Fantasy Football Week 11: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

Week 11 of the fantasy football season is wrapping up, and it’s time to go over some of the key takeaways from Sunday’s action. We’re now just two full weeks of football away from the fantasy playoffs, so we’re now watching with a careful eye to gain any possible lineup advantage in the home stretch.

Unfortunately, more injuries top this week's news stream, including an injury suffered by (arguably) the best fantasy player of the year: Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman. We have more on the impact Freeman’s injury has on backup running back Tevin Coleman from a fantasy perspective.

There were also two key injuries suffered by Baltimore Ravens offensive players today: quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Justin Forsett. The injuries paint a dreary picture for Baltimore and decimate the team’s overall fantasy value.

We also have more on a running back whose name you should get to know—even if knowing it won’t fully help you until next season—and another running back who just won’t go away (in a good way).

We’ll go over all of these takeaways and more, starting with Freeman’s injury and what fantasy owners should expect from his backup, Tevin Coleman.

Devonta Freeman’s Injury Shines Light on Tevin Coleman

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Tevin Coleman

Atlanta Falcons running back and 2015 fantasy sensation Devonta Freeman left Sunday’s game with a concussion and did not return. His exit opened the door for rookie running back Tevin Coleman to strut his stuff, and while Coleman failed to wow, Sunday proved there’s a chink in Freeman’s armor.

As of this writing, the extent of Freeman’s injury—i.e. his timetable—is unknown, but it’s safe to assume his status for the next couple of games is up in the air. If concerns over Freeman’s injury linger, Coleman will become a top free-agent add this week. If Coleman does start in Freeman’s place next week, he could be a major boon for fantasy teams that need a win to make it to the playoffs.

Coleman gained just 48 yards on 17 carries—compared to the 43 yards on three carries Freeman gained before exiting (please get healthy soon, Freeman!)—but the fact Coleman was given 17 carries immediately gives him RB2 appeal should he start in Freeman’s place next week (and beyond).

Coleman will need to hold on to the football if he wants to continue to be fed the rock—he lost a costly fumble on Sunday, and another fumble could send him to the bench—but this is certainly the top situation worth monitoring throughout the week.

Romo’s Return Doesn’t Hurt McFadden’s Value in Dallas

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Darren McFadden

There was some concern the return of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would mean Darren McFadden—who had become a workhorse for the Cowboys in recent weeks—wouldn’t be asked to do as much. The school of thought held that McFadden was only being leaned on because the Cowboys didn’t have a quarterback they could trust to carry the offense.

It turns out McFadden will be just as much of a force with Romo under center, which means you can trust him as an RB1 for the rest of the season.

McFadden carried the ball 29 times on Sunday—a season-high—and gained 129 yards (his second-highest total of the season). He tacked on three receptions to put up over 30 total touches.

McFadden did not find the end zone—which is something he hasn’t done since Week 7 and has only done twice this season—but with 25-plus touches per game, it’s impossible to sit McFadden in fantasy.

It was good to see he will remain a key part of the offense even with Romo back. And Romo will get the Cowboys in scoring position more often, which means McFadden should start to hit pay dirt over the next several weeks.

Injuries to Flacco, Forsett Doom Baltimore’s Fantasy Value

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Joe Flacco

The Baltimore Ravens won on Sunday, but it came at a cost. The team lost both quarterback Joe Flacco (to a torn ACL) and running back Justin Forsett (to a broken arm) for the rest of the year, per NFL.com.

In truth, neither player was a dominant fantasy force in 2015. Forsett was a serviceable RB2, and Flacco was a streaky quarterback who rarely threw for more than one touchdown in a game. So far this season, Forsett was the 20th highest-scoring running back and Flacco was 12th among quarterbacks, per ESPN.com.

Flacco had more games with zero or one touchdown (six) than he had with two or more touchdowns (four), and Forsett had just two scores on the whole season. They were, however, the two key players left in a Baltimore offense that already saw its leading wideout (Steve Smith) suffer a season-ending injury.

The Ravens just can’t catch a break this year.

The slew of injuries have decimated Baltimore’s fantasy value. Kamar Aiken, who has shown promise as a flex player and is currently on a three-game streak with at least five receptions and 50-plus yards, slides back onto fantasy benches with Matt Schaub—Flacco’s replacement—in at quarterback. Additionally, Crockett Gillmore had flashed tail-end TE1 potential, but that won’t come to fruition this season.

Speaking of Schaub, he does have some fantasy value—just not the good kind. Schaub should not be owned in any fantasy leagues, but you should pay attention to who he is starting against each week from here on out. The reason? You’ll want to start any D/ST that gets to face this Schaub-led Baltimore offense.

The only player left in Baltimore worth starting at this point is kicker Justin Tucker, who still ranks in the top 10 in terms of fantasy points.

Dominant Performances for Calvin Johnson on the Horizon

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Calvin Johnson

Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson has been quieter in 2015 than we are used to—he’s currently putting up WR2 numbers, but we've grown accustomed to dominant WR1 stats from Megatron—but he has one of the safest floors in fantasy and could be in line for some massive games down the stretch.

Johnson has at least five receptions in every game save for Week 1 this season, and he has gained at least 55 yards in each one of those games. Over the past five weeks, he has at least 80 yards in each game. He hit that floor again on Sunday, catching five passes for 88 yards.

He has, however, failed to score since Week 7, and he only has three touchdowns on the season. But with games against the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers spread out over the next several weeks, Johnson should start to put up the big numbers we are used to. Each one of those three teams ranks in the bottom 10 in terms of fantasy points allowed to wideouts this season, per ESPN.com.

Johnson also has a game against the Green Bay Packers on the schedule, and that game could turn into a shootout. In fact, the only matchup worth worrying about for Johnson from here on out is a Week 14 tilt against the St. Louis Rams, who have given up the second-fewest fantasy points to wideouts this year, according to ESPN.com.

Thomas Rawls Is a Name We Should Get to Know

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Thomas Rawls

Seattle Seahawks backup running back Thomas Rawls carried the ball 30 times for 209 yards on Sunday, and he added another three touches through the air for 46 yards. He scored twice—once through the air and once on the ground—en route to a 36-point fantasy performance, 13 points ahead of any other running back this week.

This wasn’t Rawls’ first impressive game of the season. In spelling Marshawn Lynch earlier this year, Rawls had games of 169 rushing yards and 104 rushing yards as well. He carried the ball 23 times in the 169-yard effort. That means Rawls has two games this season with at least 23 rushes; Lynch has only one.

Here’s another nugget, from Chris Wesseling of NFL.com: “Marshawn Lynch never rushed for 160+ yards in a game. Undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls has done it twice since the start of October.”

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk thinks this is bad news for Lynch’s future. He tweeted: “Marshawn Lynch makes $9M next year. Thomas Rawls makes $525,000. See ya later, Marshawn.”

Maybe we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, but all signs point to the fact we should begin to familiarize ourselves with Rawls. Odds are he will be the backup again once Lynch returns this season, but it’s entirely possible he’s earned himself a handful of touches per game. In 2016 and beyond, maybe it will be his backfield.

DeAndre Hopkins Is the Best Wideout in Fantasy Football

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DeAndre Hopkins

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is the best wideout in fantasy football this season. You could certainly argue for Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons and Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Hopkins has done an equal amount of damage with considerably less help.

In Week 11, Hopkins had his fifth game of the season with at least 100 receiving yards. He also had his third multi-touchdown game of the year. And it came against Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets, no less.

Like Calvin Johnson, Hopkins also has one of the safest floors in fantasy. He has at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards in every single game this year, and he has scored six touchdowns over the past five weeks.

Additionally, his schedule for the remainder of the fantasy season is to die for. Hopkins and the Texans will play against the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans from Weeks 12-16. Each one of those teams, save for the Titans, ranks in the bottom 12 in terms of stopping wideouts from scoring fantasy points this season, per ESPN.com.

That schedule vaults Hopkins to the top of the wideout rankings for the rest of the season.