We are pretty much 2/3rds of the way through the season now (can you believe it?!) and every matchup is becoming so crucial. So if you are struggling with the pressure of deciding who to start/sit, then let @K_H_Ray, @ZTwiceFF, & @MattFFDynasty help you make those tough decisions with their top start/sits as we enter Week 11.
Teams on their Bye Week:
Denver Broncos
L.A Rams
Quarterback
Starts
Start Of The Week
Joe Burrow @ LV (@ZTwiceFF)
This week Burrow will be facing the Raiders pass defense that was just torched by Kansas City. While previously the Raiders had a top 10 pass defense, I expect another shootout. Coming off the bye week, Burrow and company should have a gameplan in place to get back to their prolific passing game. Burrow struggled against the Browns in his previous game but we should feel confident starting him this Sunday.
Cam Newton Vs WAS (@MattFFDynasty)
I'm doubling down on Cam Newton this week, he was one of my top waiver adds and I believe you should be starting him right away if you roster him. This is a much stronger offense than the offense Newton had in New England and he goes up against WAS who are the worst-ranked defense against opposing QBs so far this year. Then add in the rushing upside Cam has (592 yards and 12 rushing TDs in 2020 for NE) and the result you have is a top option at the QB position this week. Don't overthink it.
Tua Tagovailoa @ NYJ (@K_H_RAY)
Weird game for Tua last week, as he entered midway through replacing the struggling Jacoby Brissett. Even with only playing part of the game, he still put up over 150 yards and scored his third rushing TD of the season. Healthy and back as the starter, Tua has a shot for a big day against the Jets who rank in the lower half of the league vs QBs this season. I expect a strong game in this AFC East matchup.
Sits
Sit of the Week
Matt Ryan Vs NE (@MattFFDynasty)
What a terrible week for Matt Ryan last week. In a smash matchup against a weak DAL pass defense, Matt Ryan just couldn't get anything going and DAL quickly built up a strong lead before halftime. That resulted in Ryan being benched in the second half and scoring just 1.68 fantasy points. Sadly things don't get any easier this week as ATL comes up against a strong NE defense and they will have little time to correct any issues from Week 10 with it being on TNF. There is then the possibility Ryan will be without one of his top weapons in Cordarrelle Patterson, making Ryan a very risky selection this week.
Kirk Cousins Vs GB (@ZTwiceFF)
This was a tough choice for me because Cousins has been so consistent for fantasy purposes this season. Unfortunatley this week he is facing the Packers defense, which is transforming into an elite defense, in Green Bay. Last week Seattle could not get anything going and was shut out. Cousins still could have a decent fantasy day due to volume but I would pivot if possible.
Russell Wilson Vs ARI (@K_H_RAY)
Yes, we had Russ as a Start last week. And yes, it's unlikely that Wilson comes out and has back to back off-weeks. But the 50% completion percentage (on a season high 40 pass attempts) and two picks last week have this fantasy analyst concerned. Perhaps he needs one more week to knock the rust off, and another week for him to get comfortable with his surgically repaired finger (on his throwing hand). Another reason to temper expectations is the matchup against Arizona, who have given opposing QBs headaches all season (4th against QBs). If you're a believer, I get it. But I'm going with a high end streamer this week, if one's available.
Running Back
Starts
Start Of The Week
James Conner @ SEA (@ZTwiceFF)
Conner may be one of the biggest surprises of the season, and he should continue his dominance this week. With Chase Edmonds still on IR along with Murray and Hopkins remaining questionable, Conner will continue to see a heavy workload. The Seattle defense just gave up a lot on the ground to the Packers backfield, giving Conner a good matchup as well. Conner is a smash play this week.
AJ Dillon @ MIN (@MattFFDynasty)
AJ Dillon finds himself with a big opportunity this week following the Week 10 injury to fellow RB Aaron Jones. He should be the lead back in what will be a key divisional matchup Vs MIN. He is a strong start on usage alone given the lack of depth behind him on the GB depth chart, but given the fact that MIN are allowing the 5th most rushing yards per game (130.6 yards) it makes Dillon a no-brainer this week.
Leonard Fournette Vs NYG (@K_H_RAY)
With only 2 games under 10 points, Lenny has been on fire this season. Even in the Bucs surprise loss to the WFT this past Sunday, Fournette still finished with 17.2 fantasy points. With so many pass catchers out, Tom Brady felt totally comfortable dumping off to his lead RB, giving him 8 catches and 45 yards through the air. Tampa Bay has the Giants in Week 11, which has all the makings of a Tom Brady get right game. But expect Fournette to be heavily involved, particularly against the Giants D which ranks 27th against opposing RBs.
Sits
Sit of the Week
Clyde Edwards-Helaire Vs BUF (@K_H_RAY)
As of this writing, there is still a chance CEH is able to return and play this weekend in a big matchup against Dallas. Provided that's still the case come Sunday, I'm letting the Chief ride my bench one more week. KC may want to ease him back into action after suffering a knee injury back in Week 5. But the bigger deterrent is Darrel Williams, who the team loves, and has been playing well. We could be in store for more of a time-share than we'd all hoped once the former LSU Tiger is back to full strength.
Damien Harris @ ATL (@ZTwiceFF)
Harris has been cleared from concussion protocol for the game Thursday Night. In his absence Rhamondre Stevenson had a career day and likely carved himself into a more consistent role even when Harris returned. I expect a pretty even split for New England in the backfield between Stevenson and Harris with Brandon Bolden getting some touches as well. Coming off the injury, I would sit Harris unless desperate at the shallow RB position.
Saquon Barkley @ TB (@MattFFDynasty)
When healthy, Saquon Barkley is one of the best running backs in the NFL. The issue is, he just hasn't been healthy recently. He is now coming back from an ankle injury that's kept him out since Week 5, but I still worry NYG will monitor his snaps on his return, especially against a stout TB run defense. We know Barkley can be highly efficient, even with the smallest of workloads, given the talent he has but I'd temper expectations until we know he's 100%.
Wide Receiver
Starts
Start Of The Week
Brandin Cooks @ TEN (@MattFFDynasty)
Cooks is currently the WR21, despite being on one of the worst teams in the NFL. He's proven himself to be QB proof, whether it be with Tyrod Taylor or Davis Mills, and has seen a healthy volume (Avg. 9 targets per game) all season. He now gets a matchup against TEN who, despite looking strong on the front end, have the worst secondary in the league, allowing an average of 38.1 fantasy points to opposing WRs. You can start Cooks with confidence once again this week following HOU Week 10 bye.
DeVonta Smith Vs NO (@K_H_RAY)
Over the last two games, DeVonta Smith has 182 yards, 9 receoptions, and 3 touchdowns. That's pretty darn good! Jalen Hurts also looked great, and the Eagles are on the verge of stringing together a few wins given their soft schedule. This week the Eagles take on the Saints, who have been giving up points to receivers as of late and rank 29th against opposing wide-outs. I'm firing up Smith this week, and likely for the remainder of the season (NO, NYG, NYJ, BYE, WSH, NYG, WSH, DAL).
Jaylen Waddle @ NYJ (@ZTwiceFF)
We touched on Tua in the QB section and for many of the same reasons Waddle is my start of the week. He will continue to receive heavy volume and has a decent shot to find the endzone. The Jets are a matchup to target for all offensive weapons but Waddle is the only trustworthy WR in Miami at the moment. Start him with confidence as a WR2/Flex play.
Sits
Sit of the Week
Michael Pittman Jr. @ BUF (@K_H_RAY)
Wait, Sit a guy who's been a rockstar all season and only has two games of under 10 fantasy points?! Well... yea... sort of. Pittman has been playing great for the Colts recently. But this advice is much more about his matchup than his play. The Bills are one of the top defenses in the NFL this season, and are THE number one ranked defense against opposing WRs. I much prefer Pittman's Week 12 matchup against the Bucs. I know you're probably going to start MPJ anyway this week, but temper expectations my friend.
Adam Thielen Vs GB (@MattFFDynasty)
Adam Thielen has 7 TDs so far this year (Tied 5th in the NFL) but his receiving yards are at just 542 yards (31st in the NFL). This makes Thielen a potentially risky option if he doesn't find the endzone and this week he goes up against GB who have allowed just 1 passing TD over the last 3 weeks. I think there are safer options than Thielen this week, especially if you play in PPR leagues.
Russell Gage Vs NE (@ZTwiceFF)
Even though he is technically the WR1 on this team, he is clearly the third target behind Pitts and Patterson. Even with Patterson questionable, he is not trustworthy and should not be started. He had 13 PPR points two weeks ago and then 0 last week. His volume is too inconsistent to be trusted.
Tight End
Starts
Start Of The Week
C.J Uzomah @ LV (@K_H_RAY)
So here's the scoop. The Raiders are BAD against TEs. Over the Raiders last 7 games, every single opposing TE has scored at least 11 fantasy points. And five of those seven games saw TE scores of 18 points or more! Even Evan Engram got a TD against Vegas. Give me some Uzomah this week in what should be a fun matchup in the desert.
Dan Arnold Vs 49ers (@ZTwiceFF)
Arnold is becoming a mainstay in our waiver article and now the start of the week articles. He is receiving greater than most TEs since joining the Jaguars averaging 7+ targets per game. With that volume he is safer than most and should be started in all leagues, let alone rostered.
Dawson Knox Vs IND (@MattFFDynasty)
It was a quiet return for Knox in Week 10 coming back from his hand injury, just the 1 reception for 17 yards. However, I expect things to begin to turn around for Knox in the coming weeks. This week he goes up against IND who are allowing an average of 13.4 (6th worst) and he will look to reassert himself as one of QB Josh Allen's top redzone options (9 targets in the first 6 weeks before his injury) as this Bills offense begins to heat up again following their Week 10 demolition of NYJ.
Sits
Sit of the Week
Gerald Everett Vs ARI (@MattFFDynasty)
Gerald Everett had his best outing of the season last week (8 receptions for 63 yards) despite SEA being shutout by GB, but I wouldn't expect that usage to carry on. Those 8 receptions accounted for over 1/3rd of his total receptions so far this season, and then there is the fact that he's going up against a strong ARI defense that ranks No.1 Vs opposing TEs. QB Russell Wilson needs to bounce back from that poor Week 10 showing, and I expect him to go back to his more trusted and explosive weapons in WRs DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett moving forward.
Dallas Goedert Vs NO (@K_H_RAY)
Goedert has just 12 fantasy points over the last two weeks combined and now face the Saints who rank 8th against opposing TEs. He is also currently missing practice time while working through the NFL's concussion protocols -- Goedert took a rough hit from a Denver D-Back last week. I prefer the Arnolds, Freiermuths, and Schultz' of the world to Goedert this week.
Logan Thomas @ CAR (@ZTwiceFF)
There was talk that Thomas could be back this week but he has missed practice through Wednesday. He could still make his debut but going into the weekend, look for other options that you know are playing rather than relying on Thomas to be back.
Waiver Recap
Thanks for reading. Be sure to keep an eye out for both our weekly articles, Tuesday Waiver Targets & Thursday Start/Sit and Waiver Recap with the @FF_Astronauts. Follow @K_H_Ray, @ZTwiceFF, & @MattFFDynasty on Twitter for more Fantasy Football content throughout the season, and hit us up with any of your Start/Sit or Waiver questions.
