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Writer's pictureCodyJOliver

Ball 'Em or Bench 'Em: Week 11

Between byes and injuries, it's getting thin out there. With De'Andre Hopkins, Aaron Jones, Alvin Kamara, and Eli Mitchell all ruled out for Sunday, and QB Kyler Murray unlikely to play, there are a lot of high-profile players that need replacing in your lineup. Here are who we like and who we don't like for the eleventh week.

Green Bay running back AJ Dillon, New Orleans' Mark Ingram III, and San Francisco's Jeff Wilson Jr are all replacing their starters who are out due to injury. This doesn't mean they will be home runs, but at this point why are we rostering these backups if we aren't going to play them when the starter goes down? Volume alone combined with recent success when given the reigns makes these guys must-starts unless you already have 2 A-list backs.


I'm really high on Tee Higgins this week. "Ball Of The Week", I'll call it now. If Tee could just get a touchdown, which he hasn't since coming back from a hamstring injury week 5, he would be a fantasy force alongside Jamar Chase. The versatility of the Bengals offense complicates where the red zone targets are going, but so far they haven't been going to Higgins. That could change this week, as the Raiders allow a lot of fantasy points to wide receivers and will likely focus their attention on Chase.


Michael Gallup has a great shot to benefit from a shootout with the Chiefs. Mike Williams has been a huge disappointment over the last four outings, but against Pittsburgh today I think the Chargers get their passing game back on track and a healthy (finally) Mike Williams figures to be a part of it. Corey Davis is my flex/WR3 pick for week 11, for those deeper leagues or emergency bye/injury situations. He has a decent matchup with the Dolphins and seems to be the only guy getting reliable targets regardless of who they play, or who the Jets QB is.


I love Pat Freiermuth and this Chargers matchup. Despite a pretty...bad...fumble that led to a tie against Detroit, Freiermuth has 29 targets over his last four starts, culminating in a 21-176-3 line in that span. The rookie has turned into a low-end TE1 and looks to score today to stay fantasy-relevant.


The "Bench 'Em" list...these guys have a rough road to ten points in my opinion. Gibson and Washington in general have been hard to rely on. Collins has been given opportunity in Seattle, but he is completely absent in the pass game and hasn't scored a touchdown since week 6.


CEH coming off IR is great for the Chiefs, but the effectiveness of Darrel Williams in his absence warrants more of a snap share than before and that's dangerous fantasy ground this week. I would play Williams over CEH this week from a confidence standpoint.


Diontae Johnson has a bad matchup against the Chargers and touchdowns are likely to go elsewhere in this game. Jarvis Landry is an attractive option based on target share but the Browns just don't produce fantasy receivers it seems.


Darnell Mooney has emerged as rookie Justin Field's favorite target, and useful in trick-play situations as well, but this matchup against Baltimore might be rough for everyone on the Bears' offense. Kadarius Toney is a fun flex play because, if it's not Golladay it should be Toney getting the targets, but the Giants play Tampa Bay this week and I don't think New York scores a lot in this game.


Dallas Goedert is generally a must-start at TE, and I'm going to start him in a few leagues because I have to. He has a tough matchup against New Orleans and basically if you have a backup tight that you are on the fence about starting over Goedert, you can probably start that guy (Freiermuth, Uzomah, and even Zach Ertz).


Sleepers, these guys I just have a feeling will get some extra looks this week. Eno Benjamin has stepped into the Chase Edmonds role in AZ, and been productive. Someone will score in Tennessee, but who? I think it's Foreman over Peterson or McNichols, and whoever scores will have flex value. Elijah Moore and Bryan Edwards have flex value based on matchups, and Cole Kmet could be the only Bear to score a touchdown (finally, it would be his first of the year).



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