Pressure up as playoffs approach
With a considerable number of leagues less than a month away from beginning their postseasons, Week 11 is a make or break for fantasy teams.
Teams lacking the likes of Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson will have to resort to Plan B as the quartet of fantasy heavy hitters will be off this week.
Don’t expect the weather to be a factor in most places. The massive Arctic blast that hit the nation this week will have lost its grip well ahead of Sunday’s main schedule of games.
Start: Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens: Newsflash: Jackson’s become a muststart play on a weekly basis. The dual-threat gets a Texans defense without J.J. Watt and one that is the sixth-worst in fantasy football against quarterbacks. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 6.
Sit: Carson Wentz, QB, Eagles: The Patriots allow fewer than 10 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and without a viable deep threat to stretch the secondary, fantasy owners are on a fool’s errand by starting Wentz. Wentz has had five games of throwing just one TD in his last six.
Start: Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders: The rookie back has hit his stride, recording at least 71 rushing yards in five of his last six, including three 100-yard games. The good times should continue to roll at the expense of a winless Bengals team that is the third-worst in fantasy defense against running backs.
Sit: Sonny Michel, RB, Patriots: A disappointing season isn’t going to get better for Michel, who has to square up against an Eagles defense that is fourth overall against the run and sixth in fewest yards per carry (3.8).
Start: D.J. Moore, WR, Panthers: He’s still stuck on just one TD, but Moore has rattled off consecutive 100-yard outings and gets a home matchup against a Falcons defense that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. The Falcons also allow the fourthhighest completion rate in the league, making Moore an even better option in PPR formats considering he’s been targeted 21 times the last two games.
Sit: DeVante Parker, WR, Dolphins: Despite scoring in three of his last five games, Parker has yet to exceed 75 receiving yards in a game. Don’t count on that streak to end against a Bills defense that has allowed the third-fewest passing yards in the league while allowing only seven TD passes.
Start: Jared Cook, TE, Saints: Only the Cardinals are worse against opposing tight ends in fantasy than the Buccaneers. Cook has seen 25 of his 37 total targets in his last four games, including a season-best 10 in last week’s loss against the Falcons. The Bucs’ 22 TD passes allowed is the third-highest in the league.
Sit: T.J. Hockenson, Lions: Hockenson’s fantasy owners are still waiting for him to duplicate his Week 1 production. Since he had six catches for 131 yards and a TD against the Cardinals, the rookie has a combined 19 catches for 212 yards and a TD. Even against a Cowboys defense that has allowed the fourthmost fantasy points to tight ends, Hockenson is bench-worthy.
Start: Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals: This is not a typo. Mixon had a season-high 32 touches for a season-best 151 yards from scrimmage last week. He gets a solid matchup against the Raiders, who are second only to the Bengals with 6.1 yards allowed per play. In what could be a high-scoring matchup involving two poor defenses, a heavy dose of Mixon could pay off huge.
Sit: Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals: Coming off the best fantasy effort of his rookie season, Murray faces a 49ers defense that has allowed the fewest passing yards in the league. Although he put up 244 yards and two scores against the 49ers in Week 9, don’t make the mistake and bet on Murray exceeding expectations.
Start: John Brown, WR, Bills: Brown has been on the verge of a big outing for weeks. That could become reality as he gets a chance to exploit a Dolphins defense that has allowed the fourthmost TD passes (20).
Sit: Baker Mayfield, QB, Browns: He finally threw multiple TD passes in last week’s win over the Bills. Don’t consider it an upward trend as he takes on a Steelers defense that has allowed the 10th-fewest passing yards while also grabbing 14 interceptions.