Every week, we examine players that may be available on your league's waiver wire that could help your team in the short and/or long term.
For a player to be listed, he must be owned in 50 percent (or less) of Yahoo! leagues. The goal is to provide recommendations of players that have a greater chance of being available on your league's waiver wire. Of course, your league's size and settings could significantly impact whether these players (or better options) are available in your particular league(s).
With that said, here are some running back waiver-wire options to consider heading into Week 11 (Yahoo! % rostered in parenthesis):
[Note: Players listed below are sorted by our preference to add.]
1. Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts (40%)
Predicting when Hines will have a huge game is no easy task, but the third-down back is coming off a season-high 17-touch, 26-point fantasy performance in Week 10. Against the Titans, Hines led the Colts with 12 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown and added five catches for 45 yards and another score.
Over the past three weeks, Hines now has a pair of multiple-touchdown games where he has finished as the weekly RB7 (or better). (Counting Week 1, he has three such games.) Before setting a season high with 17 touches in Week 10, Hines had only 22 combined touches in his previous four games, which should give fantasy managers pause.
On a positive note (for Hines), however, Jonathan Taylor has single-digit touches in back-to-back games. Going forward, Hines' week-to-week usage will likely remain volatile. Even so, Hines and the backfield gets a favorable Week 11 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, who have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
2. Wayne Gallman Jr., New York Giants (50%)
Even though he hasn't been an efficient runner (3.68 yards per carry) over the past four games, Gallman Jr. has certainly been productive. A fourth-round pick for the Giants in 2017, the fourth-year back has finished the past four weeks as fantasy's RB14 (Week 7), RB16 (Week 8), RB6 (Week 9) and is currently RB10 (Week 10) heading into Monday Night Football. During that four-game span, Gallman has at least 15 touches in three games and he has scored in all four games.
The Giants have a Week 11 bye, but the team placed Devonta Freeman on IR, which means that Gallman will get at least one more start. New York will face Cincinnati in Week 12.
3. Salvon Ahmed, Miami Dolphins (6%)
With Myles Gaskin on IR and Matt Breida out again, Ahmed built upon his seven-touch NFL debut in Week 9 to handle 22 touches in Week 10. The rookie carried the ball 21 times for 85 yards and a touchdown and added a five-yard reception. Entering Monday Night Football, Ahmed has the 12th-most fantasy points (15.5) on the week. For as long as his former collegiate teammate (Gaskin) is out, Ahmed has a chance to maintain his lead-back role.
4. Kalen Ballage, Los Angeles Chargers (19%)
A few days ago, Austin Ekeler told fantasy owners that "the time draws near," which indicates that his return is approaching although he was inactive on Sunday. Once Ekeler is back, he will (obviously) be the team's lead back even if another back serves in the role of early-down complement.
Over the past two weeks, that role has emphatically belonged to Ballage. With a combined 40 touches over the past two games, Ballage had 18 carries for 68 yards and added five catches for 34 yards in Sunday's loss to Miami. If Ekeler is out another week (or more), Ballage will be a volume-based RB2 in Week 11 (or beyond).
5. Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams (26%)
As part of a three-headed backfield, Akers is not a running back to play now -- and potentially not for the remainder of the season. That said, the rookie was more involved in Week 10 with a team-high 10 carries for 38 rushing yards. (Both Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown had eight touches each.) Akers now has at least nine carries in back-to-back games and the second-round pick has the talent to earn a larger role down the stretch. If you have the bench space, Akers is worth a stash.
+ More Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Advice Heading Into Week 11
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