Fantasy Football Week 11 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em

Helping with some of your tougher lineup decisions heading into Week 11.

Jared Cook is coming off a 10-target, six-reception game in a Week 10 loss to the Falcons.  / Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

Start:

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers—Nothing takes away the sting of a bad Monday night loss like playing the Cardinals' defense the very next week. I am interested to see how Garoppolo bounces back in this one, but he tore this same defense up just two weeks ago for 317 yards and four TDs. I know it’s naïve to think that he will do the exact same thing to the exact same team two weeks later, but in a week where Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are both on bye, fantasy owners will need to dig deep to find a worthy starter—and Garoppolo could fit the bill.

Kyle Allen, Panthers—After hearing news that Cam Newton was placed on season-ending IR, Allen seemed way more relaxed under center when the Panthers played the Packers in the snow at Lambeau Field. Allen’s confident play resulted in him throwing for the most yards that he had in a game (307) and he had his team fighting for the victory until the very last play. This week the Panthers take on the Falcons, who had their best defensive game of the season last week against the Saints. It would be virtually impossible for the Falcons to replicate that performance two weeks in a row, making Allen a solid start in Week 11.

Sit:

Mitchell Trubisky, Bears—Although Trubisky led the Bears to a home victory against the Lions, I might even argue that the Bears got lucky that Matthew Stafford was injured and that the game would have had a different outcome had he played. This week the Bears travel out west to play the Rams, who always seem to play much better at home. Additionally, Jalen Ramsey should be able to take Allen Robinson out of the game, which will leave Trubisky with fewer passing options. I can see Aaron Donald in Trubisky’s face all night long, and I think this could be a very ugly game for the Bears on the road.

Running Backs

Start:

Brian Hill, Falcons—Hill is most likely on waivers in the bulk of fantasy leagues, but he needs to be picked up right away and inserted into all starting lineups. The Panthers' run defense has been one of the most generous in the league (they are statistically the third-worst in the NFL) and Hill should have around 20 touches. Hill also has surprisingly decent hands out of the backfield, so I think he is equally valuable in standard and PPR formats.

Melvin Gordon III, Chargers—Admittedly, I was incredibly down on Gordon as I watched him struggle in his first four games back. However, in his last two outings, he looks like he has clearly got his legs back and has become the weapon that fantasy owners were expecting when they drafted him. In the last two weeks, Gordon has had 42 carries for 188 yards and 3 TDs. The Chiefs' run defense is the worst in the NFL (Derrick Henry rushed for 188 yards against them just last week) and I would be surprised if the Chargers' gameplan did not begin and end with Gordon running right at their defense. Look for Gordon to have another chance at 100 yards rushing in this division battle.

Sit:

Ronald Jones II, Bucs—The Saints are the third-best team in the league against opposing running backs, and I cannot imagine that Jones will be able to do much to change that. To his credit, Jones does get some catches out of the backfield, but with the Saints' pass rush coming hard at Jameis Winston, I would be surprised if Jones didn’t lose snaps as he is the weakest Bucs RB in pass protection.

Wide Receivers

Start:

Terry McLaurin, Redskins—It feels like it’s been weeks since I have recommended starting McLaurin, but with the Redskins playing the Jets at home in Week 11, now might be the perfect time to use him again. The Jets struggle with speed receivers, as we saw the Giants' Darius Slayton have his way with their secondary last week. The Redskins should be better on offense as RB Derrius Guice is expected to play and QB Dwyane Haskins has had another week to work in practice. McLaurin is never going to be a huge threat to put up a multiple TD day, but he should be good for at least 80 receiving yards and a TD in this contest.

Tyler Boyd, Bengals—Watching Ryan Finley’s first start against the Ravens showed me a few things: 1) Finley wasn’t intimidated in the pocket, 2) He had more mobility than I expected, 3) Joe Mixon was more vital to the entire attack than he had been all season, and 4) Tyler Boyd was Finley’s first look when he dropped back to pass. With the Raiders being tough against the run and weak against the pass (they are the third-worst team against opposing wide receivers in the league), I fully expect Finley to pepper Boyd with tons of targets. Use Boyd in PPR formats as I expect about 16-20 fantasy points this week from him.

Sit:

Alshon Jeffery, Eagles—I have two words when it comes to starting Jeffery this week: Stephon Gilmore. Those two words should strike fear in the hearts of all Eagles fans and fantasy owners alike. Gilmore has been the best shutdown corner in the NFL this season and Jeffery is simply not fast enough to get away from him in coverage. The way to beat the Patriots right now is to run the football, so Jeffery might offer more as a blocker come Sunday than he does as a pass-catcher.

Tight Ends

Start:

Jared Cook, Saints—This might be my favorite play of the week. The Bucs have not been able to stop any tight end this season (even Maxx Williams of the Cardinals played well against them) and Cook should be in a great position to succeed. The Bucs are the second-worst team in the league against opposing tight ends and they just cut their top cover CB in Vernon Hargreaves. This could be a real mess this week and Drew Brees will certainly take advantage of the Bucs' biggest defensive weakness.

TJ Hockenson, Lions—Maybe I have visions in my head of Kyle Rudolph scoring twice, but the Cowboys are not nearly as good covering the tight end as they are covering opposing wideouts. Hockenson has 13 targets in the past two games and is starting to become a more significant part of the Lions’ offense. What I also like about starting Hockenson is that it doesn’t really matter if Matthew Stafford or Jeff Driskel starts at QB. Both players look to him equally and the Cowboys will be spending a lot of attention covering Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, leaving Hockenson open to make some plays.

Sit:

Mike Gesicki, Dolphins—Starting Geisicki against the Colts in Week 10 felt like chasing fantasy points from Week 9, which I am always loathed to do. Just because a player has a good game one week, does not make them a sure bet to have a good game the following week. Sadly, for Gesicki, he has one of the worst matchups of the year in Week 11 as the Bills are the second-best defense against opposing tight ends. Gesicki seems to be turning a corner in terms of his overall play, but he’s not quite there yet and this might be a good week to let him sit on your bench while you find your tight end points elsewhere. 

More Advice from SI Fantasy:

—Week 11 PPR rankings from Shawn Childs of FullTime Fantasy: QB, RB, WR, TE

—Dr. Roto’s Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for your tougher lineup decisions

—Frank Taddeo’s streaming options if you’re dealing with injuries or bye weeks

—Tuesday’s Bull Market Fantasy show with Jim Cramer

—Jaime Eisner’s waiver wire pickups: Brian Hill, Darius Slayton and suggestions for deeper leagues

—Frankie Taddeo’s droppables, with some big-name players you shouldn’t feel bad about cutting

—Jaime Eisner’s stock watch can help you win a trade

—Bill Enright’s injury report has the impact on everyone who got hurt in Week 10