Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings: Breaking Down Each Position

If you encounter any fantasy football players this week, offer some encouragement. In fact, pat them on the back, shake their hand and do whatever is necessary. Chances are they are very confused.

Jeremy Langford, Kirk Cousins, Charcandrick West, Matt Jones, Zach Miller and Jay Cutler were all fantasy superstars in Week 10. Even Ben Roethlisberger left many scratching their heads because he dominated in a game he didn’t even start because of injury.

It is now crunch time in fantasy football leagues around the nation, and tossup lineup decisions will be magnified even more. While predicting someone like West to bust out against the dominant Denver Broncos defense or the Chicago Bears backup tight end (Miller) to score twice and top the century mark is a fool’s errand, there are some favorable matchups in Week 11.

With that in mind, here is a look at the top players for each position to include in your lineup based on overall production and matchups.

Quarterback

Player	Opponent
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders	Detroit Lions
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings

Going with Aaron Rodgers against the Minnesota Vikings is less about the matchup with one of the league’s best teams and more a testament to the trust in the quarterback. Look for a bounce-back effort from the Green Bay offense after three straight losses, especially in this critical game with division-title implications.

While Rodgers was abysmal in the loss to the Denver Broncos, he still threw for more than 300 yards in the defeats against the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions. Fantasy owners reaped the rewards, and he will put up even better numbers when he rights the Packers' ship Sunday.

Running Back

Player	Opponent
Charcandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers
Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins	Dallas Cowboys
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks	San Francisco 49ers

West came out of nowhere, but he has been an absolute fantasy superstar since Jamaal Charles tore his ACL.

West has a rushing touchdown and more than 120 total yards in each of his last three games. He was also a major part of the aerial attack Sunday against the Broncos with 92 receiving yards and a touchdown catch, earning praise from Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports in the process:

West now faces a San Diego Chargers defense that allows more fantasy points per game to opposing running backs than any other team in the league. He will take full advantage.

Wide Receiver

Player	Opponent
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Philadelphia Eagles
Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons	Indianapolis Colts

Julio Jones is on the short list of best receivers in the NFL, and that won’t change in Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts.

What’s more, he is coming off a bye week, so he should be fresh after dealing with nagging hamstring issues earlier this season. Jones leads the league with 80 catches and is second with 1,029 receiving yards to go along with his six touchdown receptions and five games with more than 100 receiving yards.

The Colts defense allows the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, and Jones is arguably the best they will face all year.

Tight End

Player	Opponent
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills
Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans
Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers	Washington

Julius Thomas has been a fantasy disappointment this year, but he will finally deliver Thursday against the Tennessee Titans.

Thomas has dealt with various physical setbacks this season and only topped 23 receiving yards in a game one time. Still, talent is not a question after he reached 12 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. Plus, Allen Hurns is dealing with a core injury, and Thomas would likely see more targets if the talented wide receiver is forced to miss time.

The Titans give up the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends this year, and Thomas will look like his old self Thursday.

Defense

Defense	Opponent
Seattle Seahawks	San Francisco 49ers
Denver Broncos	Chicago Bears
Carolina Panthers	Washington

The Seattle Seahawks badly need a win after falling to 4-5 on the year, and Blaine Gabbert and the San Francisco 49ers offense will pay the price.

Gabbert against the Legion of Boom and the Seattle pass rush is a recipe for fantasy gold, especially since the Seahawks will be playing with some urgency. Coach Pete Carroll suggested as much on 710 ESPN Seattle (via Seahawks.com's John Boyle): “So we go back to work and let’s get ready for San Francisco and start knocking out some wins and see how far that takes us. That’s how you do this, there’s no other way to do it.”

The 49ers allow the third-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this year. The Seahawks will make life miserable for Gabbert all game.

Kicker 

Player	Opponent
Greg Zuerlein, St. Louis Rams	Baltimore Ravens
Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders	Detroit Lions
Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos	Chicago Bears

Greg Zuerlein has struggled some this year while making 15 of his 22 attempts, but he made both kicks Sunday and four of five the previous game. It appears Greg the Leg has turned the corner, and the Baltimore Ravens allow the most fantasy points per game to opposing kickers.

*Stats courtesy of ESPN.com fantasy football points against averages as of Monday at 6 p.m. ET.