Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

The chase to make the 2014 fantasy football playoffs is kicking into high gear as leagues enter Week 11 of the schedule. Most leagues begin the fantasy postseason in Week 14.

With only three weeks until the elimination games begin, it is imperative that owners put themselves in the best possible position by breaking down the latest rankings. Winning this week could make or break your entire season.

Here is a position-by-position fantasy breakdown heading into Week 11. When in doubt, start the higher-ranked player on each list.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Projections
1	Peyton Manning, DEN	25 Points
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	24 Points
3	Drew Brees, NO	23 Points
4	Andrew Luck, IND	22 Points
5	Tom Brady, NE	21 Points
6	Colin Kaepernick, SF	19 Points
7	Matt Ryan, ATL	18 Points
8	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	17 Points
9	Matthew Stafford, DET	16 Points
10	Jay Cutler, CHI	15 Points
11	Philip Rivers, SD	14 Points
12	Cam Newton, CAR	14 Points
13	Ryan Tannehill, MIA	13 Points
14	Russell Wilson, SEA	12 Points
15	Robert Griffin III, WSH	12 Points

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw two interceptions and had a costly fumble in the team’s Week 10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but his three touchdowns and 292 passing yards made him a valuable fantasy asset.

While the veteran isn’t putting up his traditional fantasy points each week, he is still one of the most reliable players in the league. The team needs to shake off the loss and bounce back with a blockbuster performance, and a meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals could be what the doctor ordered.

Cincinnati is ranked 21st in the NFL, allowing 248.9 yards passing per game. If Brees uses his struggles as motivation to take advantage of the favorable matchup, fantasy owners should expect a huge statistical performance Sunday.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Projection
1	LeSean McCoy, PHI	22 Points
2	Jamaal Charles, KC	22 Points
3	Arian Foster, HOU	20 Points
4	Matt Forte, CHI	18 Points
5	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	18 Points
6	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	17 Points
7	Alfred Morris, WSH	16 Points
8	Andre Ellington, ARI	16 Points
9	Eddie Lacy, GB	15 Points
10	C.J. Anderson, DEN	15 Points
11	Ryan Mathews, SD	15 Points
12	Shane Vereen, NE	14 Points
13	Ahmad Bradshaw, IND	13 Points
14	Mark Ingram, NO	13 Points
15	Lamar Miller, MIA	12 Points
16	Terrance West, CLE	11 Points
17	Ben Tate, CLE	11 Points
18	Frank Gore, SF	11 Points
19	Fred Jackson, BUF	10 Points
20	Trent Richardson, IND	10 Points
21	Jeremy Hill, CIN	9 Points
22	Giovani Bernard, CIN	9 Points
23	Steven Jackson, ATL	8 Points
24	Reggie Bush, DET	8 Points
25	Bishop Sankey, TEN	7 Points

There are several running backs worth talking about this week, but none more so than Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles and San Diego’s Ryan Mathews.

Charles is coming off another performance of over 100 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, and now has five touchdowns in his last four games. With the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, make people miss in open space and run between the tackles, it is difficult to stop him.

When asked about the toughness of Charles, Chiefs guard Mike McGlynn told Vahe Gregorian of The Kansas City Star, “One of the toughest, toughest guys I’ve ever been around. Usually when you get a back of his stature, as fast as he is, you don’t get the toughness. Jamaal is as tough as nails and brings a lot of grit to our offense.”

Many fantasy owners are abandoning ship with Charles as he prepares for a tough matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. As shown by DeMarco Murray, though, it is possible for a talented back to find success against the vaunted Seahawks defense.

Fantasy players will be banking on Charles' success this week.

Another player on whom you must take a risk is Mathews. The Chargers have been without their No. 1 running back since Week 2 when he suffered an MCL sprain, but according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, Mathews should be ready to make his return in Week 11.

While Mathews will need time to get acclimated to the offense again, the team needs his talent desperately. Through the first nine games of the season, San Diego is ranked 30th running the ball, averaging just 81.8 yards per game.

As long as Mathews gets 10-15 carries and a few receptions, he should help the Chargers earn the win against the Oakland Raiders. Fantasy owners should expect San Diego to feed Mathews near the goal line as well.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Calvin Johnson, DET	22 Points
2	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	22 Points
3	Antonio Brown, PIT	20 Points
4	Jordy Nelson, GB	20 Points
5	Jeremy Maclin, PHI	19 Points
6	Julio Jones, ATL	18 Points
7	Brandon Marshall, CHI	18 Points
8	Randall Cobb, GB	17 Points
9	A.J. Green, CIN	17 Points
10	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	16 Points
11	Mike Evans, TB	16 Points
12	Brandin Cooks, NO	15 Points
13	Odell Beckham, NYG	15 Points
14	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	14 Points
15	Vincent Jackson, TB	14 Points
16	Keenan Allen, SD	14 Points
17	Roddy White, ATL	13 Points
18	Brandon LaFell, NE	12 Points
19	T.Y. Hilton, IND	12 Points
20	Andre Johnson, HOU	11 Points
21	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	10 Points
22	Sammy Watkins, BUF	10 Points
23	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	9 Points
24	Julian Edelman, NE	8 Points
25	Golden Tate, DET	8 Points
26	Martavis Bryant, PIT	8 Points
27	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	7 Points
28	Dwayne Bowe, KC	6 Points
29	Michael Crabtree, SF	6 Points
30	DeSean Jackson, WSH	5 Points
31	Mike Wallace, MIA	5 Points
32	Michael Floyd, ARI	5 Points
33	Doug Baldwin, SEA	5 Points
34	Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN	5 Points
35	Reggie Wayne, IND	5 Points

Fantasy owners with Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson have waited patiently while he has recovered from an ankle injury. After missing three games, Johnson returned with seven catches for 113 yards and one touchdown Sunday against the Dolphins.

Johnson was clearly working through some rust, but he left the game healthy and will look to build on his success against the beatable secondary of the Arizona Cardinals. As talented as Patrick Peterson and the rest of the Arizona secondary has become, they are no match for the 6’5” receiver.

Detroit must show consistency targeting Johnson and No. 2 receiver Golden Tate, but fantasy owners should expect big numbers every week Johnson remains healthy. Megatron is officially back in town.

Another name to get in the lineup in Week 11 is Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie receiver Mike Evans. In the last two games, he has caught seven passes in each matchup, racked up 124 and 125 yards respectively and has three total touchdowns.

Evans has now scored in four of his last five games. Regardless of who is under center for Tampa Bay, the rookie has become a deep threat and a fantasy stud. The Buccaneers play a Washington Redskins secondary that can be beaten, and Evans should find more room to break at least one big play down the field.

As Vincent Jackson once again draws extra coverage, Evans will continue to find success.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	18 Points
2	Jimmy Graham, NO	18 Points
3	Julius Thomas, DEN	14 Points
4	Antonio Gates, SD	14 Points
5	Martellus Bennett, CHI	13 Points
6	Greg Olsen, CAR	12 Points
7	Dwayne Allen, IND	12 Points
8	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TB	11 Points
9	Larry Donnell, NYG	10 Points
10	Travis Kelce, KC	10 Points
11	Zach Ertz, PHI	9 Points
12	Vernon Davis, SF	8 Points

After having the week off during the bye to rest and prepare for the Week 11 meeting with the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski should have a huge fantasy day for owners.

In Gronkowski’s two games before the bye, he had caught nine passes and surpassed 100 receiving yards in each matchup. He also managed to score four touchdowns, bringing his season total to eight.

Indianapolis is ranked 27th in the league against the pass, allowing 263.6 yards per game, and Gronkowski should be able to find the end zone in a favorable matchup. Owners who took the educated risk on Gronk in the draft are reaping the rewards.

Team Defenses

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projection
1	Seattle Seahawks	Kansas City	16 Points
2	Arizona Cardinals	Detroit	16 Points
3	San Diego Chargers	Oakland	14 Points
4	Denver Broncos	St. Louis	14 Points
5	Pittsburgh Steelers	Tennessee	14 Points
6	Chicago Bears	Minnesota	12 Points
7	Detroit Lions	Arizona	12 Points
8	San Francisco 49ers	NY Giants	12 Points
9	Houston Texans	Cleveland	10 Points
10	Cleveland Browns	Houston	10 Points
11	Miami Dolphins	Buffalo	10 Points
12	Washington Redskins	Tampa Bay	8 Points

One team defense fantasy owners must consider in Week 11 is the San Diego Chargers taking on the Oakland Raiders. San Diego’s defense has struggled rushing the passer, but Oakland is just bad enough to make up for the team’s inefficiencies.

The Raiders offense is ranked 24th in passing and 32nd in rushing.

The Chargers are coming off a bye week and should be rested and ready for this matchup. The result should be a lopsided defensive effort in favor of San Diego. For owners that stream defenses, the Chargers at home are a top-tier option.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Projection
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	14 Points
2	Cody Parkey, PHI	14 Points
3	Chandler Catanzaro, ARI	13 Points
4	Shayne Graham, NO	12 Points
5	Dan Carpenter, BUF	12 Points
6	Shaun Suisham, PIT	11 Points
7	Mason Crosby, GB	10 Points
8	Phil Dawson, SF	9 Points
9	Adam Vinatieri, IND	8 Points
10	Kai Forbath, WSH	7 Points
11	Brandon McManus, DEN	6 Points
12	Cairo Santos, KC	6 Points

The kicker fantasy owners should be riding with in Week 11 is Green Bay’s Mason Crosby. After making two field goals (including a 52-yarder) and all seven extra-point opportunities, Crosby was one of the highest-scoring kickers of the week.

Crosby has now scored double-digit points in back-to-back weeks and will be part of a fast-paced game against the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Packers offense having ample opportunities, Crosby should be in line for a healthy dosage of points.

*Stats via NFL.com.