Fantasy Football Week 11: Examining Tough Lineup Decisions for Slumping Stars

The brand label doesn't always perform better than the generic model. Abiding by name recognition often leads fantasy football managers into submitting suboptimal lineups with underachieving stars.

There's a fine line between trusting your top talent and staying on a sinking ship. How many impatient owners gave up on Tom Brady early in the season? A rough patch doesn't always mean the end, but those struggles can't be ignored because of past success.

Should fantasy players ride out these tumultuous times or call in reinforcements from the bench? Let's take a look at three intriguing cases heading into Week 11.

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

Anyone with a glimmer of rationality won't blame Jay Cutler solely for the Chicago Bears allowing over 50 points in back-to-back weeks. Believe it or not, quarterbacks don't block, run, catch, kick or play defense.

He's not having a disastrous fantasy season by any means, but he has failed to meet lofty expectations set for him during the summer. In his past three games, Cutler is averaging 229.7 passing yards per contest with five touchdowns and five interceptions.

With Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett at his disposal, there's certainly room for improvement. He acknowledged as much, per the team's Twitter page:

It's easy to say, "The Minnesota Vikings aren't a very good football team, so Cutler makes a good matchup play." Not so fast, friend. The Vikings actually rank fourth in passing defense and fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks in ESPN.com leagues.

His recent struggles have come against strong defenses, but the schedule doesn't let up just yet. Keep that in mind when he gets a juicy matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, but bench him in Week 11.

Verdict: Sit

Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers (at New York Giants)

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A quick disclaimer: Running back is so shallow that very few Frank Gore owners have the option to bench him. Even though the 31-year-old rusher has collected a mere 199 total yards in his past four games, there aren't 20 guys at the position everyone would rather own.

Yet his declining production is worrying, as it gives credence to those who shied away from the San Francisco 49ers back in fear of age getting the better of him. While he delivered a solid fantasy performance with 83 yards and a rushing touchdown last weekend, he needed 24 touches to do so.

Date	OPP	ATT	Rush YDs	YPC	TDs	Rec	Rec Yds
10/13	STL	16	38	2.4	0	0	0
10/19	DEN	9	20	2.2	0	0	0
11/2	STL	14	49	3.5	0	1	9
11/9	NO	23	81	3.5	1	1	2

Per ESPN Stats & Info, his latest trip to the end zone snapped one of the longest droughts of his 10-year NFL tenure:

In a pivotal game against the New Orleans Saints, Jim Harbaugh gave Gore his second-largest workload of the season. Despite well-intended efforts to preserve the veteran, expect him to get free rein again at the Meadowlands.

The New York Giants rank last in rushing defense after surrendering 350 yards on the ground to the Seattle Seahawks. They did nothing to slow down Marshawn Lynch, who discovered the end zone four times in an effort that earned Seattle and several fantasy managers a Week 10 win.

Don't expect Gore to replicate such a sterling output, but he should top 100 rushing yards for the first time since Oct. 5.

Verdict: Start

Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington Redskins (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Pierre Garcon led the NFL in receptions (113) and targets (184) last season, yet he hasn't caught more than five passes or received more than six looks since Week 3.

In the past six games, he has exceeded 50 receiving yards once. Garcon's 42 catches and 458 receiving yards prorates to 74 and 814 over 16 games. That's not going to cut it in a pass-inflated league.

Robert Griffin III's return sparks hope for a rekindled connection, but it didn't pay off last Sunday. In Griffin's first start since Week 2, Garcon managed just three catches for 15 yards. With 784 receiving yards on the season, newcomer DeSean Jackson has become Washington's top wideout.

So why am I about to ignore all those alarming trends and tell you to start Garcon this week? Tampa Bay possesses the NFL's second-worst passing defense, allowing the most fantasy points to wide receivers under ESPN.com's standard scoring. 

Despite Jackson's emergence, Garcon still leads the team in receptions. Even if Griffin didn't call his number last week, the duo clicked 10 times on 12 targets to begin the season against the Houston Texans. Now is not the week to give up on last year's catch leader.

Verdict: Start

Player	POS	OPP	Start/Sit	Analysis
Russell Wilson	QB	KC	Sit	Chiefs rank No. 1 against the pass and Wilson is too reliant on huge running games.
Matt Ryan	QB	CAR	Start	Panthers are No. 23 defending the pass, and Ryan's Week 10 looks much different if Devin Hester catches an easy TD.
Rashad Jennings	RB	SF	Start	He's playing and will jump back into New York's feature RB role. Even in a tough matchup, too few rushers receive steady touches.
Montee Ball	RB	STL	Sit	C.J. Anderson won't go down without a fight after a breakout performance in Week 10.
Michael Crabtree	WR	NYG	Sit	Last week's 62 yards represents Crabtree's highest output since Week 3.
Greg Jennings	WR	CHI	Start	Chicago is in shambles defensively, and Jennings has received at least six targets in his last five games.