NFL

​Week 11 Fantasy Football Market Share Report: Brandon Aiyuk Is Back

Robby Gal  —  @robbygal0719 Nov 23rd, 2021
Brandon Aiyuk returned to an elite receiving role for the 49ers this past weekend. Who else's workload is trending in the right direction entering Week 12?

The anxiety level is starting to go up if your depth is suffering. Depth is essential, and if done right, provides an extra layer above handcuffing. Handcuffing is good down the stretch, but often the handcuff you need to explore isn't available.

Now is the time to search your waiver wire and see if there is some opportunity out there that might be a better fit than perhaps waiting on a Kenny Golladay-type player to finally pop or even one of the Denver Broncos receivers you keep hanging onto, but they keep disappointing. There's always an upgrade potentially somewhere.

Rushing Market Shares

Jeff Wilson, 49ers

With Elijah Mitchell out with a broken finger and Trey Sermon still grasping at scraps, Jeff Wilson had a chance to continue to grab a larger piece of the San Francisco 49ers' backfield. And he did.

Wilson totaled 19 carries for 50 yards and added a reception for 8 yards on a pair of targets.

With a 51.7% running back market share and "starter touches" throughout the game, Wilson embedded himself into an interesting situation where he could continue to dominate touches even when Mitchell returns. Sermon got an increased workload as Wilson's backup (10 carries) but continues to operate firmly in backup status.

In Week 12 against Minnesota, both teams have everything to play for and face something of a must-win. Wilson is a rested and ready RB2 if Mitchell sits again.

Tony Pollard, Cowboys

It wouldn't be a tremendous shock to see the Dallas Cowboys go run-heavy this week with injuries to CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper out with COVID.

Tony Pollard could be a potential benefactor as the team leans on the ground game Thursday against the floundering Las Vegas Raiders.

In a 19-9 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday, Pollard out-rushed Ezekiel Elliott on fewer carries. Pollard turned 7 carries into 50 yards and 2 receptions (on 2 targets) into 20 yards.

Elliott did get a little banged up in the game, and although he returned, he mustered just 32 rushing yards on 9 carries. Elliott did most of his damage in the air by grabbing 6 receptions for 36 yards.

Receiving Market Shares

Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers

The Brandon Aiyuk saga reached a nice critical positive point on Sunday in a 30-10 San Francisco win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Aiyuk grabbed 7 catches for 85 yards and 1 touchdown. He dominated the receiving target share with 36.8% of the work.

Jimmy Garoppolo only had to pass 19 times, but with George Kittle and Deebo Samuel grabbing headlines most weeks, Aiyuk is a nice grab for depth and could be a useful play down the stretch as Samuel sees more work on the ground (17 carries the past two weeks).

Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Packers

In a 34-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers sure seemed interested in forcing several deep shots to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and at the end of the game, one paid off for a long touchdown.

Valdez-Scantling led the Packers in yards (123) and targets (10). He caught four of those targets -- including one for the aforementioned score.

With a 32.2% target share and mostly man coverage (with obvious concern paid to Davante Adams), MVS was able to make several plays. Moving forward, he presents a bit of a cheap longshot flex option.

Redzone Market Shares

Myles Gaskin, Dolphins

With a 42.0-point total currently on tap when the Carolina Panthers visit the Miami Dolphins, Myles Gaskin might be a sneaky red zone target this week.

Gaskin currently has 24 red-zone rushes but only a single touchdown to show for it.

Gaskin is getting 52.2% of the red zone rushing work for Miami, which sits him exactly 10th in the NFL for running backs in that department.

Patrick Laird and Duke Johnson have just five carries the entire year, so until Malcolm Brown potentially returns, there truly is no threat to Gaskin's red-zone role at the moment.

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

Pat Freiermuth currently sits tied with players like Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, and Tyreek Hill with 14 red zone receiving targets. That's elite company.

At 24.6% of the red zone receiving work for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Freiermuth has been hyper-involved -- and it might only lead to more work.

His 5 red-zone receiving touchdowns leave him just outside of the top-10 players in the league, but he's ahead of players like Justin Jefferson and fellow tight end Mark Andrews.

It may be too late to trade for Freiermuth, but if you can, jump on it before the trade deadline.