Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings: Analyzing Sleeper Options at Every Position

With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season for most fantasy football leagues, do-or-die time is quickly approaching for many owners in terms of qualifying for the playoffs.

Those owners certainly need their top players to come through in a big way this week, but they can't rely on that alone. They also need to make some tough lineup decisions, which could include turning to players who haven't been in the fantasy spotlight for much of the season.

The fantasy landscape changes significantly over the course of the season, so preconceived notions from several weeks ago shouldn't come into play at this point.

With that in mind, here is a full rundown of rankings for each position, along with a special look at sleepers to consider starting in Week 11.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	STL
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	PHI
3	Andrew Luck	IND	NE
4	Drew Brees	NO	CIN
5	Tom Brady	NE	IND
6	Matthew Stafford	DET	ARI
7	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	TEN
8	Philip Rivers	SD	OAK
9	Matt Ryan	ATL	CAR
10	Jay Cutler	CHI	MIN
11	Cam Newton	CAR	ATL
12	Colin Kaepernick	SF	NYG
13	Robert Griffin III	WAS	TB
14	Russell Wilson	SEA	KC
15	Mark Sanchez	PHI	GB
16	Eli Manning	NYG	SF
17	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	BUF
18	Andy Dalton	CIN	NO
19	Kyle Orton	BUF	MIA
20	Derek Carr	OAK	SD

While there are five or six quarterbacks who can be counted on to produce on a weekly basis from a fantasy perspective, the position is often a crapshoot aside from that. Most signal-callers seem to be wildly inconsistent, which can be extremely frustrating for fantasy owners.

Atlanta Falcons gunslinger Matt Ryan falls under that category. Since throwing for three touchdowns in three of his first four games, he is averaging just over one touchdown per contest. The Falcons still have a high-volume passing offense, though, which means there is hope for a turnaround.

It starts this week against a Carolina Panthers team that has allowed 19 scores through the air and was picked apart by maligned Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez last week.

Philly's fast-paced offense gave the Panthers fits, and even Ryan himself has shown interest in doing some similar things, according to ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure:

Simply put, Carolina's defense is a mess right now, which means this is the perfect opportunity for Matty Ice to return to fantasy prominence.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Matt Forte	CHI	MIN
2	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	KC
3	Arian Foster	HOU	CLE
4	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	TEN
5	Eddie Lacy	GB	PHI
6	Jamaal Charles	KC	SEA
7	LeSean McCoy	PHI	GB
8	Mark Ingram	NO	CIN
9	Andre Ellington	ARI	DET
10	Alfred Morris	WAS	TB
11	Jeremy Hill	CIN	NO
12	Shane Vereen	NE	IND
13	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	NE
14	C.J. Anderson	DEN	STL
15	Frank Gore	SF	NYG
16	Terrance West	CLE	HOU
17	Lamar Miller	MIA	BUF
18	Rashad Jennings	NYG	SF
19	Joique Bell	DET	ARI
20	Steven Jackson	ATL	CAR
21	Ryan Mathews	SD	OAK
22	Bishop Sankey	TEN	PIT
23	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	CHI
24	Darren Sproles	PHI	GB
25	Ben Tate	CLE	HOU
26	Bryce Brown	BUF	MIA
27	Montee Ball	DEN	STL
28	Tre Mason	STL	DEN
29	Bobby Rainey	TB	WAS
30	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	ATL

The running back position is extremely volatile in fantasy football, as new assets emerge on a weekly basis. That is once again the case entering Week 11, as Denver Broncos back C.J. Anderson suddenly looks like a high-upside starter, even if it is only a one-week situation.

Anderson made the most of 17 touches last week, totaling 163 yards in addition to scoring a touchdown. According to Broncos Vice President of Public Relations Patrick Smyth, Anderson's rushing and receiving skills put him in rare company:

While Anderson has been buried on Denver's depth chart for much of the season, he now has a clear path to playing time with Ronnie Hillman on the shelf, per NFL on ESPN:

Montee Ball may cut into Anderson's production to some degree, but Ball has been out of action since Week 5, so he could be eased back in.

If Anderson is the primary back this week against a St. Louis Rams defense that allows over 124 rushing yards per game, he will absolutely help some winning causes in fantasy.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown	PIT	TEN
2	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	STL
3	Jordy Nelson	GB	PHI
4	Julio Jones	ATL	CAR
5	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	STL
6	Calvin Johnson	DET	ARI
7	T.Y. Hilton	IND	NE
8	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	GB
9	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	ATL
10	Randall Cobb	GB	PHI
11	DeSean Jackson	WAS	TB
12	Brandon Marshall	CHI	MIN
13	A.J. Green	CIN	NO
14	Mike Evans	TB	WAS
15	Mike Wallace	MIA	BUF
16	Roddy White	ATL	CAR
17	Golden Tate	DET	ARI
18	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	MIN
19	Sammy Watkins	BUF	MIA
20	Andre Johnson	HOU	CLE
21	Brandin Cooks	NO	CIN
22	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	SF
23	Julian Edelman	NE	IND
24	Pierre Garcon	WAS	TB
25	Vincent Jackson	TB	WAS
26	Anquan Boldin	SF	NYG
27	Brandon LaFell	NE	IND
28	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	CLE
29	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	NO
30	Martavis Bryant	PIT	TEN

One year after putting up the best statistical season of his career, Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon is struggling. He is nowhere near the pace that saw him rack up 113 receptions for over 1,300 yards in 2013, and most fantasy owners have likely relegated him to the bench.

With that said, it's tough to blame the 28-year-old wideout. He has had to deal with three different starting quarterbacks this season, which means the offense has had absolutely no continuity.

Now that Robert Griffin III is back under center, though, Garcon insists the team is comfortable with him in that role, according to Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post.

"(H)e's definitely our team leader, he's definitely our quarterback, he's definitely a great player. Things just don't always go as we planned. We just have to keep moving forward and keep working on the ultimate goal, and that's winning football games."

If Washington is going to get back to winning football, then getting Garcon involved is a must. This is the week to do it, as the Redskins are going up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary that gives up over 277 passing yards per game and has surrendered 19 passing touchdowns.

Garcon won't have a better matchup all year, so look for him to take advantage of it.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	IND
2	Jimmy Graham	NO	CIN
3	Julius Thomas	DEN	STL
4	Greg Olsen	CAR	ATL
5	Antonio Gates	SD	OAK
6	Martellus Bennett	CHI	MIN
7	Travis Kelce	KC	SEA
8	Dwayne Allen	IND	NE
9	Jordan Reed	WAS	TB
10	Larry Donnell	NYG	SF
11	Mychal Rivera	OAK	SD
12	Vernon Davis	SF	NYG
13	Charles Clay	MIA	BUF
14	Heath Miller	PIT	TEN
15	Jared Cook	STL	DEN
16	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	CHI
17	Zach Ertz	PHI	GB
18	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	WAS
19	Scott Chandler	BUF	MIA
20	Coby Fleener	IND	NE

The top tight ends in football are putting up bigger fantasy numbers than ever before, but the owners who aren't lucky enough to own Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham or Julius Thomas have a weekly battle when it comes to determining a starter.

While the Oakland Raiders are usually a fantasy abyss that shouldn't even be considered, second-year player Mychal Rivera has become a revelation over the past three weeks. He did very little to start the season, but he seems to be developing into rookie quarterback Derek Carr's favorite target.

In addition to seven catches and one touchdown per contest on average over his last three, Rivera has become a constant part of Oakland's offense, per Rotoworld's Adam Levitan:

Rivera doesn't have the greatest matchup this week against a San Diego Chargers defense that gives up just 229 passing yards per game, but the Raiders are likely to be playing from behind, and Carr will be looking in Rivera's direction quite often.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	IND
2	Cody Parkey	PHI	GB
3	Steven Hauschka	SEA	KC
4	Mason Crosby	GB	PHI
5	Phil Dawson	SF	NYG
6	Adam Vinatieri	IND	NE
7	Shayne Graham	NO	CIN
8	Shaun Suisham	PIT	TEN
9	Brandon McManus	DEN	STL
10	Kai Forbath	WAS	TB
11	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	DET
12	Nick Novak	SD	OAK

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Broncos	DEN	STL
2	Seahawks	SEA	KC
3	Lions	DET	ARI
4	Steelers	PIT	TEN
5	Bills	BUF	MIA
6	49ers	SF	NYG
7	Texans	HOU	CLE
8	Dolphins	MIA	BUF
9	Cardinals	ARI	DET
10	Redskins	WAS	TB
11	Chiefs	KC	SEA
12	Chargers	SD	OAK

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