Week 11 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Play-or-Bench Advice on Top Fantasy Football Stars

The biggest trick fantasy football owners need to know going into Week 11 start 'em, sit 'em decisions?

It's quite all right to bench star players.

It's easy to fall into the habit of committing to big-name players no matter the matchup or overarching situation. Last week, as a brief example, owners who tossed Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys blindly into lineups received four points.

Knowing how to balance stars is just as important as the initial draft, waiver wire and all the good stuff about fake football. Those who hit autopilot with stars fade in leagues.

To prevent this, let's look at some of the biggest decisions facing owners regarding top stars in Week 11.

QB

Matchup	Verdict
Tom Brady (vs. BUF) vs. Philip Rivers (vs. KC)	Tom Brady
Aaron Rodgers (at MIN) vs. Andy Dalton (at ARI)	Aaron Rodgers
Cam Newton (vs. WAS) vs. Derek Carr (at DET)	Derek Carr
Carson Palmer (vs. CIN) vs. Blake Bortles (vs. TEN)	Carson Palmer
Tyrod Taylor (at NE) vs. Jay Cutler (vs. DEN)	Tyrod Taylor

Star to Know: Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (at MIA)

He's back. 

Remember Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo? The team will trot him out under center Sunday after a lengthy recovery from injury, and owners would be wise to remember his season debut of 356 yards, three touchdowns and 22 points.

Romo will be a tad rusty in his return, sure, but owners who need a boost could do much, much worse. Besides, the Miami Dolphins allow the 12th-most points to the position this year, with three allowances of three or more touchdown passes.

Would it be a shock if Romo hit on three scores? No chance.

Star to Bench: Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (vs. DEN)

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler makes for a good meme every now and then but still falls into the "star" category.

Remember, Cutler has Alshon Jeffery to sling it to and an army of pass-catching backs behind him. He's posted 17 or more points six times this season, a streak he carries into this weekend against the Denver Broncos.

That matchup would be the problem, though. The Broncos surrender the fewest points to quarterbacks on average, having allowed just eight touchdown passes and four allowances of double digits.

Could Cutler gun his way to a big game if this turns into a shootout? Of course. Is it a scenario on which owners should want to hinge their league standings? Negative.

RB

Matchup	Verdict
Devonta Freeman (vs. IND) vs. Doug Martin (at PHI)	Devonta Freeman
Adrian Peterson (vs. GB) vs. Chris Ivory (at HOU)	Adrian Peterson
Lamar Miller (vs. DAL) vs. Todd Gurley (at BAL)	Todd Gurley
Danny Woodhead (vs. KC) vs. Chris Johnson (vs. CIN)	Danny Woodhead
DeMarco Murray (vs. TB) vs. LeGarrette Blount (vs. BUF)	DeMarco Murray

Star to Know: Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins (vs. DAL)

Quick: Name fantasy's fourth-highest scorer at running back. 

Fine: It's Dolphins running back Lamar Miller, of all people, a huge turnaround for a guy who started the season with just 18 points over the course of his first four games.

Miller's scored more than that twice in a single game since.

After a bye week and a coaching change, the Dolphins continue to ride Miller, who has 15 or more points in four of his last five. Now he gets the Cowboys, who cough up the third-most points to running backs this year. A floor of 15 points isn't unreasonable.

Star to Bench: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at PHI)

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has been all over the place this season, totaling 16 points over the course of his first three games, exploding for 16 or more over his next three and then going for seven, two and 10 over the most recent three. 

What's in store for the next trio of showings? It's bound to start with a dud, as Martin has to encounter the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.

While it sounds like a chance for elite production in what could be a shootout, face-value appearances tend to tell many lies. These Eagles actually allow the eighth-fewest points to running backs this year and have surrendered just one touchdown to the position.

Martin hasn't shown enough consistency to suggest he'll be the back to break out against the unit.

WR

Matchup	Verdict
Julio Jones (vs. IND) vs. Allen Robinson (vs. TEN)	Julio Jones
DeAndre Hopkins (vs. NYJ) vs. Larry Fitzgerald (vs. CIN)	DeAndre Hopkins
Brandon Marshall (at HOU) vs. A.J. Green (at ARI)	Brandon Marshall
Allen Hurns (vs. TEN) vs. Michael Crabtree (at DET)	Michael Crabtree
Tavon Austin (at BAL) vs. T.Y. Hilton (at ATL)	Tavon Austin

Star to Know: Eric Decker, New York Jets (at HOU)

RICH SCHULTZ/Associated Press

New York Jets wideout Eric Decker has never received enough credit for his star status. 

Look at this year: Decker's actually owned in just 91.5 percent of leagues. "Just" because he's scored seven touchdowns this year, has three games in a row with a score and 12 or more points and has five games with six or more catches.

Got all that?

Next up for the consistent Decker? A date with the Houston Texans, a defense that has allowed 10 touchdowns this year and five occurrences of 20 or more points by sets of wideouts. The Jets will continue to feed Decker the ball, and he'll continue to carry owners.

Star to Bench: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (at ATL)

Meanwhile, someone such as T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts sits on an ownership percentage of 97.5 percent. 

Hilton has just three touchdowns this year and two trips to double digits. Over the course of his last two, he's totaled just nine points.

With Andrew Luck on the sidelines, Hilton now has to line up against the Atlanta Falcons. It sounds like a shootout waiting to happen, but there's no Luck, and those Falcons actually allow the fourth-fewest points to wideouts with just three surrendered touchdowns.

Hilton's in for another quiet outing.

TE

Matchup	Verdict
Rob Gronkowski (vs. BUF) vs. Jordan Reed (at CAR)	Rob Gronkowski
Tyler Eifert (at ARI) vs. Greg Olsen (vs. WAS)	Tyler Eifert
Travis Kelce (at SD) vs. Delanie Walker (at JAC)	Delanie Walker
Jimmy Graham (vs. SF) vs. Martellus Bennett (vs DEN)	Jimmy Graham
Jason Witten (at MIA) vs. Jacob Tamme (vs. IND)	Jason Witten

Star to Know: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (at MIA)

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Romo's back, which means it's time to load up on Dallas tight end Jason Witten again. 

It's pretty much the same situation owners see over in Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger and Heath Miller. Miller's only a viable option when the man he's played with for years takes snaps under center.

A case in point: Witten has scored double digits and touchdowns in just one game this year—Week 1, when a healthy Romo was under center. To make this even sweeter, Miami's coming off a game in which it allowed 11 catches and 202 yards to tight ends.

Star to Bench: Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (at NE)

Early this season, Buffalo Bills tight end Charles Clay looked to be on his way to becoming one of the year's breakout stars, thanks to a budding role with his new team. 

Clay exploded out of the gates with a pair of touchdowns and double-digit outings over his first four games on what most figured would be a run-first offense.

He hasn't done either again since. Clay's taken a back seat in the Buffalo offense.

Some owners might point to the fact that one of his touchdowns came against these New England Patriots in Week 2, but it came while he caught just three passes for 19 yards. 

In other words, it was a fluke, and there's nothing to indicate that the Patriots—allowing the eighth-fewest points to the position—will let it happen again.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of November 18. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. Cleveland, New Orleans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh on bye.