We're getting close to crunch time in the fantasy football regular season as most standard leagues have just four weeks left before the playoffs. Byes are still a factor over the next several weeks, so finding that critical flex option or defense is vital if you're hoping to make a playoff run or improve your positioning.
The return of fantasy superheroes from Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles next week will help as Atlanta, Indianapolis, New England and New Orleans take a seat. Check out this week's top fantasy pickups below with all rostered percentages based on Yahoo! leagues.
Top Fantasy Football Pickups To Make Ahead Of Week 11
5. Detroit Lions, D/ST
The mantra goes that defense wins championships is important in real life and does have some implications in the fantasy game. While each league has its own scoring quirks, any smart owner will look to take advantage of a defense that has a lot of strong matchups on its schedule.
This week's potential playoff hero defense is the Detroit Lions, who have a fearsome pass rush and should be widely available on waiver wires thanks to their tough Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Once you get past that game, take a look at what the Lions have ahead of them: Chicago, Green Bay, New Orleans, Chicago again, Denver and Minnesota.
That is not a fearsome lineup of opposing offenses so make sure you pick up the Lions now if you want to have them for the playoff run. Detroit is only rostered in 30 percent of leagues so this should be the last opportunity to snag them.
4. Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots
We talked about Douglas in this space last week and he had another good day for himself in Germany. Mac Jones looked to Douglas with regularity Sunday morning, targeting him nine times as Douglas converted those into six receptions for 84 yards.
Expecting a ton of firepower out of the New England offense is a fool's errand but there has always been an element of PPR utility from their top receivers. Kendrick Bourne had provided usable fantasy lines before he was lost for the season due to injury and it appears as if Douglas is now the go-to guy in New England.
The Patriots have made Douglas a valued part of their offense as he has had at least six targets in each of the past four games. Douglas in turn has delivered playable numbers in PPR leagues, which makes him an important commodity with a few more bye weeks left to navigate.
The reason Douglas isn't higher on this list is because his own bye is next week, making him a lower priority pickup than the others on this list. Douglas is rostered in 36 percent of leagues and should be a useful fantasy asset for the rest of the season.
3. Ty Chandler, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Injury is the key to opportunity in fantasy circles and there may be a short-term window to grab a RB1 in Minnesota. Alexander Mattison left Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints with a concussion, ceding the Vikings backfield to Ty Chandler in the process.
Minnesota gave Chandler the football 15 times and he picked up 45 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon. That kind of volume is certainly playable in fantasy circles and the thing playing in Chandler's favor is that Mattison will need to clear the concussion protocol within a week, something that has not been very common over the past few years.
49ers' quarterback Brock Purdy is the only player of fantasy relevance to clear the protocol within a week, so the odds would appear to be stacked against Mattison being able to suit up against Denver in Week 11. The Broncos have given up the most fantasy points to running backs entering Week 10, making this matchup a huge one to exploit if Mattison sits.
Chandler is rostered in only seven percent of leagues and is a must-add this week, especially if Mattison sits. The Vikings lost Cam Akers to an Achilles' injury earlier this season, leaving only Kene Nwangwu as competition for Chandler as of post time, making him a must-add as a plug-and-play RB2 if he draws the start.
2. Noah Brown, WR, Houston Texans
Few expected the Houston Texans to be a source of fantasy goodness this season but C.J. Stroud's strong rookie season has lifted the entire unit. Stroud had a huge day in Week 10, throwing for 356 yards and a touchdown to help the Texans upset the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals, and he has found a nice connection with Noah Brown over the past two weeks.
Brown blew up again on Sunday, catching 7 passes for 172 yards in the 30-27 victory. This effort, which came on eight targets, follows up a 6/153/1 line in Houston's wild win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was tough to view Brown as a recommended play last week given his sporadic history as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. A second consecutive blowup outing, however, means that we need to act and ensure that his growing connection with Stroud benefits our fantasy teams.
The fantasy community was slow to react to Browns' massive game last week as he is rostered in just 24 percent of leagues. There is still a lot of competition for targets for Houston but Stroud has shown he can create multiple fantasy-relevant receivers, making Brown a priority add if you want a piece of the Houston offense.
1. Devin Singletary, RB, Houston Texans
An injury to Dameon Pierce has opened the door for Devin Singletary, the one-time Buffalo Bill, to take the lead in the Houston backfield. Head coach DeMeco Ryans had been phasing Singletary in due to Pierce's ineffectiveness but Singletary's performance on Sunday may help him earn more run going forward.
Singletary ran wild against a strong Bengals' defense on Sunday, turning 30 carries into 150 yards and a touchdown in Houston's 30-27 win. The impressive part of Singletary's day was his remarkable consistency at hitting holes for positive gains as his longest run of the day went for just 22 yards.
The Texans have been frustrated with Pierce even before his ankle injury, which led to Singletary siphoning some work off of him in the first place. The fact that no one else even mixed in with Singletary, who was the only running back to touch the ball, makes this effort one that could lead to a sea change in Houston's backfield.
Pierce will eventually mix back in but this could well become a committee situation with Ryans riding the hot hand going forward. Singletary is rostered in 49 percent of leagues and that figure should skyrocket after Sunday's big effort, making him the top priority pickup for Week 11.
