Week 11 Fantasy Rankings: Alex Smith and Sleeper QBs Who Will Surprise

The fantasy football season is coming down to the wire, and because of that, absolutely every game is vital. Unfortunately, many owners will have to deal with byes for extremely important players in Week 11.

One position in particular that will be affected by byes is quarterback. New Orleans' Drew Brees, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Houston's Matt Schaub will all have the week off, although Schaub is out for the season anyway.

With that in mind, owners are likely to be scrambling to find a one-week replacement at quarterback. Luckily, there is no shortage of options, many of which may be on the waiver wire. Here are three sleeper quarterbacks who will surprise with big performances this weekend.

Josh Freeman—Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman entered the season as a fringe fantasy starter in the eyes of many, but both he and the Buccaneers as a whole have disappointed. Freeman has an awful touchdowns to interceptions ratio of just 9:13 this season in addition to 2,174 yards.

While Freeman has fallen off the fantasy radar of most owners, he could be in for one of his best games of the year this week. The Bucs will be facing the undefeated Green Bay Packers, and while it may not seem like a great matchup on the surface, Freeman will have plenty of opportunities to throw the ball.

For one, the Packers happen to have the league's 31st-ranked pass defense. They looked a lot better against the Minnesota Vikings last week, but it has been a season-long issue. Also, thanks to Aaron Rodgers playing against Tampa's lackluster defense, the Bucs will likely be playing from behind. Because of those factors, Freeman should put up some nice numbers.

Matt Moore—Miami Dolphins

Since taking over the Miami Dolphins' starting quarterback job from the injured Chad Henne, Matt Moore hasn't been particularly explosive. He hasn't played badly, though, and he has actually led the Dolphins to two consecutive victories. His numbers are nothing special, but that could change against the Buffalo Bills this week.

Miami's offense as a whole hasn't been too impressive this year, but Buffalo's defense tends to make most offenses look good. While they have shown the ability to force turnovers, the Bills have hemorrhaged yardage through the air in particular, making Moore a great sleeper option this week.

Moore has over 200 yards passing in consecutive games and he threw for three touchdowns two weeks ago. I would expect his yardage numbers to go up this week against the Bills and three touchdowns isn't out of reach. Dallas' Tony Romo exposed the Bills last week, and while Moore is no Romo, he should have a nice day.

Alex Smith—San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has never been the sexiest fantasy option. That continues to be true this season as he has thrown for just 1,709 yards and 11 touchdowns. Smith doesn't make mistakes, though, as evidenced by his three interceptions, making him a safe and consistent option.

The Niners don't usually pass much, but with running back Frank Gore's status in question for Sunday, Smith may have an expanded role against the Arizona Cardinals. Regardless of whether Gore plays, the 49ers will run the ball with Kendall Hunter, but Arizona's No. 24 pass defense is ripe for the picking.

Smith does have three games with multiple touchdown passes this year, and that seems likely to happen once again on Sunday. I'm not saying Smith will have monster numbers, but with Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards to throw to, he has good enough weapons to be a capable fantasy fill-in.