Fantasy playoffs inch closer. Three more weeks of panic, of the incessant refreshing of cell phone apps, and of crossing fingers regarding waiver wire moves. Hopefully, the players listed below help ease the anxiety induced by the forever-hated bye week.
Here is a look at the surprise target grabbers from Week 10, and a look at possible breakout options for Week 11 based on the usage they are seeing in the passing game. You can ask me more waiver wire and game day questions on Twitter @DemetriRafto.
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Surprise Week 10 Target Grabbers
Tyreek Hill - (WR, KC)
I was a game early on predicting another breakout performance from Tyreek Hill, as he fell flat with only three catches for 11 yards two weeks ago. But Hill bounced back for a career-high 10 receptions on a career-high 13 targets for 89 yards this past week. He also added one rush for 12 yards. Hill won't hurt opposing teams via the deep ball, rather his ability to run and make defenders miss. The short game is his moneymaker.
With Jeremy Maclin inactive, Hill was upgraded to Kansas City's top wideout. The same will be the case if Maclin misses his second straight contest in Week 11 against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that has surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.
Will Tye - (TE, NYG)
Will Tye turned in his best performance of the season this past Monday night. Typically overshadowed by New York's trio of solid receivers, Tye made some noise against the Cincinnati Bengals with his five catches on eight targets for 53 yards; all three were season-highs.
Solid Week 11 performance aside, Tye has yet to find the end zone this season and has not been a fantasy option throughout the campaign's 11 weeks. This makes it very difficult to even consider rostering him, but Tye holds some value in daily fantasy tournaments, as he can free up cap space and hit or exceed projections without doing much.
Cameron Brate - (TE, TB)
In a blowout victory against the Chicago Bears, Cameron Brate was perfect, catching a career-high seven receptions on seven targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown marked Brate's third straight game with at least one, bumping his season total up to five; tied for the league lead at the position. With Mike Evans heavily covered, Brate was able to find plenty of room, increasing his appeal as a streaming option in fantasy.
Brate certainly holds more value in PPR formats, but if he continues to find the end zone at this rate, it won't matter how scoring is formatted in your league. Brate gets a tough matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs next week, but should be owned in all leagues.
Possible Week 11 Breakout Options
Roger Lewis - (WR, NYG)
This one is a bit extreme. Eli Rogers should likely be in this first slot of possible breakout options for Week 11, but where is the fun in that? Let's get a little crazy. With Victor Cruz inactive against the Cincinnati Bengals last Monday night, Roger Lewis slipped into the WR3 slot behind Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham, Jr. Heading into the contest, the Giants owned the second-worst rushing offense in the league, making it clear that they would continue to lean on the arm of Eli Manning for production. While the running game finally looked fairly decent Monday night, the team was led to victory by three touchdowns through the air. Unfortunately, none of them went to Roger Lewis.
Lewis was targeted four times and reeled in only one catch for two yards. Not that promising, I know. But if Victor Cruz, who has had a tendency to miss games over the past couple of years, is inactive for the second straight week, Lewis should have an easier time producing against a Chicago Bears team that has allowed the most fantasy points to wideouts this season. He's undoubtedly handcuffed to Cruz, but could prove to be a solid punt for daily fantasy as well as in deep, 14-16 team PPR formats.
Ladarius Green - (TE, CLE)
Activated off of the PUP list, Ladarius Green made his much-anticipated season debut last week in the Steelers' fourth straight loss. It wasn't a showing to write home about, but it was comforting to see him involved in Pittsburgh's offensive attack. Green reeled in three of four targets for 30 yards, taking a slight backseat to the outlaw Jesse James. Green took the field for only 12 offensive snaps, but that number should increase against a Cleveland Browns squad that has allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends this season. It's likely that Green's role will surpass that of James, so keep an eye on both of their production in a favorable Week 11 matchup. Green is a solid streaming option.
Green took the field for only 12 offensive snaps, but that number should increase against a Cleveland Browns squad that has allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends this season. It's likely that Green's role will surpass that of James, so keep an eye on both of their production in a favorable Week 11 matchup. Green is a solid streaming option.
Tajae Sharpe - (WR, TEN)
After reeling in seven catches on 11 targets during his debut as a rookie in the NFL, it seemed that Tajae Sharpe would be an integral member of the Tennessee Titans' offensive unit. Three straight weeks of seven targets followed, but Sharpe was unable to do much with the abundance of looks. Many fantasy owners lost faith and dropped him from their lineups, as he became an afterthought. But once the Green Bay Packers came to town in Week 10, Sharpe suddenly became relevant again.
In the high scoring affair that moved the Titans once spot closer to first place, Sharpe caught his first career touchdown and accumulated 68 yards on three receptions. I'm going with the hot-hand here, even if it was only one game, and predicting that Sharpe sees a boost in his target volume in Week 11, closer to where it was in the beginning of the season. The Titans visit Indianapolis; the perfect place to simply let it rip. Get ready for Marcus Mariota and Andrew Luck to display their maturing arms.
Other Options: Jesse James (TE, PIT) @CLE, Kendall Wright (WR, TEN) @IND, Eli Rogers (WR, PIT) @CLE