiding a stable tackle rate, while he also possesses upside for big plays.

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