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John Johnson features fantasy football lineup starts/sits for Week 11 (2025). He focuses on key NFL players to start when faced with tight Week 11 fantasy football lineup decisions.
I'll be filling in this week for Scott Engel and his Week 11 Key Starters and Tough Calls article, where we focus on key players to start or sit when faced with tight lineup decisions. It's that time of year when you really have to make tough decisions with your starting lineups. Week 11 doesn't feature a ton of NFL teams on bye, but there will be a few missing key starters this week, like Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor.
In addition, there are quite a few key players suffering from injuries or just underperforming, meaning many fantasy managers are struggling to find players to fill in for them. That's where this article can come in handy, as we showcase players who may be causing fantasy anxiety.
We'll be highlighting a few key starters and tough calls to make at wide receiver, running back, tight end, and quarterback in Week 11 that could help you win important matchups. So let's dive in!
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Wide Receivers - Fantasy Football Week 11
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
Important injury news just broke -- Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) will be placed on injured reserve due to a back injury. He'll miss at least four games. Detroit will be down one of its primary pass-catchers, and it's likely that its quarterback, Jared Goff, will look to his other playmakers to fill in the gaps.
One of their primary offensive weapons is wide receiver Jameson Williams. He looked like one of the biggest busts of the 2025 NFL season until Lions head coach Dan Campbell finally took over playcalling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton.
There’s something romantic about Jared Goff ripping the leather off the football, firing a piss missile over the middle to Jameson Williams for a perfect pitch-and-catch that doesn’t even break his stride. pic.twitter.com/MrwuOzHyPX
— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) November 11, 2025
The Lions tend to shift more to 11 personnel when LaPorta is out, meaning we should see more targets for the team's receivers. Obviously, this raises the floors and ceilings of the team's top-2 wideouts, which includes Williams. He's a must-start flex option this week with plenty of upside.
Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks
Shaheed wasn't featured much in last week's game against the Arizona Cardinals, but the Seahawks went up early in that game and got to take their foot off the gas pretty quickly. They scored two defensive touchdowns, and quarterback Sam Darnold only completed 10 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown.
.@Seahawks @RashidShaheed Klint Kubiak knew exactly how to plug & play Shaheed immediately. A welcomed Addition to this offense #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/46wP7WxNyy
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 15, 2025
We shouldn't forget that Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is running one of the best offensive schemes in all of football right now. He's a huge contributor to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba's massive season so far. Shaheed played for Kubiak in 2024, when he was the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.
Shaheed was easily the WR1 there, over even WR Chris Olave. Safe to say there's a big role waiting for Shaheed. The Seahawks play the Rams this week, who have an elite offense, so we could see a crazy shootout game in which Shaheed puts up over 25 PPR fantasy points.
Running Backs - Fantasy Football Week 11
Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Of course, you're probably only considering starting Tucker if you're in a deep league and need a bye week fill-in, or are just very thin at the position. He also doesn't catch a lot of passes, so he's less relevant in PPR leagues. In non-PPR leagues and deeper leagues, there's a level of desperation that warrants a closer look.
Tucker has outproduced the RB ahead of him, Rachaad White, in two consecutive games, averaging more yards per carry and logging more overall rushing yards. White is a good pass protector and decent pass-catching back, but it appears that Tucker is simply the better pure runner at this point.
For 2 straight games now, Sean Tucker has ended up the Bucs’ leading rusher, outproducing his backfield mate, Rachaad White, on the ground.
Against the Patriots, Tucker had 53 rushing yards on 9 carries.
While White is the better receiver of the 2, Tucker is making his case as… pic.twitter.com/GSeCYTi6Wc
— Charles “Chux” Maranan (@ChuxMaranan) November 12, 2025
The Bucs should give Tucker the majority of the rushing work against the Bills in Week 11. Buffalo is one of the weakest teams against running backs this season, partly because their defensive scheme so heavily favors shutting down the pass that they cede a lot of space to rushers.
It's hard to say for sure whether the coaches will give Tucker the work he deserves, but if you're in a deep league and need a starting option, you can lean into his upside.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., Washington Commanders
Rodriguez was removed from the injury report after dealing with a shoulder issue, so we're assuming he's healthy and good to go. He was given the starting job for the team in Week 10 after five straight weeks of terrible performances by the previous starting RB, Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
The hype train for the rookie was short-lived, and he's been irredeemably bad since then. While many have pointed fingers at the offensive line and overall offense, they actually rank 12th in ESPN's Run Block Win Rate, and aren't horrible by any means. Croskey-Merritt simply does not have the power to break tackles.
Chris Rodriguez probably maintains his goal line role for the Commanders because Jacory Croskey-Merritt is not capable of running through linebackers. Doesn't have the strength or power to do so even with some speed built up. pic.twitter.com/NoHxG9Jf2Q
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) November 13, 2025
While the passing downs are likely still going to be handled by RB Jeremy McNichols, as he's a fantastic pass-blocker, it's Rodriguez who should have a prominent rushing role in the offense.
RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos
News just broke that Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (foot) will require surgery for his foot injury, will be placed on injured reserve, and is likely to miss the rest of the season. Fantasy managers who spent a fourth-round pick on RB RJ Harvey might finally have a glimmer of hope.
The second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has hardly gotten playing time this season. Instead, it's been Dobbins handling the vast majority of the rushing work. That could change quickly, and even in a tough matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, he's an explosive playmaker who can score long touchdowns.
time for some juice 😈 https://t.co/fY3TM7ceqU pic.twitter.com/Y9fMYC7WU5
— Tyler🐴 (@HighAsTy) November 12, 2025
Harvey also sees a lot of work in the passing game, so even if his rushing numbers aren't gaudy, Denver could lean on him more as a pass-catcher, which is huge for PPR leagues.
Quarterback and Tight Ends - Fantasy Football Week 11
Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals
The projections on many fantasy sites for Flacco's Week 11 production feel just disrespectful at this point. He's proven that even with a subpar offensive line, he's able to effectively utilize the elite wide receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to put up big fantasy numbers.
He averaged the second-most points per game by a quarterback in the four weeks he started (during that stretch) of any QB who actually played in all four of those games, second only to Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert. So he's quite literally been a high-end QB1.
FLACCO DELIVERS AND WE ARE TIED!
CHIvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/99KzPaj855
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
Like the next player on this list, Flacco is simply defying Father Time at this point. A 40-year-old quarterback almost never becomes a hot waiver add and a must-start, but you'd be remiss if you didn't put him in your lineups. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7, he nearly reached 26 fantasy points.
He threw for 342 yards and three passing touchdowns, and is offering a nice glimpse into a past time, many years ago, in which there were plenty of elite quarterbacks that didn't have rushing upside. The Steelers have struggled against perimeter receivers this season, and they face two of the best in the NFL this week.
Flacco is set up to smash once again and should be started in all leagues.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Denver Broncos in Week 11, and while wide receiver Rashee Rice is the team's clear No. 1 target, the schematic matchup doesn't benefit him. It's nice that Broncos elite cornerback Patrick Surtain II (pectoral) won't be able to play, but he doesn't line up against Rice in the slot much anyway.
Denver runs a high rate of man coverage, even in games without Surtain. Rice is an elite zone-beater, but he's less effective against man coverage, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II tends to target him less against those looks than against zone. It's possible Mahomes looks Kelce's way more.
Travis Kelce reached a top speed of 19.02 mph on Monday night, his fastest play of the season.@tkelce | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/pBIz8J1TQL
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 30, 2025
Despite his age and fading athleticism, the Chiefs have still done a good job getting Kelce open looks. With a thinner secondary and a lot of defensive attention on Rice in matchups he's not quite as good in, and without many other impactful receiving weapons, Kelce could have another nice game and continue to be a must-start.
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
Ertz has at least remained somewhat involved in the Commanders' offense despite the injury to starting quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow). With QB Marcus Mariota under center, Ertz caught four passes each in Week 8 and Week 10.
He didn't score double-digit PPR fantasy points in either game, but he's drawing a nuts matchup with the Miami Dolphins in Week 11. Ertz has been excellent against Cover 2 shells, averaging 0.79 fantasy points per route run. That's a coverage the Dolphins deploy on 30.6% of defensive plays.
Daniels. Ertz. SIX.
CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/9sswHwAnbC— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025
A good matchup should be all it takes for him to snag another touchdown, get at least five receptions, and have a productive fantasy day. Washington's WR1, Terry McLaurin (quad), won't play again in Week 11, and their other starting wideout, Deebo Samuel Sr., has been pretty disappointing in recent weeks.
It looks like he's still dealing with the effects of a heel injury he suffered earlier in the season. That makes Ertz all the more enticing as a starting option this week.
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