Fantasy Football Week 11: Risers, Fallers and Top Trade Candidates

Just a week before Thanksgiving, the NFL and fantasy football never fails to surprise me and, well, probably everyone.

As we saw on Monday Night Football, the Cincinnati Bengals are no longer undefeated, leaving just the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots as the lone undefeated teams.

Also, the injury bug had to, of course, bite someone this week. That person was Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who has already had a screw put in his foot and will miss six to eight weeks as a result, according to NFL Network's Albert Breer.

Will this injury have an impact on the Patriots' pursuit of another undefeated regular season? It very well could.

Another storyline to follow is the Green Bay Packers. The Packers lost for an unprecedented third time in a row in Week 10 to the Detroit Lions at home. The Lions beating the Packers at home just isn't something that happens—well, at least since 1991.

Of course, these storylines could all potentially impact the risers, fallers and trade candidates the following week.

Let's find out.

Riser: Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Often the butt of almost everyone's jokes, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is starting to turn into a fantasy stud.

Over his last two games, Cutler has thrown for more than 600 yards and five passing touchdowns. Keep in mind, both of those games were on the road.

Also, over these past two games, Cutler is the sixth-ranked QB, besting guys like Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Cutler has some tough matchups coming up, but what he has been able to do over these last two games cannot be ignored, and he should be owned in every league.

Faller: Sam Bradford, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Brad Penner/Associated Press

Not that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford was ever a fantasy commodity to brag about, but we may have seen the last of Bradford this season.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Bradford is set to miss Week 11, and possibly Week 12, due to a concussion and a sprained AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder.

However, if backup quarterback Mark Sanchez plays well enough and, say, wins Week 11 and Week 12, head coach Chip Kelly may be forced to sit Bradford in favor of Sanchez.

As mentioned before, Bradford was never a commodity to brag about, as he is the 24th-ranked QB. Bradford has scored fewer points than Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown, who has played two fewer games than Bradford.

Bradford is safe to drop in all leagues.

Riser: Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots

Gary Hershorn/Associated Press

As mentioned in the introduction, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has undergone surgery on his right foot, and he will miss six to eight weeks.

Fellow wide receiver Danny Amendola is set to be the man to take over for Edelman during his absence.

In Week 10, Amendola caught 10 passes on 11 targets for 79 yards.

As long as Amendola has quarterback Tom Brady throwing him the football, he is an instant WR2 and needs to be rostered everywhere immediately.

If you are lucky enough to have picked him up off waivers successfully, enjoy.

Faller: Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Over the last two games, we have seen Chicago Bears running back Jeremy Langford absolutely destroy opposing defenses in both the running and passing game.

Now, there is no denying fellow running back Matt Forte's talent and pedigree, of course.

However, Forte is dealing with a sprained MCL. During the time he has been out, Forte has received injections to try to hurry the healing process.

This is more of a gut feeling, but with how well Langford is playing, the Bears may not really push Forte as fast as they otherwise would have.

Forte is a player to monitor leading up to Week 11, but I'll guess that Forte will not play.

Riser: Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins

Brad Penner/Associated Press

Leading up to each NFL draft, we football nerds scour through the prospects, and maybe watch some film.

In addition to that, we always find those few guys we just cannot get enough of.

Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi was that guy for me, and he was, in my opinion, the second-best back coming out of college predraft.

Up until a few weeks ago, Ajayi has been injured, but boy has he made a statement upon his return.

After a total of only 20 NFL snaps, Ajayi has 89 rushing yards on just 11 carries.

Now, I get it, the sample size is small. However, you cannot ignore the way this guy is able to run the ball, and it is exciting to watch.

Nonetheless, Ajayi does have incumbent starting running back Lamar Miller in front of him, who is also pretty darn good.

If anything, Ajayi's stupendous play will do nothing but earn him more snaps down the road.

He's worth an add.

Faller: LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

If you're a frequent reader of my columns, you will likely start wondering if I just flat-out dislike Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy.

While that is a fair assumption, I actually do like McCoy.

But yes, for the second week in a row, McCoy appears in this column, and he was also trounced in a recent Thursday Night Football piece of mine.

And, of course, McCoy went out and had a spectacular game against the New York Jets.

However, Week 11 will be much different. The Bills will travel to Massachusetts to take on the New England Patriots.

Oh boy.

The Patriots have not given up more than 50 yards on the ground at home since Week 1 to Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams.

This could be partially due to the fact that teams have to throw to keep up with the Patriots.

McCoy is obviously mostly healthy, but you have to question the amount of carries and opportunities he'll get in a game that will likely require quarterback Tyrod Taylor to throw to stay in it.

Trade Candidates

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Buy Low: Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is dealing with a partially torn plantar fascia in his foot that is going to keep him out at least through Week 11, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It's fair to speculate that this could keep Manning out a bit longer than that.

One narrative you could buy into is fellow Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler and that big arm of his.

On the season, Thomas has just a single touchdown reception, which has hurt his value, though he is still a top-12 wide receiver in points-per-reception leagues.

With fellow wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders banged up and the run game being ineffective, Osweiler could look to lean on his most talented weapon.

Buy Thomas, and buy Osweiler's big arm.

Sell High: Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

No question—Kansas City Chiefs running back Charcandrick West has been an absolute stud over his past two games.

Actually, he was the No. 1 running back in fantasy football over Weeks 8-10 in points-per-reception leagues.

I'm not saying West will be a bad player down the line—he may very well still be a solid player.

But for a former waiver-wire pickup and being a top-tier running back over his last two games, West's value will never be higher. Acquire a player that is proven.

Trade: Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers

Before the season, and after the Green Bay Packers announced that wide receiver Jordy Nelson would miss the entire season, it's likely that almost everyone thought Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb was in store for a huge season.

However, Cobb has had a the 23rd-ranked WR season.

Now, I'm not sure why, or what it is, but Cobb just has been unable to produce.

Whether it's a combination of Rodgers' play over the past few games or just simply great defensive efforts by opposing teams, it's a mystery.

Cobb isn't having a snaps or targets problem, either.

Only so many weeks can go by before we eventually just need to cut ties, and Cobb is a player to look to deal before the trade deadline in your league.

All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Fantasy numbers courtesy of ESPN.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.