RADIO
We were due for Week 10 to happen and not just in the most obvious, literal sense that Week 10 would inevitably arrive after Week 9. Sometimes up is down, black is white, and dogs and cats live and dine together in harmony. In a week where DeMarco Murray and Kirk Cousins combined for five rushing touchdowns and the easiest pick turned out to be Garrett Celek, it's best to just move on and forget this ever happened.
Trade deadlines are fast approaching in many fantasy leagues, so it goes without saying that you want to have a good comfort level with who's on your roster for the playoff stretch and make a move ASAP if you aren't. But I said it anyway.
Now, let's get to my fantasy "heroes" and "zeroes" at each position for Week 11 of the NFL season. For a full set of rankings, look no further than our very own RotoBaller consensus weekly rankings.
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Week 11 Lineup Heroes
QUARTERBACK
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
These are strange times we're living in, when you have to be convinced that Drew Brees is safe to play this week. Brees finally knows what it must be like to be a backup QB, standing around and watching the action without having to wear out your arm. OK, it's not that bad, but Brees is definitely posting peculiar numbers for a gunslinger. He hasn't attempted as many as 30 passes in each of the last three games, has three passing TD in the last four games combined, and has only broken the 300-yard mark twice all season. So what makes him a certain QB1 this week? Nothing especially, except the Saints are at home against a team that's starting to bleed out on defense, yielding 593 passing yards the last two weeks, yet has enough of a passing game to keep the Saints from being in run-only mode as they were against Buffalo. I don't think he'll be the top QB this week (I have him as QB6 right now), so this mainly serves as an endorsement of him as a starting QB, odd as that feels. Don't overreact to last week's run-a-palooza of touchdowns.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Let's keep the theme going by convincing you to start last year's MVP, despite advice you might be hearing to the contrary. Ryan was never going to replicate last year's numbers, but hopefully you knew that going into the draft. If you've got him and are hesitating with a tough road game against Seattle on the slate, don't. Last year, Ryan toasted the Hawks for 335 yards and three TD on the road. Now they are without Richard Sherman, while Shaq Griffin and Kam Chancellor are both listed as questionable. Even if they are only down one DB, it makes life easier for the Falcons offense. If Devonta Freeman doesn't play, they'll be slinging the ball even more. This could turn out to be another surprisingly high-scoring affair, much like the epic Week 8 showdown with Houston when we all witnessed Deshaun Watson blossom into a certifiable stud. Don't shy away from Ryan or the Atlanta wideouts.
RUNNING BACKS
Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins Philadelphia Eagles
Yes, I started typing Miami Dolphins out of habit. No, I'm not still carrying the torch for my hometown team's former Pro Bowl running back who we desperately miss and need. Ajayi has moved on and so have I. He has a much greater opportunity running behind one of the best offensive lines in football and has a legitimate passing game to support him as well. All early-season concerns about Ajayi's commitment have been quelled since he arrived in Philly.
You can really see from the way he interacts with the other running backs that Jay Ajayi is really fitting in well with the team #Eagles
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) November 15, 2017
Beat writers also suspect Ajayi could take the lead role in Week 11 and be more involved than initially expected. He faces a Cowboys defense that has been good against the run, but now is without leader Sean Lee in the middle and is hurting on offense without Ezekiel Elliott. This could be a great chance for Ajayi to have a true breakout game in his second season as a starter and second game as an Eagle.
Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins
Maybe now Jay Gruden will give Thompson more than 10 carries. Rob Kelley is on IR, Samaje Perine keeps proving he is not a playmaker, and Chris Thompson is easily the best RB on a team that gets a decent amount of red zone attempts. Despite missing damn-near half the season with some sort of injury, Kelley ranked 24th with 13 red zone attempts, while Thompson and Perine each have 10. If Thompson can take on a bigger load on the ground in addition to his pass-catching prowess, he could slide into top-10 PPR value. The Saints are emerging as a defensive juggernaut, but they've allowed the sixth-most receiving yards to running backs on the season and aren't a shutdown unit as of yet.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
Last week's 10-catch, 142-yard effort was surely the byproduct of a team with no other good options at WR feeding the ball to a possession guy while playing catch-up all game long. Guess what's going to happen this week? The Chiefs have been playing slightly better than the Giants this year, so there's a chance that there will be another early deficit to overcome. Shepard should continue to be a target hog the rest of the way and could see WR2 value in PPR leagues each week. It doesn't hurt that he has the single-biggest WR/CB matchup advantage of all receivers in Week 11, facing off against Stevie Nelson.
Jeremy Maclin, Baltimore Ravens
Maclin is another player who mostly lives in the slot and could see high target volume against a bad secondary. Maclin faded from our collective memories after he missed Week 6 and 7, but has come back strong with 14 targets the last two games and eight catches for 98 yards in Week 10. He stands as the WR50 this season, which places him no higher than a flex consideration in most leagues. He is averaging a solid six targets and four receptions per game, which gives you an adequate floor in PPR leagues. Throw in a good matchup with Green Bay and Demarious Randall on the other side and you have a chance for even better results.
TIGHT END
Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders
After eight inconsistent and mostly ineffective seasons with three different clubs, who'd have thought Cook would become a weekly must-start in Oakland? Cook is establishing new career highs in receptions per game (4.3), yards per game (55.4), and catch rate (70.9%). He is the true No. 3 receiving option for Derek Carr and should remain that way. The New England-Oakland matchup is seeing the highest over/under of any game in Week 11, currently as high as 54. Cook could see even more than his nine targets from a week ago and make fantasy owners who picked him up mid-season very happy.
Week 11 Lineup Zeroes
QUARTERBACKS
Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings
He's on a roll! At least he was until being replaced by Teddy Bridgewater. It hasn't happened yet, but this might actually be his last week leading the first-place Vikings. Apparently, Mike Zimmer was ready to make Bridgewater the starter last week, but decided to hold off at the last minute. Keenum has earned the starting nod with nearly 600 passing yards and six touchdowns the last two weeks, but it won't last. The Rams are actually stingier against QBs than the Vikings, limiting them to the fourth-fewest fantasy points this season. With nearly all the top-flight QBs available, you don't have a justifiable reason to stream Keenum this week.
RUNNING BACKS
Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers
Williams now becomes the third starting RB for the Pack, which in no way validates those who thought he would get the job out of training camp. Aaron Jones is out 3-6 weeks and Ty Montgomery is again questionable due to his rib injury. Williams might get the opportunity, but that doesn't mean he'll make the most of it. He's averaging 3.3 yards per carry and will be lucky to have Brett Hundley running the offense if his hamstring holds up. The Ravens have been schizophrenic on defense this year, but they're clamping down lately. They've allowed 116 rushing yards in the last two games and have been helped by the return of Brandon Williams up the middle. Williams will be a TD-dependent flex play for Week 11.
Alfred Morris, Dallas Cowboys
I wasn't particularly keen on Morris last week and proved to be right. There is no justifiable reason to rank him any higher this week when the Boys take on the Eagles, who still have the #1 rush defense in the league. Morris was serviceable, rushing for nearly five yards per carry, but if they can't generate a passing game then Morris will be severely limited. He already offers nothing as a receiver, so he can be benched altogether in PPR leagues.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams
Starting Sammy Watkins and then watching him take a 17-yard slant to the house in the second half of a blowout kinds of feels like a cheap mini-victory. Sure, I got those points and my faith in him was rewarded, but it was still mostly luck. Watkins has four TD on the year, but he only has eight catches in the last six games combined. This makes sense because he averages less than four targets per game and is faced with an emerging Robert Woods and developing Cooper Kupp to compete for looks. Watkins will rip off the long scoring play once in a while, but cannot be trusted in a game where Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith lurk on the other side. Fade hard in Week 11.
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
Is it fickle to put Davis in the Heroes section one week and Zeroes the next? Davis nearly had a touchdown against the Bengals, but had it changed to a touchback thanks to everyone's favorite rule of 2017. Davis continues to see higher snap counts and had 10 targets in Week 10, so his long-term prognosis keeps improving. This week, however, the Titans get a dreaded Thursday night game on the road in Pittsburgh. It isn't the best time to roll out a rookie receiver, especially one who has only played four games and has yet to officially reach the end zone.
TIGHT END
Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers
Rather than ranting about how disappointing Henry has been this season (hint: very) and how someone who was taken as the TE10 on average in fantasy drafts is performing as the TE17, I'll just say this isn't a week I expect a breakout. Henry is not only trending downward, with three catches on four targets the last two weeks, his situation could get worse. Philip Rivers is still in concussion protocol, so if he sits then Henry and nearly all the Chargers receivers should be on fantasy benches. Even if Rivers plays, their Week 11 opponent is Buffalo, who despite all their head-scratching maneuvers are not a terrible pass defense and have allowed just two TD to tight ends this year. If the Chargers can run all over the Bills like New Orleans did last week, there won't be any need to pass anyway.
