Well goodness, if it isn’t Week 11 already! The playoff picture is really starting to take shape. If you don’t like where you’re positioned in the race right now, whether you’re angling for a bye, or you’re in a must-win to stay in the hunt, or you just want to play spoiler, there’s always going to be something for you here.
So who do you start and who do you sit in Week 11 for fantasy? Let’s get into it.
Quarterbacks
Start
Josh Allen at Dolphins
Allen has yet to post a 300-yard passing game this season, but he did set his season high in passing yardage last week with 266 yards. To make matters better, he scampered into the end zone twice, to bring his season total of rushing touchdowns to 6. In his last meeting against Miami in Week 7, Allen didn’t have his best game, but even then he topped 21 fantasy points, because that’s just the way it is when you face the Dolphins. In an important game for Buffalo in terms of locking themselves in as playoff contenders, Allen should continue his stretch of good play and score multiple touchdowns, whether through the air or on the ground, and he has his best chance of finally cracking 300 yards.
Tom Brady at Eagles
Brady hasn’t looked his best in recent weeks, averaging just 14.6 fantasy points in his last three games. However, the Patriots coming off a bye are a great bet, especially with that bye coming after a loss. With an extra week to prepare for the vulnerable Eagles pass defense, Brady should come out guns blazing and have one of his better statistical games of the year.
Sit
Jared Goff vs Bears
After being swallowed up by the rejuvenated Steelers defense, Goff reaffirmed that he is an unplayable fantasy quarterback against good defenses, especially when they can bring the blitz. As the Rams spiral out of playoff contention, Goff needs a good outing, which makes this game against the Bears an extremely important test for who Goff is as a quarterback, and whether or not he can perform in a must-win game against a great defense. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he has that in him this season.
Kyler Murray at 49ers
Yes, we just went through this two weeks ago; Kyler was a sit for me against the Niners in Week 9 and proceeded to put up 23 fantasy points. He then followed that performance up by lighting up the Buccaneers for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s been phenomenal, but I’m worried about how he’ll look heading into Levi’s Stadium against a top-tier defense coming off their first loss of the season. The Cardinals’ offense is still fresh in their minds, and keep in mind that Andy Isabella’s incredible catch-and-run touchdown boosted Murray’s stats late in their first meeting. Kyler is riding a hot streak, but I have a bad feeling stuck in my craw this week.
Running Backs
Start
Jordan Howard vs Patriots
New England continues to rank as the league’s best defense against running backs, but that is quickly revealing itself to be a hollow number, with the team now allowing 4.7 yards per carry after getting torched by Mark Ingram for 115 yards on 15 carries, only the latest in a recurring trend of talented running backs scalding the New England defense for chunk play after chunk play. The one worry for backs facing the Patriots is the opportunity to get in the end zone, with Gus Edwards being the only back to score against the Patriots all season. However, if Howard can rack up the yardage, he’s by far the team’s biggest threat to score on a given week, with 7 touchdowns on the season.
Brian Hill at Panthers
Hill might have just become the blessing from the sky that desperate fantasy owners needed. The Falcons had no issues throwing Hill into the fray when Devonta Freeman went down, giving him 20 carries with one reception. While he struggled to get any momentum going against New Orleans, that wasn’t particularly surprising, given that the Saints are tremendously difficult to run against (Freeman was a sit last week for a reason). The Panthers, as it happens, are giving up the most yards per carry this season, to go with a laughable 17 rushing touchdowns, which feels impossible, given that the next most is 12. If you managed to pick Hill up off waivers, don’t wait. Hill has the Falcons trust, so he should have yours against Carolina.
Sit
Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman at Vikings
Did I just say that the Panthers have allowed 17 rushing touchdowns? Well, the Vikings have allowed 2. If you take away Damien Williams’ 91-yard touchdown in Week 9, then the Vikings would be allowing just 3.7 yards per carry and one touchdown on the season. They have been a force up front, so if you can afford to, stay away from the Broncos’ running game, and especially Royce Freeman, who has been particularly inefficient of late.
David Johnson at 49ers
Something’s not right with David Johnson. He was hardly used at all against Tampa Bay and his play seemed to indicate why, with him rushing 5 times for just 2 yards and losing a fumble. He was then benched while Kenyan Drake finished out the game. Drake is here to stay in this backfield, so it’s hard to say exactly where Johnson stands right now, with him definitely not being 100 percent, with another top rush defense on the horizon. He’s David Johnson so he can always make some plays when he gets the ball, but the big questions around him right now is IF he’ll get the ball, and whether he’s capable of making those plays right now.
Wide Receivers
Start
Mohamed Sanu at Eagles
After being targeted 14 times against Baltimore, Sanu has officially arrived in New England, and there is no better time to get him into your lineup than an Eagles game coming off a bye. Sanu has WR1 potential every week for the rest of the season, so get him in the lineup and keep him there now that the Patriots are returning to the field.
Curtis Samuel vs Falcons
Samuel has now caught a touchdown in 3 of his last 4 games, and he’s been targeted at least 6 times in each game since Week 1. Kyle Allen is clearly a big fan of his, so another WR2 game could be in the offing against Atlanta. The Falcons shutting down the Saints last week was probably more of an aberration than a sign of things to come, because they’ve been among the worst defensive teams in the league all year.
Sit
Robert Woods vs Bears
This has not been the sort of season where every Rams offensive player can enjoy a fine fantasy game each week, like last year. Woods and Gerald Everett had some of their best games of the year against Pittsburgh, which resulted in not much success for Todd Gurley and an astonishing 0 for Cooper Kupp. With Kupp almost certain to bounce back given how unguardable he’s been this year, Woods may be in for one of his weak games, which have actually come quite often in a painfully inconsistent year. Woods has finished five games with 5 5.1 PPR points or lower. The high floor he had before 2019 is gone, and against the Bears, there might not be enough to go around for Woods owners to leave happy.
Juju Smith-Schuster at Browns
Since Week 3, Smith-Schuster only has two games with more than 3 receptions in a game. With Mason Rudolph at quarterback, that’s just not going to do the job more often than not. With the Steelers playing on Thursday night, coupled with the fact that the Browns have been better than average against the pass, this doesn’t feel like the breakout game Juju has needed.
Tight Ends
Start
Jared Cook at Buccaneers
He finally returned after two missed games and a bye, and picked up right where he left off. Cook caught 6 balls for 74 yards and had his third straight double-digit fantasy day. He got off to a delayed start with some weak weeks, but now Cook can be confidently started as a TE1 each week. The Buccaneers are among the worst pass defenses in football, and that more than extends to the tight end position.
Sit
O.J. Howard vs Saints
So he caught a touchdown against the Cardinals, what of it? So does every tight end. That touchdown was Howard’s first of the season, so if you had the wherewithal and the courage to start him last week (I didn’t) you should immediately put him back on your bench against the Saints, who possess a competent defense against tight ends.
