Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 11: Smartest Matchups to Exploit, Sleeper Plays and More
No undefeated teams remain in the NFL. On Monday night, the Philadelphia Eagles were upset by the Washington Commanders, falling 32-21 for their first loss of the season.
However, there may still be some unbeaten fantasy football teams out there. And for the managers in charge of those rosters, they've likely made some great decisions through the first 10 weeks of the season to put themselves in that position.
They can't lower their effort levels now. In most fantasy leagues, there are only four weeks to go in the regular season. Then, it will be playoff time.
So, here's some early start/sit advice to help with lineup decisions for Week 11.
Start 'Em: Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
Need a streaming option at quarterback in a given week? The first step is to find out who is playing the Detroit Lions. In Week 11, it will be Daniel Jones and the New York Giants.
The Lions are allowing an NFL-high 416.2 total yards per game, 255.3 of which are coming through the air. They're also giving up the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, per NFL.com. So, it's a great opportunity for Jones to have one of his best showings of the year.
The 25-year-old is having a solid season for New York, which has gotten off to a surprising 7-2 start. He isn't putting up huge fantasy numbers, but he threw a pair of touchdown passes in the Week 10 win over the Houston Texans.
The Week 11 matchup against Detroit should provide Jones with his best opportunity for his first three-TD game of the year. And he's likely to surpass his season high for passing yards, which is only 217.
Sit 'Em: James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Don't be fooled because James Conner ran for two touchdowns in the Cardinals' Week 10 win over the Los Angeles Rams. He still had 3.3 yards per carry (21 attempts for 69 yards) and is averaging only 3.8 yards per attempt this season.
Now, Arizona's ground game has a challenging Week 11 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers' defense. No NFL team has been better at stopping the run than the 49ers, which are averaging a league-best 82.7 rushing yards per game. They're also giving up the fewest points per game to running backs, per NFL.com.
The Cardinals released backup RB Eno Benjamin on Monday, so Conner will be the clear top back in their offense moving forward. That will bode well for fantasy managers with the 27-year-old on their roster when Arizona has a more favorable matchup.
But that isn't the case this week. So, if you have enough RB depth on your roster, it's best to leave Conner on the bench, as it seems unlikely he'll have a great showing on Monday night in Mexico City.
Start 'Em: DeAndre Carter, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
This is a bit dependent on the state of the Chargers' receiving corps for Week 11. Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Mike Williams (ankle) have been out due to injuries, while tight end Gerald Everett left the Week 10 loss to the 49ers with a groin ailment.
If at least two of those three playmakers are out for Sunday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, then DeAndre Carter is a start-worthy wide receiver for fantasy lineups. That's because he has been thriving when given an opportunity to play more in recent games.
In Week 10, the 29-year-old had four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, his first since Los Angeles' season opener. He was also targeted five or more times in each of the Chargers' previous three contests.
Los Angeles will likely be passing the ball quite a bit to keep up with Kansas City. Plus, the Chiefs are giving up the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers per game, per NFL.com. So, Carter should fare well, if he's on the field enough to do so.
Sit 'Em: Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Tyler Higbee had eight catches for a season-high-tying 73 yards in the Rams' Week 10 loss to the Cardinals.
However, the 29-year-old had only three catches for 22 yards over Los Angeles' previous three games. And he still hasn't scored a touchdown in the 2022 campaign.
At this point, Higbee can no longer be trusted as an every-week starter for fantasy purposes, like he was early in the year. He's been too inconsistent of late and is not making up for the low yardage totals with touchdowns, which are crucial for fantasy tight ends.
Things won't get any easier for the Western Kentucky product in Week 11. The Rams are going on the road to face the New Orleans Saints, which are giving up the second-fewest fantasy points to tight ends per game, per NFL.com.
Fantasy managers may be able to trust Higbee again later in the season, when Los Angeles should have some better matchups. But they'll need to find a better streaming option at tight end this week.