November 16, 2016

Seth I. Finkelstein looks at the top NFL survivor picks for Week 11 of the 2016 NFL season, giving you survivor league advice for targets and avoids.

After 10 long weeks for fans of the Los Angeles Rams, they finally have something to cheer for! Jared Goff will be getting his first start on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. How funny it would be if Goff was awful, but doubtful that happens. Jeff Fisher will have a gameplan on Sunday featuring checkdowns, checkdowns, and some more checkdowns! I wouldn't be surprised to see Goff complete 16-of-24 passes for 140 yards with an interception.

I'm here, as always, to try and help you identify the best survivor pool targets and avoids for Week 11 of the NFL season. With some survivor pools requiring you choose two teams per week, I will be adding more picks! Good luck folks, now onto the picks.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

Top Survivor Picks for Week 11

@Lions -6.5 vs. Jaguars

Somehow, someway, every single game for the Lions has been decided by one possession. And somehow, someway, the Lions are on top of the NFC North.

I am scared of picking the Lions– and laying the points– because they don't take these bad teams seriously. They have lost to the Bears, Texans, Titans, and Packers.

There's nothing to like about the Jags though. They are bottom five in rushing yards allowed per game, 124, and have 16 sacks, bottom five. They are also the worst team in turnover differential, minus 14. It's more likely the Jaguars find a way to beat themselves than the Lions do. Also, have you seen Blake Bortles lately?

Steelers -9 @Browns

Will the Browns finally win? Not this week. The Steelers are in a must-win situation. They lost two straight and now find themselves 4-5 with two games in five days. If the Steelers want to make the playoffs they have to beat both the Browns and Colts.

The Steelers will put up a big number this week. They average 24 points per game. The Browns allow 30 points a game. Pitt's defense is below average, as evidenced on Sunday, but the Browns only throw for 222 yards per game, 27th in the league. This game could be a shootout, but I can't see the Browns scoring more than 30. I see the Steelers scoring 30 with ease.

Patriots -13.5 @49ers

Are the Patriots really going to lose back-to-back to the worst team in football?

Top Survivor Picks to Avoid for Week 11

@Giants -7.5 vs. Bears

The talking heads may call the Giants one of the hottest teams in the league because of their four-game win streak, but don't buy into it. Those wins have come against the Ravens, Rams, Eagles, and Bengals, all by one possession. The two most crucial stats to me are sacks and takeaways. The Giants don't do either well. They have the third-least sacks in the league with 14 and are minus-eight in turnover differential, 30th in the league. The pass rush looked good against the Bengals, but the Bears have allowed only 18 sacks on the year, top ten in the league. Eli Manning has played well for four weeks in a row now. I think he's due for one of those Classic Eli games. Even more surprisingly, the Giants score only 20 points per game, good for bottom ten.

The Bears aren't a good football team, but I like this spot for them. They got blown out by the Bucs last week, and now nobody believes in them. There is also no pressure on the Bears. Chicagoans know this team is done and they're still happy about the Cubs.

Here's a really surprising stat though; the Bears are top ten in both passing, 243, and rushing yards, 98, allowed per game. If Jay Cutler has time to throw, this game could be much closer than expected.

@Cowboys -7.5 vs. Ravens

The Cowboys are in a major let down spot. They will be coming off such a high from winning a thriller in Pittsburgh, and will now face the lowly Ravens, a team that hasn't been getting nearly any respect. The Cowboys will be looking ahead to their Thanksgiving matchup with the Redskins four days after facing the Ravens.

No need to tell you how good the Cowboys have been, but the Ravens have a very underrated defense. They allow 210 passing yards per game, fifth-best in the league, and hold teams to 71 rushing yards per game, best in the league. They are top 10 in both sacks, 22, and turnover differential, plus three. I can't wait to see Dallas's offensive line face the Ravens front seven. That's where this game will be won.