Fantasy Football Week 11 Rankings: Updated Overview for All Positions

Last week was a fascinating one for fantasy owners. Not only were owners dealing with six teams on a bye and a bevy of stars unavailable, but then the games got underway and superstars like Aaron Rodgers and Marshawn Lynch basically won matchups for owners all by themselves. 

Sometimes, a savvy owner can avoid a loss by making the right roster moves in a week when they are dealing with the bye. And sometimes, we all just get blindsided by one player's epic performance. Fantasy may be a game of skill, but chance is still its supreme ruler.

So all we can do is try to limit our risk as much as possible. That's why each week I rank players based on how smart it is to start them. I can't tell you when Rodgers will throw for six touchdowns in the first half, no, but I can tell you when the evidence suggests he's due for another huge week.

Notes: For a full explanation of the rankings, see here. Abridged version: Startability measures how smart it is to start a given player in a week rather than attempting to project how many points he will score. "Ability" measures a player's overall talent, proficiency at his position and ability to produce fantasy numbers. "Offense" measures how much that team's offense improves his fantasy stock. The overall "startability" grade is weighted. All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues. 

Schedule

Thursday, Nov. 13	Time (ET)
Sunday, Nov. 16	Time (ET)
Monday, Nov. 17	Time (ET)
Buffalo at Miami	8:25 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Washington	1 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago	1 p.m.
Houston at Cleveland	1 p.m.
Seattle at Kansas City	1 p.m.
Atlanta at Carolina	1 p.m.
Cincinnati at New Orleans	1 p.m.
Denver at St. Louis	1 p.m.
San Francisco at NY Giants	1 p.m.
Oakland at San Diego	4:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Green Bay	4:25 p.m.
Detroit at Arizona	4:25 p.m.
New England at Indianapolis	8:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Tennessee	8:30 p.m.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Aaron Rodgers	49	22	14	9	A+ (94)
2	Peyton Manning	50	16	15	10	A+ (91)
3	Tom Brady	48	15	13	9	A (85)
4	Andrew Luck	49	11	14	10	A (84)
5	Drew Brees	49	9	13	9	A- (80)
6	Philip Rivers	45	15	12	8	A- (80)
7	Matt Ryan	42	20	9	5	B+ (76)
8	Colin Kaepernick	41	16	10	5	B (72)
9	Matt Stafford	44	9	12	6	B (71)
10	Russell Wilson	45	7	10	8	B- (70)
11	Ben Roethlisberger	42	10	11	7	B- (70)
12	Mark Sanchez	39	10	14	7	B- (70)
13	Robert Griffin III	40	16	10	4	B- (70)
14	Jay Cutler	42	5	12	8	C+ (67)
15	Andy Dalton	39	14	10	4	C+ (67)
16	Cam Newton	43	13	6	4	C (66)
17	Eli Manning	41	6	10	6	C- (63)
18	Ryan Tannehill	40	5	9	6	D+ (60)

The Philadelphia Eagles defense completely dominated Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers offense on Monday night, sacking Newton a whopping nine times, intercepting him three times (including one returned for a touchdown) and recovering two fumbles. 

And yet, Newton still threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

No, this isn't a section on Newton. It's actually a section on Aaron Rodgers, because Aaron Rodgers faces the Eagles defense this week, a defense that has given up 18.4 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per week, 29th in the NFL. And despite completely dominating Newton, it still allowed him to scrape together 12 fantasy points.

One would guess that Rodgers—arguably the league's hottest player right now, with 18 or more fantasy points in six straight games—will also shred Philly's opportunistic defense.

Mark Sanchez might be the most interesting player to take under consideration. He's been excellent in a game and a half, with 33 total fantasy points in relief of Nick Foles. And frankly, playing for Philadelphia's quarterback-friendly system seems to alleviate a lot of the worries that come with Sanchez after he floundered with the New York Jets.

Given the small sample size and a somewhat difficult matchup against the Green Bay Packers—Green Bay is ranked 10th in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks—it's hard to recommend Sanchez as a QB1 this week in 10-team leagues. In 12-team or bigger leagues, however, roll the dice on the Philly passer.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Matt Forte	48	18	14	10	A+ (90)
2	Le'Veon Bell	47	20	13	9	A+ (89)
3	Arian Foster*	48	11	14	9	A (82)
4	Ahmad Bradshaw	42	19	13	8	A (82)
5	Jamaal Charles	49	7	14	10	A (80)
6	Mark Ingram	41	21	11	7	A (80)
7	Giovani Bernard*	44	15	12	8	A (79)
8	LeSean McCoy	47	13	11	7	A (780
9	Marshawn Lynch	49	5	14	8	A- (76)
10	Alfred Morris	44	15	10	7	A- (76)
11	Frank Gore	39	22	9	5	B+ (75)
12	Andre Ellington	44	8	13	8	B+ (73)
13	Eddie Lacy	43	13	10	7	B+ (73)
14	Ryan Mathews*	39	22	8	4	B+ (73)
15	Branden Oliver	36	22	7	5	B (70)
16	Trent Richardson	38	19	7	5	B (69)
17	Ronnie Hillman*	40	8	13	7	B (68)
18	Fred Jackson	40	11	10	7	B (68)
19	Rashad Jennings*	40	9	10	8	B- (67)
20	Steven Jackson	35	20	7	5	B- (67)
21	Darren Sproles	40	13	8	5	C+ (66)
22	Shane Vereen	36	14	12	4	C+ (66)
23	Jerick McKinnon	38	12	10	6	C+ (66)
24	Lamar Miller*	41	4	12	7	C (64)
25	Terrance West	35	15	6	5	C (61)
26	Darren McFadden	37	13	5	5	C (60)
27	Isaiah Crowell	35	15	5	5	C (60)
28	Bishop Sankey	36	13	5	5	C (59)
29	Ben Tate	35	15	4	5	C (59)
30	Matt Asiata	35	12	5	3	C- (55)
31	Joique Bell	40	2	7	5	C- (54)
32	Bobby Rainey	35	10	4	3	D+ (52)
33	Charles Sims	35	10	4	3	D+ (52)
34	Reggie Bush*	38	2	7	3	D (50)
35	Tre Mason	35	5	7	3	D (50)
36	Benny Cunningham	35	5	7	3	D (50)

Denver's running back situation is tricky this week. If Ronnie Hillman plays and seems healthy going into the week, he should remain the clear starter. If he's a game-time decision, however, it's likely he'll be stuck in a platoon with C.J. Anderson and Montee Ball, which really makes any of the three players a risky start.

If Hillman doesn't play, you can deem Anderson and Ball each flex considerations but nothing more than that. It's likely the two would be in a fairly equal timeshare, limiting the fantasy upside of each.

I love Frank Gore this week. Love him. The New York Giants just gave up four rushing touchdowns to Marshawn Lynch last week and have given up 20 or more fantasy points to opposing running backs in five of their last six games.

Plus, while Carlos Hyde siphoned a touchdown from Frank Gore last week, it was still The Inconvenient Truth who finished with 24 carries for 81 yards and a score. Hyde had just four carries. Yes, Hyde is the future, but he hasn't supplanted Gore as the present just yet.

There are a ton of injuries to consider this week. If Arian Foster and Giovani Bernard play, you start them. If Ryan Mathews and Rashad Jennings return, both are worth RB2 consideration. If Lamar Miller goes, he's a possible flex. As for Reggie Bush, well, he should probably be on your bench regardless. 

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Jordy Nelson	48	22	14	9	A+ (93)
2	Demaryius Thomas	48	20	14	9	A+ (91)
3	Randall Cobb	45	22	14	9	A+ (90)
4	A.J. Green	49	20	11	9	A (89)
5	Emmanuel Sanders	44	20	15	9	A (88)
6	Julio Jones	49	19	12	7	A (87)
7	DeSean Jackson	45	23	11	6	A (85)
8	Calvin Johnson	49	14	13	8	A (84)
9	Antonio Brown	48	11	13	10	A- (82)
10	Jeremy Maclin	45	14	14	9	A- (82)
11	Golden Tate	43	14	12	8	B+ (77)
12	Kelvin Benjamin	41	18	10	7	B+ (76)
13	Brandon Marshall	47	10	12	6	B (75)
14	Pierre Garcon	40	23	8	4	B (75)
15	Alshon Jeffery	45	10	12	7	B (74)
16	Mohamed Sanu	39	20	8	7	B (74)
17	Mike Wallace	44	11	11	7	B (73)
18	T.Y. Hilton	44	5	14	8	B (71)
19	Sammy Watkins	44	6	12	7	B- (69)
20	DeAndre Hopkins	40	13	9	7	B- (69)
21	Roddy White	37	19	7	6	B- (69)
22	Odell Beckham Jr.	39	12	10	6	C+ (67)
23	Martavis Bryant	39	11	10	6	C+ (66)
24	Mike Evans	40	11	9	6	C+ (66)
25	Anquan Boldin	40	10	10	6	C+ (66)
26	Brandon LaFell	38	10	12	5	C (65)
27	Julian Edelman	38	10	12	5	C (65)
28	Andre Johnson	40	13	8	4	C (65)
29	Jordan Matthews	38	14	10	3	C (65)
30	Vincent Jackson	44	11	5	4	C- (64)
31	Michael Crabtree	40	10	8	3	C- (61)
32	Rueben Randle	35	12	9	4	C- (60)
33	Reggie Wayne	38	5	10	6	D+ (59)
34	Brandin Cooks	38	5	12	4	D+ (59)
35	Kendall Wright	37	12	5	4	D (58)
36	Justin Hunter	38	12	5	3	D (58)
37	Larry Fitzgerald	40	3	7	6	D (56)
38	Malcolm Floyd	35	7	9	5	D (56)
39	Michael Floyd	40	3	5	3	D- (51)
40	John Brown	38	3	5	5	D- (51)

It's really not fair when the game's top receivers have incredibly favorable matchups. If you look at the top seven players on this week's rankings, all have fantastic matchups they should exploit. Enjoy those fantasy points.

And don't worry about A.J. Green's poor Week 10. Frankly, the entire Cincinnati Bengals offense was dreadful against the first-place Cleveland Browns (I wanted to call them that while it lasted). Green has traditionally been one of the steadiest producers in fantasy when he's healthy, and this week he faces a New Orleans Saints team that has given up 25 or more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers six times this year.

Both he and Mohamed Sanu should have a bounce-back week.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Three players you probably need to consider weekly starters at this point also all happen to be rookies: Odell Beckham Jr., Martavis Bryant and Mike Evans. Beckham has 10 or more fantasy points in four of his past five games. Bryant has pulled off the feat four games in a row. Evans has at least seven fantasy points in five of six games, and he has gone for 10 or more in four of those contests.

Add in the excellent seasons from Sammy Watkins and Kelvin Benjamin, and the flashes of brilliance from Brandin Cooks, John Brown and Jordan Matthews, and we have a full-blown rookie invasion on our hands at wide receiver. Generally wideouts take longer to make a fantasy impact than other positions. That hasn't been the case this year.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Jimmy Graham	50	19	15	9	A+ (93)
2	Rob Gronkowski	49	18	15	9	A+ (91)
3	Julius Thomas	49	10	15	8	A (82)
4	Antonio Gates	42	15	13	8	A- (78)
5	Dwayne Allen	40	15	12	8	B+ (75)
6	Greg Olsen	45	10	12	7	B+ (74)
7	Travis Kelce	42	18	8	5	B (73)
8	Kyle Rudolph*	40	22	6	3	B (71)
9	Delanie Walker	39	15	8	5	B- (67)
10	Coby Fleener	38	15	9	5	B- (67)
11	Martellus Bennett	41	7	12	6	C+ (66)
12	Jordan Reed	40	10	8	4	C (62)
13	Larry Donnell	37	12	9	4	C (62)
14	Heath Miller	37	13	7	3	C- (60)
15	Mychal Rivera	37	5	8	5	D+ (55)

Kyle Rudolph has missed six games in a row, but so tasty is his matchup this week that if the tight end indeed returns, I genuinely think he could be a TE1.

The Chicago Bears have been dreadful in more than a few areas, but they have been particularly susceptible to the tight end position, allowing 12.6 fantasy points to the position per week, easily the worst in the NFL. In their last three games alone, they've given up seven touchdowns to tight ends. 

Rudolph could have a huge game in his return to action.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

One player I think you need to give up on is Vernon Davis. The former star hasn't even accumulated 45 receiving yards in a game and hasn't reached the end zone since Week 1. Dealing with injuries, he's basically become a non-factor in the San Francisco offense. It's a long fall for Davis when he isn't even considered a top-15 option at the position. 

In fact, I think if you are in a pinch, you can even consider dropping him. He simply hasn't shown anything suggesting he'll break out of a season-long funk.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Defense
1	Buffalo Bills
2	Miami Dolphins
3	Seattle Seahawks
4	Detroit Lions
5	Arizona Cardinals
6	Denver Broncos
7	Pittsburgh Steelers
8	San Francisco 49ers
9	Minnesota Vikings
10	Washington

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team
1	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots
2	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts
3	Cody Parkey	Philadelphia Eagles
4	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers
5	Caleb Sturgis	Miami Dolphins
6	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks
7	Shaun Suisham	Pittsburgh Steelers
8	Graham Gano	Carolina Panthers
9	Phil Dawson	San Francisco 49ers
10	Chandler Catanzaro	Arizona Cardinals

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than a passing drill against the Chicago Bears defense.