Fantasy Football Week 11: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

It's all coming to a head now.

The months of research and preparation before draft day. The weeks of roster management, waiver claims and trades since. It has all led us here.

The stretch run of the fantasy regular season.

For some managers, it's a time of celebration. Their teams have cruised to a 7-3 or 8-2 record and are barreling toward a playoff spot and maybe even a first-round bye.

For others, things haven't gone at all according to plan. Injuries ravaged the roster. Players didn't meet expectations. At this point all that's left is playing out the string for their 3-7 mess of a roster. Maybe playing spoiler.

Misery does love company.

For many managers though, nothing has been settled just yet. Peel off some wins over the next few weeks, and it's on to the second season. Suffer many more losses, and everything that has been done to this point will have been for naught.

It's more important than ever to set the best lineup possible.

This column aims to help in that regard.

Just as I do every week here at Bleacher Report, I looked over fantasy lineup questions on the B/R app and picked out some that should aid both the fantasy managers who asked them and others in setting their Week 11 lineups.

Let's get to stretching.

Read your column every week and love the advice you give. 12-team Full PPR. Need a TE and 2 Flex. Hockenson or (Pat Freiermuth)? Got a goose-egg from TJ and it cost me a win. E. Mitchell, (Michael) Carter Jr., (Michael) Pittman Jr., Rhamondre Stevenson or (Emmanuel) Sanders for flex spots? Thanks Gary! — @Klutch36

I absolutely did not include this question solely to show my editors that someone, in fact, does actually enjoy reading this column. That would be shameless and small.

We'll go ahead and start here with the tight end question. Pat Freiermuth of the Pittsburgh Steelers has become a bigger part of the Steelers offense of late, catching five passes in each of the last two games and scoring in two of the past three contests. Meanwhile. T.J. Hockenson of the Lions was shut out last week and hasn't found the end zone since Week 2.

However, Hockenson caught at least six passes in three straight from Week 6 to Week 8, and he's the de facto No. 1 passing-game option in Detroit. It's a much closer call than it was a month ago, but Hockenson remains the play.

He can't whiff completely two weeks in a row, right?

The flex pick is an easier call. Over the last month, there are all of two wide receivers with more PPR fantasy points than Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts. He's a lock for one spot.

The Buffalo Bills' Emmanuel Sanders has had some big weeks this year, but he has also all but disappeared more than once. New York Jets running back Michael Carter has shown flashes at times, but with Joe Flacco set to start under center, it's hard to get excited about anyone on that offense.

Elijah Michell of the San Francisco 49ers suffered a broken finger during Monday's blowout win over the Los Angeles Rams, but there's hope that he won't miss any time. Rhamondre Stevenson of the New England Patriots had a great game last week against the Cleveland Browns, but the return of Damien Harris clouds his prospects.

If Mitchell is active Sunday, he's the play. If he's not, hold your nose, start Carter and hope Flacco can turn back the clock.

The Calls: T.J. Hockenson, Michael Pittman, Elijah Mitchell

Cam Newton or Russell Wilson Full PPR? — @don_dukes230

What year is this?

Kidding aside, this question is included as much because of what it's emblematic of as the question itself.

This time of year is packed with pressure for fantasy managers—especially those who are narrowly clinging to postseason aspirations. With each and every game carrying increased ramifications for those teams, every lineup decision becomes that much more important.

And that can lead to overthinking.

Russell Wilson hasn't had the kind of season that fantasy managers had hoped for by any stretch of the imagination. Since throwing for 298 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, Wilson hasn't passed for more than 161 yards in a game. He has thrown multiple touchdown passes just one over that span. Wilson missed over a month with a broken finger. And entering Week 11 Wilson is a bland 14th in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks.

However, there's no way you should seriously consider benching Wilson for a quarterback in Cam Newton who wasn't even in the league a few weeks ago.

Yes, Newton scored two touchdowns in limited action last week against Arizona. And he does offer some fantasy upside as a rusher. But we're talking about a quarterback making his first start since Jan. 3 who threw all of eight touchdown passes in 15 starts last year—and three of those came in Week 17.

Newton may have the better fantasy matchup in Week 11, but there's no way you can start him over Wilson. Not now. Not yet.

Don't overthink it.

The Call: Russell Wilson

Need 2 backs, 2 WR and a flex from the below…Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, (Stefon) Diggs, AJ Dillon, (D'Andre) Swift, Elijah Mitchell. — @jake_peters

I'm not sure if this is a legitimate question or if Jake is just showing off—because this roster is loaded.

Of course, sometimes the stacked teams make for the hardest decisions. There's no one who obviously stands out as a player to sit.

We'll start with the running backs. All three are excellent options. With Aaron Jones out with an MCL sprain, AJ Dillion of the Packers racked up 128 yards and two scores on 23 touches against the Seahawks in Week 10. The Detroit Lions are a winless mess of a football team, but D'Andre Swift has been consistently productive this season—he's fifth at the position in PPR points after 10 weeks.

Both are starts.

That brings us to an impressive trio of wide receivers. Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase has been revelation as a rookie—like Swift he has been a top-five fantasy option to this point in the season. Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings hasn't been quite as productive, but his 55/755/4 line so far this season still slots him inside WR1 territory in 12-team leagues. Buffalo's Stefon Diggs has actually been considered a mild disappointment in 2021, but even he ranks inside the top 15.

All three are widely regarded as matchup-proof every-week starts, so that's what we're going to do—start them. I generally defer to running backs in "flex" calls, but with San Francisco's Elijah Mitchell nursing the broken finger we mentioned before, he's the odd man out.

The Calls: AJ Dillon, D'Andre Swift, Ja'Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs. Justin Jefferson

A lot to contemplate here. Non-PPR, need 2 Flex. (Antonio) Gibson, DeVonta Smith, Mike Williams, Emmanuel Sanders or (Rashod) Bateman? Thank you! — @Piccacco

"What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action." — Meister Eckhart

Deep, ain't it?

Now that I'm finished pretending to be a philosopher, let's get to the business at hand.

As I have said many times in this column, in cases like this I tend to defer to running backs—especially when the scoring doesn't award a point for receptions. It's a matter of touches, which equal opportunity.

Antonio Gibson of the Washington Football Team averaged less than 2.7 yards a carry in last week's upset over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But that was against one of the league's stingiest run defenses, and Gibson earned 26 touches and found the end zone twice. This week's opponent (the Carolina Panthers) is one of the toughest matchups in the league for opposing running backs, but those touches can't be ignored, Spot No. 1 is his.

Spot No. 2 isn't a difficult call either. Mike Williams of the Chargers started the season hot but has cooled way off. Emmanuel Sanders of the Bills goes ballistic one week and then disappears the next. Baltimore's Rashod Bateman has shown flashes, but he's yet to find the end zone as a rookie.

The second spot goes to the Eagles' DeVonta Smith, who has reeled in nine passes for 182 yards and three scores over the past two games. He also draws a New Orleans Saints defense in Week 11 that has given up the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers in 2021.

The Call: Antonio Gibson, DeVonta Smith

With Dallas Goedert's availability in question, who would be a viable replacement? Options are (Tyler) Conklin, Logan Thomas, or Dan Arnold. Also is Rashod Bateman worth a spot for the rest of the season? — @jacobsanchez

For the sake of this question, we'll assume that Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert does not clear the concussion protocol ahead of Week 11. Fortunately for this particular manager, there are some pretty good replacement options available.

It also doesn't look like Logan Thomas will be available either—the Washington tight end didn't practice Wednesday and doesn't appear to be ready to return from injured reserve.

That leaves Tyler Conklin of the Minnesota Vikings and Dan Arnold of the Jacksonville jaguars. Frankly, it can be argued that both are better options than Goedert at this point in the season—both rank inside the top-six at the position in PPR points per game over the past month.

Conklin found the end zone twice last week and has amassed double-digit PPR fantasy points in three of the past four games. But as good as Conklin has been lately Arnold has been even better—he has over 60 receiving yards in three straight games and has averaged eight targets a game over that span.

It's close, but Arnold has the edge.

Where Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman is concerned, whether he's worth a pickup is a rather vague question. Bateman is the No. 3 option in the passing game for a run-first team that ranks 21st in the league in pass attempts. But Bateman has 14 catches for 212 yards over the last three games and ranks inside WR4 territory over that span.

As depth or a bye week fill-in, he's worth a look.

The Call: Dan Arnold

Carr or Hurts at QB? Mike Williams or Elijah Moore at WR? And Eli Mitchell or Mark Ingram at flex full PPR. — @Ogbobby

Might as well take this one step at a time.

At quarterback, Las Vegas' Derek Carr has had his moments in 2021, and his opponent this week (the Cincinnati Bengals) is a better fantasy matchup for quarterbacks than the one Jalen Hurts of the Eagles faces. Hurts' production has also tailed off a bit as Philly has gone more run-heavy in recent weeks.

However, even with that drop-off in production Hurts has still outscored Carr over the past three weeks in terms of fantasy points per game, and for the season only Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs has more fantasy points among quarterbacks than Hurts.

The wide receiver call is equal parts tricky and unappealing. Over the first three weeks of the season, Mike Williams of the Chargers had more PPR points than every wide receiver not named Cooper Kupp. Since Week 3, Williams ranks outside the top 40 at his position.

Still, with Joe Flacco set to start Sunday against the Dolphins, it's hard to trust any Jets pass-catcher (Elijah Moore included), even in a great matchup.

The flex play will depend almost solely on circumstance. Alvin Kamara's status for Week 11 is uncertain, and if he sits, Mark Ingram has RB1 upside in a top-10 fantasy matchup for the position. If Kamara plays, Elijah Mitchell is a solid pivot against the Jacksonville Jaguars—provided he plays this week.

It's like this—if Kamara is out, Ingram is the play. If Kamara returns, then Mitchell is the go. If Mitchell sits and Kamara is back, then it's back to Ingram—begrudgingly.

Thanks for the advice as always can't wait for this week's column! Stafford on bye—Mac Jones or Daniel Jones? RB2—(Rhamondre) Stevenson (if Harris is out) or (Alex) Collins (if Carson is out)? Lost (Chase) Edmonds and Aaron Jones. Thanks for the help!

That's right…there are two people that actually like this column!

I'm as surprised as anyone.

This quarterback question is actually quite interesting. Mac Jones of the Patriots just threw a season-high three touchdown passes last week against Cleveland. Coming out of the bye, the offense around Daniel Jones of the New York Giants will be healthier than it has been at any point this season.

From a matchup perspective, Mac has the upper hand—the Atlanta Falcons have surrendered the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. But where that matchup says zig, the smart play here is to zag—while the Pats could easily be grinding out a lead on the ground Thursday, the Giants are likely to be playing catchup against the Buccaneers on Monday night.

Roll out Danny Dimes and reap the garbage-timey goodness.

The running back call appears to have been made for you. With Harris clearing concussion protocol, Stevenson of the Patriots will at best be part of a committee attack against the Atlanta Falcons.

Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, remains on injured reserve and looks highly unlikely to play against Arizona Sunday.

The matchup isn't great, but Alex Collins is a better bet for touches.

The Stevenson thing was fun while it lasted.

Sigh.

The Calls: Daniel Jones, Alex Collins

I'm looking to pay up in the DraftKings Week 11 Fantasy Football Millionaire Contest at wide receiver. Have some bargain options available at the other positions? — @DFSSOS

I'm admittedly more prone to spend big on running backs in DFS, but it's hard to argue against players like Green Bay's Davante Adams [DK DFS VALUE: $8,400] and San Francisco's Deebo Samuel [DK DFS VALUE: $7,800] given their favorable matchups in Week 11.

With that said, here are some lower-priced options at other spots to consider as complements for those wideouts.

Quarterback – Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers [DK DFS VALUE: $5,100]: Newton's not a play for the faint of heart, but it takes guts to win the big bucks. Newton probably isn't going to light up a bad Washington defense through the air, but add in his rushing upside and there's a decent shot at a sneaky-good stat line.

Running Back – Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints [DK DFS VALUE: $5,400]: With Alvin Kamara out last week, Ingram logged 108 total yards and a touchdown against the Titans. If Kamara plays this week, Myles Gaskin of the Dolphins [DK DFS VALUE: $5,700] has 61 carries over the last four games and gets a Jets team Sunday allowing the most DK points to running backs this season.

Tight End – C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals [DK DFS VALUE: $3,500]: On some level, Uzomah is the perfect tight end for a big tournament like the Fantasy Football Millionaire Contest. He has four games with less than 20 receiving yards, but two with over 90 receiving yards and two scores. That latter line is the kind that wins people real cheese.

Just as I do every week, we'll wrap up this week's Start/Sit column by wailing out some answers to app user questions in rapid-fire style.

Have more Start/Sit questions? Leave them in the comments. I try to spend a few hours there on Friday and/or Saturday, answering as many as possible.

Four wins in a row to go from last to second, keep me rolling….5 PPR need two WRs, (Michael) Pittman, (Kenny) Golladay, Corey Davis? — @Soccerday26

Given the tear that Michael Pittman has been on, he's an easy "yes" even in a bad matchup. That leaves two disappointing veterans in favorable matchups, and while trusting Joe Flacco to get the ball to Corey Davis is not something that inspires confidence, relying on Kenny Golladay in a must-win matchup inspires even less. Pittman and (shudder) Davis.

Help please! I have five players on byes and have to choose from Dan Arnold or (Kadarius) Toney as my PPR flex. Thanks for your advice. — @jcov1180

New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney probably has the higher ceiling of this pair, especially against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team giving up the seventh-most PPR points per game to wide receivers. But he had just one catch on one target against the Raiders two weeks. Give me Arnold and the relatively high floor the Jaguars tight end possesses.

Terry McLaurin or (Austin) Ekeler? — @jalvarez22

In what world do fantasy managers get to choose between these options for a flex spot? McLaurin has WR1 upside in any given week, but this is a classic case of following the touches with a flex decision. Ekeler will be an offensive focal point against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he's the play here.

(Jakobi) Meyers, (Darnell) Mooney or (Brandon) Aiyuk? — @ryanmeglen

Mooney is out here—the entire Chicago Bears passing game just can't be counted on. Aiyuk showed some signs of life a couple years ago, but the 49ers wideout had just three catches for 26 yards against the Rams in Week 10. Give me Jakobi "The Touchdown King" Meyers against a bad Falcons defense on Thursday night—he has at least four receptions in every game but one this year.

Should I start (Ryan) Tannehill or Mac Jones? — @tmaffeo

Tannehill has been all kinds of underwhelming in 2021—he hasn't thrown for 250 yards or tossed multiple scoring passes since Week 8. But the Titans quarterback has a rushing score in each of those games. Mac Jones has been solid for the Patriots, but he barely ranks inside the top-20 at his position in fantasy points. Start Tannehill against the Houston Texans.

Cam Newton or Jimmy Garoppolo? — @Bertbrent

This is like asking if you'd rather be kicked in the right shin or the left one—both options are painful. Garoppolo hasn't been terrible of late—he threw two touchdown passes each of the last two weeks and has two 300-yard efforts over the last three games. But no team in the league has allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks than Washington. Roll the dice on Newton and hope for a rushing score or two.

Full PPR. Leonard Fournette or Saquon Barkley? — @bkosinski

Fantasy managers will no doubt be glad to have Barkley back, but he's coming off a long layoff and facing one of the hardest teams in the league to run on. Fournette isn't getting a lot of hype, but he ranks inside the top-12 among running backs in PPR points and faces a Giants team giving up the seventh-most fantasy points per game to his position. This call isn't especially close—Fournette all the way.

Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.

Fantasy points allowed and scoring data courtesy of My Fantasy League.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter at @IDPSharks.