Seth Vigdor
The second half of the season is upon us and the race for the playoffs is starting to take shape. Every game will start to become must wins for many teams in the league. Let’s take a look at my Week 11 preview.
Here’s my five biggest Fantasy Football storylines heading into Week 11
1. It’s Romo Time
The Dallas Cowboys are beyond spiraling out of control as they’ve opened the season 2-7. However, in their first piece of good news since the first two weeks of the season, Tony Romo will return to the lineup for them this week, as his collarbone has healed. He should be able to kickstart the Cowboys offense immediately and a player like Dez Bryant will become fantasy relevant again. They need a miracle to make the playoffs, but perhaps the bleeding will start to stop this weekend.
2. The Sanchize Way
Mark Sanchez will get the starting nod for the Eagles this week in relief duty for injured Sam Bradford. The Eagles are in a desperate need for a W this week when Tampa Bay heads up to Philly. Sanchez comes into this game with a week full of practice with the starter, so he should look a little sharper this week than he did when he played in the second half against the Dolphins. I love the way that Sanchez keeps the offense moving, as that tempo should’ve been the tempo that we saw when Sam Bradford was in the game. But, for whatever reason, the offense looks like it moves in quick sand under Bradford. The Eagles remain a half game out from the first place Giants, so it’s imperative that they get this win this week.
3. Putting the Wind back in the Windy City
I’ll admit it. I was wrong about Jeremy Langford. He looked very good against a normally tough Rams defense. The Bears as a whole have greatly improved since the start of the season when they started 2-5. They’ve now won two in a row and will look to even their record this week against a tough Broncos team at home. Besides Langford, they’re getting tremendous play out of Alshon Jeffery and their TE, Zach Miller. No, that’s not a typo either. Miller has been the go to TE in recent weeks, not Martellus Bennett. The Bears are still looking up in the standings and in the playoff hunt, but stranger things have happened.
4. Are you paying attention to the Vikings?
I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention to the Vikings, but they’re 7-2 atop the NFC North, leading the Packers by one game. Clearly, a big part of their success this year is the play of Adrian Peterson. On the season, he has 195 carries for 961 yards to go along with five touchdowns. Not to be outdone, is the Vikings defense. While not the most dominant defense in the league, they’ve been tough enough to make the big plays when necessary. With the Packers struggling, the division is there for the Vikings to take. In fact, the Vikings get a huge chance to make a statement when they host those same Packers. This is the Vikings big test to see if they’re for real or not. There’s nothing scary about this Packers team right now, so if there was ever a time for the Vikings to pounce on an opportunity, it’ll be this week. Time will tell if they’re up for the challenge.
5. Rex vs. Belichick
There’s nothing like a good ol’ AFC East, Monday night showdown like one between a Rex Ryan coached team against a Bill Bellichick led Patriots team. This game isn’t about a division title, it’s about showing who is the toughest SOB of coaches is in the league. The Patriots are undefeated at 9-0, while the Bills are 5-4. If breaking the undefeated streak isn’t enough incentive for Ryan and the Bills, he just flat out doesn’t like Bellichick. Bellichick has always gotten the best of Ryan, even in his days as coach for the Jets. In their first matchup of the season, the Patriots won 40-32 in Buffalo. Perhaps, there’s a chance here for Buffalo, as the Patriots just lost Julian Edelman for most likely the rest of the regular season. But, the Patriots find a way to win regardless of who’s playing for them. Can Rex land a gut punch to Bellichick this week? Stay tuned.
Week 11 Byes: Cleveland, New Orleans, NY Giants, Pittsburgh
Each week I will present what I think are the juiciest fantasy matchups at each position. I don’t want to keep you guys waiting, so let’s take a look at the juiciest matchups for Week 11:
Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson (SEA vs. SF) – This tweet from Marshawn Lynch’s agents says it all…
The Seahawks dropped to 4-5 on the season with their loss on Sunday night to the division leaders, Arizona. The Seahawks road back to the playoffs just got way more difficult. Wilson needs to and should have a big game this week against the 49ers.
Carson Palmer (ARI vs. CIN) – Palmer and the Cardinals appear to be on cruise control for the NFC West title. They have a tough matchup against the Bengals this week, but Carson Palmer should still be able to throw a few touchdowns this week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geykhgYKVP4
Blake Bortles (JAC vs. TEN) – Believe it or not, Blake Bortles has been a model for consistency this year, so far. In a game that no one is going to watch, the Jags play the Titans on Thursday Night football. It won’t be pretty, but Bortles should once again be able to produce big time this week.
Wide Receivers
Allen Robinson (JAC vs. TEN) – Robinson has 45 receptions for 758 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. He along with Allen Hurns are the primary focus of Blake Bortles and the Jags offense. Load him up this week in his juicy matchup against the Titans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09pXSXRYL9s
Larry Fitzgerald (ARI vs. CIN) – There’s been a rebirth for Larry Fitzgerald this season. He has 65 receptions for 836 yards and seven touchdowns and is one of the big reasons for why the Cardinals are playing so well. Look for him to keep it going against the Bengals this week.
Jarvis Landry (MIA vs. DAL) – Landry has a nice matchup this week against a Cowboys team that is imploding before our very eyes. I see 80+ receiving yards and one touchdown in Landry’s future this week.
Running Backs
DeVonta Freeman (ATL vs. IND) – The Falcons need to get back in the win colimn and they need to get back to the basics. With that being said, they need to give Devonta Freeman a big workload this week against the Colts. Freeman has 164 carries for 721 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. If they feed him, he won’t let them down.
Charcandrick West (KC vs. SD) – Another player that I was wrong about, is Charcandrick West. He’s been great for the Chiefs and he looks like he’s only getting better as the season progresses. I don’t think that the Chargers will have an answer for him this week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORYXVduH4s
Chris Johnson (ARI vs. CIN) – Chris Johnson has returned from the depths of hell this year to prove that he has some juice left in his tank. He has 166 carries for 734 yards and three touchdowns on the season and I think he gets it going against the Bengals this week. Look for 90+ yards and one touchdown for him this week.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz (PHI vs. TB) – Ertz has been a disappointment this year and it’s not necessarily all of his fault. Chip Kelly for some odd reason has opted not to get him involved in the offense. It boggles my mind, but I think he breaks out this week against the Bucs.
Antonio Gates (SD vs. KC) – Gates has been silent the last couple of weeks, but I expect him to have a nice game against the Chiefs this week. I expect him to find the end zone at least once.
Kicker
Matt Bryant (ATL vs. IND) – I expect the Falcons to put up a lot of points this week against the Colts and I’m looking at 16 fantasy points for Bryant. He should get plenty of work this week.
Defense
Seattle Seahawks (vs. SF) – The Seahawks defense needs to help their offense get in the win column this week against the lowly 49ers. This one could get out of hand and I expect the Seahawks D to punish the Niners offense.
…
Bust of the Week
Andy Dalton (CIN vs. ARI) – Dalton has been great this season, as he’s thrown for 2,423 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Bengals are coming off their first loss of the season and it doesn’t get any easier for them this week against the Cardinals. Look for Arizona’s D to cause all types of chaos for Dalton and the Bengals offense.
…
Daily Fantasy Sports
Each week I will give you my value picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings. Please remember that the salaries are a bit different at each site, so you may not see the same guys on each list because of that. Also, at the end of the day, the final decisions are yours to make, but I’m here to guide you through some value picks. Without further hesitation, let’s get into my DFS value picks for Week 11:
FanDuel
Alex Smith (KC – QB – $6,200) vs. SD – Smith is getting things going now and the Chiefs are starting to heat up. For $6,200 I love him this week.
James Starks (GB – RB – $6,200) vs. MIN – Starks should be pretty active this week against the Vikings in the battle for the NFC North. The price is right for him this week.
Danny Amendola (NE – WR – $6,100) vs. BUF – Julian Edelman is out and Danny Amendola is in. He should get plenty of targets in the coming weeks.
Zach Miller (CHI – TE – $5,000) vs. DEN – Zach Miller has been rockin’ and rollin’ the last couple of weeks. Look for him to remain a target in the Bears offense, so expect a couple more big games from him.
Kansas City (DEF – $4,400) vs. SD– The Chiefs D is coming on strong and Philip Rivers is running out of weapons to throw to. Look for Chiefs to play strong again this week.
DraftKings
Blake Bortles (JAX- QB – $5,900) vs. TEN – Bortles has taken a step forward this year. For $5,900, I wouldn’t hesitate to plug him in a DK lineup.
Charcandrick West (KC– RB – $4,500) vs. SD – I can’t believe that West is only $4,500 this week. This is an absolute no brainer for me.
Michael Crabtree (OAK– WR – $6,000) vs. DET – Crabtree has found his groove out in Oakland. He’s seeing the bulk of targets for the Raiders WR. He’ll be highly productive again this week.
Zach Miller (CHI– TE –$4,000) vs. DEN – See FanDuel response…
New York Jets (DEF – $3,000) vs. HOU – The Jets have been lacking swagger lately, but they should be able to find it this weekand force some turnovers against the Texans.
Good luck this week!
You can stay up to date with everything Fantasy Football related by following me on Twitter (@ViggieSmalls765) and Instagram. I’ll be available on Twitter for upcoming Twitter chats and to give out advice to help guide you through your fantasy season.