Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 11: Decisions That Will Win Your Fantasy Week

Only two teams are on a bye this week, but in some ways that can make the task of setting your fantasy football lineup even harder. It’s difficult to find the balance between the matchup and the talent of a player. To help you with your decisions, here are some less heralded players who should be in your lineup and big-name guys who should be warming the bench.

Quarterbacks

Sit: Colin Kaepernick vs. New Orleans Saints

As a Colin Kaepernick owner, you probably have a sour taste in your mouth after last week’s debacle against the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately, the situation won’t be significantly better this week.

While he will need to throw the ball to keep up with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, there are no signs that he’s going to have a huge game.

First, the matchup is not a favorable one. The New Orleans Saints defense is a much better unit than the historically bad squad of last year, and it has been the third-worst fantasy matchup for opposing quarterbacks in 2013.

More importantly, he doesn’t have the playmakers down the field to put up huge numbers this weekend. Vernon Davis has been his only reliable target downfield, and the Saints are well aware of the threat that he poses.

There are other quarterbacks out there who will have a much better day than Colin Kaepernick this week. 

Start: Case Keenum vs. Oakland Raiders

Case Keenum is still available in the majority of ESPN leagues, so he’s somebody you could plug and play for this week if you have Kaepernick or Tony Romo (on a bye) on your roster.

There was never any doubting the talent on the Houston Texans roster, but Matt Schaub couldn’t make it work this season. Despite losing his three games as a starter, Keenum has made it work.

He has two excellent receivers in Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, and he’s been very good at making throws downfield:

In addition, he’s formed terrific chemistry with Andre Johnson and connected with him for five touchdowns in the last two games. Those are the only touchdowns for Johnson all season.

Moreover, with Arian Foster out of the lineup and Ben Tate banged up, the Texans will once again be a pass-heavy team against the Oakland Raiders.

Speaking of the Raiders, they’re a top-10 fantasy matchup for quarterbacks, giving up an average of 18.1 fantasy points per game.

Keenum has the receivers, he has the opportunity, and he has the matchup. You should feel confident starting him this week because he’s going to reward you.

Running Backs

Sit: C.J. Spiller vs. New York Jets

With the lack of quality depth at the running back position and a number of injuries across the league, it may be hard to sit C.J. Spiller. It doesn’t matter, because you absolutely need to bench him this week.

He touched the ball only 11 times last week and has been an inconsistent producer all year. Spiller isn’t a red-zone threat, scoring only one touchdown all year, and he’s losing touches to Fred Jackson:

This week he faces the best rushing defense in the NFL, and the third-worst fantasy matchup for running backs in the New York Jets. When he played the Jets in Week 3, he gained nine yards on 10 carries.

Even a waiver-wire pickup will be able to get your more points than C.J. Spiller this week.

Start: Andre Ellington vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars may be riding high after their first win of the year, but they still have an abysmal defense. In fantasy terms, they’re the fifth-best matchup for running backs.

A potential hiccup in starting Andre Ellington is the fact that Rashard Mendenhall has somehow held on to his starting role despite Ellington looking like a far more dangerous back.

Regardless of who starts, both running backs should get a lot of work in this game. He’s a home-run hitter who can also make some plays in the passing game.

Ellington is someone to start this week, and his value is going to increase each and every week.

Wide Receivers

Sit: Mike Wallace vs. San Diego Chargers

The matchup for Mike Wallace is good, but he’s still not worth a starting spot in your lineup. He’s not a touchdown threat, and he’s only scored more than 10 fantasy points twice this season. He also popped up on the injury report with a hamstring injury on Thursday:

More importantly, his biggest value comes on deep balls, and Ryan Tannehill isn’t throwing them that often. Deep passes make up only 9.4 percent of Tannehill’s attempts according to ProFootballFocus (subscription required). If deep passes don’t go Wallace’s way, he’s rarely going to be a solid fantasy play.

The offensive line that has given up the most sacks in the league is going to be without two starters, so pressure from the San Diego Chargers defense is once again going to prevent Tannehill from throwing down the field.

Keep Wallace out of your lineup—the rest of your fantasy lineup will thank you later.

Start: Riley Cooper vs. Washington Redskins

If you own Riley Cooper, you have no doubt been thrilled with the production that has come with Nick Foles over the past two weeks. But you must also be wondering if it’s sustainable.

Over the long term, it probably isn’t. He isn’t receiving a large amount of targets, so there will be games where he doesn’t accumulate a ton of yardage. Luckily, this Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Redskins won’t be one of those games.

The majority of Cooper’s targets are coming on deep passes (he’s averaging 26.2 yards per catch with Foles throwing to him), and Washington have given up the sixth-most passing plays of greater than 20 yards this season.

Additionally, Washington is the fifth-most favorable fantasy matchup for wide receivers, so don’t hesitate to start Cooper this week.