This is a big week for a lot of fantasy teams. Is yours making a playoff push? Trying to stay out of last place? Or is it time to start planning for next year in your keeper league? My money league's trade deadline is today, so that decision could be a difficult one to make for some teams. I know last year at this time I was trying to figure out if I was a buyer or seller. This season, I'm sitting at 7-3, and I need one more win to feel comfortably in the playoffs (but ideally I'd like to win out and hopefully get a first round bye). We'll see what happens, but maybe these rankings can help you (and me) get a win this week. I'll recap last night's game, do the injury roundup, and then I'll get into the updated rankings.
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| Nice flop, Ryan. Are those soccer cleats you're wearing...? |
QBs: On Wednesday,
I mentioned the tough defensive matchups for several of the top quarterbacks this week: Manning, Brees, Newton, Stafford, and Brady are all facing teams that are in the top-10 for allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs. Andrew Luck was also in that category in last night's game against Tennessee, and I had him ranked much lower than the experts for that very reason (ESPN #7, ME #13). He finished with slightly more fantasy points than Ryan Fitzpatrick in another comeback win for the Colts, but he needed a rushing TD to salvage any semblance of a decent fantasy day. Both QBs should finish well outside of the top-10 this week, and I'm sticking to my call of starting a waiver wire guy like Case Keenum over brand names like Luck and Brady this week.
RBs: Once again, I was down on Trent Richardson (ESPN #28, ME #35), and I actually had Donald Brown ranked higher than him (ESPN #33, ME #31). It's crazy to think about starting Brown over Richardson, but if you did that last night, you were very pleased. While Richardson continued to plod along for less than 3 yards/carry, Brown looked explosive and racked up nearly 100 total yards on his 15 touches (and added 2 TDs!). On the other side of the ball, Chris Johnson got things going early and had most of his 20 fantasy points or so in the 1st quarter. He had similar number to Donald Brown, and Shonn Greene barely got involved at all and was a non-factor. With CJOK looking more than OK lately, Greene will be tough to even consider at a Flex spot moving forward.
WRs: I was down on Luck, so I was also down on TY Hilton (ESPN #11, ME #17). I'm not cherry-picking here, folks. These are my rankings! Hilton was held to just 44 yards on 5 catches, as the Titan corners locked him down. For Tennessee, I was slightly high on Kendall Wright (ESPN #31, ME #25). He ended up with a game-high 12 targets, and he grabbed 9 of those for 80 yards. I'll continue to rank him in my top-25 in the weeks to come, as he's clearly the #1 option in their passing game.
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| Looks like you're my TE, Coby. |
TEs: I had Coby Fleener ranked at #9, but I didn't rank Delanie Walker (none of the experts had him in their top-12 either). Fleener turned in the best day of his young NFL career, with 8 catches for 107 yards. He got 10 targets from Luck for the 2nd week in a row, and I hope he continues that because he'll probably be in my lineup for the rest of the season. As for Walker, he caught all 10 of his 10 targets for 91 yards and a TD. He's now has 3 scores in his last 4 games, and one in each of the last two weeks that Fitzpatrick has been throwing his way. He could be a decent option for the fantasy playoffs as well, as he and Fleener both have nice matchups left on their schedules.
Neither defense did anything last night worth mentioning, so let's get right to the fantasy-relevant injuries for this week:
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| I don't want to see this again. |
1. Big name QBs: I traded to get Peyton Manning last week, and then I see him limping around at the end of his Week 10 matchup in San Diego. Luckily for Manning owners (such as myself), it appears that he probably just re-aggravated something with his ankle(s). I have no doubt he'll play Sunday night against the Chiefs. I just hope the Broncos can give him some good protection against that tough defense. As for another gimpy stud QB, Aaron Rodgers has hinted that his goal is to return in Week 12 against Minnesota. We'll see what happens with him next week...
2. Darren McFadden: As far as I know, he's still most likely out with a hamstring injury. More on his backup, Rashad Jennings, in the RB section below...
3. Shane Vereen: As of this writing, the Patriots still haven't activated him from the short-term IR, but they are expected to before their Monday night game at Carolina. I won't be counting on him in my lineup this week, but I'm hoping they ease him into action against that tough Panther defense. This is a game I'm excited to watch on Monday.
4. Roddy White and Percy Harvin: I've mentioned them both here for 2 or 3 weeks now. Roddy appeared to be relatively healthy last week against Seattle, but now he has a new shoulder ailment that lands him on the Falcon injury report. He'll play on Sunday, but he'll also be on Revis Island a bit. I'm still not ranking him until I see some production. I'm hoping that's not this week as I might be facing him in my money league matchup. As for Harvin, he was finally activated to the Seahawk 53-man roster on Monday, and he's been a full participant in practice this week. I'll talk more about Harvin after the WR section in a bit...
5. Top-10 TEs on the mend: Vernon Davis suffered a concussion last week, but he was cleared to practice and he's been doing so this week on a limited basis. I'm ranking him like he'll play on Sunday, but you may want to have a backup plan just in case. He has a later game, so John Carlson may be your best Plan B if he's available. Tony Gonzalez played through a toe injury last week, but he hasn't been practicing at all this week. I'm sure he'll be a game time decision as well, so you may want to plan the same way Vernon Davis owners should be.
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| Roberts could be a good Flex if Floyd's out. |
6. Banged up Cardinal WRs: Michael Floyd suffered a sprained shoulder last week, but he came back and practiced yesterday on a limited basis. Meanwhile, Andre Roberts is dealing with a knee injury, but he was a full participant in the Thursday practice. I'd monitor this situation if I'm looking at either of these guys as a Flex option this week. I'm actually moving Roberts up in my rankings and into the top-30 this week, but I'm going under the assumption that Floyd will be out (or at least limited) against the Jags on Sunday.
7. Stevie Johnson: He has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets with a groin injury. Welcome back, EJ Manuel. You have no receivers to throw to.
That's it for the injury roundup. Let's do the rankings!
BYES: Cowboys & Rams
1.Drew Brees
2.Peyton Manning
3.Russell Wilson
4.RGIII
5.Cam Newton
6.Nick Foles
7.Matthew Stafford
8.Case Keenum
9.Andy Dalton
10.Tom Brady
11.Philip Rivers
12.Ben Roethlisberger
13.Josh McCown
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14.Matt Ryan
15.Carson Palmer
16.Colin Kaepernick
17.Ryan Tannehill
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18.Mike Glennon
19.Joe Flacco
20.Eli Manning
I'm high on: Case Keenum (ESPN #12, ME #8)
Why is Case Keenum in my top-10 you ask? Well, he's easily been a top-10 fantasy QB in his last 3 games (which were his first 3 games/starts of his NFL career). Houston's running backs are banged up, so I feel like they'll keep throwing it a lot. Of course there's also the Oakland defense they're facing on Sunday that has been giving up the 9th-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. Maybe some of that is skewed by the huge game Foles put up on them a couple weeks ago, but whatever. I'll repeat it to prove MY point: Nick Foles threw 7 TDs against them a couple weeks ago! Oh, and Houston is playing at home. Need more reasons? Just look at the other tough matchups some of the "QB1s" have this week. It ain't pretty. I'll continue to rank Keenum in my top-10 until he has a bad game. And even then, he has some tasty matchups coming up on the schedule, so we'll see.
I'm down on: Colin Kaepernick (ESPN #13, ME #17)
Of course I'm lower than the experts on Matt Ryan, but what else is new? Dare I talk about Terrelle Pryor...again? Well, ESPN ranked him at #20, and I didn't even consider ranking him. Heck, Matthew Berry had Pryor at #15 on Wednesday, but suddenly he's down at #18 today. Either way, let's talk about another running quarterback this week instead. Colin Kaepernick has thrown for over 200 yards just once since Week 1, and he's coming off a horrible performance in a home loss (albeit to a great Carolina defense). This week he's on the road facing another good defense in New Orleans, who is allowing the third fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. Did you see what happened to Tony Romo last Sunday night against the Saints? Granted, Kaepernick is a different style of quarterback than Romo, but he doesn't instill any sort of confidence in me to rank him near the top-10.
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RBs |
1.Marshawn Lynch
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2.Adrian Peterson
3.Jamaal Charles
4.LeSean McCoy
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5.Frank Gore
6.Reggie Bush
7.Alfred Morris
8.Matt Forte
9.Eddie Lacy
10.Le'Veon Bell
11.Knowshon Moreno
12.Andre Brown
13.Giovani Bernard
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14.Ben Tate
15.Ryan Mathews
16.Andre Ellington
17.Danny Woodhead
18.Rashad Jennings
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19.Stevan Ridley
20.Chris Ivory
21.Darren Sproles
22.Ray Rice
23.Pierre Thomas
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24.Lamar Miller
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25.Maurice Jones-Drew
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26.CJ Spiller
27.Steven Jackson
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28.Fred Jackson
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29.Brian Leonard
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30.Shane Vereen
31.Rashard Mendenhall
32.Bobby Rainey
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33.Bernard Pierce
34.Benjarvis Green-Ellis
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35.DeAngelo Williams
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36.Joique Bell
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37.Bilal Powell
38.Mike Tolbert
39.James Starks
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| I think Jennings is primed for another good week. |
I'm high on: Rashad Jennings (ESPN #27, ME #19)
I feel like ESPN's number is slightly off because one guy ranked Jennings all the way down at #38, but even without that number, I'd still be high on the Oakland RB. Who ranked Jennings that low? The same guy who ranked Jordy Nelson #5 last week: Tristan Cockcroft. This guy who I don't even know is slowly becoming my fantasy ranking nemesis. It's not like he ranked McFadden either, so I don't know why he's so down on Jennings. Well I have him in my top-20, and a lot of it is due to the expected volume. Rashad has gotten 22 touches in each of his last 2 games, and the head coach has said the backup has earned a bigger role in the offense moving forward. Even when McFadden returns, I think Jennings will be fantasy-relevant. For now, I think he's a RB2 in Week 11 at Houston.
I'm down on: Stevan Ridley (ESPN #15, ME #20)
Of course I'm down on Fred Jackson, but (like Matt Ryan) that's nothing new. I also mentioned on Wednesday that I'm going to continue to be down on the Panther trio, so you shouldn't be surprised that ESPN ranked DeAngelo Williams #30, and I didn't rank him in my top-40 on Wednesday. With 4 RBs off the list after last night, I've moved him and Tolbert into my top-40...but barely. Be warned though: it would be a shock to no one if Jonathan Stewart gets 50 yards and a TD and neither of the other two do diddly-squat! As for Ridley, this is a tough one because on one hand, he has 6 TDs in his last 4 games. On the other hand, he's facing one of the best run defenses in the league in Carolina, who has only given up 2 rushing TDs all season. Also, the Patriots are expected to get Shane Vereen back into the mix this week. All of those things have me dropping Ridley slightly in my rankings, but we'll see what happens on Monday night.
WRs
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1.Calvin Johnson
2.Andre Johnson
3.Brandon Marshall
4.Pierre Garcon
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5.DeSean Jackson
6.Antonio Brown
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7.Demaryius Thomas
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8.AJ Green
9.Vincent Jackson
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10.Wes Welker
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11.Larry Fitzgerald
12.Riley Cooper
13.Josh Gordon
14.Alshon Jeffery
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15.Torrey Smith
16.Victor Cruz
17.Jordy Nelson
18.Eric Decker
19.Keenan Allen
20.Golden Tate
21.Cecil Shorts
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22.Marques Colston
23.Danny Amendola
24.Steve Smith
25.DeAndre Hopkins
26.Harry Douglas
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27.Mike Wallace
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28.Emmanuel Sanders
29.Andre Roberts
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30.Hakeem Nicks
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31.Denarius Moore
34.Kenny Stills
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36.Rishard Matthews
37.Anquan Boldin
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38.Reuben Randle
39.Jarrett Boykin
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40.Marlon Brown
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 I'm high on: DeAndre Hopkins
(ESPN #45, ME #26)
Surprise, surprise. I'm high on Riley Cooper again (ESPN #21, ME #12). Some of this is due to an outlier again though. This time, it's Christopher Harris who ranked Cooper at #35. I guess he just really trusts guys like Mike Wallace and Anquan Boldin over a guy who is tearing it up with Nick Foles and now faces one of the worst pass defenses in the league (sorry, Redskins). But I talked up Mr. Cooper a lot last week, so let's get the hype machine going for DeAndre Hopkins, who I have ranked nearly 20 spots higher than the ESPN experts! I've already discussed Case Keenum, so you know the Texans have been on a roll in the passing game lately. But did you know that in Keenum's 3 games behind center, Hopkins has averaged 7 targets (including a team-high 10 last week against the Cardinals)? Probably not because Andre Johnson has been getting all of the headlines that aren't reserved for quarterbacks. I think Oakland has probably seen those headlines too, and I think they'll focus some double teams on Johnson this week, leaving Hopkins open and ready for a breakout performance. I think he'll definitely get 75+ yards receiving, but I think he has a great chance to find the endzone as well.
I'm down on: Percy Harvin (ESPN #26, ME not ranked)
I've been wrong on these calls before (see Josh Gordon, Week 3). But Gordon was coming off a 2-game suspension, and Harvin's coming off a serious injury and hasn't played a game in almost a year! I realize he's been practicing this week and he's playing against his former team, but that just makes for a great story. Great stories don't necessarily translate into fantasy numbers. The Seahawks have invested a lot in Harvin...not just money but also several draft picks. I don't believe for a second they'll rush him back into action, and I'm sure he'll be on a limited snap count Sunday, and that's assuming he does play this week. Yes, it's possible he goes off against a horrible Minnesota secondary, but I think it's way more likely he does little to nothing until after Seattle's Week 12 bye (which I've been saying all along).
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TEs
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1.Rob Gronkowski
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2.Jimmy Graham
3.Jordan Reed
4.Julius Thomas
5.Jordan Cameron
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6.Vernon Davis
7.Antonio Gates
8.Tony Gonzalez
9.Greg Olsen
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10.Tim Wright
11.Charles Clay
12.Scott Chandler
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| No, you're not #1... |
Last week I was high on Tim Wright, and I'm still a little high on him versus the experts. If the Bucs throw a little more this week, I think it's safe to say he'll get more than ONE target. There a couple of small changes at the bottom of my TE rankings since Wednesday though. Obviously I've removed Fleener and added Charles Clay at the bottom, but I also replaced Martellus Bennett with Scott Chandler. Bennett has been underperforming without Jay Cutler, and Chandler has a good opportunity with 2 of Buffalo's top WRs out this Sunday against a Jets team that gives up a ton of fantasy points to tight ends anyway. Other than that, my rankings are pretty much the same as the experts, so not much to talk about here. Let's get to the defenses...
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DEF
1.Seahawks
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2.Cardinals
3.Bengals
4.Texans
5.Jets
6.Giants
7.Bills
8.Saints
9.Chargers
10.Panthers
11.Ravens
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12.Packers
Last week, I was high on the Giants, and it looks like the ESPN experts have jumped on that bandwagon now too. I do find it interesting that the ESPN guys continue to rank New England, Kansas City, and San Fran so high this week. I left them off my rankings due to horrible matchups, but I guess they're sticking with the name brand Ds. Speaking of which, I was all set to say that I was down on the Panthers this week, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I've actually gone back and forth with them because New England's offense finally looked like a well oiled machine in Week 9 against Pittsburgh, so the matchup had me worried. But I owned Carolina D earlier this season, and after doing what they did last week at San Francisco, I've come around in thinking they can put up decent defensive numbers on anyone. We'll see how I feel after this week though because they still have two games on the schedule with the Saints. So I'm not going to give you a defense I'm down on, but I'll give you 1 1/2 defenses that I'm big on in Week 11.
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| These are the real Supermen in Carolina right now. |
I'm high on: Chargers (ESPN #22, ME #9)
I'm also high on the Jets this week (ESPN #20, ME #5), as they get a good matchup at Buffalo. It's also an odd-numbered week, which seems to work well for them this year. EJ Manuel is only playing in his 2nd game back from injury, and I already mentioned he'll be without his top two wideouts (Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods). So I don't know who he'll be throwing to, but I'm guessing it'll be his RBs and tight end. I can't imagine the Bills will do any better than their average points over the last 3 games (13.3...ouch). But I want to promote San Diego in this space too. Based on my money league's scoring, the Chargers are averaging top-10 fantasy defense numbers over the last 4 weeks. If you take away their last game against Denver (who gives up the fewest fantasy points to opposing defenses this year), they're averaging just over 15 fantasy points in their previous 3 games. This week, they have a plus matchup at Miami, who is giving up the 8th most fantasy points to team defenses this year. I mean, the Dolphins are really struggling at protecting Tannehill. And in case you haven't heard, their offensive line is a bit broken up right now. I like for the Chargers to get a road win this weekend, and I think their defense will step up with top-10 fantasy numbers too.
That's the update, gang. Good luck to everyone in Week 11.
Cheers,
Bart
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