Fantasy Football Week 11: Matt Camp's Week 11 Preview

Injuries are typically the primary reason to hit the waiver this late in the fantasy football season. But with the craziness of the NFL, it's not the only reason to search for reinforcements.

On Monday, the Chicago Bears announced the four-game suspension of Alshon Jeffery for violating the policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. Those with Jeffery on their fantasy roster expecting to get a boost from the return of Jay Cutler are now left scrambling for a replacement, which is covered later in this article. 

The biggest injury coming out of Week 10 wasn't even reported until Monday evening when Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted about Rob Gronkowski suffering "what is believed to be a punctured lung" in Week 10 that could cost him "just one game." 

The story took another turn during the Monday night game between the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals when Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Gronkowski "has a chest injury—not a punctured lung—that is considered 'not overly serious.'"

Either way, Gronkowski owners will likely rush to the waiver wire to grab someone like Cameron Brate of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Others may be pivoting away from snatching C.J. Prosise if they have bigger needs following the news on Jeffery and Gronkowski. 

The run to a fantasy championship is never easy. Let's take a look at the waiver wire to keep you on track.

Quarterbacks

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Tyrod Taylor is a top streamer if you can get him.

Waiver Wire 

Tyrod Taylor, BUF

Percent Owned: ESPN – 55.2, Yahoo – 61.0

Taylor comes off his Week 10 bye after an impressive performance against the Seahawks in Seattle back in Week 9. He threw for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 27-of-38 passing and added eight carries for 43 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He's been a top-10 QB in fantasy points per game over the last five weeks. 

In Week 11, the Buffalo Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals, which shouldn't be a scary matchup. After giving up 240 yards and three touchdowns to Eli Manning on Monday Night Football, the Bengals check in as the seventh-worst defense against fantasy QBs in the last four weeks. It's a good week to trot out Taylor if you can get him or already have him. 

Week 11 Projection: 230-240 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 38 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown

Colin Kaepernick, SF

Percent Owned: ESPN – 14.2, Yahoo – 12.0

If you're surprised to be reading Kaepernick's name, don't worry: I'm just as surprised to be writing it. Kaepernick may not be one of the best starting quarterbacks in the league, but for fantasy, he's getting the job done.

After posting 398 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and 23 rushing yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9, he followed that up with 210 yards, one passing touchdown, 55 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10. That puts him among the top-10 fantasy QBs over the last two weeks. 

With the New England Patriots visiting Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, he shouldn't be too worried since they allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to QBs in the last four weeks, and he could be busy playing from behind. If you're stuck, Kaepernick isn't a bad pickup for Week 11.

Week 11 Projection: 235-245 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 44 rushing yards

The Matchup Men

As a sneak preview of my weekly rankings, these are the players who are helped or hurt by their matchups. I'll provide additional analysis and projections in Wednesday's Big Board.

Matchup Bumps

Tom Brady, NE (at SF)

Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at CLE)

Drew Brees, NO (at CAR)

Cam Newton, CAR (vs. NO)

Tyrod Taylor, BUF (at CIN)

Andrew Luck, IND (vs. TEN)

Marcus Mariota, TEN (at IND)

Blake Bortles, JAC (at DET)

Eli Manning, NYG (vs. CHI)

Matchup Concerns

Sam Bradford, MIN (vs. ARI)

Matthew Stafford, DET (vs. JAC)

Carson Palmer, ARI (at MIN)

Running Backs

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Jeremy Langford could be leading the way in Chicago if Jordan Howard's injury is legit.

Waiver Wire

C.J. Prosise, SEA

Percent Owned: ESPN – 30.7, Yahoo – 35.0

Thomas Rawls, SEA

Percent Owned: ESPN – 47.6, Yahoo – 48.0

With Rawls still not back from injury, Prosise took control of the Seattle Seahawks backfield in their Week 10 victory over the New England Patriots. He outsnapped Christine Michael (77-16 percent) for the second straight week and finished with 17 carries for 66 yards and seven receptions for 87 yards on seven targets. Michael had five carries for 22 yards and a catch for four yards. 

According to Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle, head coach Pete Carroll indicated Rawls is "ready to go" and will "practice to play this week." Both Prosise and Rawls are worth picking up and seem to be staying in front of Michael, but who's the man? 

If you ask Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, Rawls will be eased back in with Prosise as "the favorite to get the most touches for the time being" in Week 11. According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, you can't "write off Prosise as being an everydown back." 

I'm favoring Prosise because of his abilities as a receiver. He should have some kind of role regardless of what happens with Rawls. Both are worth grabbing, but Prosise might have the most upside going forward. 

Week 11 Projection: To be determined based on Rawls' playing status.

Jeremy Langford, CHI

Percent Owned: ESPN – 32.6, Yahoo – 26.0

Jordan Howard had his fourth 100-yard rushing effort of the season in Week 10, but the bigger story was the status of his health. The team's Twitter account posted head coach John Fox's comments about Howard's injury, noting that he suffered "possibly an ankle, possibly an Achilles injury" and the team was "not 100 percent sure yet." 

According to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, when Howard was asked about Fox's comments, he said, "Nah, I ain't suffer nothing." Howard could be following team protocol to not talk about injuries, but he sounds ridiculous when Fox admitted something happened. Without any other concrete information, you have to prepare for the worst, which means grabbing Langford.

Langford played 34 percent of the snaps compared to just 14 percent for Ka'Deem Carey (both behind Howard's 52 percent), and he ran for 16 yards on two carries with four receptions for 10 yards on five targets. Carey had a single catch for 16 yards on his only target and minus-one yard on two carries. 

If Howard ends up missing time, Langford should lead the way, although it's a clear step down (or two) from what the team had in Howard. Still, getting a possible lead back on a team this late in the season is always worth it. 

Week 11 Projection: To be determined based on Howard's playing status.

Kenneth Dixon, BAL

Percent Owned: ESPN – 10.5, Yahoo – 19.0

As I wrote last week, Dixon may never get a chance to break out this season, but at least he's moving in the right direction. He played a season-high 32 percent of the snaps with six carries for 38 yards and five receptions for 42 yards on seven targets. Terrance West still led the way with 41 percent of the snaps and 21 carries for 65 yards with one catch for 12 yards on two targets. 

Dixon was more impressive, but West is doing just enough to stay in the mix and limit Dixon's breakout potential. If the Ravens keep giving Dixon more chances, he could give them more reasons to go with him over West as the lead back. For now, Dixon is worth picking up, but expectations shouldn't be higher than a RB3/flex option.

Week 11 Projection: 11 carries, 44 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 20 receiving yards

The Matchup Men

Matchup Bumps

LeGarrette Blount, NE (at SF)

Le'Veon Bell, PIT (at CLE)

LeSean McCoy, BUF (at CIN)

Spencer Ware, KC (vs. TB)

Duke Johnson, CLE (vs. PIT)

David Johnson, ARI (at MIN)

Matchup Concerns

Jay Ajayi, MIA (at LA)

Jeremy Hill/Giovani Bernard, CIN (vs. BUF)

Todd Gurley, LA (vs. MIA)

Terrance West/Kenneth Dixon, BAL (at DAL)

New York Giants RBs (vs. CHI)

Minnesota Vikings RBs (vs. ARI)

Wide Receivers

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Eli Rogers has worked himself into a nice role for the Steelers.

Waiver Wire 

Eli Rogers, PIT

Percent Owned: ESPN – 20.9, Yahoo – 10

Lost in the craziness of the great game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys was another solid fantasy performance from Rogers. He saw only five targets but caught four of them for 42 yards and a touchdown. His snaps jumped to a season-high 85 percent, which was way ahead of Sammie Coates at three percent, but behind Cobi Hamilton at 92 percent and Antonio Brown at 97 percent.        

With the team looking for another reliable option besides Brown and Le'Veon Bell, Rogers is getting a chance to carve out a role. And over the last two weeks, he's done just that, which is why he was mentioned in my Futures Report last Friday. Now, he's a player to grab off your waiver wire so you can get a piece of one of the best offenses in the league ahead of his matchup with the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.         

Week 11 Projection: 6 receptions, 61 yards

Tyreek Hill, KC

Percent Owned: ESPN – 9.8, Yahoo – 16.0

Even though he's not a starter and more of a package player, with Jeremy Maclin (groin) sidelined, Hill may be the best fantasy option in the Kansas City Chiefs' receiving corps besides Travis Kelce. He certainly showed that in Week 10 with team highs in targets (13), receptions (10) and yards (89) plus a carry for 12 yards while playing 61 percent of the snaps. All of Hill's numbers were also season highs. 

Hill definitely has more upside than Chris Conley and Albert Wilson, so while they outsnapped Hill, they have no real fantasy value with Maclin out. Hill's big-play ability and the team's willingness to feed him targets make him one of the most attractive additions of the week.

Week 11 Projection: 6 receptions, 73 yards

Robert Woods, BUF

Percent Owned: ESPN – 16.3, Yahoo – 15.0

Without Sammy Watkins in the lineup, Woods has become the top receiver for the Buffalo Bills by default. After sitting out Week 7 and posting just four receptions for 50 yards in Week 8, Woods was far off the fantasy radar with a matchup in Seattle for Week 9. Of course, he racked up 10 receptions for 162 yards on 13 targets. 

Woods leads the team in targets, receptions and yards through 10 weeks and won't have to worry about Watkins returning to action this week. According to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW, head coach Rex Ryan said that Watkins "is eligible to return to practice, but the trainers think he's not ready this week." Stay in the Woods with a decent matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.

Week 11 Projection: 5 receptions, 55 yards

Eddie Royal, CHI

Percent Owned: ESPN – 13.6, Yahoo – 14.0

Cameron Meredith, CHI

Percent Owned: ESPN – 20.3, Yahoo – 32.0

As I discussed in the intro, the Chicago Bears will be without Alshon Jeffery for the next four games thanks to a PED suspension, so where does that leave them at wide receiver? 

In the two games since quarterback Jay Cutler returned to the starting job, Cameron Meredith has four targets and two receptions for 74 yards, including a lucky, tipped ball caught for a 50-yard touchdown in Week 10. I won't build my case for Meredith on a random play.

One of Cutler's favorite targets, Eddie Royal, returned to action in Week 10 after sitting out the previous two games with turf toe. He had just one catch for 24 yards on two targets. Both Royal and Meredith sat out two games this season, so you can compare Royal posting one more reception (30-29) than Meredith, despite trailing him in targets (41-39) and yards (381-362). 

Because of their familiarity with each other, Royal might be the safer addition to make with Cutler at QB. Meredith seems like more of a boom-or-bust option, and he hasn't shown any consistent signs of life with Cutler. Either way, it's not an exciting pickup since you'll have to rely on Cutler. Yikes. 

Royal's Week 11 Projection: 5 receptions, 57 yards

Meredith's Week 11 Projection: 3 receptions, 40 yards

The Matchup Men 

Matchup Bumps

Odell Beckham/Sterling Shepard, NYG (vs. CHI)

T.Y. Hilton/Donte Moncrief, IND (vs. TEN)

Julian Edelman, NE (at SF)

Steve Smith, BAL (at DAL)

Antonio Brown/Eli Rogers, PIT (at CLE)

Mike Evans, TB (at KC)

Tyreek Hill, KC (vs. TB)

Doug Baldwin, SEA (vs. PHI)

Matchup Concerns

Amari Cooper/Michael Crabtree, OAK (vs. HOU)

Jordan Matthews, PHI (at SEA)

Golden Tate, DET (vs. JAC)

Tight Ends

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of Mike Evans, Cameron Brate is the best target for Jameis Winston.

Waiver Wire 

Cameron Brate, TB

Percent Owned: ESPN – 36.7, Yahoo – 52.0

The search for reliable tight ends is an ongoing battle, so when you strike gold for multiple weeks, you hope that player has a chance to keep it up. For the third straight game, Brate found the end zone, and he had arguably his best performance of the season with seven receptions on seven targets for 84 yards and a score in a win over the Chicago Bears. 

In the last two games, Brate has 12 receptions on 13 targets for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He's been back and forth with wide receiver Adam Humphries as the No. 2 target in the offense behind Mike Evans, but he may have an advantage in fantasy with nine red-zone targets. Four of Brate's five touchdowns came in the red zone. He'll try to keep it up in Kansas City on Sunday. 

Week 11 Projection: 6 receptions, 60 yards

Ladarius Green, PIT

Percent Owned: ESPN – 7.8, Yahoo – 10.0

In Week 10, Green played his first game as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers after opening the season on the PUP list due to an ankle injury. He caught three of his four targets for 30 yards on just 16 percent of the snaps. That might not seem impressive, but it was more about Green getting out there to shake some of the rust off and get live-game reps with Ben Roethlisberger.

Green is worth adding because he's part of one of the better offenses in the league when it's clicking. He could have an impact as soon as this week with a superb matchup in Cleveland against the Browns. 

Week 11 Projection: 4 receptions, 44 yards, 1 touchdown

The Matchup Men

Matchup Bumps

Delanie Walker, TEN (at IND)

Tyler Eifert, CIN (vs. BUF)

Greg Olsen, CAR (vs. NO)

Jordan Reed, WAS (vs. GB)

Zach Miller, CHI (at NYG)

Jack Doyle, IND (vs. TEN)

Matchup Concerns

Jason Witten, DAL (vs. BAL)

Vance McDonald, SF (vs. NE)

Kyle Rudolph, MIN (vs. ARI)

Defenses

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Will the Miami Dolphins get the first chance at Jared Goff?

This will typically focus on the best streaming options widely available in both ESPN and Yahoo leagues based on the matchups. 

Miami Dolphins (at LA)

Percent Owned: ESPN – 9.8, Yahoo – 18.0

The Dolphins defense had a monster game in San Diego against the Chargers in Week 10. They racked up three sacks and picked off Philip Rivers four times, including one time for a touchdown return. They have the eighth-most fantasy points over the last four weeks and travel to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Rams in Week 11. Only the Arizona Cardinals gave up more fantasy points to defenses in the last month. 

Week 11 Projection: 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 12-15 points allowed

Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)

Percent Owned: ESPN – 17.3, Yahoo – 33.0

The Steelers haven't been a great fantasy defense this season, so if you're wondering why they're worth streaming this week, look no further than their matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Cody Kessler and Josh McCown both played last week to combine for two interceptions, four sacks taken, a lost fumble and just seven points. In the last four weeks, Cleveland gave up the 11th-most fantasy points to defenses.

Week 11 Projection: 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 13-16 points allowed 

Kickers

Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Wil Lutz has been busy over the last month.

During the season, the kickers on the rise or those entering favorable matchups with a lot of points forecast will be featured in this section.

Wil Lutz, NO

Percent Owned: ESPN – 32.5, Yahoo – 14.0

Lutz has been the ninth-best fantasy kicker over the last month with seven field goals and eight extra points in the last three games. The New Orleans Saints take on the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night in what could be a potentially high-scoring affair, which is good news for Lutz.

Dustin Hopkins, WAS

Percent Owned: ESPN – 23.2, Yahoo – 13.0

Hopkins checks in as the No. 10 fantasy kicker in the last four weeks with seven field goals and seven extra points in his last three games. He had a huge game in Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings with four successful field-goal attempts and a pair of extra points. The Washington Redskins host the reeling Green Bay Packers in Week 11, so Hopkins should get plenty of chances to add to his strong fantasy season.

Camp's Corner

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Mathews had his best game of the season in Week 10.

Coaches lie. 

Coaches lie because they don't care about what's written about their team if it doesn't really affect the team. Coaches lie because they definitely don't care about your fantasy team. 

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson fibbed last week when he called Darren Sproles the lead back heading into their matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, per Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. This was after weeks of talking up Ryan Mathews as the lead back despite Sproles leading the team in snaps every week. 

Did that lead continue in Week 10? Yes, but no one would call Sproles the lead back after the busy and productive performance by Mathews in the win over the Falcons. Sproles played 39 percent of the snaps, carried twice for 19 yards and had eight receptions for 57 yards on 10 targets.

Mathews may have played just 33 percent of the snaps, but he turned that into 19 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns in addition to a pair of receptions for 30 yards. Mathews hadn't carried the ball that much since 22 carries in Week 1, and it was just the fourth time this season he had double-digit carries. It was also his first 100-yard game of the season and only his second game with at least 70 yards. 

This could have easily been part of the game plan to keep Atlanta's offense off the field by winning the time-of-possession battle and limiting how much Philadelphia's defense had to see of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and company. If that was the strategy, it worked; Atlanta's offense was on the field for just 21 minutes, 50 seconds.

I don't fault Pederson for what he said about his lead back last week or any other week. He's not worried about our fantasy lineups. Unfortunately, we have to do our best to decipher the reality from the smoke and mirrors. When it comes to coaches, always be skeptical.

Stats provided by FantasyPros and NFL.com. Snap counts provided by Pro Football Focus. ESPN and Yahoo ownership percentages are accurate as of Tuesday morning.

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