Week 11 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Highlighting Matchups to Exploit and Avoid

The fantasy football regular season is entering the fourth quarter. There are only a few weeks left to secure a playoff berth, which of course means lineup decisions become even more important with the margin for error virtually eliminated for many fantasy owners.

Those who didn't have any players from the Thursday night game in their lineup are happy. Ryan Tannehill was the only player from the sloppy AFC East clash to reach double digits based on standard scoring rules. Anybody who started Mike Wallace or Sammy Watkins is playing from behind.

Looking ahead, there are plenty of fringe choices to make before the rest of Week 11 kicks off on Sunday. Let's examine some of the trickiest calls and determine whether those players should be in the starting lineup or on the bench.

Start 'Em

Position	Player	Team
QB	Colin Kaepernick	SF
RB	Jeremy Hill	CIN
WR	Brandon LaFell	NE
TE	Dwayne Allen	IND
D/ST	Steelers	PIT
K	Brandon McManus	DEN

The fantasy appeal of Colin Kaepernick has been limited due to a lack of big plays in the passing game. That should change this week in what should be more of a fast-paced contest with the New York Giants, which feature a defense that ranks 25th against the pass.

Jeremy Hill frustrated a lot of fantasy owners last week when he backed up his 27-point breakout with a three-point clunker. He's in line for another heavy workload as the Cincinnati Bengals face the New Orleans Saints in a game where they want to control the clock. Expect a strong bounce back.

It seemed like Brandon LaFell was in for another season of being on the edges of fantasy relevance until the past month of so. He's racked up 55 points over the past four games and should stay hot in a shootout with the Indianapolis Colts.

The likely high-scoring nature of that game is also why Dwayne Allen should be in all lineups. The tight end has emerged as a reliable red-zone target for Andrew Luck with six touchdowns in his past seven games. So even without putting up huge yardage totals, he's been a solid weekly contributor.

NFL Media PR provided the insight of Heath Evans, who provided plenty of praise for the 24-year-old rising star:

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been very much a middling option so far in 2014. They are a pure matchup play, and this week they have a good one. The Tennessee Titans offense has been a mess, giving the Steelers defense a great chance to provide some Monday magic.

Brandon McManus hasn't done as much as you would normally expect from a kicker on a team with an explosive offense like the Denver Broncos. He's scored in double digits just twice in nine games. Expect him to add another to that tally against a struggling St. Louis Rams defense.

Sit 'Em

Position	Player	Team
QB	Matthew Stafford	DET
RB	Matt Asiata	MIN
WR	Brandin Cooks	NO
TE	Mychal Rivera	OAK
D/ST	Patriots	NE
K	Cairo Santos	KC

Don't give up on Matthew Stafford. He should become a major asset by fantasy playoff time as long as his weapons can stay healthy. But the Detroit Lions are still trying to build chemistry within the unit, which is worrisome against an improving Arizona Cardinals defense.

Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press passed along comments from the quarterback, who admitted the constant lineup turnover has been a challenge:

"

I think every week I get more and more confident and comfortable in it. I've had to learn quite a few personnel groupings and formations just because of the availability of guys. I feel like in that aspect I've been kind of lucky as far as really, really having to bolt down and learn it.

That's been a positive for me. But you know, the day you feel like you've got it mastered and all figured out is a bad day. You want to continue to learn and I'll continue to do that.

"

In Week 4, Matt Asiata scored 27 points. In Week 9, he scored 25. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, he tallied just 11 points in the four games in between those two monster outings. His touches aren't consistent enough to trust him despite the occasional outburst.

Brandin Cooks has the tools to become an elite PPR option. But right now the Saints are using him more as a basic deep threat. Thus, he's become too reliant on touchdowns to start on a weekly basis. Keep him reserved against the Bengals.

In the span of three weeks, Mychal Rivera has gone from fantasy afterthought to a fringe must-start player. That says a lot about the weakness of the tight end position. Even so, it's tough to recommend him as he faces a San Diego Chargers defense that held him without a catch in Week 6.

The New England Patriots were a great option for the first half of the campaign. They are in the midst of a much tougher stretch, however, which means it's probably time to look elsewhere for a defense. That's especially true against the Colts this week.

Finally, after a nice four-game stretch, Cairo Santos has faded over the last two weeks with just 11 total points. Given the hot streak appears to be over and the Kansas City Chiefs are going up against a Seattle Seahawks defense that's rounded into form, there are better streaming options available for Week 11.