Fantasy Football Start 'em and Sit 'em: Who should you start in Week 11?
The fantasy football playoffs are looming large in the future, so who are those all important start ’em and sit ’em options in Week 11?
Quarterback
Automatic Starts: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson
Start of the Week: Cam Newton @ Houston Texans
This season has been a wild ride for superman Cam Newton, with lots of ups and downs, well mostly downs! If there is one team he would choose to face to continue to get right in Week 11 it could well be the team giving up the most rushing yardage on average (167.4), the Houston Texans. They coughed up a whopping 231 yards on the ground to a returning Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt, both registering over 100 yards. It doesn’t even matter that Newton has astonishingly only thrown three TDs the entire season, his rushing baseline will give him a nice score.
Other notable starts:
Ben Roethlisberger @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Roethlisberger has questionably the best WR trio in the game right now with Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster & Chase Claypool and he’s getting it done. He’s helping to keep all three WRs fantasy relevant and in the process he’s quietly rising to be a quality QB1 each week. Seven TDs and 68 fantasy points scored in his last two games and facing a reeling 1-8 Jaguars side with Jake Luton under centre, means the sky is the limit for Roethlisberger in this game.
Jameis Winston vs. Atlanta Falcons
Winston will most likely be eating another W this week in a divisional game against the improving Falcons team. Winston is in for the injured Drew Brees for the next two weeks at least, as he gets a nice shot at earning himself a starting job somewhere for next season. Winston has a talented group of receivers around him and the matchup is terrific. This game should see a ton of points scored and if you picked him up this week plug him and start him. I’m excited to see the offensive showdown between Winston and his old head coach Dirk Koetter!
Derek Carr vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Unfortunately I was in on Carr last week and he laid a big fat egg for me. Fortunately, I am predicting he bounces back in style in what will be the Raiders biggest game of the season against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Carr was brilliant in their first matchup in Week 5, throwing for 347 yards and three TDs. He is going to have to be at his best to give his side a chance of sweeping the Chiefs and I think he has a chance of doing it. The Chiefs defense usually starts ramping it up this time of the season, but they rank 24th in points allowed to the QB position and I’m predicting a healthy outing for Carr with multiple TDs thrown.
Sits – Jared Goff, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Ryan Tannehill
Running Back
Automatic Starts: Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones, Chris Carson (If healthy), Josh Jacobs, James Robinson, Ezekiel Elliott, Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Start of the Week: D’Andre Swift @ Carolina Panthers
This pains me a little as I am sad that I don’t own more Swift shares, but the fact of the matter is he is showing up big time now. Averaging a healthy five yards per carry over the past two games, Swift has scored a combined 37+ points and now faces a Panthers team that just got poleaxed by Ronald Jones who nearly ran for 200 yards. He’s the RB4 over the last two weeks, only behind Jacobs, Cook, and Kamara and has seen five targets in three of the last four games. Swift is a home run this week and I will be crying into my pint glass when I watch him break off big runs on Sunday.
Editor Note: Swift is currently questionable with a concussion and could miss Sunday’s game.
Other notable starts:
Kenyan Drake @ Seattle Seahawks
I was pleasantly surprised to see the workload the Cardinals gave Kenyan Drake on his return last week. I had Edmonds pencilled in for the majority of work, but it was Drake who took back his lead role and looked good rushing for exactly 100 yards on just 16 carries (6.3 ypc). The Thursday Night Football game is looking like an extremely high scoring affair, their first contest yielded over 70 points so I want every piece of this contest I can. Expect Drake to carry on his lead back role and to have opportunities at some TDs on Thursday Night.
Duke Johnson vs. New England Patriots
Duke Johnson disappointed last week, he was on my most disappointing list for good reason. However, I am most definitely willing to throw him straight back out there this week. With David Johnson not back for a couple of weeks the opportunities are going to be there against a Patriots team who haven’t been good against fantasy RBs this past month (fourth worst).
Nyheim Hines vs. Green Bay Packers
I managed to sell Hines for a projected late first round pick this week and I’m delighted with it. I do think he has a good fantasy performance this week against the Packers though, so the guy who traded for him will feel good about the trade as well. I have given up on Jonathan Taylor for 2020 and Hines was the hot hand last week. He should get plenty of opportunities again this week. The Packers have given up plenty of receiving TDs to running backs lately and this bodes well for the player the Colts trusted with 56% of the offensive snaps, more than double the rest.
Sits – Ronald Jones, Darrell Henderson, Broncos RBs
Wide Receiver
Automatic Starts: Michael Thomas, Mike Evans, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Adam Thielen, Chris Godwin, Deandre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Julio Jones, Tyreek Hill, Calvin Ridley
Start of the Week: Antonio Brown v LA Rams
Antonio Brown is getting worked into this Tampa Bay offense more and more and he looked explosive linking up with Brady in last week’s win over the Panthers. Jalen Ramsey is likely to shadow Mike Evans, leaving opportunities for Brown to score his first TD in a Bucs uniform. The Rams aren’t conceding much through the air this year but this may be the best offense they have faced. Covering Evans, Godwin, Brown & Gronkowski is no easy task. It was evident that they have tried to force it to Brown once or twice too often but it’s a good sign for his fantasy implications and I think he’s celebrating in the end zone on Monday night.
Other notable starts:
Tee Higgins @ Washington Football Team
Tee Higgins’ slow start to the season had some people worried about what his role would be this season. They need not have worried, as he is taking over and dominating defenses. I personally sat him last week against the Steelers awesome defense, but I was wrong and I won’t be making that mistake again. The WR23 on the season so far I can only see him finishing higher as he gets better and better each week, after posting an incredible 21.50 points against the Steelers in Week 10. He’s in every one of my lineups where I own him and I’m not benching him.
Jakobi Meyers @ Houston Texans
I’ve been on the Jakobi train the last couple of weeks and I’m not ready to jump off anytime yet. Three great fantasy weeks, where he was present for 99.9998% of the snaps there is no doubt he is the WR1 on the team and has earned the right to call himself that. He wasn’t outstanding in the receiving game against the Ravens but he was involved in the trick play which led Meyers to THROW a TD pass to Burkhead. Meyers can be played with a fair amount of confidence this week, with a double digit score reasonably expected again.
Jalen Reagor @ Cleveland Browns
This is more of a prediction rather than a projection for a great week. I think Reagor’s season can really get under way this week against a Browns teams giving up an average of two passing TDs per game this season. Reagor led the team in targets in Week 10, and although Wentz is struggling mightily, they are still trying to establish Reagor as their clear WR1. This week he has WR3 appeal with upside.
Sits – AJ Green, Mike Evans, Tim Patrick
Tight End
Automatic Starts: Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, TJ Hockenson, Mark Andrews
Start of the Week: Logan Thomas v Cincinnati Bengals
Washington trailed all afternoon against the Lions and Alex Smith had a big game. Logan Thomas benefitted with 66 yards through the air and I predict another high scoring game against the Bengals this week. The matchup is even better for Thomas with the Bengals ranked 31st against opposing fantasy TEs. McLaurin is the first target but Thomas is the next, and if Smith is to keep up with Burrow’s high powered offense then he will have to rely on McLaurin and Thomas to have big games. Get Thomas into your lineups.
Other notable starts:
Jared Cook vs. Atlanta Falcons
Cook will have a new QB throwing him the ball, but if history is anything to go by Jameis Winston loves to target TEs in the red zone, and Cook is a big TE target, similar to what Cameron Brate used to be in Tampa. The Falcons can’t seem to cover TEs very well either so although this may be a riskier pick (zero points in Week 10) the upside is most definitely there in this projected high scoring divisional game that always produces.
Rob Gronkowski vs. LA Rams
Gronkowski has registered four TDs in his last five games. What we are seeing now is vintage Patriots Gronkowski, and Brady is loving having him back. The Rams are middle of the pack against fantasy TEs, but the Bucs will look to overwhelm the Rams defense with their star receivers on the field looking to make the most of mismatches. Gronkowski is one of the biggest mismatches in the NFL! He ranks as the TE3 over the last four weeks, and he is a sure starter in this poor TE landscape this season.
Austin Hooper vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Hooper, like the rest of the receiving cast in the Browns and Texans game, was a victim of the conditions and nobody came away with a good fantasy outing, except the RBs. Hooper can bounce back this week and I fully expect him to. Week 11 sees Hooper will face the Eagles, who give up the seventh most points to fantasy TEs this season.
Sits – Trey Burton, Robert Tonyan, Noah Fant
Alastair Cook
Fantasy Football Analyst
ALASTAIR, A DIE-HARD BUCCANEERS FAN FROM NORWICH AND UP AND COMING FANTASY CONTRIBUTOR CAN BE FOUND ON HIS TWITTER PAGE The Dynasty Grill (@FFDynastyGrill)