Who To Start, Who To Sit–Week 11
Since I am writing this on Veterans’ Day let me take a quick second to say one thing to anyone who has served this country. THANK YOU. To anyone who has been at war or is in the Armed Forces you have my utmost respect. The commitment it takes to leave your family and life behind to fight for this country is unbelievable. You are all better men and women than I am. I know right away that I would be unable to do such things. There is no greater sacrifice than those who have given their life in service of America, and to those who are currently serving or may be again in the future you have my respect and my prayers that you come home safely.
Quarterbacks
Start: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos. This is not your usual rookie quarterback folks. This team won four games all last season, and they have already won more games than in 2007 and are in serious contention for a division title. Given the turmoil and distractions this team faced last year, owner Arthur Blank better be kneeling down and thanking God for this kid every night before he goes to sleep. The Broncos have proven week after week that their defense is what is stopping them from being serious contenders. They couldn’t stop Quinn and the Browns last week, and they won’t be able to stop Ryan, Roddy White and the Falcons in Week 11.
Start: Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints. OK, if your choice is Drew Brees or Tyler Thigpen, I’m still saying Drew Brees. But if you choice is let’s say someone like Eli Manning or Jake Delhomme, you might want to give this kid a look. I’ve been able to watch the Chiefs some the past couple of weeks (Thank God for DirecTV), and he actually has shown a good deal of ability, poise, and swagger. I’m not saying he’s Johnny Unitas or anything, but against a bad defense he certainly has the ability to put up some numbers. And he faces a bad Saints defense this week. Matt Ryan spent last week torching the Saints like he was at a pyromaniacs convention, and I expect Thigpen to throw two scores this week, one to Tony G, and the other to Mark Bradley or Dwayne Bowe.
Sit: David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans. Anyone who has been with me all season long knows I am not at all a fan of David Garrard. I think he is a decent (at best) real quarterback, and a below average fantasy QB. The guy has taken every snap for his team this year and has thrown eight touchdown passes, four of which came in two games. That means he has two in the other nine games his team has played. Yuck! He did get two last week which might make people think he is decent again, but please stay away from this guy. He will have you rooting for him to just throw one touchdown pass, and if he was to get two you should be dancing in the street. The Titans are bad news for Garrard and your fantasy team.
Sit: Brady Quinn, Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills. All the talk radio and the media had a field day second guessing putting Quinn in as the starter despite the short week of practice to face the Broncos. I hope they are all eating their words now, because even though the Cleveland defense got undressed by Jay Cutler, Quinn still had a very impressive debut. However, this week he won’t be facing a Broncos defense who had most of their defensive playmakers in street clothes watching the game. Granted, the Bills have underperformed this year, but they still have a good defense, and playing a game up in Buffalo on the road is usually no joke. I expect the Bills to come prepared for a Monday Night game, and for Quinn to throw for a max of 225 yards and one score.
Running Backs
Start: DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions. Everyone, including me, expected to see this guy riding the pine by this point of the season, but due to his own great play and ineffectiveness and injury to Johnathan Stewart, Williams has all of a sudden become a valuable fantasy back. For those of you who showed patience, or just happened to be lucky that someone cut ties with him early, be ready to get him into your lineups as the Panthers face the Lions. Do I need to say any more? Williams is 10th in the league in rushing, and should pad those stats against perhaps the worst defense ever put on the field. Look for another 100 yard game and a score.
Start: Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans. I know a lot of you are concerned about Addai’s health after he missed almost three full games and then has thrown up two total stinkers since he came back. But let’s take a closer look at things. He did face the Patriots and the Steelers, two teams in the top ten in defense against the run. So even if he was healthy he could have had these two poor games. This week he gets the Texans who are NO where near the top 10 in any defensive category. If Addai struggles again, then I will sound the alarm, but right now I feel pretty confident starting him in Week 11. He had 71 yards rushing and a touchdown in the first meeting against the Texans.
Sit: Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears. Grant has finally started to look like the guy that we all thought he would be coming into the season. His last four games have all been over 75 yards and he has scored twice. He rushed good against the tough Vikings run defense, but I don’t see it happening again against the Bears defense. Chicago allows only 75 yards a game, and look for Grant to run for less than that and not reach the end zone.
Sit: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets. Ok, so part of me just wanted to type out BenJarvis Green-Ellis. It is one of my favorite names of all time. When I think of great football names, BenJarvis comes right to the top of my head. But seriously, Green-Ellis has become a legitimate fantasy option due to the string of injuries to the Pats rushing attack. Well, this week they have a grudge match against the rival Jets. Unfortunately for BJGE the Jets are fifth best in the NFL against the rush, so unless you are at the point where you don’t have any other options, sit Green-Ellis this week.
Wide Receivers
Start: Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Diego Chargers. Ward has been one of the more reliable and consistent receivers in the NFL over the past decade, and although he has struggled some in the last year and a half this week he looks like he should be a good play. Even though Big Ben has had a really rough time with injuries this season, he still has always had a good relationship with Ward. The Chargers are the worst pass defense in the NFL and have allowed an amazing 17 passing touchdowns in just nine games. You can expect Roethlisberger to have two scores this week, one of which should go to Ward.
Start: Steve Breaston, Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals passing offense has been one of the best in football, and Breaston has been no small reason. The guy who started the season as a kick returner has now turned himself into a viable third receiver. Breaston has gone over 100 yards in three of the past four weeks, although he has just one receiving touchdown. But the Seahawks are the SECOND worst defense against the pass, and to say that Kurt Warner might throw for 400 yards isn’t out of the question. I expect Breaston to get between 75-125 yards and finally score another touchdown.
Sit: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Despite the fact that Carson Palmer has missed the majority of the season, Houshmandzadeh hasn’t missed a beat. The Housh is third in the NFL in receptions with 61 even though he only has three receptions. He should struggle this week due to the fact that I see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick having a real hard time dealing with the pressure that the Eagles defense is sure to put on him. Look for Housh to top out at 5 catches for 65 yards, and I would be very surprised to see him find pay dirt.
Sit: Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants. Although he suffered an injury in the first half of last week, he was able to return to the game and should play this week. However, the Giants defense has been stifling and dominating for the majority of the season. I think that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnola will throw a whole hell of a lot of pressure at rookie Joe Flacco, and he should have one of his worst games as a pro. If the QB throws for 150 yards, that doesn’t bode well for Mason. Look for a max of fifty yards and no scores.
Tight End
Start: Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons. Scheffler finally returned to action last week, and right from the very beginning of the game it looked like he never left. Cutler and Scheffler have a great relationship and heis a great safety valve for his quarterback. Scheffler is great at catching the ball over the middle and is one of the top five to seven tight ends. The Falcons are 22nd in the NFL against the pass, which is a great sign for Jay Cutler, which in turn is great for Scheffler.
Sit: Owen Daniels, Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts. Daniels is having a great season at tight end for the Texans, however this week against the Colts it doesn’t look like he will have a good game. The Colts allow under 200 yards a game, and have amazingly only allowed two passing touchdowns all season long. With Sage Rosenfels and his high flying twirling act behind center, don’t expect Daniels to have a great game, and don’t expect him to find the end zone.
Finally this week I am looking for a little bit of feedback from those of you who read my work. For the first ten weeks of the season I have been putting out the same articles every week. The Start/Sit article, On The Radar for waiver wire help, Fantasy Football Game of the Week, Team Defense Rankings, and the Kid, Cane, and Old Timer pick ‘em series. I am more than happy to continue to put out these articles on a weekly basis. However, I was recently thinking, would my readers be better served if I put out a daily news article instead of what I have been doing. Would you guys (and girls) rather have a daily update of who’s hurt, who’s playing, any changes in depth charts, etc. So, I leave it up to you folks. Would you rather me continue the content I have been doing or change it up and try to be more newsy? Please leave a comment or email me at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.
As always your comments or questions (adds/drops, trade advice, lineup questions, etc) are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Winners & Losers Recap…
Taking on this task of identifying those over performers and under performers from the previous week…
hi ryan….thx for all your fine advice….need some more….as for RB in week 11 , i need 2….mjd-lendale-mewelde or bjgreen-ellis………………as for WR…need 3 out of ..calvin johnson-reggie wayne-roddy-nate wash-michael jenkins….as for DST i have NYG and ariz..which do you think for this week???thanks..greg
Greg,
I would go with LenDale for one against Jax. And your other one is a tough call. Mewelde should be a non factor as Parker is supposed to play. Jones-Drew gets the Titans and BJGE gets the Jets two tough run defenses. I guess i would go with Jones-Drew because he is the best of the bunch and Matt Forte of the Bears had a decent game against the Titans last week. Not real confident about the pick, but it is where I would go.
Three receivers I would go with Calvin, Wayne, and Roddy White. Wayne and White get great matchups and Calvin is just a great receiver. Not sold enough that Nate or Jenkins would be as consistent as those three.
On defense I would go with the Giants. I know that Arizona has a good matchup against Seattle, but NY is playing Baltimore who isn’t exactly the Greatest Show On Turf. I think they will throw a ton of pressure at rookie Joe Flacco and I see a bunch of sacks and probably a pick or two from the young kid. With Hasselbeck returning this week there is a chance that Seattle might get back to form. I doubt it for this week, but there is a chance.
Thanks for writing in, and don’t forget to weigh in on my question above. Thanks Greg.
Ryan
Hey Ryan, I really like the articles you do. I will say, in all honesty I really liked news article you did for baseball and would love to see it in football, but I can email you any questions I have regarding my specific players so either way I am able to get the info I need. I do enjoy the sit/start article as well as the others. For those reading this who haven’t tried it, I highly encourage emailing Ryan for advice as he always responds quickly and intelligently and has really helped me make some tough decisions. Let me sum up. Any way you do it, it is helpful for us Ryan, so whichever way is more fun for you works for me.
Hey Ryan,
I could use a bit of advice this week. I am in a 12 team, PPR, Re-draft league. I need help in which RB and or flex to start this week. I must start 2 RB 2 WR.
I have B. Jacobs, M. Barber, S. Jax, and W. Mcgahee. Im set on Barber, but not sure on who next.
Also, I have a flex to where I could start either 3 WR or 3 RB’s. I’m starting Colsten and Owens, but also have Ocho, L. Coles, and Plax available.
This is really a tough week because they ALL have tough matchups.
Any advice on My RB and Flex position would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Kevin A.
As for your question, I think your articles are best served weekly. I do enjoy your Start/Sit, and your Kid Cane series, but daily reports on these would probably prove to be unecessary.
As for daily player reports, there are enough websites out there that people get that information from. I enjoy your articles simply because it is written by someone who is personable and reachable. Your articles are straight to the point, and enjoyable. I think you would lose some of that if you had to crank one out every single day.
So, I vote, keep it the way it is.
Kevin,
Thanks for the feedback, it is appreciated.
Now for your roster.
I agree on Barber and if Jackson is going to play I would go with him as well. If he is going to be out I think you have to go with Jacobs. He and McGahee both have tough matchups, but Jacobs is the better and more physical runner and is more apt to have a good game against a tough defense.
At your flex I would go with a receiver and I would go with Ocho, but I am not overly confident on that one. All 3 have tough matchups. I sit Plax because of his recent run of sucking all of a sudden plus I wouldn’t want to start 2 Giants in case they struggle to score. And Coles and Favre haven’t exactly been lighting up the stat sheet lately. The Bengals have been doing a little better lately although Philly’s D is nasty.
Very tough call, but that is my advice. Thanks again.
Ryan
Ryan
Somebody sent me a trade ronnie williams for steven jackson.. i think i should do it but i do not know jackson’s status for this week do you??
QB”S!!! I have aaron rogers , jay cutler, tony romo!, rivers(who is playing steelers)~!,favre and pennington .. 2 spots .. who do i put in!
RB
I have reggie bush who i have no clue if hes playing or not clinton portis, ronnie brown who i might trade? so maybee steven jackson , and frank gore… I have 2 spots.. who do i put in!
TE
I havent been getting any production from my TE’s i need someone who will have a great week .. any one you might know!
DEF
JETS OR GIANTS I HAVE TO CHOOOSE SOON SO PLEASE WRITE ME BACK
!!!
soorry i mean ronnie brown~!
WR!! sorry i forgot
plax, roddy white, owens, royal, colston, harrison , torry holt
4 guys who do i pick!
J-Unit,
At QB I would go with Cutler and Rodgers. Bears defense is bad against the pass. I’d wait until next week for Romo and Rivers has a tough matchup.
At RB, I think you have to go with Gore and Brown just because I don’t think Portis or Steven Jackson are playing this week. Bush is still iffy whether he will play. If he would play I would start him over Brown. I don’t think I would do that deal with Jackson just because he probably won’t play again this week.
At TE, I don’t know? Billy Miller from New Orleans?
DEF, I like the Giants. Jets are good but I think Pats will score although the weather is supposed to be bad tonight so that could bode well for not giving up a lot of points but not sure about the rest of the scoring possibilities. Giants go against a rookie in Flacco and not a great offense in Baltimore.
WR, definitely Roddy White, Owens, Plax. Colston is dinged up, Royal could be good, Harrison is hit or miss and Holt is now officially old. I think it comes down to Royal or Colston. You know I like the Denver offense so I am leaning towards Royal against Atlanta but the Saints get the Chiefs which could be good too. Colston had a big game last week so I would say him if you can wait until Sunday to set your lineup, but if you have to do it tonight I would go with Royal because it is safer in case Colston is unable to go but it seems like he will.
Hope this is in time.
Ryan
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J-Unit,
Looks like another good game from Dustin Keller from the Jets. He could be your TE for the rest of the year. 55 yards at this point of the game and had a 100 yard game last week.
Ryan
Ryan
I know very few write in with kicker dilemmas. I do have one this week. Carney vs. Baltimore or Prater vs. Atlanta.
Jr.
Lance Moore or Mark Bradley? I’ll be starting Thigpen so playing Bradley will get me some nice extra points on pass TDs but Marques Colston has a knee injury and was limited in practice the past two days. It’s reported that he’s expected to play but perhaps Colston might not be 100% and thus Moore will get some more looks? What do you think?
YEAH THATS WHAT I WAS THINKING
thanks J-Unit
JR,
I’d go with Prater just because I think that they will score more points and have more opportunities than the Giants will against the Ravens.
Not too many kicker questions, you are definitely right there.
Ryan
Hey Ryan,
Great advice last week. Hey in a PPR that awards bonus points for the length of td’s, who would you start at Flex this week:
MJD vs. Titans
Eddie Royal at Falcons
Leaning toward Royal since Reggie Bush is still out this week. Thanks man.
Shirley,
Tough call because the Saints have absolutely no defense as they showed in England, last week vs. Atlanta, and in most games they have played this year. It’s not that KC is the second coming of the Steel Curtain, but they are better than the Saints. However, the Saints throw the ball CONSTANTLY which usually leads to good stats for some of their receivers, and Moore ended up with good numbers last week even with Colston in there. However, 32 of his 70 yards came on that last second TD so without that he would have been pedestrian.
Bradley has been a consistent threat the past few weeks and should be again. I am leaning towards Bradley right now but am interested to hear what you think. You can leave another comment here or email me at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. Thanks for leaving the comment.
Ryan
Dave,
I would definitely go with Royal just because of the season that MJD has had especially against good defenses. He has been shut down the majority of games he has played in, and I expect that again this week against Tennessee.
Royal gets a semi-weak offense against Atlanta, and the way that Cutler slings that ball around I think Royal will be the better play. Especially if you get credit for long TDs, when that guy gets in open space, look out!
Glad I could be of help, and good luck again this week. Keep me updated.
Ryan
J-Unit,
Great minds think alike, right?
Ryan
Ryan,
I have a cunundrum this week (11). Steve Breaston versus T.O. I find this decision difficult due to the problems TO has had lately. I understand Romo is coming back, but will this make the difference. I dont trust that it will. Breaston has been consistent, and has a great match up (maybe too great?), but will he get any looks with Boldin and Fitz making Seattle look foolish? Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you for your time!
-minbutch
Minbutch,
Quite the situation, bet you never thought you would be choosing between these two and having so much trouble doing it huh?
On the Breaston side, he will obviously still get looks even with Boldin and Fitzgerald in there. He has had 100 yards or more in three of his last six games and at least seven receptions in five of them, however he has just one touchdown. He does have a mouth watering matchup against the Seahawks, although sometimes playing in Seattle can be tough. He gets lots of looks but the money throws usually go to Fitzy and Anquan.
Owens to me will be revitalized with the return of Romo. You know that the game is 90% mental and with T.O. it is probably 99% mental (or is it he is 99% mental?). With the confidence of “his quarterback” back I think he will be back to his usual elite self. However, how will Romo play? And the ‘Skins defense is pretty solid.
So they both have pros and cons, as they usually do. In my mind I would start Owens just because I think the ‘Boys will come out and play an inspired game. It is one of their division rivals, they NEED the win desperately, and they got their field general back. Breaston will most likely play well too, but I would go with Owens.
Where were you leaning? Thanks for reading1
Ryan
Thank you for your response!
I was leaning toward TO, but will really kick myself if Breaston has a great game.
I am 5-5 in my league and really need to win out to have a shot. Decisions like this can make or break a week. I appreciate your advice, and thank you again for your quick response. Go Pack Go!
minbutch
Ryan,
Another tight matchup for me this week. My opponent has Peyton Manning, Colston, Brandon Marshall and Santana moss. I have to get every player right if I have to beat him.
Since Clinton Portis may not play I have a conundrum at RB. My bench is: Jonathan Stewart and Mewelde Moore. Both of whom will get very limited plays. FWP is back and DW is playing well.
So I have a choice of picking up from FA/waivers Ricky Williams (against Oakland) or Jerious Norwood (against Denver) - Both seem like good choices but they are still backups.
So who do you think I should start?
Rushi,
I would start Johnathan Stewart. The Panthers are playing the Lions and there should be enough carries to go around for everyone. I like him better than your other options of guys to add.
Ryan
Ryan -
Need to find the best 4 of 5 WRs: Fitzgerald, Royal, D. Jackson, Bradley and Evans. All have great matchups this week. I am worried about the Wr roration with the Eagles but jackson has been strong the last few weeks.
Thanks.
Mike,
Out of those guys I would sit Jackson. Fitzy is a no brainer, Royal has been hot and the Broncos throw all the time, Bradley is an emerging fantasy player and the Bills offense has to break out one of these weeks and Evans will be the guy to get the big numbers. Jackson has been OK the past couple weeks, but he’s had a couple rough weeks too. He would be my choice to sit, but they are all potentially good players this week.
Ryan