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Unexpected fantasy football performances and waiver wire sleepers and trade targets for Week 11 (2023). Will these NFL players sustain their Week 10 success?
Prior to Week 10, some people were concerned about the upcoming matchups. With the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Rams on bye, the active teams would have to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, the concerns were warranted, as many games had sloppy play.
At least, that’s how they started. After the first half of the first slate of games, teams started to pick up the slack. Numerous matchups turned into competitive affairs as many went down to the wire and had to be decided by last-second field goals. So, while things looked bleak at first, it ended up being a fairly entertaining day of football.
One interesting thing about player performances this week is that most of the guys who were included in last week’s Unexpected Boom Performances article could’ve easily held a spot this week. However, that would’ve been pretty lame, so I’ll give them their flowers during the intro. If you’re wondering where Joshua Dobbs, Noah Brown, and Keaton Mitchell might be, just look for last week’s edition of this article. Alright, let’s get into some more unexpected performances below.
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Surprise Fantasy Football Performances
Devin Singletary, Houston Texans
Although the usual Houston Texans starting running back Dameon Pierce would be missing his second game in a row, expectations were still low for Devin Singletary as a fill-in heading into Week 10. When the fifth-year back had the same role last week, he was miserable with 13 carries for just 26 yards.
This week, however, things went a little differently for Singletary.
During Houston’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, he had himself a massive workload as he turned his 30 carries into 150 yards and a touchdown while tacking on one reception for 11 yards as well. His huge day resulted in 22.6 half-PPR fantasy points, making him the RB3 in Week 10.
While this was by far his best performance of the season, he was also a major reason that Houston was able to take this upset win from the Bengals.
The Texans’ backfield had been trending toward more of a 50-50 split as of late. However, Dameon Pierce has been ineffective for a while now. With this performance, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pierce take more of a backseat to Singletary as the season rolls on. Nothing is set in stone, but this is a situation to monitor as we head into Week 11.
Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys
As the 2023 season rolled along, weeks of disappointing outings continued to pile up for Dallas Cowboys veteran receiver Brandin Cooks. Despite being a name many were excited about in the offseason, Cooks put up single-digit fantasy points in five of his seven performances prior to Week 10.
After just one catch for seven yards in Week 9, it appeared his best days may have been behind him as he and quarterback Dak Prescott couldn’t get on the same page.
Well, after Week 10, it seems we can throw those thoughts out the window.
During Dallas’ blowout win over the New York Giants, Cooks caught nine of 10 targets for 173 yards and a touchdown. This splash performance resulted in 27.8 half-PPR fantasy points, making him the WR3 overall in Week 10.
Now, it’s important we consider who the Cowboys’ opponent was on Sunday. While barely resembling a professional football team, the Giants are a complete disaster. It was no surprise they got beaten down the way that they did.
However, since Cooks and Prescott haven’t been on the same page for most of the year, this could’ve been a get-right game for the duo.
With an upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, the 10th-year veteran could easily carry over some success from this matchup. Add him off waivers if he’s available.
Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders
It’s been a while since Brian Robinson Jr. showed out. He’s never been awful at any point in the season, but he’s failed to be truly above-average outside of his huge outing against the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
In Week 10, though, we finally got to see the return of high scoring from Robinson, but not in the way that most would expect. Contrasting with his usual plodding in the ground game, we got to see some of what the second-year back could do through the air.
In a close loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Robinson had eight carries for 38 yards along with six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. His uncharacteristically strong day resulted in 24.7 half-PPR fantasy points, making him the RB1 overall in Week 10.
A 51-yard and a 48-yard catch did a lot of the heavy lifting for Robinson’s stat line, but nonetheless, his usage in the receiving game is a good sign. I’d refrain from expecting this kind of outing from him on a weekly basis, but with a juicy matchup in Week 11 against the New York Giants, there is a chance the former Alabama back has another strong stat line.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
After being a rookie sleeper pick in the offseason, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed has flown mostly under the radar. Outside of catching a few touchdowns, he has received little recognition as a solid asset.
Against the Steelers in Week 10, though, Reed ended up looking like the best receiver in Green Bay.
Amongst a receiver room that has struggled to get on the same page as their quarterback, Reed stood tall as he caught all five of his targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. That resulted in 16.9 half-PPR fantasy points, making him the WR10 in Week 10.
This Packers offense has been dreadful for most of the season. But on the bright side, they have an upcoming matchup in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers, a team with a struggling pass defense.
If some managers out there are looking for a bye-week fill-in or a player that could pay off down the line, Reed might be your guy. If he’s available, consider him a solid pickup for Week 11.
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
Alright, I’m gonna have to say it. Rico Dowdle looks better than Tony Pollard. Despite plenty of offseason hype, Pollard has had little success as the lead guy in this Dallas Cowboys offense. Many have pointed to Ezekiel Elliott’s absence being a reason for his downfall, and that might certainly be it.
But the one thing that has been clear lately is that he doesn’t look like the best player in this backfield anymore, Dowdle does.
Although the Cowboys were blowing out the New York Giants, Dowdle still saw his best workload of the season as he had 12 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown. That stat line resulted in 13.9 half-PPR points, making Dowdle the RB16 in Week 10.
There has been no indication out of Dallas that Pollard will lose his role as lead back, but to the naked eye, something clearly isn’t working with him. Someone is lacking juice in this backfield, and it definitely isn't the backup.
Expect nothing major to arise out of this situation, but it is something to monitor. As we inch closer to the fantasy playoffs, Dowdle is a player to stash that could help greatly in the event of a changing of the guard at running back.
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