Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Early Fantasy Lineup Advice for Matchups of Week 11

The 2021 NFL season has moved past the halfway point, and only eight weeks remain. Just as NFL teams are entering the final opportunity for a strong playoff push, fantasy managers are running out of time to make their bids.

Depending on the size of the league, fantasy postseasons could arrive in the next month.

To help get into the fantasy dance—or to ensure you stay in the mix—making the right lineup decisions will be critical. We're here to help sort out those decisions for Week 11 by examining some of the best and worst plays of the week.

To avoid obvious sits, we'll be looking specifically at players rostered in at least 50 percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues, according to FantasyPros.

All picks are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Week 11 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

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Start 'Em

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

Dalton Schultz, TE, Dallas Cowboys

Sit 'Em

Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Adrian Peterson, RB, Tennessee Titans

Devontae Booker, RB, New York Giants

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Jared Cook, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

Start 'Em: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans

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The Tennessee Titans keep beating quality opponents, even after losing star running back Derrick Henry to a foot injury. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been a big part of the winning formula, and he's becoming a strong option in fantasy.

Interceptions have been an issue, as Tannehill has tossed five in the past five weeks. However, Tannehill has also rewarded managers with four rushing touchdowns in that same span.

This week, Tannehill and the Titans face a non-quality opponent. The Houston Texans haven't won since Week 1, and while anything can happen—it's been an upset-themed couple of weeks, after all—the Titans feel likely to run away with this one.

Because Tennessee will likely earn an early advantage, Tannehill may not wow with raw passing numbers. However, he should toss a touchdown or two, and there's a good chance that he scampers into the end zone for a score.

The Texans have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Sit 'Em: Adrian Peterson, RB, Tennessee Titans

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Remember what I just said about the Titans likely getting out to an early lead? That could lead to some quality production from running back Adrian Peterson late in the game. I'm not betting on it, though, as it's become clear that Peterson isn't more than a complementary option.

Yes, Peterson rushed for a touchdown in his Titans debut, but last week, he had just eight carries, one catch and 20 scrimmage yards.

I'm higher on D'Onta Foreman, who happens to be available in more than 90 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. Foreman got the start in Week 10 and finished with two receptions on two targets, carried 11 times and totaled 78 scrimmage yards.

Houston has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, so it may be worth giving Peterson one more chance if other options aren't available. However, I'd recommend targeting Foreman on the waiver wire and swapping the two for this matchup.

Start 'Em: Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

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It may be tempting to avoid the Texans entirely, as their offense ranks dead-last in both yards and points this season. However, wideout Brandin Cooks is still worth a start because of his high PPR floor.

Cooks has caught at least five passes in each of his last four games. He's performed well with both Davis Mills and with Tyrod Taylor under center, but Taylor made it a point to focus on Cooks in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins.

Cooks saw 14 targets in that game and finished with six catches for 56 yards.

We could see similar numbers this week, especially if the Texans do fall behind early. Cooks will almost certainly see double-digit targets if Houston is scrambling to play catch-up. And those targets could turn into production against a mediocre and banged-up Titans secondary.

Tennessee has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season.

Sit 'Em: Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

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The Texans offense has been atrocious. The Cincinnati Bengals offense, meanwhile, has been pretty potent—it ranks ninth in scoring and third in passing yards per attempt. The Las Vegas Raiders defense just coughed up 41 points to the Kansas City Chiefs, so this would seem like a good time to play Bengals wideout Tyler Boyd.

The problem is that Boyd is one of two complementary receivers behind Ja'Marr Chase. Some weeks, Boyd gets the hot hand, and in others, it's Tee Higgins. This has led to six different games in which Boyd has failed to reach 40 receiving yards.

In his last game, Boyd caught just one pass for 11 yards.

The other issue here is that while the Raiders were incapable of slowing Kansas City on Sunday night, they've been good against opposing receivers most of the season. Only six teams have allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing wideouts.

Given Boyd's hit-and-miss nature, I'd look to avoid him this week.

*Fantasy roster information and points allowed via FantasyPros. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.