Fantasy Football Week 11: The Ultimate Guide to Sunday's Action

It is now or never for your struggling fantasy football team. The same goes for quarterback Robert Griffin III in Washington with the Redskins and his fantasy owners.

If RG3 cannot take it to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you might want to cut bait with him down the stretch. We project things to go right this week, though, as we present The Ultimate Guide to Sunday's Action for Week 11.

Bleacher Report breaks down the Top 100, injury report, starts, sits, sleepers, busts and last-minute waiver-wire options. If you need an NFL slant, reference Michael Schottey's guide to NFL Week 11. As always, B/R has you covered from all angles.

Overall Rankings

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The battle of attrition at running back has reached its crescendo this season—at least fantasy owners hope it has. The silver lining is, the injuries have made for some intriguing waiver-wire fill-ins.

Heck, the upstart Cleveland Browns have even given us three running backs to consider as potential starts: Terrance West, Ben Tate and Isaiah Crowell...in that order.

All three of those backs scored a touchdown last week in a surprising victory over the Cincinnati Bengals—leaving past starter Ben Tate complaining about the timeshare—and Browns head coach Mike Pettine figures to keep the revolving door open, according to Brian Dulik of The Chronicle-Telegram:

"

There will be times when we have to choose as a staff what we feel is best for the team, over what the individual feels is best for him—and this is an example of that. Ben is a guy that wants the ball, wants to be out there, wants to be the guy. His reaction is understandable after we started Terrance over him and had the results that we had.

"

We outline a slew of backs questionable to go in the next slide because of injuries, but we give you the green light on any of the Browns backs in what should be a run-heavy game at home with the Houston Texans (near the bottom 10 in fantasy against running backs, per FFToday.com), who figure to be without Arian Foster this week.

All three of the Browns backs are top-90 starts for us in that matchup and amid the drama with Tate.

Here are B/R's final Top 100 plays for Week 11:

Week 11 Top 100 - Eric Mack

Rank	Flex Rankings	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	vs. Phi	1	0
2	Peyton Manning	DEN	at StL	2	0
3	Andrew Luck	IND	vs. NE	3	0
4	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at GB	26	+22
5	Matt Forte	CHI	vs. Min	9	+4
6	Calvin Johnson	DET	at Ari	23	+17
7	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at Ind	32	+25
8	Eddie Lacy	GB	vs. Phi	25	+17
9	Tom Brady	NE	at Ind	4	-5
10	Drew Brees	NO	vs. Cin	5	-5
11	Jimmy Graham	NO	vs. Cin	37	+26
12	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. Sea	18	+6
13	Antonio Brown	PIT	at Ten	27	+14
14	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	at Ten	14	0
15	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	at StL	21	+6
16	Julio Jones	ATL	at Car	35	+19
17	Philip Rivers	SD	vs. Oak	6	-11
18	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at Ten	7	-11
19	Mark Ingram	NO	vs. Cin	20	+1
20	Alfred Morris	WAS	vs. TB	29	+9
21	A.J. Green	CIN	at NO	40	+19
22	Frank Gore	SF	at NYG	42	+20
23	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at KC	19	-4
24	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. Phi	22	-2
25	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	vs. NE	34	+9
26	Julius Thomas	DEN	at StL	67	+41
27	Randall Cobb	GB	vs. Phi	38	+11
28	Robert Griffin	WAS	vs. TB	10	-18
29	Andre Ellington	ARI	vs. Det	36	+7
30	Matthew Stafford	DET	at Ari	8	-22
31	Matt Ryan	ATL	at Car	11	-20
32	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	at StL	39	+7
33	Cam Newton	CAR	vs. Atl	13	-20
34	Shane Vereen	NE	at Ind	44	+10
35	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at NYG	12	-23
36	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at GB	45	+9
37	Mark Sanchez	PHI	at GB	16	-21
38	DeSean Jackson	WAS	vs. TB	46	+8
39	Jeremy Hill	CIN	at NO	41	+2
40	Brandon Marshall	CHI	vs. Min	49	+9
41	Jay Cutler	CHI	vs. Min	15	-26
42	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	vs. Min	48	+6
43	Russell Wilson	SEA	at KC	17	-26
44	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	vs. Atl	47	+3
45	T.Y. Hilton	IND	vs. NE	43	-2
46	Roddy White	ATL	at Car	56	+10
47	Ryan Mathews	SD	vs. Oak	52	+5
48	Odell Beckham	NYG	vs. SF	59	+11
49	Alfred Blue	HOU	at Cle	134	+85
50	Mike Evans	TB	at Was	50	0
51	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	at Chi	58	+7
52	Vincent Jackson	TB	at Was	63	+11
53	Terrance West	CLE	vs. Hou	51	-2
54	Mike Wallace	MIA	vs. Buf	61	+7
55	Steven Jackson	ATL	at Car	55	0
56	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at Mia	65	+9
57	Trent Richardson	IND	vs. NE	80	+23
58	Brandon LaFell	NE	at Ind	69	+11
59	Joique Bell	DET	at Ari	79	+20
60	Keenan Allen	SD	vs. Oak	72	+12
61	Greg Olsen	CAR	vs. Atl	89	+28
62	Rashad Jennings	NYG	vs. SF	53	-9
63	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. Pit	77	+14
64	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	at NO	76	+12
65	Julian Edelman	NE	at Ind	73	+8
66	Andre Johnson	HOU	at Cle	81	+15
67	Montee Ball	DEN	at StL	112	+45
68	Tre Mason	STL	vs. Den	87	+19
69	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	at Cle	68	-1
70	Pierre Garcon	WAS	vs. TB	78	+8
71	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	vs. Det	82	+11
72	Jordan Matthews	PHI	at GB	86	+14
73	Golden Tate	DET	at Ari	54	-19
74	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	vs. Atl	122	+48
75	Martavis Bryant	PIT	at Ten	70	-5
76	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	vs. Atl	85	+9
77	Fred Jackson	BUF	at Mia
78	Reggie Wayne	IND	vs. NE	84	+6
79	Michael Crabtree	SF	at NYG	91	+12
80	Brandin Cooks	NO	vs. Cin	71	-9
81	Rueben Randle	NYG	vs. SF	96	+15
82	Lamar Miller	MIA	vs. Buf	88	+6
83	Doug Baldwin	SEA	at KC	98	+15
84	Carlos Hyde	SF	at NYG	141	+57
85	Jonas Gray	NE	at Ind	135	+50
86	Antonio Gates	SD	vs. Oak	83	-3
87	Anquan Boldin	SF	at NYG	75	-12
88	Ben Tate	CLE	vs. Hou	92	+4
89	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	vs. Hou	145	+56
90	Dwayne Allen	IND	vs. NE	95	+5
91	Darren Sproles	PHI	at GB	100	+9
92	Martellus Bennett	CHI	vs. Min	102	+10
93	Travis Kelce	KC	vs. Sea	101	+8
94	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. Pit	105	+11
95	Michael Floyd	ARI	vs. Det	111	+16
96	Jordan Reed	WAS	vs. TB	106	+10
97	Mychal Rivera	OAK	at SD	116	+19
98	Bryce Brown	BUF	at Mia	94	-4
99	Malcom Floyd	SD	vs. Oak	97	-2
100	Marques Colston	NO	vs. Cin	110	+10

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros.

Injury Report

Every week we break down the most significant injuries on the official NFL injury report (NFLmedia.com credentials required) as they pertain to fantasy, from the game-time decisions to the probables and those ruled out.

Game-Time Decisions

RB Arian Foster, Houston Texans (groin)

He did not participate in practice, per the injury report, but ESPN.com's Tania Ganguli tweeted that Foster practiced a little Friday. Jayson Braddock of 790 AM in Houston tweeted Foster will be on the wrong side of the game-time decision. This elevates Alfred Blue into an intriguing start in what should be a run-heavy game at the upstart Cleveland Browns in Ryan Mallett's first start for the Texans.

Browns safety Tashaun Gipson told The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot about Blue:

"

Not Arian Foster by no means. But he's still a good player; he can get the job done. (Foster is) not only a good running back, he's a good receiver running back (26 catches for 229 yards and three TDs). So you're losing a component in the passing game.

That's going to be a big blow for them, especially coming in with a (relative) rookie quarterback (Mallett). He's definitely going to want all his weapons. We've just got to take advantage of every opportunity that we get and just make him pay for it.

"

Blue, owned in just 13.8 percent of ESPN.com leagues, is going to be the most-added player from now up until game time.

RB Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks (calf)

Lynch, unlike Foster, is just banged up—according to ESPN 710 AM's Liz Mathews—and likely to be on the right side of a game-time call. If Lynch aggravates things at the Kansas City Chiefs, expect Robert Turbin to be the first man in, with Christine Michael picking up the slack thereafter.

This is not an overly favorable matchup versus the fourth-best team against fantasy running backs (FFToday.com), though. Lynch starts in all leagues, while Turbin (then Michael) is a borderline flex option.

RB Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions (ankle)

Bush is closer to the Foster status than Lynch. He missed the entire week of practice and it would take something short of a miracle for him to be ready to play, according to Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official website.

Joique Bell will be the starter, but the Arizona Cardinals have the NFL's third-best run defense and are No. 1 in fantasy against backs. This would be a bad day for Bush regardless. Bush's absence makes Bell a viable start.

WRs Harry Douglas (foot)/Devin Hester (ankle), Atlanta Falcons

These fringe options at best would need to be 100 percent to be any consideration, despite facing the seventh-worst team in fantasy against wide receivers (FFToday.com). Hester is the more likely of the two to play, but neither is an advisable start.

The Probables

The following players were officially listed as probable, so you can consider them safe to play in fantasy, as needed:

1. RB Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
2. WR Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
3. RB Andre Ellington, Arizona Cardinals
4. WR Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
5. RB Montee Ball, Denver Broncos
6. RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
7. RB Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers
8. QB Robert Griffin, Washington Redskins
9. RB Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings
10. TE Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears
11. RB Rashad Jennings, New York Giants
12. TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
13. TE Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings
14. WR Andrew Hawkins, Cleveland Browns
15. RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
16. RB Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
17. RB Juwan Thompson, Denver Broncos
18. QB Josh McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. TE Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions
20. RB Stepfan Taylor, Arizona Cardinals
21. TE Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles
22. TE Joseph Fauria, Detroit Lions
23. TE Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions

Find Replacements

The doubtful and players labeled officially out have to be sat in all leagues, while their backups should be considered viable fantasy sleepers, if not stars. Line up replacements for these guys:

1. RB Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
2. RB Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos
3. TE Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns
4. QB Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
5. RB Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. RB Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints
7. RB Khiry Robinson, New Orleans Saints
8. RB Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns
9. WR Donnie Avery, Kansas City Chiefs

Start 'Em

Here are five must-start options for Week 11 because of health, game plan or matchup for fantasy football owners, one at each position:

QB Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

The jury is still out on Griffin as an NFL quarterback, as The Washington Times' Thom Loverro writes, but we should put our faith in him in a matchup at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary. The Bucs are in the bottom eight against fantasy quarterbacks and dead last against wide receivers, according to FFToday.com.

There is just too much offensive firepower and breakaway ability here for him not to star for fantasy owners, finally. We are looking for a monster stat line from the maligned scrambling passer.

RB Alfred Blue, Houston Texans

The sixth-round pick from LSU—he backed up the second running back off the NFL draft board in May there (Jeremy Hill), by the way—has emerged as a great sleeper play in all leagues with Arian Foster (ankle) unable to practice much at all this week. Regardless of Foster's sketchy game-time decision, Blue will have a big impact in the game plan and action in this one. We have him as a top-20 start among running backs.

WR Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins

Sticking to our faith in RG3, we will stand with Garcon to rebound from his quiet Week 10 of three catches for 15 yards. The Bucs matchup is too tantalizing, even if DeSean Jackson has stolen Garcon's thunder this season in Washington. Garcon is going to post 100 yards and a touchdown here, numbers you will regret leaving on your bench.

TE Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins

Yes, we are all in on the Redskins targets against arguably the most victimized pass defense in football. The Bucs are second-worst in the NFL against the pass, and only the Chicago Bears (23) and New York Jets (25) have given up more passing touchdowns than the Bucs (19). Even Reed, who is as healthy as he has been all season coming off the Redskins' bye, will get 50-plus yards and a touchdown.

D/ST Denver Broncos

Because of the wide-open games Peyton Manning's potent offense creates, the Broncos are not the first team you will think of for defense. The St. Louis Rams, though, are the best matchup for defense/special teams units this season, per FFToday.com. It is a function of the revolving door at quarterback, which spins back to Shaun Hill.

Even if the Broncos give up garbage-time yards and points on the road, the defense is going to make the Rams one-dimensional and this game one for sacks, turnovers and defensive touchdowns. The Broncos D/ST is No. 1 on our board this week, as we wrote in B/R's Week 11 Big Board and Week 11 Predictions.

Sit 'Em

Here are five players, one at each of the primary positions, whose matchups are unfavorable enough to keep them out of fantasy starting lineups for Week 11:

QB Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

Banking on a Cutler rebound this week is not advisable. The Minnesota Vikings might be a suspect opponent, but head coach Mike Zimmer has turned them around defensively. The Vikes have been the third-toughest team in fantasy against quarterbacks, according to FFToday.com. Only trust Cutler in two-quarterback leagues this week if you have a viable backup on your roster.

RB Bobby Rainey/Charles Sims, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Not only can we be unsure of whom gets the bulk of the duty for the Bucs right now—even with Doug Martin (ankle) out—we shouldn't be expecting either of these guys to be successful against a Washington Redskins team that has been in the top five or around the top 10 against fantasy running backs for most of the season. Only the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens have given up fewer rushing touchdowns than the Redskins (four), per FFToday.com. We would avoid this situation right now.

WR Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals

Floyd has had his moments this season before his recent fall off the fantasy map, but Drew Stanton's replacing Carson Palmer (knee, out for the season) cannot instill much confidence in an imminent turnaround. Topping that off, the Detroit Lions are No. 1 in fantasy against wide receivers (FFToday.com).

TE Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

Since Mark Sanchez took over at quarterback, Ertz has just two catches for 21 yards. Those are horrible totals for a once-promising fantasy starter. Sanchez will eventually get Ertz involved, but expecting to happen this week is a long shot. The Green Bay Packers have allowed just two touchdowns to fantasy tight ends this season (FFToday.com), only the New Orleans Saints and Eagles (one) have allowed fewer.

D/ST Carolina Panthers

What was expected to be a top-five fantasy unit, if not a candidate for No. 1, has proved to be a bust this season. As much as the Atlanta Falcons have been equally disappointing, they are still very explosive in the vertical passing game. The Panthers have been exposed there, too, ranking last in touchdown passes allowed to wide receivers and in the bottom five in yards to them.

Sleepers and Busts

In case you are in the need of a deep sleeper amid the six-team bye week, or have a multitude of bye-week replacements, B/R has five sleeper options to consider and five regular starters to consider sitting in daily fantasy leagues.

Five Week 11 Lineup Sleepers

1. QB Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia Eagles—The Green Bay Packers are a top-10 pass defense, but the Eagles are still potent enough offensively to hang around in a shootout. There will be red-zone chances for the erstwhile quarterback.
   
2. RB Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers—The New York Giants have gone in the tank, mostly because they cannot stop the run. This should be another blowout, and even the backup running backs should get involved like they were last week in garbage time. Hyde is going to get more than touchdown for fantasy owners here against the second-worst team in fantasy against running backs (FFToday.com).
3. WR Mohamed Sanu, Cincinnati Bengals—The New Orleans Saints tend to make for garbage time and the Bengals are struggling to keep up offensively of late. There will be garbage time or shootout numbers in the passing game here. The Saints are fifth-worst against fantasy wideouts.
4. TE Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings—He makes his long-awaited return against the worst team in fantasy versus tight ends (FFToday.com), the Chicago Bears. He is on your roster for precisely this kind of matchup. Start him.
5. D/ST San Diego Chargers—They are the streaming play of the week. They return from the bye at home, against the Raiders and stewing from that 37-0 blowout at the Miami Dolphins in Week 9. This game might go in the complete opposite direction.

Five Week 11 Lineup Busts

1. QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks—He hasn't been fantasy-worthy of late and the Kansas City Chiefs are the second-best team in fantasy against quarterbacks, per FFToday.com. This might be one more letdown week for the once-steady fantasy starter.
2. RB Rashad Jennings/Andre Williams, New York Giants—Jennings (knee) makes his return, but it comes at a bad time for his fantasy owners. These two will be in a timeshare and facing a top-five run defense and the seventh-best team in fantasy against backs.
3. WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts—As much as you can bank on fireworks when Tom Brady and Andrew Luck lock horns in prime time, you shouldn't expect them to come from someone who will be working against Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner on the edge. This shapes up to be a better day to go to the backs, tight ends and slot guys for the Colts.
4. TE Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans—He has yet to be cleared to practice under the NFL's concussion protocol, so don't leave yourself stuck without a tight end for Monday Night Football.
5. D/ST Kansas City Chiefs—They might match up well against the Seahawks, but that is not a team that makes many mistakes offensively.

Last-Minute Waiver Options

If you're still hunting for some replacement options, we review the prospects of 10 of CBSSports.com's most-viewed players leading up to Sunday's kickoffs:

1. RB Alfred Blue, Houston Texans—As written in the injury slide, we love his last-minute value with Arian Foster (ankle) on the wrong side of a game-time decision. Add Blue and start him in any league. 
2. RB Theo Reddick, Detroit Lions—The matchup is unfavorable, but he will be working as the receiving back with Joique Bell doing the grounding and pounding.
3. TE Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings—He is our favorite sleeper start at tight end in the matchup with the Chicago Bears.
4. RB C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos—He might get more action than the returning Montee Ball with Ronnie Hillman (foot) out, so you have to consider Anderson a viable flex play. 
5. RB Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings—The talented rookie has just a few weeks left to prove himself with Adrian Peterson (commissioner's exempt list) angling for reinstatement.
6. RB Montee Ball, Denver Broncos—Fantasy might have lost faith in him as a starter, be we haven't.
7. RB Matt Asiata, Minnesota Vikings—He is a mere goal-line back, but the Vikings should put up points on the maligned Chicago Bears defense. 
8. RB Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers—He will get enough chances in the expected blowout of the Oakland Raiders to be a start in all fantasy leagues. 
9. RB Rashad Jennings, New York Giants—Returning in a timeshare and facing the San Francisco 49ers run defense. No thanks.
10. Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns—He scored last week and Ben Tate might have put himself in the Cleveland Browns doghouse this week. We wouldn't be shy starting Crowell in any league as we wrote in the Overall Rankings slide.

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.