Credit: ChessBomb
Sometimes significant landmark events fly right under the radar. The World Chess Championship in New York between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karajakin may be greeted with a yawn outside the realm of chess enthusiasts, but the coverage of the match is a milestone. It is the first ‘sporting’ event broadcast in 360º Virtual Reality. You can virtually sit right next to the players as they mull over their next move.
This is a peek into the future of how we may watch NFL football and all the other major sports in the future. Imagine sitting in the stands at Lambeau Field in the deep freeze of December beside the fireplace with a nice cup of hot chocolate. This is the amazing extension that virtual reality brings to our experience. It doesn’t stop there with a static view. The ability to zoom in and around various places on the football field depending the amount of VR camera angles and placements reveal many dizzying possibilities. On the day that mankind lands on Mars, everyone on earth will virtually be there with the astronauts on the trip.
The current VR broadcast remains confined to a lounge room in the Fulton Market Building in New York. But hey, it’s a start and with the speed of innovation and the approach of viable quantum computer processing, the future ahead is both weird and wonderful.
So what has this got to do with fantasy football waiver grabs in Week 11 in 2016? Uh, well, not much, but I thought you might like to know what the future holds.
Week 11 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Grabs
Bye week: Falcons, Broncos, Jets, Chargers
Some Monday news about the Alshon Jeffery suspension highlights a part of this week’s grabs. There are other continuing moves in the running back area, which is a crucial position in 2016 for fantasy football.
As usual, the percentages here derive from the Yahoo fantasy site and the ownership limited to no higher than the 35% range. If finding room on your team for new players is a tough decision, check out Alex Hamrick’s Week 11 drop list for some advice.
Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers are keepers, so getting a quarterback fill for Week 11 requires other deadwood getting the boot. Last week, Jay Cutler crumbled in a good matchup against the Bucanneers and considering the Giants are near the top against quarterback fantasy points – no second chances for Jay in Week 11.
Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (25%)
Okay, let’s try the Bucanneers again. The best team a quarterback can face for fantasy points. If the choices out there leave you really stuck – and I mean really stuck, you can try Alex Smith for Week 11. Smith is not a bulging choice and the upside is always low – even in home games. However, he is a safe choice for Week 11 considering the opposition he faces. The Bucs have allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks in the past four weeks, so Cutler aside, this is a “just get through” choice if nothing better falls to you on Wednesday morning.
Running Backs
C.J. Prosise, Seattle Seahawks (35%)
When you see a talent – you know it. Prosise temptingly lingered around fantasy waivers all season, but with an injury and Christine Michael holding tight to a bell-cow role, his fantasy interest dimmed.
He played a very large role in the Seattle victory against New England on Sunday, but as we see his fantasy stock start to rise, we may see the return of Thomas Rawls just in time to put a cap on the upside.
To be honest, I didn’t think much of Prosise because I felt he didn’t quite have that ideal running back frame like an Ezekiel Elliott or David Johnson. Yet, he surprised me with his “slithery” moves through the gap and I cannot say enough about his pass catching.
Here’s the problem and this is huge for me – Prosise’s pass protection. Considering the patch-work offensive line, a strong running back in pass protection is key for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Prosise needs work in this department.
I still think you grab this guy in any case. Despite the shortcomings, Prosise has the clear look of a playmaking running back with effectiveness that simply turned fantasy on its head. However, if Thomas Rawls (49%) is anywhere available, try to claim him first, then Prosise.
Jeremy Langford, Chicago Bears (26%)
You can include Ka’Deem Carey (1%) as an alternative. The condition of Jordan Howard for the Bears’ next game is uncertain, despite assurances that he claims nothing is wrong with him. Chicago backups are low priority anyway, but the ill-timing and ambiguity of this news could make this story either something to ignore or act upon. We just don’t know. If Howard is really having an achilles issue as John Fox says, the only reliable information we have comes later in the week. Keep your grab trigger ready should Tuesday’s NFL news prove matters either way.
James Starks, Green Bay Packers (26%)
The reliability of anything in the Green Bay backfield is the real news. Sigh. Yet, Starks managed a 7-38-0 on the ground and a fantasy saving touchdown through the air. Starks is seemingly a must own, yet a difficult player to start. I doubt very much that Starks is a player to grant you playoff success, but the needs-must situation in Green Bay allows a little hope.
Very little. The Packers refusal to sign a decent free agent to a one-year deal just to get a regular rhythm as they had with Lacy seems strange. A team at 4-5 can certainly rebalance well enough for a playoff run, so why not? Something is going on. Prepare for any breaking news this week.
Wide Receivers
Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears (33%)
Before Hoyer broke his arm, Meredith turned in consistent fantasy numbers replacing the injured Kevin White. When Alshon Jeffery returned, the targets remained constant and Meredith was definite hold in all leagues. It all changed after Cutler took over. The targets went down and Meredith went back to fantasy nowhereland.
Cameron Meredith suddenly got a fantasy call-up due to the Alshon Jeffery suspension. It’s something no one saw coming and I have yet to hear an appeal. That surprises me because Jeffery battled injury at various times this season and may have taken anti-inflammatories to aid in healing. The suggestion put forward to this point is that this was the case. However, because the hammer fell fast, something in his meds obviously crossed the line. We’ll see how this turns out.
In the meantime, the rest of the pass-catchers of the Bears move up a little, but it is Cam Meredith and Zach Miller (70%) as main beneficiaries.
Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills (16%)
I mentioned Woods last week in the grabs, but I should add that he is best used when the matchup fits. This week the Bills travel to Cincinnati and this is a team better to run against, rather than pass. You only have to look at the Giants on Monday, a team with a terrible running game, closing out the game by simple delayed draws. Since the mouths to feed are few on the Bills, Woods remains a flex option, but with modest expectations.
Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins (15%)
A grab dependent on the availability of DeSean Jackson. Garcon’s workload predictably went up on Sunday as Jackson was unable play. Garcon, largely forgotten in fantasy football, actually has a very big role in the offense of the Redskins. Despite a typical workload that nets five or six receptions per game with 50 yards or so. The reason fantasy ignores him comes down to scoring and red zone chances. Garcon has one touchdown so far in 2016. With Jackson out, he makes for a comfortable spot start in PPR, because even if the scoring doesn’t change, the targets will. Green Bay is next and if you saw what the Titans did to them last Sunday, you’d start almost anyone against them.
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (17%)
Mentioned last week. Hill made the most of his Maclin-less targets without a score and put up a 10-89-0 statline against the Panthers. All Chiefs receivers suffer from touchdown thirst, but in a PPR format, Tyreek Hill is the most reliable and that includes whether Jeremy Maclin is in the lineup or not.
Tight Ends
Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins (6%)
Credit: Keith Allison
Vernon Davis is a real drain on Jordan Reed’s production since becoming the prime tight end during Reed’s brief injury absences. Not only has Davis eaten into Reed’s production, he is getting the plum red zone looks.
We all knew the talent of Vernon Davis in the Harbaugh 49ers, but no one expected him to pick it all back up with the Redskins. Well, here it is. I would argue that Davis is the better own of the two tight ends right now. If DeSean Jackson does not play, expect more targets going his way.
For the watch list…
Kenneth Dixon, Baltimore Ravens (19%)
Back on the watch list is Dixon. He’s still stashable, but fantasy interest is trending down again. The workload isn’t increasing and the effectiveness doesn’t look anything like we saw in the preseason. He’s hanging in there for potential fantasy stock, but Terrance West remains the running back to own.
Eli Rogers, Pittsburgh Steelers (10%)
For a guy that had a 4-42-1 statline, the rush to get him is ridiculously high. Touchdowns can have that effect. Keep watchlisted, but not a priority to see on your roster Wednesday morning.
Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers (12%)
Again, touchdowns make fantasy production look good. Funchess is a good player and if anything were to happen to Benjamin, I would snap this guy up in a second. Keep him watchlisted, but no need to give him a bench spot.
Taylor Gabriel, Atlanta Falcons (2%)
When Gabriel was with the Browns, the insiders were all filled with high praise for the young speedster. He remains the third behind Sanu on the Falcons, but his workload is trending up in recent weeks. The Falcons are on a bye anyway, but I’d keep Gabriel watchlisted for easy scooping. A “break glass in case of emergency” wide receiver.
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