Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 11

Yahoo: 72% owned | ESPN: 60% owned

I know, I know. I quite literally just said that, as always, players must be owned in fewer than half of leagues in order to be eligible as candidates for this list. But that big asterisk next to Dillon's name means that this is a bonus pick. If he's available on your league, for some strange reason, and no one decided to handcuff him, you simply have to spend every ounce of FAAB that you have in order to pick him up.

OK, now on to the real picks.

Yahoo: 3% owned | ESPN: 2% owned

Hand up, here. I admit that I suggested both Adrian Peterson and Jeremy McNichols upon hearing that Derrick Henry was done for (likely) the year, but it appears that neither is the best one to own. That title looks like it belongs to Foreman, who had the smallest workload of the three in Week 9 ... and then the largest workload in Week 10, with 13 touches and the slight edge to Peterson in snap count.

He averaged six yards per touch, while Peterson was at just 2.2 and McNichols was at a paltry 1.6. With a juicy matchup in Week 11 — a date with the 1-8 Houston Texans — Foreman could have a large workload and should produce a good amount with it.

Yahoo: 26% owned | ESPN: 26% owned

No one really batted an eye with Arnold was traded from the Panthers to the Jaguars earlier in the season. After all, he didn't really seem to compare to targets like Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault in terms of his intrigue and potential production in the Jacksonville offense. But here we are, six weeks into his stint, and Arnold has 39 targets across that span with some solid games to boot.

Look, he isn't the most exciting pickup. But if you're someone who streams week in and week out and are looking for a somewhat sturdy presence, you can definitely do worse than Arnold, who has finished as the No. 2, No. 13 and No. 6 tight end in PPR formats over the past three weeks, with 17 catches for 195 yards in that span with rock-solid consistency. Is he a legit low-end TE1 who's largely available? I'd say he is.

Yahoo: 54% owned | ESPN: 51% owned

Cheating again! But only a little, as Thomas just barely surpasses that 50% threshold.

If you've held on to Thomas, kudos to you for your patience and your (probable) luck that other players on your roster haven't needed to take over that injured reserve spot. But if you or someone else had to cut him loose, now's the time to pick him back up. Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones, who had risen to fantasy relevance for the Washington Football Team, got hurt Sunday. The timing kind of works out — though Thomas wasn't definitely set to return in Week 11, this might exacerbate the process of his recovery. After all, he was potentially going to suit up in Week 10, so it seems pretty likely that the team's desperation at tight end will be enough to push him back on the field.

Thomas is a big target for quarterback Taylor Heinicke and a proven weapon out, and both of those traits are good to have at such a scarcely productive fantasy position.

Yahoo: 11% owned | ESPN: 10% owned

Hold on, hold on, hold on. A defense? As a waiver wire suggestion? Who the hell does this guy think he is?

Let me explain. Sometimes, when I find myself in a position in which my team is strong enough up and down, I feel that it's better to prepare for the future than worry about a pickup for this week. And here is where checking out a defense like the that of the Eagles can come in handy.

Look at their schedule coming up. Just look at it. Week 11 brings the New Orleans Saints into Philadelphia, where Trevor Siemian's streak of interception-free football is just bound to come to an end. Weeks 12 and 13 are bring games against the Giants and Jets, two of fantasy football's friendliest defensive matchups. And hopefully, when the Eagles are on their bye in Week 14, you'll have already secured a fantasy playoff position.

And then, when the fantasy postseason gets under way? There are more juicy matchups for Philadelphia -- Washington at home in Week 15, the New York Giants (again) at home in Week 16 and Washington on the road in Week 17. That's an easy schedule for a defense and a team that seems to be clicking at the right time, and who knows? The Eagles may even be gunning for a wild-card spot, giving them all the more reason to play their hearts out.

Maybe I'm crazy and using FAAB or waiver priority on a defense is a ridiculous move. Or maybe it just makes too much sense. Guess we'll find out.