Fantasy Football Pitfalls: Week 11

I’m going to look at the matchups each week and pick five fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week.  Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

Quarterback

Philip Rivers - Rivers is in the midst of a fantastic season.  He has thrown a TD in every game this year, with five games of three TDs.  He hasn’t faced a defense like Pittsburgh’s yet though. The Steelers will do their best to slow down the passing attack.  This could be a week that LT’s feet are relied upon more than Rivers’ arm.

Running Backs

Marion Barber III - Washington is coming off a bye, which should have their defense nice and fresh. They have had one of the best Run D’s in the league allowing just 80.7 yards per game and six rushing TDs.  If Tony Romo is back, it may take him some time to get back in a rhythm. If he’s not back then the Skins can stack the box against MB3.

Maurice Jones-Drew - MJD has been better in recent weeks, but he’s still not having the breakout season many expected, especially considering the reduced role of Fred Taylor.  He scored three times last week, but Tennessee will provide a much stiffer test for the Bowling Ball. 

Wide Receivers

Plaxico Burress - Plax gets to follow his tough matchup with Philadelphia with a tough one against Baltimore. That is not a fun two-step. Next week he gets some relief in Arizona, but this week his owners may have to look elsewhere.

Bernard Berrian - Berrian has been playing extremely well since Gus Frerotte took over. He didn’t catch a pass last week.  It won’t get easier as he draws a tough matchup this week when the Vikings travel to Tampa Bay. 

They are also coming off a bye and have allowed just 190.1 ypg. They have given up a dozen TDs through the air though so his owners can remain a little optimistic.