NFL Week 11 Predictions: 10 Players Who Will Steal the Show on Sunday

Each week the same old faces shine in the NFL.

Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson, Antonio Brown. These players consistently produce the goods, no matter what their opponents try to do to stop them.

Tired of watching Brady carving up defenses, Peterson running over defensive backs or Brown doing a front flip into the end zone after scoring a 56-yard touchdown? No, us neither.

But that hasn’t stopped us from looking at some unlikely figures who will star on Sunday.

Stevie Johnson

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

With Keenan Allen and Malcom Floyd both nursing injuries, Stevie Johnson has been elevated to No. 1 receiver in San Diego.

The 29-year-old is in a position to have a great game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Chiefs defense has allowed 1,853 yards to wide receivers this season, the third-highest number in the NFL, per Pro-Football-Reference.

It has also conceded 14 touchdowns to receivers, again the third-highest total in the league.

Even without Allen and Floyd, Philip Rivers’ willingness to throw the deep ball will not diminish.

Johnson hasn’t had a 100-yard receiving game since Week 3 of last season, but that’s set to change this Sunday.

Mario Edwards

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Aldon Smith’s one-year suspension, announced Tuesday, is a big loss for the Oakland Raiders.

Fortunately for Jack Del Rio, his linebacker corps isn’t completely devoid of talent.

Rookie Mario Edwards is coming off his best game of the season, recording 11 tackles and a sack against the Minnesota Vikings last week.

And that trend is expected to continue, with Edwards’ responsibility increased due to the loss of Smith.

The Raiders face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, a team that recorded only its second win of the season last week.

The Lions average a measly 66.9 rushing yards per game and have allowed 63 hits on their quarterback, the league’s sixth-highest tally.

It’s certainly a bad time to face Edwards, a player Lions head coach Jim Caldwell identified as “an outstanding pass-rusher” and “excellent against the run,” via ESPN.com's Bill Williamson.

Jason Witten

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1 and his most receiving yards in a game this season is 73.

That’s rather uncharacteristic for a player of Witten’s ability until you remember that Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel have been throwing to him since Tony Romo fractured a collarbone in Week 2.

Fortunately for Witten, Romo is expected to return for Sunday’s clash against the Miami Dolphins.

The Cowboys face a Miami Dolphins team that has struggled to deal with tight ends.

Philadelphia’s Brent Celek caught four passes for 134 yards last week, his most receiving yards in a game since 2011.

Celek wasn’t the first tight end to have success against the Dolphins defense. Jordan Reed (63 yards and a touchdown), Charles Clay (82 yards and a touchdown), Delanie Walker (eight catches for 97 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (113 yards and a touchdown) have all put up numbers.

Reuniting with Romo and playing a team that has struggled to stop tight ends all season, Week 11 bodes well for Witten.

Brian Quick

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Brian Quick’s return from a season-ending shoulder injury in 2014 isn’t going quite to plan.

The St. Louis Rams wide receiver has totaled four catches in six games this season.

But Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens presents Quick with the opportunity for a breakout game.

The Ravens have allowed a league-high 16 touchdowns to wide receivers this season and have given up 1,813 yards to wideouts in 2015, the sixth-highest number, per Pro-Football-Reference.

And Quick flashed talent last season.

Through Week 4 of 2014 he had 322 yards and three touchdowns.

Against the Chicago Bears last week Quick led the team in targets with seven.

It’s time for Quick to turn those targets into productive results.

Everson Griffen

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

It’s been tough for any Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman to earn much credit this season with the repeatedly dominant performances of Linval Joseph.

But against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Everson Griffen has the chance to grab all the headlines.

The defensive end leads the Vikings in sacks with 5.5.

And with Joseph likely to attract the bulk of the attention in the trenches, Griffen can add to his tally this weekend.

The Packers running game has been ineffectual in recent weeks and if Aaron Rodgers throws the ball more times as a result, Griffen will get more opportunities to take down the Packers quarterback.

Frank Gore

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

With Andrew Luck out, someone has to step up for the Indianapolis Colts if they are to win without their No. 1 quarterback.

Matt Hasselbeck will take over for Luck, but it’s Frank Gore who is most likely to be the driving force against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The 32-year-old was handed 29 touches against the Denver Broncos in offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski’s first game, the most action Gore has seen in a game this season.

He recorded 102 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in the game.

The game plan could call for Gore to handle the ball several times again this week. Only the Detroit Lions (11) have allowed more rushing touchdowns than the Falcons (10), and Dan Quinn’s team have given up a league-high 72 receptions to running backs, per Pro-Football-Reference.

Jamison Crowder

Al Bello/Getty Images

There is a clear weakness in the Carolina Panthers secondary: slot cornerback Bene Benwikere.

And that’s not just because he’s been unable to match the supreme levels of Josh Norman and Charles Tillman. Benwikere isn’t playing great football, allowing a touchdown in each of his last three appearances.

Jamison Crowder stands to benefit from Benwikere’s struggles this week. Crowder has emerged as the Washington Redskins' best slot receiver and scored his first touchdown last week against the New Orleans Saints.

If the Redskins are to have any chance of beating the undefeated Panthers, they must make use of the advantage they have when Crowder takes on Benwikere.

Charles Woodson

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

It appears that Charles Woodson is immune to the effects of aging.

The Oakland Raiders safety is shining among his peers even at the age of 39.

He leads the league in interceptions with five, tied at the top with Indianapolis Colts safety Mike Adams.

Few would bet against Woodson adding to his tally when he faces the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown 12 interceptions this season—only Peyton Manning has thrown more.

Woodson has already had multiple interceptions against a former No. 1 overall pick this season, intercepting Manning twice in Week 5.

And next in line is Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009.

Aaron Lynch

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Aaron Lynch has been a bright spark in an otherwise disappointing season for the 3-6 San Francisco 49ers.

Jim Tomsula’s team will do well to trouble the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but Lynch can cause them problems.

Pro Football Focus’ Khaled Elsayed ranks Lynch as the eighth-best pass rusher in the league. The outside linebacker has 38 total pressures (sacks, hits and hurries) from 230 attempts at rushing the passer, noted Elsayed.

He has been the 49ers’ most disruptive defensive player, leading the team in sacks with six.

On Sunday he will line up against a Seahawks offensive line that has allowed 33 sacks and 75 quarterback hits, the second-highest total in either category.

Take Lynch’s production and the Seahawks’ offensive line problems and the 22-year-old is set for a big performance.

Kevin Johnson

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Houston Texans cornerback Kevin Johnson has had a fine rookie season.

He was nominated for Rookie of the Week after a Week 8 performance against the Tennessee Titans in which he had an interception, six tackles (two for a loss) and a pass defended.

On Monday night he made one of the biggest plays of his nine-game career, stopping A.J. Green short of the sticks on fourth down to seal the Houston Texans’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Quintin Demps would go on to punch the ball out of Green’s hands and recover the fumble, but Johnson had already done enough to prevent the first down.

Johnson will hope to continue his good form against the New York Jets this weekend.

Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing for the first time since having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.

The injury unsettled Fitzpatrick in his last outing as he completed just 44.1 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions against the Buffalo Bills.

Despite the surgery, Fitzpatrick is still likely to feel some discomfort.

And Johnson is ready to capitalize.