NFL Week 11 Fantasy WR Rankings: The Most In-Depth Analysis in the Industry

Week 11 WR Player Rankings

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Rankings for QBs, RBs, and TEs

1. Calvin Johnson (@ Dal) – Megatron and Roddy White are pretty much interchangeable between the No. 1 and No. 2 spot each week nowadays, but with Calvin facing a horrible Dallas defense this Sunday, I can’t help but give him top billing in Week 11.  The Cowboys have allowed the second most receiving TDs in the league this year and are currently on a four-game streak where they’ve given up an average of 307 passing yards and 3.25 TDs a game.  This one should be fun to watch.

2. Roddy White (@ StL) – Like I said, Roddy and Megatron are interchangeable at the top two spots.  The Rams pass D is nothing special, but since they’re not as bad as the Cowboys, Roddy gets No. 2 this week.  At this point, White leads the league in fantasy points and receptions, is second in targets and yards, and is tied for fourth in TDs.  He also happens to play better indoors, so being in St. Louis this weekend shouldn’t affect him too much.

3. Terrell Owens (vs Buf) – Owens has become Carson Palmer’s favorite target, which is evident in the fact that he leads the league in that category.  The Bills don’t give up much in terms of yardage, but they’ve given up the fourth most receiving TDs this year, so TO fantasy owners should be licking their chops over this matchup.

4. Brandon Lloyd (@ SD) – Lloyd is probably the biggest freak show in the NFL right now as he basically came out of nowhere to become the second biggest fantasy point-getter for WRs this year.  It’s not like he’s picking on poor cornerbacks either as just last week, he put up 90 yards and two TDs against one of the best CBs in the game (Brandon Flowers).  San Diego has a stifling defense, but I’m not putting anything past this young phenom anymore.

5. DeSean Jackson (vs NYG) – One of the reasons why DeSean is so effective is because Michael Vick gives him so much time to get open.  With his insane speed, he’s been able to do so on a regular basis and should be able to exploit whatever defense he plays against for the rest of the year.  The Giants can be beaten deep, as shown last week in Dallas, so I expect The Green Blur to catch at least one long one this Sunday night.

WR Fun Fact of the Week:  Of the 36 possible "Third-Year Wide Receiver" breakout candidates, only DeSean Jackson and Steve Johnson (No. 21 this week) rank in the top-25 overall fantasy receivers this year (and DeSean doesn't really count as he already "broke out" last year).

6. Reggie Wayne (@ NE) – This game could end up being quite a passing duel with both Brady and Manning leading the way.  With Manning averaging 290 yards and almost 2.5 TDs a game against the Patriots over the past five years, you’ve got to expect Wayne to be involved one way or another.  Add in the fact that New England owns the third-worst defense against the pass this year and you’re looking at some serious fantasy stats for Reggie on Sunday.

7. Dwayne Bowe (vs Ari) – Bowe is on a streak right now unmatched in the NFL, catching eight TDs in his last five games.  I thought that trend would come to an end last Sunday with Champ Bailey shadowing him all game long, but instead, he put up the best game of his career against him.  Arizona owns the sixth-worst pass D in the league, so watch for another screamer out of “The Gazelle” this weekend.

8. Mike Wallace (vs Oak) – Big Ben loves him some Wallace, and fantasy owners appreciate that love.  Wallace has caught a TD in four of Roethlisberger’s five games so far this year, and though the Raiders don’t give up many yards through the air, they do give up a bunch of TDs.  Nnamdi Asomugha still being gimpy doesn’t hurt the cause either.

9. Greg Jennings (@ Min) – In the four games since Jermichael Finley went down for the year, Jennings has grabbed three TDs while averaging nine targets, 6.25 catches and 92 yards.  In an inter-divisional game against the Vikings this Sunday, I expect him to be used even more than that.

10. Hakeem Nicks (@ Phi) – Asante Samuel will probably be on Nicks this weekend, but Hakeem should be able to work some magic regardless.  In his last game against Philly, Nicks put up 110 yards and a TD, and with Steve Smith sidelined and Ramses Barden out for the year, he’ll be depended on even more going forward.

11. Mike Williams – TB (@ SF) – Williams has become a force in this league despite his rookie status.  The 49ers have been susceptible to the pass this year, and if the Bucs happen to get down to them at all, you can expect Josh Freeman to exploit it.  Though Williams has been great all year, his best games tend to come on the road as he’s scored a TD in each of the Bucs four away games while averaging almost 87 yards.

12. Dez Bryant (vs Det) – Bryant continues to be Jon Kitna’s favorite target as he led the team in receptions, targets and yards for the second week in a row against the Giants last Sunday.  He’s also scored a TD two weeks in a row and in three of the last four games, so ride his coattails while you can.

13. Marques Colston (vs Sea) – Colston should get a ton of targets this Sunday against the fifth-worst pass D in the league, and with the Saints geared up for a stretch run after their bye last weekend, I can see a TD thrown into the mix for Marques as well.

14. Santonio Holmes (vs Hou) – Holmes finally got off the schneid last weekend by scoring the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Browns.  It was also his second week in a row leading the Jets receivers in targets, so Sanchez is obviously pretty comfortable throwing to him.  Against the worst pass D in the league this Sunday, it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect somewhere around 100 yards and a TD out of Santonio.

15. Larry Fitzgerald (@ KC) – KC’s pass D was destroyed last week against Denver to the tune of five passing TDs and 299 yards.  Now Derek Anderson is no Kyle Orton—not by a long shot—but Larry Fitz is just as special as anyone else in the league, so I expect a nice game out of him regardless of Anderson’s accuracy woes.

16. Anquan Boldin (@ Car) – Ahhh…it’s nice to see Fitz and Boldin together again, even if it only comes in the form of my weekly player rankings.  Against a Panthers defense that has given up two TD passes in each of their last three games, Boldin will look to continue his run of TD catches in three of the past four weeks.

17. Percy Harvin (vs GB) – If Brett Favre wants his final game against the Packers to be a memorable one, he’ll have to use Harvin quite a bit to do so.  Hopefully Sidney Rice will return this week to take a bit of heat off Percy’s back, but even if he doesn’t, Harvin should still be able to cause some havoc this Sunday.

18. Andre Johnson (@ NYJ) – Darrelle Revis will likely be shadowing ‘Dre this game, so temper your expectations a bit.  When these two squared off last year, Revis held him to just four catches and 35 yards, but this IS Andre Johnson we’re talking about here, so anything can and usually does happen.

19. Randy Moss (vs Was) – Moss wasn’t used as much more than a decoy against the Dolphins last weekend, but you have to give credit to Miami as they blanketed him pretty well all game long regardless.  The Redskins, however, won’t be able to do so as they own the second-worst pass D in the league in terms of yards and are tied for fourth-worst in TDs allowed.  DeAngelo Hall being a bit gimpy doesn’t hurt Moss’ chances for a big game either.

20. Miles Austin (vs Det) – Austin looks to be getting back on track as he finally caught a touchdown pass last week after going scoreless over the previous four games.  He still doesn’t seem to be on the same page with Kitna, but he at least has a chance to rack up some fantasy points going up against one of the weaker defenses in the league this Sunday.

21. Steve Johnson (@ Cin) – He’s not one of the normal names you hear when the great wide receivers of the league are mentioned, but his QB and teammates sure do love him.  Fitzpatrick continues to targets Stevie more than anyone else as he’s ripped off a six-week stretch averaging just under 10 targets a game.  With that kind of love, it’s tough not to see him scoring most weekends.

22. Braylon Edwards (vs Hou) – There should be enough fantasy points this weekend to go around to all the Jets receivers.  Houston has a real tough time keeping QBs to less than 300 yards a game, so with Edwards acting as the deep threat in this offense, he should be able to come up with a pretty nice statistical day.

23. Brandon Marshall (vs Chi) – Marshall will see his third starting QB of the year this Thursday night, a fact that can actually work into his favor.  The lesser QBs in this league tend to lean on the more established receivers and their tight ends to make up for their shortcomings, so with Marshall being the undisputed stud on offense, he may finally get the stats that people were expecting earlier in the year.

24. Pierre Garcon (@ NE) – Garcon has been a train-wreck so far this year, but something tells me he’ll be breaking out of his funk this weekend.  The Patriots have a woeful pass D, so with Manning likely wanting to stick it to Belichick and his arch-nemesis Tommy Bundchen, Garcon could be in line for a whole bunch of targets come Sunday.  We’ll see what the youngster can do with them.

25. Johnny Knox (@ Mia) – Knox has the most big-play potential on the Bears squad, so with the Dolphins being prone to giving up the big play, you can bet Cutler will be looking Johnny’s way quite a bit this game.  Early week games rarely produce big-time stats, but Knox has a better chance than most to be the one to buck the trend.

26. Hines Ward (vs Oak) – Ward will still get his targets, but ever since Big Ben took over, he’s taken a backseat to Mike Wallace in terms of TDs and yards.  If he’s healthy, (he claims that he is), he could get a little extra action in the offense this week with teams likely sliding an extra guy over to guard Wallace from here on out.

27. Jeremy Maclin (vs NYG) – DeSean Jackson isn’t the only one feeling the effects of Michael Vick being the Eagles QB.  Maclin had himself a nice game last week as well catching four balls for 79 yards and a touchdown while also leading the team in targets.  Vick just loves throwing the rock to these speedsters.

28. James Jones (@ Min) – Donald Driver is still a bit gimpy heading into the Week 11 tilt against the Vikings, so Jones should be making yet another start for the Pack.  He’s been up over the 100-yard mark two of the last three weeks, so it seems Aaron “it out” Rodgers has taken a bit of a liking to him.

29. Chad Ochocinco (vs Buf) – Ochoschizo got himself back in the mix last weekend to the tune of 13 targets, seven catches, 86 yards and a touchdown.  Since he’s been erratic as hell this year, it’s tough to know when he’ll bust out like this, but you could do worse than taking a chance on him this weekend against a Bills team that gives up two receiving TDs per game.

30. Mario Manningham (@ Phi) – Both Steve Smith AND Ramses Barden are gone for the game against the Eagles this week, so look for Manningham to put up close to the same numbers he had in his last game Sunday night (10 catches, 91 yards, one TD).

31. Malcom Floyd (vs Den) – Floyd looks like he’ll be back this week, but it might take a game or two for him to get back up to game-time speed.  However, against a team that just gave up 469 yards and four TDs to Matt Cassel of all people and with Philip Rivers under center, it’s possible he could explode back onto the scene in a big way as well.

32. Blair White/Austin Collie (@ NE) – Whichever one of these two slot receivers ends up getting the start will be just fine as your WR3 in this game.  Check the news coming out of the Colts camp this week at either www.pyromaniac.com or www.ffpharmacy.com to find out which one it is.  The Patriots own a terrible pass D and have a real tough time with players coming out of the slot, so make sure one of these guys is in your lineup on Sunday.

33. Santana Moss (@ Ten) – Moss was held in check pretty well last week by Asante Samuel, and it won’t get much better this Sunday drawing the attention of Cortland Finnegan.  He always has the chance to break a big one off, so if you have to play him this week, don’t be too discouraged.

34. Mike Williams – Sea (@ NO) – I’d love to put Big Mike Williams higher than this, especially after his 11-catch, 145-yard explosion against the Cardinals last week, but the New Orleans pass D is tops in the league, a far cry from Arizona’s 27 th-ranked D.

35. Mike Thomas (vs Cle) – Thomas broke out in a crazy way last week while also making one of the best Hail Mary catches in recent memory to win the game.  Of course, the latter won’t happen again, but he’ll continue to pile up the catches for PPR owners as usual.

36. Michael Crabtree (vs TB) – Troy Smith hooked up with Crabtree yet again last weekend, but the targets and receptions were still a little lacking (five targets, four catches).  They might be able to do it again this Sunday as the Bucs pass D has already given up 15 TDs through the air this year.

37. Nate Washington (vs Was) – With Randy Moss on board, Washington increased his fantasy worth a TON, and it showed immediately last week with Nate catching a touchdown and being targeted nine times (tying his season-high).  The Redskins pass D sucks, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see even better numbers this Sunday.

38. Nate Burleson (@ Dal) – It doesn’t matter to Megatron when he gets double-teamed, but it certainly does to Burleson.  Nate’s been averaging eight targets/game over the past five weeks while scoring in three of those games.  Against possibly the worst pass D in the NFL right now (along with Houston and Washington), close to 100 yards and a touchdown wouldn’t shock me in the slightest.  Feel free to take a chance on him.

39. Steve Breaston (@ KC) – I’ll say it again:  Anyone playing alongside Larry Fitzgerald should be able to put up some decent fantasy numbers, and while Breaston has hardly been setting the world on fire, he has averaged nine targets, five receptions, and 91 yards the last three weeks.  Again, you could do worse with him as your WR3, especially against a beatable KC secondary.

40. Jabar Gaffney (@ SD) – The Chargers are a tough team to get yards against, but they CAN be scored upon.  With Denver being as pass-happy as they are, Gaffney will have just as much of a shot to produce as any of the other receivers on the team not named Brandon Lloyd.

41. Danny Amendola (@ Atl) – Amendola is a real good time for fantasy owners playing in a PPR league, and now he’s even getting into the end zone as he’s scored in each of the Rams last three games.  He’ll never get you a ton of yards, but he’s worth a shot depending on your league’s scoring.

42. Derrick Mason (@ Car) – Mason is starting to make some noise in the Ravens offense.  He’s either caught a TD or put up 100 yards in three of the last four games, so don’t forget about the steadiest wide receiver over the past decade.

43. Lance Moore (vs Sea) – Moore has gotten eight targets each of his last three weeks while averaging six catches a game in that span.  He’s also scored four of his five touchdowns while playing at home, so in a game where the Saints are coming out of their bye week to play the fifth-worst pass D in the league, it’s possible for Moore to accrue some nice fantasy numbers. 

44. Lee Evans (@ Cin) – Evans’ natural talent gives him a chance to explode each and every week.  However, you really have to guess right with him as these games come through about as random as the rain.

45. Patrick Crayton (vs Den) – It’s unclear exactly what the Chargers WR situation is at the moment, but Crayton has done a fine job filling in for all the injuries.  If he happens to get another start this week, he could pull off some decent numbers against an extremely vulnerable Denver secondary.

46. Wes Welker (vs Ind) – Brady got The Slot Machine to start paying out again last Sunday night, and my guess is that he’ll need him to do the same this week against the Colts.  He’s obviously nowhere near his fantasy worth of old at this point, but it’s hard to deny his grit and savvy.

47. Eddie Royal (@ SD) – The Chargers have a tough time covering the middle of the field, and with Orton possibly having to dump the ball off more with more frequency this Monday night, Royal may put up some pretty decent numbers, especially for PPR players.

48. Brandon Gibson (vs Atl) – Gibson slides into my last spot in the WR rankings over guys like Davone Bess, Robert Meachem, Louis Murphy, Anthony Armstrong, Jordan Shipley, and Steve Smith (Car) mostly due to the love Sam Bradford has been giving him lately.  His averages for the past two games are eight targets, seven catches, and 69.5 yards.  Not too shabby if he can add a TD in there somehow.

Week 11 rankings for QBs, RBs, and TEs 

There are no teams with WRs on a bye this week