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Week 11 of the 2020 NFL season brought unexpected fantasy football surprises and busts. Mike Riggall analyzes overreactions to J.K. Dobbins, James White, Chris Herndon and more.
Week 11 was an odd one for quarterbacks. The Patriots Defense stifled Lamar Jackson in Week 10 and followed that up by allowing Deshaun Watson to finish as the No. 1 quarterback on the week. Taysom Hill, Kirk Cousins, Philip Rivers and Andy Dalton were the unfamiliar names that found themselves inside the top-10 this week. The tight end position didn't yield too many high-scoring performances, but at least Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, Hunter Henry and Eric Ebron, all of which had good matchups, came through.
Keenan Allen finished as the No. 1 wide receiver in Week 11, turning 19 targets into 34.5 fantasy points. Damiere Byrd was an unfamiliar name inside the top-five, along with Diontae Johnson, Davante Adams and Adam Thielen who each continue to shine. Michael Thomas finally returned to relevancy in Week 11, finishing with nine catches for 104 yards, both of which were season-highs.
Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott, J.K. Dobbins and Melvin Gordon comprised the top-five running backs in Week 11. Chris Carson remained out of the lineup for the Seahawks which gave way to a decent performance from Carlos Hyde and Jonathan Taylor finally appeared to turn the corner for the Colts, getting 26 touches this week, turning those touches into 114 yards. Now that Week 11 is behind us, let's take a look at some of these unexpected performances and evaluate whether these guys will continue to produce moving forward.
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Damiere Byrd, New England Patriots
Week 11 Stats: 1 carry, 11 yards, 7 targets, 6 catches, 132 yards, 1 TD
Damiere Byrd has been extremely quiet the entire year despite playing 92% of the Patriots offensive snaps. In Week 11 Byrd had a great matchup against a Texans Defense that gives up big plays in the passing game and he came through with 26.3 points.
Bottom Line: Prior to Week 11 Byrd's season-high in yardage was 80 and he failed to score a touchdown. Byrd came through this week because he had a great matchup and he should remain on waiver wires unless the matchup is right. The Patriots play the Cardinals and Chargers over the next two weeks so it's not looking great for him.
Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos
Week 11 Stats: 8 targets, 5 catches, 119 yards
Tim Patrick had a very quiet game in Week 11, catching just four balls for 58 yards up until the last play of the game. On that final play, rather than punt the ball on fourth down, Drew Lock threw up a ball in desperation which Patrick was able to haul in and take for a 61-yard gain.
Bottom Line: Tim Patrick is rostered in just 21% of Yahoo leagues and you should not put him in your lineup unless he has a great matchup that week. The Broncos play against the Saints in Week 12 and if Marshon Lattimore plays, Patrick may have a difficult time.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Week 11 Stats: 10 targets, 8 catches, 62 yards
Larry Fitzgerald hasn't exactly lit things up this year but in Week 11 he had a great matchup against a Seahawks Defense that surrenders the most fantasy points to wide receivers and came through with 14.2 points. The Seahawks are especially bad defending slot receivers which is where Fitzgerald typically lines up in the Cardinals offense.
Bottom Line: Larry Fitzgerald took advantage of a great matchup in Week 11 but he's simply not explosive anymore. Don't chase the points, Fitzgerald needs to either score a touchdown or get heavy volume in the passing game in order to come through, and that simply isn't likely to happen moving forward.
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
Week 11 Stats: 15 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets, 2 catches, 15 yards
J.K. Dobbins has been the most explosive running back on the Ravens roster all year but he simply hasn't gotten enough playing time or touches to be fantasy-relevant on a consistent basis. Dobbins only played more than 50% of the Ravens offensive snaps three times this season, including the 63.1% he played in Week 11.
Bottom Line: J.K. Dobbins is starting to break out and he's still available in 37% of Yahoo leagues. Dobbins must be rostered at this point, he's too talented to remain on waivers. However, the rookie running back just landed on the reserve-COVID list which means you may get lucky because some managers may pass at the chance to add him this week.
James White, New England Patriots
Week 11 Stats: 5 carries, 19 yards, 9 targets, 6 catches, 64 yards
James White has been a wasted draft pick so far through the 2020 season. However, in Week 11, Rex Burkhead went down which gave way to an expanded role for White. The Patriots also trailed for much of the game which worked in White's favor.
Bottom Line: White had been playing 30.4% of the Patriots snaps on the season, but in Week 11 he played a season-high 56.5% after Burkhead went down. White, who is available in 60% of Yahoo leagues, is likely to have a more stable role for the remainder of the season with Burkhead out so he's worth a claim if he's available on your waiver wire.
Benny Snell Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 11 Stats: 7 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD
In Week 11 Benny Snell touched the ball seven times compared to the 16 touches that James Conner received. Conner was much more efficient with his touches, gaining 6.2 yards-per-touch while Snell gained just over two yards each time he touched the ball.
Bottom Line: Benny Snell isn't explosive and he's been touchdown-dependent all year when James Conner is healthy. Snell played just 13.2% of the Steelers offensive snaps in Week 11 and has yet to play more than 50% in any game this season. Snell should be considered nothing more than Conner's handcuff.
Jordan Akins, Houston Texans
Week 11 Stats: 6 targets, 5 catches, 83 yards
Through the first 10 games of the season, Jordan Akins' season-high was 55 yards back in Week 2. After his Week 11-performance, Akins has seen more than five targets just twice this season.
Bottom Line: Jordan Akins is explosive but he simply isn't utilized enough to be relevant in fantasy football. Over the last three weeks, Akins has only played more than 50% of the Texans snaps once, and that was in Week 11 when he played 51%. Akins should remain on your waiver wire unless you're desperate for a tight end.
Chris Herndon, N.Y. Jets
Week 11 Stats: 3 targets, 2 catches, 32 yards, 1 TD
Chris Herndon has played at least 60% of the Jets offensive snaps in eight-of-ten games so far this season, but he simply hasn't come through. Herndon has been targeted more than five times in the passing game just once this season and that was all the way back in Week 1. Herndon has also gone without a single target in the passing game three times this season.
Bottom Line: The Jets offense is terrible and Herndon simply hasn't been involved enough to trust in your lineups. Keep in mind, Herndon's season-high in yards is still just 37 which he had back in Week 1. If you're encouraged by Herndon's Week 11-performance and you want to add him on waivers this week, that's fine, but wait to see him come through again before you actually trust him in your lineup.
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