Week 11 Fantasy Football Projections: Top 100 Flex Players and Stat Predictions

As we approach the final stretch of the fantasy football season, it's time to make sure you have your best lineups ready to go.

The trade deadline has passed in most leagues, but there are still ways to improve your team through waivers as injuries and role changes transform a player's stock. Grabbing those players on the rise can make a big difference as you battle for a fantasy football championship.

We lose a few offensive weapons with the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers on bye, but Week 11 still features plenty of stars who can help you out. Here is a look at rankings at each position heading into the week.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Tom Brady	Patriots	at SF	24
2	Cam Newton	Panthers	NO	23
3	Drew Brees	Saints	at CAR	22
4	Ben Roethlisberger	Steelers	at CLE	20
5	Marcus Mariota	Titans	at IND	20
6	Aaron Rodgers	Packers	at WAS	20
7	Andrew Luck	Colts	TEN	19
8	Russell Wilson	Seahawks	PHI	19
9	Matthew Stafford	Lions	JAX	19
10	Kirk Cousins	Redskins	GB	19

It's time to finally give Marcus Mariota the credit he deserves. The Tennessee Titans quarterback has 17 passing touchdowns in the last six games, plus two rushing touchdowns in this stretch.

Although the opponents weren't always great, his four-touchdown effort against a solid Green Bay Packers defense shows this recent explosion was for real. Then again, he didn't really want to take too much credit for his strong play.

"It was a combination of a lot of things," Mariota said Sunday, per Jim Wyatt of the team's official site. "The guys up front did a great job of giving us some time, and the receivers did an unbelievable job all day of creating separation, winning their one-on-one matchups. Really, for me, I was just kind of dinking and dunking and letting those guys make plays."

Regardless of who deserves the credit, the second-year quarterback is putting up incredible numbers, and there is no reason this shouldn't continue against a questionable Indianapolis Colts defense.

Conversely, fantasy owners will hope Tom Brady's next game will be nothing like his last one. While he threw for 316 yards against a tough Seattle Seahawks secondary, he ended up with zero touchdowns, as LeGarrette Blount scored three times on the ground.

It's not always easy to predict touchdowns, but Brady gives himself more chances than others to score and will usually have a lot of yards to go with it. This will especially be true against the San Francisco 49ers.

With Ben Roethlisberger showing he is once again healthy, he should also have a big game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. 

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	David Johnson	Cardinals	at MIN	16
2	Ezekiel Elliott	Cowboys	BAL	16
3	Le'Veon Bell	Steelers	at CLE	15
4	DeMarco Murray	Titans	at IND	15
5	LeGarrette Blount	Patriots	at SF	14
6	Jay Ajayi	Dolphins	at LA	12
7	LeSean McCoy	Bills	at CIN	12
8	Lamar Miller	Texans	at OAK	12
9	Jordan Howard	Bears	at NYG	12
10	Spencer Ware	Chiefs	TB	11
11	Jonathan Stewart	Panthers	NO	11
12	Theo Riddick	Lions	JAX	10
13	Latavius Murray	Raiders	HOU	10
14	Frank Gore	Colts	TEN	10
15	Todd Gurley	Rams	MIA	10
16	C.J. Prosise	Seahawks	PHI	10
17	Robert Kelley	Redskins	GB	10
18	Carlos Hyde	49ers	NE	9
19	Mark Ingram	Saints	at CAR	9
20	Doug Martin	Buccaneers	at KC	9
21	James White	Patriots	at SF	9
22	Jeremy Hill	Bengals	BUF	9
23	Terrence West	Ravens	at DAL	9
24	Giovani Bernard	Bengals	BUF	9
25	James Starks	Packers	at WAS	8
26	Ryan Mathews	Eagles	at SEA	8
27	Isaiah Crowell	Browns	PIT	8
28	Matt Asiata	Vikings	ARI	8
29	Chris Ivory	Jaguars	at DET	8
30	Rashad Jennings	Giants	vs. CHI	8

The amazing thing about the NFL season is seeing roles change so fluently even past the halfway point of the year. Injuries usually cause changes in the depth chart, but several running backs have seen an increase in playing time and touches just from outperforming their counterparts.

One of those players is C.J. Prosise, who has clearly overtaken Christine Michael in the Seahawks backfield. Sheil Kapadia of ESPN noted how well the rookie performed in Week 10:

Head coach Pete Carroll summed it up best, per Stephen Cohen of Seattle PI:

Michael had been a top fantasy option for much of the year thanks to his ability to get into the end zone, but he can't be trusted any more after earning just six touches Sunday night. However, Prosise appears to be a quality player in both points-per-reception and standard leagues.

Robert Kelley has also moved up rankings charts after totaling 97 rushing yards on 22 carries against a tough Minnesota Vikings front. The fact Matt Jones was a healthy scratch truly showed this is now Kelley's job to lose.

The Packers loom in Week 11, but they are struggling as a team, and Kelley now has a big enough workload to make him a reasonable starting option.

Matchups could play a role at the top of the rankings with both David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott facing quality run defenses next week. However, anyone who has watched these two stars this season know it takes a whole lot to stop them. Betting against them would be a poor decision.

Le'Veon Bell or DeMarco Murray might end up with better games, but you still shouldn't pick either over Johnson or Elliott any time soon.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Antonio Brown	Steelers	at CLE	14
2	Odell Beckham Jr.	Giants	CHI	14
3	Mike Evans	Buccaneers	at KC	13
4	A.J. Green	Bengals	BUF	13
5	Jordy Nelson	Packers	at WAS	13
6	T.Y. Hilton	Colts	TEN	12
7	Allen Robinson	Jaguars	at DET	12
8	Amari Cooper	Raiders	HOU	12
9	Dez Bryant	Cowboys	BAL	12
10	Stefon Diggs	Vikings	ARI	11
11	Kelvin Benjamin	Panthers	NO	11
12	Davante Adams	Packers	at WAS	11
13	DeAndre Hopkins	Texans	at OAK	11
14	Brandin Cooks	Saints	at CAR	11
15	Julian Edelman	Patriots	at SF	10
16	Larry Fitzgerald	Cardinals	at MIN	10
17	Jarvis Landry	Dolphins	at LA	10
18	Golden Tate	Lions	JAX	10
19	Terrelle Pryor	Browns	PIT	10
20	Michael Crabtree	Raiders	HOU	10
21	Donte Moncrief	Colts	TEN	9
22	Kenny Britt	Rams	MIA	9
23	Michael Thomas	Saints	at CAR	9
24	Rishard Matthews	Titans	at IND	9
25	Tyreek Hill	Chiefs	TB	9
26	Steve Smith	Ravens	at DAL	8
27	Doug Baldwin	Seahawks	PHI	8
28	Jamison Crowder	Redskins	GB	8
29	DeVante Parker	Dolphins	at LA	8
30	Willie Snead	Saints	at CAR	8

When Roethlisberger is healthy, Antonio Brown is arguably the top receiver in football. The duo was back in business Sunday, connecting 14 times for 154 yards and a touchdown.

After a brief intermission, Brown is once again the top option at the position in all fantasy leagues.

Among the players moving up on this list is Stefon Diggs, who finished with 13 catches last week for the second game in a row. Per ESPN Stats and Info, it was the first time in NFL history someone has reached this mark in consecutive games.

Those in standard leagues haven't gotten as much production from him as those in PPR leagues, but he is still racking up yards, and the scoring is going to come around soon.

Also on the rise is Tyreek Hill, who got more playing time with Jeremy Maclin injured. The Kansas City Chiefs rookie had 10 catches for 89 yards Sunday while also adding 12 rushing yards. These numbers aren't likely to turn a lot of heads on their own, but he is clearly a big part of the team's offense at this point and has plenty of talent.

With an upcoming matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he should be in most lineups.

The same could be said about Rishard Matthews, who now has four touchdowns in his last three games and six scores in his last six games. Even without topping 70 receiving yards in this stretch, this hot streak has been going on too long to ignore.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Greg Olsen	Panthers	NO	10
2	Jordan Reed	Redskins	GB	10
3	Jimmy Graham	Seahawks	PHI	9
4	Delanie Walker	Titans	at IND	9
5	Martellus Bennett	Patriots	at SF	9
6	Travis Kelce	Chiefs	TB	8
7	Tyler Eifert	Bengals	BUF	8
8	Kyle Rudolph	Vikings	ARI	7
9	Zach Miller	Bears	at NYG	7
10	Jason Witten	Cowboys	BAL	7

Week 10 was a weird one for tight ends, as backups seemed to steal the show at every corner. Vernon Davis outscored Jordan Reed, and Martellus Bennett did the same to Rob Gronkowski.

There were also plenty of touchdown vultures, as Seth DeValve, Darren Waller, Anthony Fasano and others scored to the benefit of no one's fantasy team.

Gronkowski will likely miss the week due to a punctured lung, as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. This will give Bennett a chance to put up even bigger numbers while filling in for New England.

On the other hand, the rest of the position features players you have to trust based on past consistency and role within their offense. This includes Reed as well as Greg Olsen and Jimmy Graham, all of whom are looking to bounce back from mediocre performances this past week.

Zach Miller could also see a boost with Alshon Jeffery being suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com.

The team lacks too many other options in the passing game, which could make Miller a target monster with a lot of opportunities for yards and scores.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Kansas City Chiefs	TB	9
2	New England Patriots	at SF	9
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	at CLE	9
4	Miami Dolphins	at LA	8
5	Seattle Seahawks	PHI	8
6	New York Giants	CHI	8
7	Arizona Cardinals	at MIN	8
8	Detroit Lions	JAX	7
9	Buffalo Bills	CIN	7
10	Minnesota Vikings	ARI	7

The Denver Broncos are on bye, and the Minnesota Vikings have struggled immensely lately, leaving plenty of fantasy owners to scramble for new options at the position.

What we continue to learn is who you are playing matters more than the defense itself. The Buccaneers haven't had a great defense this season, but they scored 25 points in standard leagues thanks to Jay Cutler's struggles throwing the ball.

The New York Giants should be a big beneficiary of facing Cutler in Week 11, even on a short week.

Additionally, the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins have a combination of strong play in recent weeks to go with favorable matchups, leaving what could be huge performances from a fantasy perspective.

It's not always easy to predict touchdowns, but any time you can challenge bad offensive lines and inconsistent quarterbacks, you have a winning formula.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Adam Vinatieri	Colts	TEN	8
2	Justin Tucker	Ravens	at DAL	8
3	Cairo Santos	Chiefs	TB	8
4	Caleb Sturgis	Eagles	at SEA	7
5	Stephen Gostkowski	Patriots	at SF	7
6	Dan Bailey	Cowboys	at PIT	7
7	Wil Lutz	Saints	at CAR	7
8	Matt Prater	Lions	JAX	6
9	Sebastian Janikowski	Raiders	HOU	6
10	Steven Hauschka	Seahawks	PHI	6

As usual, all you can hope for with kickers is consistency. This keeps Adam Vinatieri on top as the best kicker in the league this season, getting plenty opportunities to shine.

Cairo Santos also moves up after an impressive streak with 11 made field goals over the last three games. The Chiefs offense isn't perfect, but it is doing enough to help Santos rack up plenty of points.

With top options like Matt Bryant, Josh Lambo and Brandon McManus on bye, fantasy owners will have to find someone else to help them this week. 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.