Wide receiver is one of the most volatile positions in fantasy football from week to week. While some of the superstar receivers are reliable, there are also fringe options who step up each week. Those sleepers can often make the difference between a fantasy football win and a fantasy football defeat.
Every Saturday this season, I’ve been searching through value options to pull out the best plays from the bargain bin. Whether you need to grab a receiver off the waiver wire to fill out your season-long roster or are searching for a cheap play for your DFS roster, these fringey plays could out-produce expectations and help you get that big win this week.
In week 11, the main DFS slate has 11 games on Sunday afternoon, and the biggest contest is the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]. The wide receiver room is jam-packed with value options for this week, so I’ll stick to that player pool.
Earlier this week, I listed my top-25 plays at wide receiver, and the options highlighted here don’t quite crack that list. However, I love the upside they bring at their DFS salary, and they also make sense as a last-minute grab-and-play option off the waiver wire.
My five sleeper wide receivers last week were Noah Brown ($4,300; 6.3 FPTS), Ray-Ray McCloud III ($4,300; 6.6 FPTS), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ($3,800; 6.1 FPTS), Mack Hollins ($3,300; 12.6 FPTS) and Kendrick Bourne ($3,200; 0.0 FPTS). My picks were shut out of the end zone as a group last week, but hopefully, I can bounce back with better totals in Week 11.
There is a group of value plays I love just under $6,000 with Jakobi Meyers ($5,600), Jauan Jennings ($5,300) and Cedric Tillman ($5,300). They’re all awesome plays.
But, for this post, we’re diving deeper and going under $4,500 for all five sleeper picks. Here are my top five fantasy football sleepers at WR for Week 11:
Devaughn Vele, Denver Broncos ($3,900)
I had included Vele in my value picks in Week 8 and Week 9, but I couldn’t quite squeeze the rookie in for Week 10’s matchup vs. the Chiefs. OF COURSE, he found the end zone for the first time in his career.
Touchdown Vele!!!
The first of his career…
And the Broncos are in front 👀
— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) November 10, 2024
Vele’s usage has fluctuated from week to week, but he hauled in all four of his targets for 39 yards and that touchdown in last week’s narrow loss to the Chiefs.
He has at least three targets in each of the six games he has played this season. He played a career-high 35 offensive snaps last week and continues to develop good chemistry with fellow rookie Bo Nix ($6,200).
The Falcons should be a good matchup for Vele to continue to produce this week since they have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season. Opposing receivers have ranked in the top five in both receptions and receiving touchdowns against Atlanta.
The seventh-round pick from Utah is a very solid DFS play under $4,000 and is also available in over 98% of season-long leagues.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots ($3,500)
The Patriots’ receiver room has been a riddle this season, but it looks like Boutte may be the answer as Drake Maye’s ($5,600) favorite target. Boutte is owned in under 5% of season-long leagues but is definitely gathering momentum. With pricing tight this week, his low salary of only $3,500 is making him a popular play to open up star options in other roster spots.
Boutte has exactly six targets in each of the last three weeks, and he set a season-high with four catches in Week 10 vs. the Bears while totaling 47 yards and 8.7 fantasy points. His season-high for fantasy points came against the Texans in Week 6, when he had 59 yards and 14.9 fantasy points along with his lone touchdown of the season.
Last week, Boutte ran a position-high 29 routes for the Patriots and seems to be emerging as the team’s top receiver. He also seems to be gaining more of a rapport with Maye, as illustrated in this clip.
On three different 2nd & long situations yesterday, Drake Maye turned to one receiver to quickly pick up yards: Kayshon Boutte.
It’s clear Maye expects him to create separation quickly in obvious passing situations, and he did on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/fFSyOtS0xi
— Matt St. Jean (@mattstdream) November 11, 2024
On Saturday morning, the Patriots waived Tyquan Thornton, who hasn’t played in the past few weeks anyway, but it shows how confident the team is in their current group of receivers, including Boutte, Kendrick Bourne ($3,100), rookie Ja’Lynn Polk ($3,400) and slot specialist Demario Douglas ($4,700).
The Rams have given up some big games to receivers this season and rank in the top 10 of fantasy points allowed to the position. Opposing receivers have 13 touchdowns against the Rams this season including five in the last two weeks.
Mack Hollins, Buffalo Bills ($3,800)
I’m back for more Mack this week even though Amari Cooper ($5,700) looks like he’ll be able to play. Hollins has been getting most of his work on the route tree normally operated by Keon Coleman (wrist) who remains out, which is why I still like him against the Chiefs this week.
Last week, Hollins caught all four of his targets for 82 yards, including this smart play just before halftime.
A great throw and scramble by Josh Allen, but what really stands out here is the awareness that Mack Hollins shows. He didn’t just stay down after the catch– he got up and ran out of bounds, saving the Bills’ final timeout. pic.twitter.com/317kGgdTvE
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 10, 2024
Hollins has caught nine of his nine targets in the last two games for a total of 116 yards and a touchdown. Getting him under $4,000 in what could be a back-and-forth game against the Chiefs is a solid salary-saving option as long as he stays involved, which I think he will since he has much rapport with Josh Allen ($7,800) than we have seen from Cooper.
Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh Steelers ($3,600)
Austin is bottled lightning for the Steelers, and he has made multiple big plays this season. He had two touchdowns (one on a punt return) against the Giants to produce a season-high 20.4 fantasy points back in Week 8.
The Quickster 💨 @CalvinAustinIII
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnrEBK pic.twitter.com/69fMIpQdYJ
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 29, 2024
He also had a monster game with 19.5 fantasy points back in Week 3 when he scored a 55-yard touchdown against the Chargers.
In Week 10 after a bye week, Austin got six targets but only had two catches for 20 yards before leaving with an injury. He was replaced by recently acquired Mike Williams ($4,100), who ran Austin’s route and hauled in the game-winning touchdown.
While Williams could potentially continue to take some of his work, Austin only needs one big play to be a great value at this salary. Since Russell Wilson ($5,900) took over as QB, Austin has at least four targets in every game, and Russ should continue to get him involved since he’s such a big-play threat.
He’s a contrarian fantasy football sleeper this week since Williams will be getting the attention, but Austin could go off against the Ravens, who have given up the most fantasy points per game this season to the position. He’s a “swing for the fences” pick, but if he connects, he has the potential to go a long way.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos ($3,100)
The Broncos switched things up in the backfield last week, going with Audric Estime ($4,500) as their top early-down option. I love Estime as a cheap play this week and hyped him up as a fantasy football sleeper on Monday. The one element that Estime doesn’t bring to the backfield, at least to this point, is much of a threat as a receiver–that’s where we get to Mims.
Rather than mix in Jaleel McLaughlin ($4,700) or Javonte Williams ($5,700), the Broncos experimented with Mims in the backfield last week.
Marvin “Deebo Samuel” Mims Jr. pic.twitter.com/IB5qrxnEOv
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) November 14, 2024
Whether he gets snaps and touches out of the backfield or at receiver, Mims brings big-play ability. Last week, he caught all four of his targets for 13 yards and also had 17 yards on four carries.
His usage at both positions gives him more upside and less risk, and his salary is barely more than the minimum for this favorable home matchup vs. the Falcons.
Is Mims a risky flier play? Definitely! But he comes with a lot of potential upside and brings way more potential than any other receiver with a salary under $3,500. If you are stacking stars and need to go cheap, he’s definitely a sneaky way to get good potential into your lineup.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
