Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 11: Smartest Matchups to Exploit, Sleeper Plays and More
On a weekend that saw Peyton Manning get benched, many fantasy football owners could be seen scratching their heads in confusion.
Some, though, managed to come away with major wins in Week 10 by paying close attention to great matchups and sleepers.
Those who loved Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson against the Oakland Raiders got 27 points for their efforts, and those who believed in sleeper Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins against a leaky New Orleans Saints defense received 28.
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It's time once again to break down some of these scenarios. Below, let's run a value comparison of top names at each position and identify some of the top matchups and sleepers to target.
QBย ย
| Tom Brady (vs. BUF) vs. Philip Rivers (vs. KC) | Tom Brady |
| Aaron Rodgers (at MIN) vs. Andy Dalton (at MIN) | Aaron Rodgers |
| Cam Newton (vs. WAS) vs. Derek Carr (at DET) | Derek Carr |
| Carson Palmer (vs. CIN) vs. Blake Bortles (vs. TEN) | Carson Palmer |
| Tyrod Taylor (at NE) vs. Jay Cutler (vs. DEN) | Tyrod Taylor |
Matchup to Exploit: Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (at DET)
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr continues to function as one of fantasy's most reliable players at the position.ย
Outside of an injury-shortened Week 1, Carr has scored in double digits in every game except one, he's posted more than 20 points five times and has two or more touchdown passes in seven games.
Carr simply takes care of the football and has strong weapons around him, great news going into a matchup with the Detroit Lions. The defense allowed the third-most points to quarterbacks going into last weekend and has allowed six quarterbacks to throw two or more scores in a game, including efforts from Cleveland and San Francisco quarterbacks.
In other words, Carr has a must-use floor with a high ceiling.
Sleeper: Case Keenum, St. Louis Rams (at BAL)
This takes a leap of faith, sure, but St. Louis Rams quarterbackย Case Keenum looks like an incredible sleeper option this week.ย
That's right, it's Keenum under center for the Rams this week instead of starter Nick Foles, according to the team's official Twitter account.
Foles only had four trips to double digits this year as the offense focuses on getting the ball into the hands of breakout running back Todd Gurley, but Keenum is almost sure to add one of his own in Week 11 thanks to an encounter with the Baltimore Ravens.
Those Ravens entered last weekend ranked one spot worse than the Lions and have now allowed 15 or more points to quarterbacks in five consecutive games and seven games total.
Keenum won't have issues posting what might be the top game of the season from a Rams quarterback.
RBย ย
| Devonta Freeman (vs. IND) vs. Doug Martin (at PHI) | Devonta Freeman |
| Adrian Peterson (vs. GB) vs. Chris Ivory (at HOU) | Adrian Peterson |
| Lamar Miller (vs. DAL) vs. Todd Gurley (at BAL) | Todd Gurley |
| Danny Woodhead (vs. KC) vs. Chris Johnson (vs. CIN) | Danny Woodhead |
| DeMarco Murray (vs. TB) vs. LeGarrette Blount (vs. BUF) | DeMarco Murray |
Matchup to Exploit: Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks (vs. SF)
What, forget about Beast Mode?ย
Those who ignored a questionable tag and a tough matchup against the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend got 10 points from Marshawn Lynch despite the Seattle Seahawks mostly ignoring the run while playing from behind.
Make it four double-digit outings for Lynch this year and three touchdowns in his last four outings on sporadic playing time thanks to injury.
Lynch will hit No. 5 against the San Francisco 49ers this weekend, the team that allowed the sixth-most points to backs on average before a Week 10 bye. He hit 91 or more yards in both games against the 49ers last season before the franchise suffered one of the worst offseasons in league history.
Sleeper: Charcandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs (at SD)
Yet again fantasy football owners have an example of opportunities equaling production at running back.ย
This time the cover boy is Charcandrick West, who continues to take the bulk of the workload for the Kansas City Chiefs, as Rotoworld's Graham Barfield explained:
West has a touchdown and at least 17 points in each of his last three outings, which might be nothing compared to what he can do against the San Diego Chargers next weekend.
The Chargers came in hot as the worst team in the league against backs on average ahead of their Week 10 bye. It's hard to imagine anything's changed, so West is in for perhaps his biggest day yet as starter.
WRย
| Julio Jones (vs. IND) vs. Allen Robinson (vs. TEN) | Julio Jones |
| DeAndre Hopkins (vs. NYJ) vs. Larry Fitzgerald (vs. CIN) | DeAndre Hopkins |
| Brandon Marshall (at HOU) vs. A.J. Green (at ARI) | Brandon Marshall |
| Allen Hurns (vs. TEN) vs. Michael Crabtree (at DET) | Michael Crabtree |
| Tavon Austin (at BAL) vs. T.Y. Hilton (at ATL) | Tavon Austin |
Matchup to Exploit: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (vs. NYJ)
Houston Texans wideout DeAndre Hopkins doesn't take any time off from being an elite fantasy wideout, but his ceiling fluctuates based on matchup.
Said ceiling couldn't be any higher going into Week 11, though, thanks to a showdown with the New York Jets. It sounds scary on paper, but the Jets enter Week 11 allowing the seventh-most points to the position and have coughed up five touchdowns over their last two outings.
With the amount of targets Hopkins sees per game and New York's sudden struggles to shut down teams that aren't division rivals, Hopkins should be in for one of the highest point totals of the week.
Sleeper: Danny Amendola, New England Patriots (vs. BUF)
A next-man up situation has a way of producing sleepers each week as well, which is the case with New England Patriots wideout Danny Amendola.
With Julian Edelman recovering from an injury that required surgery, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's Amendola who will step in for the wideout who has 61 catches for 692 yards and seven scores.
Quarterback Tom Brady was quick to throw his support behind Amendola, too, who came up with a big 10 catches for 79 yards in Week 10. CSNNE.com captured his thoughts:
Amendola will come up big for owners right away thanks to a matchup against the Buffalo Bills, who allowed New England wideouts to total 32 points back in Week 2.
TEย
| Rob Gronkowski (vs. BUF) vs. Jordan Reed (at CAR) | Rob Gronkowski |
| Tyler Eifert (at ARI) vs. Greg Olsen (vs. WAS) | Tyler Eifert |
| Travis Kelce (at SD) vs. Delanie Walker (at JAC) | Delanie Walker |
| Jimmy Graham (vs. SF) vs. Martellus Bennett (vs DEN) | Jimmy Graham |
| Jason Witten (at MIA) vs. Jacob Tamme (vs. IND) | Jason Witten |
Matchup to Exploit: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (at JAC)
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker cooled off after a 23-point outburst in Week 9 with just five points in Week 10, but it's a sign of the damage he can do in a great matchup.
It helps that Marcus Mariota is back under center, but Walker will produce against the Jacksonville Jaguars no matter what.
Walker will once again receive a huge amount of targets from the rookie all over the field, and the Jaguars won't be able to stop it. Jacksonville has coughed up three double-digit outings to opposing tight ends when teams actually exploit the weakness.
Sleeper: Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (vs. OAK)
Though he has just three double-digit outings to his name, one would think Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron would sport an ownership percentage higher than 35.1 percent.
Alas, Ebron is an elite player in Week 10, as he's bound to post a major performance against the Oakland Raiders.
Most tight ends do. Oakland has been the laughingstock of the league when it comes to its ability to cover tight ends this year, having allowed six sets of opposing tight ends to reach double digits and nine touchdowns over its first eight games.
On a team that loves to take to the air directed by Matthew Stafford, Ebron's going to be a major part of the game plan and there will be little Oakland can do to combat it.
All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of November 16. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. Cleveland, New Orleans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh on bye.ย
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