Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings: Breaking Down Each Position

Now that Week 10 of the NFL season has come to a close, it's time to officially move on to Week 11. For those of you in the hunt for a fantasy football playoff berth, this is an important point in the season.

With Week 11 on the immediate horizon, you may be looking at your last couple of chances to push for or secure a postseason spot. Many leagues start their playoffs by Week 13, and a large majority of fantasy playoffs wrap by Week 16—since some teams tend to not care about fantasy and rest their starters.

We're here to help you prepare for your playoff run with our Week 11 positional fantasy rankings.

We'll be breaking down our picks for the top performers at each position in Week 11. We'll also examine some risers and fallers at each skill position. All of our rankings are based on points-per-reception scoring and on factors like past performances, player health and matchup.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	@ CLE
2	Tom Brady, NE	@ SF
3	Andrew Luck, IND	TEN
4	Drew Brees, NO	@ CAR
5	Cam Newton, CAR	NO
6	Kirk Cousins, WAS	GB
7	Russell Wilson, SEA	PHI
8	Aaron Rodgers, GB	@ WAS
9	Matthew Stafford, DET	JAX
10	Eli Manning, NYG	CHI

Up: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

As he continues to recover from his meniscus injury, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues to gain fantasy value. Roethlisberger, who passed for 408 yards and three touchdowns last week, was not the reason the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys.

If this wasn't evident in Roethlisberger's performance, it was clear in his words after the game.

"We are undisciplined and not accountable," Roethlisberger said, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. "That's why (the Cowboys) are one of the best in the business and we're not right now."

Roethlisberger is going to be motivated this week, and he's going up against a Cleveland Browns defense that is borderline laughable. Cleveland is rated 28th in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.

Expect Big Ben to feast in Week 11.

Down: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

For a guy who has weapons like A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert at his disposal, Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Andy Dalton is a downright fantasy disappointment.

Dalton has thrown just 10 touchdown passes this season, and he has produced multiple touchdowns in four separate games (including rushing scores). On top of that, he has posted only one 300-yard game since Week 2.

On Monday, Dalton connected on a 71-yard strike to Eifert. Yet he still only finished with 204 yards, one touchdown and an interception against the New York Giants.

Don't expect Dalton to find his way this week against the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo is ranked 11th in passing yards allowed with just 242.2 per game.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Oponent
1	DeMarco Murray, TEN	@ IND
2	LeSean McCoy, BUF	@ CIN
3	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	@ CLE
4	LeGarrette Blount, NE	@ SF
5	Davis Johnson, ARI	@ MIN
6	Frank Gore, IND	TEN
7	Mark Ingram, NO	@ CAR
8	Lamar Miller, HOU	@ OAK
9	Jay Ajayi, MIA	@ LA
10	Theo Riddick, DET	JAX
11	Spencer Ware, KC	TB
12	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL	BAL
13	Latavius Murray, OAK	HOU
14	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	NO
15	Jeremy Langford, CHI	@ NYG
16	Jeremy Hill, CIN	BUF
17	Carlos Hyde, SF	NE
18	Doug Martin, TB	@ KC
19	Todd Gurley, LA	MIA
20	Thomas Rawls, SEA	PHI

Up: DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray is an absolute fantasy monster, and he's been doing a little bit of everything for his team.

Murray runs the ball well—he has 930 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He catches the ball just as well, as his 37 receptions, 259 yards and two touchdowns will attest. Heck, he's even been spotted tossing touchdown passes in recent weeks.

The only person who might dislike watching Murray play more than fantasy opponents right now may be former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.

This week, Murray has a prime matchup with the rival Indianapolis Colts. Pro Football Focus rates Indianapolis a mere 29th in run defense for the season so far.

Down: Christine Michael, Seattle Seahawks

There was a point early in the season when it looked like running back Christine Michael might be the next big thing for the Seattle Seahawks.

Michael rushed for 232 yards and two touchdowns over the first three weeks of the season, and he caught seven passes for 36 more yards in that span.

Unfortunately for Michael owners, he has seen his role in the offense shrink as Seattle has worked rookie C.J. Prosise into the rotation more. Michael has carried the ball just 20 times over his last three appearances. Now it seems that Thomas Rawls is set to enter the backfield mix.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll recently stated that Rawls is "practicing to play" this week, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

With Rawls appearing likely to return in Week 11, we've probably reached the end of the line for Michael as a viable fantasy option.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Mike Evans, TB	@ KC
2	Antonio Brown, PIT	@ CLE
3	A.J. Green, CIN	BUF
4	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	CHI
5	T.Y. Hilton, IND	TEN
6	Amari Cooper, OAK	HOU
7	Brandin Cooks, NO	@ CAR
8	Michael Crabtree, OAK	HOU
9	Mike Wallace, BAL	@ DAL
10	Terrelle Pryor, CLE	PIT
11	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	@ MIN
12	Marvin Jones, DET	JAX
13	Julian Edelman, NE	@ SF
14	Michael Thomas, NO	@ CAR
15	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	NO
16	Jamison Crowder, WAS	GB
17	Jordy Nelson, GB	@ WAS
18	Jarvis Landry, MIA	@ LA
19	Doug Baldwin, SEA	PHI
20	Davante Adams, GB	@ WAS

Up: Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. may have gotten off to a slow start in 2016, but he's been an absolute fantasy beast over the past couple of weeks. In games against the Bengals and Eagles, Beckham produced a combined 14 receptions for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

Beckham had 10 catches against Cincinnati alone.

This week, Beckham and the Giants host an inconsistent and often ineffective Chicago Bears defense.

Chicago is allowing an average of 23.9 points per game (19th in the NFL) and is rated 16th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

It might not be realistic to expect Beckham to have another 10-reception outing, but he should still be in line for a strong performance.

Down: Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles wideout Jordan Matthews has been a decent fantasy starter this season—he has 48 receptions for 580 yards so far. However, Matthews has only managed to find the end zone three times, and he hasn't gone over the 100-yard mark since he did it in Week 1.

This week, Matthews has to face the vaunted Seahawks defense, which could hurt his fantasy value quite a bit. Seattle is rated sixth in overall defense and 10th in pass coverage for the season by Pro Football Focus.

Seattle is allowing an average of just 241.7 passing yards per game.

Matthews should still hold some PPR value—he had six catches in each of his last two games—but don't view him as a high-end fantasy starter this week.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Greg Olsen, CAR	NO
2	Jimmy Graham, SEA	PHI
3	Martellus Bennett, NE	@ SF
4	Jordan Reed, WAS	GB
5	Travis Kelce, KC	JAX
6	Zach Miller, CHI	@ NYG
7	Tyler Eifert, CIN	BUF
8	Jason Witten, DAL	BAL
9	Vernon Davis, WAS	GB
10	Delanie Walker, TEN	@ IND

Up: Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins

In case you haven't been paying attention, tight end Vernon Davis has revived his career this season with the Washington Redskins. What's more important is the fact that Davis has remained a starting-caliber fantasy player even after Jordan Reed returned to the lineup.

In the two games since Reed returned from a concussion, Davis has still managed to produce eight receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown.

This week, Davis and the Redskins host the flailing Green Bay Packers, who are rated just 24th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Down(?): Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

We're never going to be down on New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski when he's healthy. The problem is that he may not be healthy or available to play in Week 11.

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that Gronkowski may have suffered a punctured lung during Sunday's loss to the Seahawks and that he may miss a week:

However, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the injury may not be so serious:

The bottom line here is to watch Gronkowski's status in the coming days. If he suits up against the San Francisco 49ers, he's a must-start. If he indeed has a punctured lung, you'll likely need to find a replacement for at least one week.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Adam Vinatieri, IND	TEN
2	Justin Tucker, BAL	@ DAL
3	Wil Lutz, NO	@ CAR
4	Dan Bailey, DAL	BAL
5	Cairo Santos, KC	TB
6	Matt Prater, DET	JAX
7	Sebastian Janikowski, OAK	HOU
8	Robbie Gould, NYG	CHI
9	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	@ SF
10	Dan Carpenter, BUF	@ CIN

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Kansas City Chiefs	TB
2	New England Patriots	@ SF
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	@ CLE
4	Los Angeles Rams	MIA
5	Seattle Seahawks	PHI
6	Arizona Cardinals	@ MIN
7	NY Giants	CHI
8	Washington Redskins	GB
9	Carolina Panthers	NO
10	Minnesota Vikings	ARI