Week 11 is here. The air feels brisk and clean here in the far northern United States. The leaves have mostly fallen off the trees, and we are preparing for winter.
This week was tough with the bye week and teams not playing in the main slate. But I think I have you covered here with who to play and who to avoid this week (If you can).
One of my favorite movies is Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe as Maximus Aurelius. The general who became enslaved. The enslaved person became a gladiator. The Gladiator defied an emperor.
One of the most famous lines from the movie is when Maximus gives a speech to his troops at the beginning of the film. I am tweaking it here for my purposes.
I will be harvesting my win and playing in the fantasy playoffs five weeks from now. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you are alone, unable to make waiver moves, or set your roster, do not be troubled. You are in Elysium and already dead and out of the playoffs!
The good news is we will still have DFS until the NFL season ends. Stay with me!
Let’s move into Week 11 football.
If you are new here, this column can be used to help you handle some sit/start questions you might have, but its primary purpose is to take you through the main DFS slate weekly with players that will make you money and players that will break your heart.
Here is a brief definition of each of my terms for anyone that might be new:
💰 Money Maker – This player will perform better than expectations
💔 Heart Breaker – This player will perform lower than expectations
💰 Money Makers
Quarterbacks
Justin Fields
The Bears play the Falcons in Week 11. The Falcons give the tenth most fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. Fields have had Top 10 quarterback finishes for five straight weeks. Top 5 quarterback finishes in fantasy for four consecutive weeks. And he was the top-scoring quarterback in fantasy two weeks in a row. That is going to be three weeks in a row after Week 11. This is the third game, a super simple three-game stretch for Fields. Please take advantage of it while you can. Play him everywhere you can.
$7,600 on DraftKings
$8,700 on Fanduel
Joe Burrow
In Week 1, Joe Burrow passed for 338 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers. The Steelers give up the 6th most fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. In Week 11, the Bengals play the Steelers. Are you picking up what I am putting down here? Quarterbacks average 279 yards and two touchdowns a week against the Steelers.
$6,800 on DraftKings
$8,300 on Fanduel
Russell Wilson
In Week 11, the Broncos play the Raiders. The Raiders give the second most fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. In Week 4, Russell Wilson had his best game of the season. He threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 29 yards and a touchdown. These Raiders bleed fantasy points to quarterbacks. Quarterbacks average 280 total yards and two touchdowns per week against the Raiders. If Wilson is going to have a good day, this is the team it will come against.
$5,800 on DraftKings
$6,900 on Fanduel
Other quarterbacks for Week 11
Daniel Jones
$5,700 on DraftKings
$7,800 on Fanduel
Davis Mills
$5,200 on DraftKings
$6,500 on Fanduel
Dak Prescott
$6,600 on DraftKings
$7,500 on Fanduel
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley
Barkley has double-digit fantasy scores in every single game this season. Barkley has 931 yards and six touchdowns rushing this season. This week the Giants play the Lions. The Lions give up the 7th most fantasy points to opposing teams running backs. Running backs averaged 113 yards and a touchdown rushing per week against the Lions. Barkley will keep his double-digit scoring streak alive in Week 11.
$8,900 on DraftKings
$9,700 on Fanduel
Kenyan Drake
The Panthers give up the fifth most points to opposing teams running backs. Running backs averaged 145 total yards and a touchdown weekly against the Panthers. So guess who the Ravens play in Week 11. That is correct; it’s the Panthers. Drake has double-digit fantasy scores in three of the last four games. The biggest obstacle for him to produce regularly is Gus Edwards getting more carries. Ravens running backs are in heaven in Week 11.
$5,900 on DraftKings
$6,800 on Fanduel
Devin Singletary
In Week 10, Singletary scored two touchdowns. In Week 11, he plays against a Browns defense that has given up 12 double-digit fantasy scores to running backs this season. The Browns give up the second most fantasy points to running backs. With Josh Allen being a little dinged up, we could see Singletary active again, especially against a defense you can run on. Another double-digit score in 11 for Singletary.
$5,800 on DraftKings
$6,400 on Fanduel
NOTE: There may be a lot of snow on the ground in Buffalo for this game which probably means an increase work load for Singletary.
Other Running backs for Week 11
Brian Robinson
$5,300 on DraftKings
$6,600 on Fanduel
Cordarelle Patterson
$6,200 on DraftKings
$6,700 on Fanduel
David Montgomery
$6,100 on DraftKings
$6,200 on Fanduel
Wide Receivers
CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee has a 32% target share of the Cowboys’ passing game. He also has 41% of the air yards. In Week 10, he had a tough matchup. In Week 10, Lamb had 15 targets that produced 11 receptions, 150 yards, and two touchdowns. In Week 11, he plays against the Vikings who give up the 4th most fantasy points to opposing teams’ wide receivers. The Vikings have given up 12 double-digit fantasy days to wide receivers. In Week 10, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis scored 18 fantasy points against this Vikings’ defense. Wide receivers average 199 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings. We will be looking at a massive day for Lamb.
$7,500 on DraftKings
$8,100 on Fanduel
Tee Higgins
Fourteen wide receivers have had double-digit scoring days against the Steelers this season. The Steelers give the second most points to opposing teams’ wide receivers. Ja’Marr Chase is out, meaning Higgins and Tyler Boyd get the lion’s share of the targets. Higgins has double-digit fantasy scores in two of his last three games. It’s easy to pass on the Steelers. So it makes sense to play Higgins in a stellar match-up.
$7,100 on DraftKings
$7,600 on Fanduel
Nico Collins
Collins had ten targets, five receptions, 49 yards, and a touchdown in Week 10. In Week 11, the Texans play the Commanders. The Commanders give up the 9th most fantasy points to opposing teams’ wide receivers. Collins had a 27% target share in Week 11. The match-up is good, the target share is up, and the Texans’ passing game will produce in Week 11.
$4,100 on DraftKings
$5,900 on Fanduel
Other Wide Receivers for Week 11
Darius Slayton
$5,000 on DraftKings
$6,300 on Fanduel
Darnell Mooney
$5,400 on DraftKings
$6,000 on Fanduel
Christian Olave
$6,800 on DraftKings
$6,900 on Fanduel
Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin
In Week 11, the Jets play the Patriots. The Patriots give up the 6th most points to opposing teams’ tight ends. In Week 8 against this same Patriots defense, Conklin had six receptions, 79 yards, and two touchdowns. Conklin has the second most targets on the Jets with 51. He also leads the Jets in receiving touchdowns.
$3,400 on DraftKings
$5,000 on Fanduel
Tyler Higbee
I wrote about Higbee here last week. Higbee plays 80% of the snaps and has a 20% target share for the Rams on the season. The Rams lost Cooper Kupp to an ankle injury in Week 10. Higbee answered the call with eight targets, eight receptions, and 73 yards. The Rams play the Saints in the worst match-up for a tight end, but the volume will be there. Higbee is the player most involved in the Rams’ passing game, with Kupp being out.
$4,000 on DraftKings
$6,200 on Fanduel
Cole Kmet
The Bears play the Falcons in Week 11. Kmet has been on fire the past two weeks, coinciding with Fields being the best quarterback in fantasy. In these two games, Kmet leads the Bears in targets with 13. He turned those targets into nine receptions, 115 yards, and four touchdowns. Kmet has scored five touchdowns in total in the past three games. Kmet is someone I will be stacking with Fields often in Week 11.
$4,100 on DraftKings
$5,700 on Fanduel
Other Tight Ends for Week 11
Dalton Schultz
$4,30 on DraftKings
$5,900 on Fanduel
Greg Dulcich
$3,800 on DraftKings
$5,500 on Fanduel
💔Heart Breakers
Quarter Backs
Derek Carr
The Broncos give the least amount of fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. In Week 4, the Raiders played the Broncos, and Carr passed for 188 yards with no touchdowns and ran for another 40 yards. Only three quarterbacks have even scored double-digit fantasy points against the Broncos this season. No one has surpassed 20 fantasy points. Therefore, I do not advise playing Carr anywhere.
Matt Ryan
The Colts’ offense has struggled at times this season. The Eagles’ defense has excelled this season. The Eagles give up the second least amount of fantasy points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. Ryan has only scored over 20 fantasy points twice this season, and the Eagles defense hasn’t allowed a quarterback to score more than 17. You probably aren’t playing him; keep it that way.
Kenny Pickett
This is me finding a super easy call to make. Sometimes I like to do that. You were probably only playing Pickett in two-quarterback or maybe a Superflex league, anyways. In fantasy, the Bengals give up the third-fewest points to opposing teams’ quarterbacks. Sit him everywhere; there is nothing to see here. Like, don’t even watch the game if you can help it.
Running Backs
Michael Carter
The Patriots give up the second-fewest points to running backs. The Patriots’ defense stops running backs from doing much of anything. You may have to play Carter or Robinson from the Jets backfield this week in season-long. I understand, do not play them in DFS, and keep your expectations low.
Dameon Pierce
In a tough matchup last week, Pierce still managed double-digit fantasy points. He has another tough match-up in Week 11 with the Commanders’ defense. I do not doubt that he will score double-digit fantasy points again. He seems to find a way, but we are looking at low double digits here. As a result, I am playing him for season-long and avoiding him in DFS.
Dalvin Cook
The Cowboys give up the fifth-fewest points to running backs in fantasy. However, the Cowboys’ defense is an excellent real-life defense. Aaron Jones did manage to scorch this Dallas defense, so there is hope. And yes, if you have him in season-long, you are playing. But I am not willing to roll the dice in DFS. Only four running backs have had double-digit fantasy days against this defense.
Wide Receivers
DeVonta Smith
The Colts give up the second-fewest points to opposing teams’ wide receivers. Combine that with AJ Brown potentially out, and I wouldn’t say I like the matchup at all for Smith. Smith has been up and down as it is this season. This is a down week. A bad match-up where he may get all of the defensive attention in the secondary.
Terry McClaurin
McClaurin is getting some heavy volume since Heinicke has taken over for the Commanders at quarterback. I like him a lot. I wouldn’t say I liked the matchup. The Texans give up the third-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. The Commanders will likely do like everyone else and run the living daylights out of the ball against the Texans. Which will take away the volume from McLaurin.
Dionte Johnson
The Bengals’ defense is tough against the pass. In Week 1, Johnson only managed 55 yards on seven receptions against the Bengals’ defense. Johnson also is having a very down season with Pickett at quarterback. He misses Big Ben’s noodle arm like a mom misses her child on the first day of kindergarten. YUCK!
Tight Ends
Jordan Akins
Someone may have thought it cute to play Akins based on what he did in Week 10. He had 72 yards against the Giants. The Commanders give up the second-fewest points to opposing teams’ tight ends. Akins isn’t exactly a world-beater. I doubt we see that yardage or anything else from him in Week 11.
Juwan Johnson
The Saints play the Rams in Week 11. The Rams are one of the toughest teams against tight ends there is. Only two tight ends have got double-digit fantasy days against the Rams. Of course, they needed a touchdown to do it. Neither of them scored more than 15 points. I have liked Johnson’s usage as of late. But this isn’t the week to stream him or plug him into a DFS lineup.
Dawson Knox
Dawson Knox saw six targets in Week 10. That tied his season high. The Browns are a top 5 defense against tight ends. There isn’t much to see here. Knox isn’t seeing six targets and isn’t scoring a touchdown. Don’t get cute. Just avoid this one all the way around.
Good luck this week!
Thanks for checking out Money Maker and Heart Breakers. For more great content from The Undroppables, follow us on Twitter and @MikeReedyFF for more great content.
