Week 11 fantasy football waiver pickups: Replacements for Dalton Kincaid, Sam LaPorta

Much of your weekly fantasy football waiver wire work routinely is in reaction to the latest injuries.

However, we did not witness many injuries to quarterbacks, running backs or wide receivers this past week. So instead of chasing some flavor-of-the-week who scored a random touchdown, you can focus your efforts on where we did see a few impact injuries: the tight end position.

Though the overall numbers from tight ends don’t move the needle with consistency, there are going to be some key spots which warrant some attention.

Our first injury stop is in Buffalo, where Dalton Kincaid suffered a knee injury that forced him out of Sunday’s game. He attempted to re-enter but was ultimately ruled out.

Later he told reporters in the locker room he “didn’t feel good enough to run and be able to go out there and protect myself.”

Kincaid was scheduled for team evaluations from team doctors and we can probably expect an MRI exam.

For fantasy managers, the immediate pivot is Dawson Knox, the stand-by veteran who was replaced by Kincaid last season.

Knox has spent his entire career with the Bills and already has a strong rapport with Josh Allen, making him an easy fix for both the real team and fantasy teams.

Kincaid’s overall numbers haven’t been strong, but with injuries to Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman, we can expect Knox and Allen to rekindle their on-field bromance.

Prior to injuries of his own, Knox was averaging roughly 500 receiving yards and seven touchdowns per season with Allen and should see a return to a 70-75 percent snap-share.

We may have also lost another top tight end in Detroit’s Sam LaPorta.

After having already found the end zone on a 20-yard touchdown catch Sunday, LaPorta suffered a shoulder injury which was later described as a sprained AC joint.

Following his departure, Brock Wright stepped in as the primary pass-catching tight end, with Shane Zylstra handling the blocking role.

Wright has routinely been a part of the first-team offense, so the half-dozen targets vacated by LaPorta should be picked up by Wright.

Betting on the NFL?

If neither injury is of any long-term concern and you still need a tight end, you will want to check out Ja’Tavion Sanders.

The Panthers are, obviously, auditioning their youngsters for full-time roles in 2025, and Sanders has proven to be a stronger asset than either Tommy Tremble or Ian Thomas.

He has seen an 85 percent snap-share over the past two weeks and caught his first touchdown of the season. He should continue to see roughly five targets per game and is already establishing himself as a red-zone threat.

Tweaking your fantasy roster is important at this time of year. Whether you are building up depth for the fantasy playoffs or trying to punch your ticket for the big dance, you should leave no stone unturned — even if that stone is nothing more than a boost of a few points at the tight end position.

Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football news and advice.