Week 11: Final Bye Week Blues - 6 comments

Week 11 marks the final bye week of the season, and to me, it’s probably been the worst of them all. I’m starting Drew Brees in nearly half my leagues and Ben Roethlisberger in another. I have Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown in multiple leagues — same with Marques Colston, Darren Sproles and Rashard Mendenhall. All that pales in comparison to being without Arian Foster for a week in my main league. At least I don’t have any Colts to bemoan.

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	Score
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	vs. TB	100
2	Tom Brady	NE	vs. KC	85
3	Matthew Stafford	DET	vs. CAR	82
4	Eli Manning	NYG	vs. PHI	80
5	Cam Newton	CAR	at DET	79
6	Tony Romo	DAL	at WAS	78
7	Matt Ryan	ATL	vs. TEN	71
8	Mark Sanchez	NYJ	at DEN	71
9	Philip Rivers	SD	at CHI	70
10	Matt Hasselbeck	TEN	at ATL	65
11	Josh Freeman	TB	at GB	65
12	Tim Tebow	DEN	vs. NYJ	62
13	Carson Palmer	OAK	at MIN	59
14	Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	at MIA	57
15	Tarvaris Jackson	SEA	at STL	52
16	John Skelton	ARI	at SF	51
17	Alex Smith	SF	vs. ARI	51
18	Jay Cutler	CHI	vs. SD	50
19	Vince Young	PHI	at NYG	47
20	Joe Flacco	BAL	vs. CIN	45
21	Christian Ponder	MIN	vs. OAK	44
22	Tyler Palko	KC	at NE	44
23	Andy Dalton	CIN	at BAL	41
24	Sam Bradford	STL	vs. SEA	41
25	Matt Moore	MIA	vs. BUF	40
26	Colt McCoy	CLE	vs. JAC	37
27	Rex Grossman	WAS	vs. DAL	33
28	Blaine Gabbert	JAC	at CLE	25

Start: Mark Sanchez. Often panned as a poor NFL quarterback, Sanchez has actually been surprisingly good in fantasy leagues this season. In fact, with Matt Schaub likely out for the year, Sanchez is now the 12th best fantasy QB in the league, borderline QB1 material. QBs average two TDs against the Broncos, so look for another solid showing by Sanchez tonight.

Sit: Vince Young. Sneaky owners may be thinking about picking Young up and playing him for a week with Michael Vick hurt, but he doesn’t have nearly the upside of the man he’s replacing. Also, the Giants’ forgiving rush defense should put this game in the hands of LeSean McCoy, and with Jeremy Maclin banged up and DeSean Jackson’s feelings hurt, Young’s passing game options aren’t nearly as strong as you’d want them to be.

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	Score
1	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at NYG	99
2	Adrian Peterson	MIN	vs. OAK	98
3	Matt Forte	CHI	vs. SD	88
4	Ray Rice	BAL	vs. CIN	87
5	DeMarco Murray	DAL	at WAS	86
6	Maurice Jones-Drew	JAC	at CLE	83
7	Fred Jackson	BUF	at MIA	82
8	Steven Jackson	STL	vs. SEA	79
9	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at STL	78
10	Michael Turner	ATL	vs. TEN	75
11	Michael Bush	OAK	at MIN	74
12	Ryan Mathews	SD	at CHI	73
13	James Starks	GB	vs. TB	68
14	Reggie Bush	MIA	vs. BUF	67
15	Frank Gore	SF	vs. ARI	66
16	Willis McGahee	DEN	vs. NYJ	65
17	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	vs. PHI	65
18	Chris Johnson	TEN	at ATL	61
19	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	NE	vs. KC	60
20	Maurice Morris	DET	vs. CAR	60
21	Beanie Wells	ARI	at SF	57
22	Lance Ball	DEN	vs. NYJ	55
23	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	at DET	49
24	Mike Tolbert	SD	at CHI	49
25	LeGarrette Blount	TB	at GB	49
26	Cedric Benson	CIN	at BAL	48
27	Roy Helu	WAS	vs. DAL	48
28	Shonn Greene	NYJ	at DEN	47
29	Jackie Battle	KC	at NE	46
30	Dexter McCluster	KC	at NE	43
31	Kendall Hunter	SF	vs. ARI	42
32	Daniel Thomas	MIA	vs. BUF	39
33	Chris Ogbonnaya	CLE	vs. JAC	38
34	Felix Jones	DAL	at WAS	38
35	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	at DET	37
36	Marion Barber	CHI	vs. SD	36
37	Ryan Torain	WAS	vs. DAL	36
38	Danny Woodhead	NE	vs. KC	36
39	Keiland Williams	DET	vs. CAR	32
40	Ryan Grant	GB	vs. TB	32
41	Ronnie Brown	PHI	at NYG	27
42	Toby Gerhart	MIN	vs. OAK	26
43	Justin Forsett	SEA	at STL	26
44	Javon Ringer	TEN	at ATL	25
45	Kregg Lumpkin	TB	at GB	25
46	D.J. Ware	NYG	vs. PHI	25
47	Stevan Ridley	NE	vs. KC	24
48	Kevin Smith	DET	vs. CAR	24
49	Jacquizz Rodgers	ATL	vs. TEN	23
50	Deji Karim	JAC	at CLE	23
51	Bernard Scott	CIN	at BAL	20
52	Tashard Choice	WAS	vs. DAL	20
53	Kevin Faulk	NE	vs. KC	20
54	Joe McKnight	NYJ	at DEN	19
55	Thomas Jones	KC	at NE	18
56	Evan Royster	WAS	vs. DAL	16
57	Ricky Williams	BAL	vs. CIN	15
58	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at MIA	14
59	Taiwan Jones	OAK	at MIN	14
60	Marcel Reece	OAK	at MIN	10

Start: Maurice Morris. You always want to take an RB1 facing the Panthers — even Chris Johnson was able to do damage against them in Week 10, and that’s saying something. Morris is a prime candidate for a 100-yard game with Jahvid Best still sidelined, so don’t hesitate to slip him into your flex spot this week.

Sit: Ryan Torain. After surprisingly starting last week, Torain unsurprisingly struggled. Trying to predict how Mike Shenanihan will use his RBs each week is like trying to win the lottery, so it’s best to avoid using any of Washington’s running backs if you can.

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	Score
1	Wes Welker	NE	vs. KC	91
2	Greg Jennings	GB	vs. TB	90
3	Calvin Johnson	DET	vs. CAR	88
4	Steve Smith	CAR	at DET	87
5	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at SF	85
6	Brandon Marshall	MIA	vs. BUF	84
7	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	vs. PHI	82
8	Dwayne Bowe	KC	at NE	74
9	Vincent Jackson	SD	at CHI	73
10	Anquan Boldin	BAL	vs. CIN	70
11	Brandon Lloyd	STL	vs. SEA	70
12	Roddy White	ATL	vs. TEN	68
13	DeSean Jackson	PHI	at NYG	68
14	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. TB	66
15	Santonio Holmes	NYJ	at DEN	62
16	Denarius Moore	OAK	at MIN	62
17	Sidney Rice	SEA	at STL	61
18	Nate Washington	TEN	at ATL	60
19	Dez Bryant	DAL	at WAS	58
20	Victor Cruz	NYG	vs. PHI	58
21	Steve Johnson	BUF	at MIA	57
22	David Nelson	BUF	at MIA	57
23	Deion Branch	NE	vs. KC	55
24	Percy Harvin	MIN	vs. OAK	55
25	Mike Williams	TB	at GB	55
26	Plaxico Burress	NYJ	at DEN	54
27	Jerome Simpson	CIN	at BAL	53
28	Michael Crabtree	SF	vs. ARI	52
29	Laurent Robinson	DAL	at WAS	50
30	Torrey Smith	BAL	vs. CIN	50
31	Earl Bennett	CHI	vs. SD	50
32	Mario Manningham	NYG	vs. PHI	50
33	Steve Breaston	KC	at NE	50
34	Vincent Brown	SD	at CHI	49
35	Doug Baldwin	SEA	at STL	49
36	Jason Avant	PHI	at NYG	48
37	Damian Williams	TEN	at ATL	48
38	Harry Douglas	ATL	vs. TEN	46
39	Jabar Gaffney	WAS	vs. DAL	45
40	Early Doucet	ARI	at SF	45
41	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at NYG	44
42	Michael Jenkins	MIN	vs. OAK	43
43	Preston Parker	TB	at GB	43
44	James Jones	GB	vs. TB	42
45	Donald Jones	BUF	at MIA	41
46	Ben Obomanu	SEA	at STL	41
47	Greg Little	CLE	vs. JAC	40
48	Braylon Edwards	SF	vs. ARI	40
49	Arrelious Benn	TB	at GB	39
50	Dezmon Briscoe	TB	at GB	39
51	Devin Hester	CHI	vs. SD	38
52	Jonathan Baldwin	KC	at NE	38
53	Darrius Heyward-Bay	OAK	at MIN	38
54	A.J. Green	CIN	at BAL	37
55	Andre Roberts	ARI	at SF	37
56	Mike Williams	SEA	at STL	37
57	Nate Burleson	DET	vs. CAR	36
58	Steve Smith	PHI	at NYG	36
59	Davone Bess	MIA	vs. BUF	36
60	Brian Hartline	MIA	vs. BUF	36
61	Brandon LaFell	CAR	at DET	35
62	Donald Driver	GB	vs. TB	34
63	Andre Caldwell	CIN	at BAL	33
64	Roy Williams	CHI	vs. SD	30
65	Austin Pettis	STL	vs. SEA	30
66	Eric Decker	DEN	vs. NYJ	29
67	Titus Young	DET	vs. CAR	28
68	Lavelle Hawkins	TEN	at ATL	28
69	Johnny Knox	CHI	vs. SD	26
70	Danario Alexander	STL	vs. SEA	26
71	Randall Cobb	GB	vs. TB	26
72	Jason Hill	JAC	at CLE	25
73	Mohamed Massaquoi	CLE	vs. JAC	24
74	Legedu Naanee	CAR	at DET	23
75	Eddie Royal	DEN	vs. NYJ	21
76	Mike Thomas	JAC	at CLE	21
77	Patrick Crayton	SD	at CHI	21
78	Josh Cribbs	CLE	vs. JAC	20
79	Chad Ochocinco	NE	vs. KC	19
80	Brandon Gibson	STL	vs. SEA	18

Start: Denarius Moore. He’s clicking with Carson Palmer, placing him back on the fantasy radar in the second half of the season. Even better for Moore owners, Jacoby Ford has been ruled out this week for the Raiders, while Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield was just placed on the IR.

Sit: Eric Decker. When your quarterback is only completing two passes in a game, it doesn’t bode well for your fantasy outlook moving forward. Decker also has to contend with some pretty good cornerbacks in this week’s game against the Jets. Don’t tempt fate by starting him.

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	Score
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	vs. KC	96
2	Aaron Hernandez	NE	vs. KC	84
3	Jason Witten	DAL	at WAS	83
4	Antonio Gates	SD	at CHI	80
5	Fred Davis	WAS	vs. DAL	78
6	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	vs. TEN	73
7	Jermichael Finley	GB	vs. TB	68
8	Kellen Winslow	TB	at GB	62
9	Greg Olsen	CAR	at DET	60
10	Brandon Pettigrew	DET	vs. CAR	60
11	Jake Ballard	NYG	vs. PHI	58
12	Vernon Davis	SF	vs. ARI	57
13	Ed Dickson	BAL	vs. CIN	55
14	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	at BAL	53
15	Ben Watson	CLE	vs. JAC	51
16	Dustin Keller	NYJ	at DEN	50
17	Brent Celek	PHI	at NYG	45
18	Scott Chandler	BUF	at MIA	43
19	Jared Cook	TEN	at ATL	40
20	Kevin Boss	OAK	at MIN	40
21	Evan Moore	CLE	vs. JAC	39
22	Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	vs. OAK	38
23	Jeremy Shockey	CAR	at DET	36
24	Marcedes Lewis	JAC	at CLE	34
25	Lance Kendricks	STL	vs. SEA	34
26	Delanie Walker	SF	vs. ARI	33
27	Anthony Fasano	MIA	vs. BUF	29
28	Tony Scheffler	DET	vs. CAR	28
29	Leonard Pope	KC	at NE	25
30	Dennis Pitta	BAL	vs. CIN	23

Start: Kellen Winslow. The Bucs are going to have to pass a lot on Sunday, and that should up the targets for Winslow this week.

Sit: Jared Cook. I’m past waiting for a breakout season from Cook, a guy with otherworldly talent that just hasn’t put it all together.

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	Score
1	Dan Bailey	DAL	at WAS	80
2	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	at MIN	80
3	David Akers	SF	vs. ARI	74
4	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	vs. KC	68
5	Jason Hanson	DET	vs. CAR	68
6	Robbie Gould	CHI	vs. SD	67
7	Mason Crosby	GB	vs. TB	67
8	Mike Nugent	CIN	at BAL	64
9	Billy Cundiff	BAL	vs. CIN	64
10	Alex Henery	PHI	at NYG	60
11	Nick Novak	SD	at CHI	59
12	Nick Folk	NYJ	at DEN	58
13	Josh Scobee	JAC	at CLE	58
14	Olindo Mare	CAR	at DET	54
15	Dan Carpenter	MIA	vs. BUF	54
16	Rob Bironas	TEN	at ATL	53
17	Dave Rayner	BUF	at MIA	53
18	Steven Hauschka	SEA	at STL	51
19	Connor Barth	TB	at GB	46
20	Matt Bryant	ATL	vs. TEN	44
21	Graham Gano	WAS	vs. DAL	43
22	Ryan Longwell	MIN	vs. OAK	40
23	Josh Brown	STL	vs. SEA	37
24	Phil Dawson	CLE	vs. JAC	37
25	Ryan Succop	KC	at NE	34
26	Matt Prater	DEN	vs. NYJ	32
27	Jay Feely	ARI	at SF	23
28	Lawrence Tynes	NYG	vs. PHI	21

Start: Mike Nugent. The Bengals-Ravens matchup should be a defensive one, and I expect multiple field goals on both sides.

Sit: Phil Dawson. The Browns-Jaguars matchup should be a defensive one, but either one of these teams could get shut out.

Rank	Team Defense	Team	Opponent	Score
1	Chicago Bears	CHI	vs. SD	80
2	San Francisco 49ers	SF	vs. ARI	78
3	New York Jets	NYJ	at DEN	76
4	Detroit Lions	DET	vs. CAR	69
5	St. Louis Rams	STL	vs. SEA	66
6	Dallas Cowboys	DAL	at WAS	66
7	Seattle Seahawks	SEA	at STL	65
8	Baltimore Ravens	BAL	vs. CIN	65
9	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN	at BAL	63
10	Denver Broncos	DEN	vs. NYJ	61
11	Buffalo Bills	BUF	at MIA	61
12	New England Patriots	NE	vs. KC	54
13	Jacksonville Jaguars	JAC	at CLE	54
14	Minnesota Vikings	MIN	vs. OAK	50
15	Green Bay Packers	GB	vs. TB	49
16	New York Giants	NYG	vs. PHI	48
17	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI	at NYG	47
18	Washington Redskins	WAS	vs. DAL	45
19	Tennessee Titans	TEN	at ATL	44
20	San Diego Chargers	SD	at CHI	43
21	Carolina Panthers	CAR	at DET	42
22	Cleveland Browns	CLE	vs. JAC	38
23	Oakland Raiders	OAK	at MIN	35
24	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	at NE	34
25	Arizona Cardinals	ARI	at SF	33
26	Atlanta Falcons	ATL	vs. TEN	28
27	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB	at GB	25
28	Miami Dolphins	MIA	vs. BUF	25

Start: St. Louis Rams. Tarvaris Jackson is still hurting, and it’s limiting the throws he can make. If the Rams defensive line can step up like they did against the Saints, this could get ugly.

Sit: Philadelphia Eagles. The team has struggled all year and seems very close to giving up on the season. The Giants will be looking for blood, as a win eliminates any chance the Eagles have at coming back in the division.

R.J. White is the head editor at the Cafe, writes for FanDuel and Razzball and has previously written for FanHouse. Catch up with him in the forums under the name daullaz. Follow him on Twitter; don't follow him in real life.

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6 Responses to “Week 11: Final Bye Week Blues”

joejlitz says:

November 17, 2011 at 4:31 pm

Tough week for me this week and I’m gonna have to play some guys that rank low on the ratings, but I think Vincent Brown, Damian Williams, and the JAX defense will all outperform their rankings this week. I hope so, anyway!

Oh! And Gronk is a beast!
Reply
Ted Spencer says:

November 17, 2011 at 7:24 pm

Hi R.J.!

You helped me win my fantasy football super bowl last year we chatted at Fanball!

I am looking for ROS – playoffs (weeks 15/16) DST. I was looking at New England, Cinncinati and Tennessee.

Both Cinncinatti and NE got scooped up this week. What do you think of Tennessee? Or shouylf I just stream one week ahead … maybe starting with Carolina next week?

Do you still do a regular chat … and is so what site can I find you on?

Ted – Winnipeg
Reply
daullaz says:

November 17, 2011 at 7:30 pm

@Ted Spencer: We chat every Sunday at http://www.fanduel.com/insider, starting at 11:30 a.m. ET. The Cafe has held its own Sunday chat during the season as well, and if you spend any amount of time here you know the regulars on this site provide some of the best advice out there.

As for your particular dilemma, Tennessee is a very good playoff pick with games against Indy and Jacksonville. If you feel you’re locked into the playoffs at this point and are just looking for Week 15/16 options, I think you should pick them up. However, if you’re worried at all about your playoff standing, it would be best to stream Ds every week.
Reply
Ted Spencer says:

November 17, 2011 at 8:18 pm

Thanks R.J. … you are right the regs know their stuff … I will try to join the chat either here or at Fanduel on Sunday!

I will stream until clinched! Thanks for the help!

Is there any other DST’s not likely taken you have your eye on for down the stretch?
Reply
daullaz says:

November 17, 2011 at 8:36 pm

@Ted Spencer: The Texans would be a nice pickup if their owner dropped them during the bye.
Reply
Youngsir620 says:

November 19, 2011 at 2:08 pm

vincent brown or steve johnson for this week?
Reply