NFL
Stud or Dud: Week 11 || Fantasy Football
With the weekend fast approaching, there’s plenty of great matchups to look to with Stud or Dud: Week 11. Thursday brought a thrilling finish to the showdown between the Seahawks and the Packers. Russell Wilson drove down the field and threw a strike to tight end Ed Dickson. In fantasy terms, Aaron Jones continued his fantasy breakout — posting two touchdowns with greater involvement in the passing game. Doug Baldwin finally delivered a fantasy performance that owners have expected, posting 7 catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Week 11 will bring about possibly the biggest game of the season when the 9-1 Rams face the 9-1 Chiefs. As arguably the two most talented teams in the NFL, this game figures to be a classic high-scoring shootout. Both teams are star-studded and should post massive fantasy numbers. Both Rams and Chiefs players feature prominently throughout this week’s Stud or Dud. So without further ado, here’s Stud or Dud: Week 11!
Quarterback
Stud
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott has been one of the most up-and-down QBs this year. He hasn’t thrown over 275 yards in a single game yet this year. He also hasn’t passed for more than 2 touchdowns in a single game this season. But he does have something that most QBs don’t: rushing ability. Prescott is averaging 28 yards per game and has 3 touchdowns on the ground. This helps to offer a solid floor for Prescott and makes him a valid starter this week. The Cowboys are facing the Atlanta Falcons, who still have one of the worst defenses in the league. The rank 27th in passing yards allowed and are 3rd worst in the NFL in allowing yards rushing to QBs, allowing 21.2 ypg. With all of this considered, Prescott is a low to mid-tier QB1 this week.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: This is dependent on Jackson actually getting the call for his first career start. Joe Flacco is banged up this week and may not be able to play. The Ravens would, then, have to choose between veteran journeyman Robert Griffin III or their electric rookie. If Jackson starts, he has the potential to vault into QB1 territory. At Louisville, Jackson became the first player in NCAA history to pass for over 3,500 yards and rush for over 1,500 yards in a season. He was also the first player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000+ and rush for 1,000+ in back-to-back seasons. This shows his explosive ability as a runner and a passer.
The Ravens have tried getting him the ball as a gadget player this season. If he does in fact get the call, he will face a Bengals defense that surrendered a staggering 51 points to the Saints. Cincinnati ranks as one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Jackson should get plenty of opportunities to run and could produce highly if given the chance. Jackson is firmly in the QB2 discussion this week, but should be owned in all leagues.
Dud
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears: Trubisky has been excellent over the past few weeks. He didn’t produce against Buffalo, but Chicago dominated so much that they didn’t need to pass. His skill set has meshed very well with coach Matt Nagy and the team wants him to throw often. His production should come to a screeching halt this week, as the Bears face the Vikings on Sunday night. The Vikings, over their last three games, have allowed a mere 166.3 yards per game. This is the lowest in the league in that time. The Vikings should look to control the ground against the Bears and keep the ball away from their offense. Ultimately, Trubisky is a high-end QB2 this week — but a must-start going forward.
Running Back
Stud
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams: Gurley has been insane this year. He has remained the number-one fantasy player by far this season. Gurley has scored one or more touchdowns every game and totals 17 touchdowns on the year. He’s also hit the three touchdown mark three times this year. Gurley leads the league in rushing with 988 yards, which is first by over 150 yards. Need I say more? He’s a special player and the heart of the NFL’s best offense.
The Rams now turn their attention to perhaps their biggest game all year. While the Chiefs offense has arguably been more explosive, they are reliant on offense to outscore opponents. Their defense simply hasn’t matched the performance of the offense. They are currently 11th worst in the NFL, allowing 121.7 yards per game. Gurley is the top player in fantasy again this week and will likely score 30+ in PPR leagues.
David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals: David Johnson finally had the breakout game owners hoped for when they drafted him. Johnson racked up 21 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown, along with 7 receptions for 85 yards and a receiving touchdown. Offense coordinator Byron Leftwich is now making a concerted effort to get him the ball, understanding that feeding Johnson is the best way to win games. The Cardinals will face the lowly Oakland Raiders this week in a game of two teams battling for top draft positions. The Raiders defense is 3rd worst in the NFL against the run, allowing 141 yards per game. This should allow Johnson another top 10 performance and RB1 standing.
Dud
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings: Cook has finally returned from injury and, in Week 9, had 10 carries for 89 yards and 4 receptions for 20 yards. Debate lingers, however, on whether he is back to full health. A hamstring injury can flare up at any time during the game, which will make him a risky play the rest of this season — or until he proves the injury isn’t an issue. The Vikings are also facing a Bears run defense that allows a mere 84 rushing yards per game. The Vikings will most likely lean on Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, and Stefon Diggs to beat this Bears team. With all things considered, Cook is a low-end RB2 this week.
Wide Receiver
Stud
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs: Hill has been one of the best receivers in the league this year. His electric speed is something few other players can compete with. He also has one of the brightest young stars in Patrick Mahomes tossing him the football every week. Hill currently ranks 6th in the league with 891 receiving yards and is tied for second in the league with 9 touchdowns.
The Chiefs are playing their biggest game of the year against the Rams and will have to score consistently to keep up. This will likely mean throwing the ball as much as possible. Hill will likely be shadowed by Rams corner Marcus Peters, which seems like a daunting matchup. However, Peters has not played like many expected him to coming into the year. Pro Football Focus rates him as the 106th corner in the league, meaning he is no longer the shutdown corner he once was. Or, at least, he’s not playing like it. Hill should post strong WR1 one numbers for this week.
Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams: Cooks had his best game of the year last week, posting 10 catches for 100 yards and rushing for a touchdown. Unfortunately, Rams receiver Cooper Kupp tore his ACL last week and is now out for the season. This vacates plenty of targets for Robert Woods, Cooks, and, to a lesser extent, Todd Gurley to pounce on. The Rams are facing a Chiefs defense that’s allowing 289 passing yards per game, the 5th worst in the league. Jared Goff should be able to hook up with the explosive receiver time and time again during this game. Expect low-end WR1 numbers from Cooks, the former Oregon State Beaver.
Dud
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers: While I’m not saying don’t start Brown this week, there should be some caution with rolling him out. The Steelers are facing Jacksonville on the road this week. While their defense doesn’t look like what it was last year, they are still a solid unit. The Jags secondary is led by cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who should shadow Brown for a majority of this game. Ramsey is still one of the top cornerbacks in the league and should be able to contain Brown for at least parts of the game. Ben Roethlisberger’s road struggles have also been well-documented and he could struggle against this tough Jaguars defense. The Steelers may ultimately elect to let star running back James Conner carry the load of the offense this week as well. Again, while you should definitely still start Brown, he figures as more of a high-end WR2 or a low-end WR1 this week.
Tight End
Stud
Ricky Seals-Jones, Arizona Cardinals: Seals-Jones has played well this year. He’s currently coming off a game where he managed 5 catches for 51 yards on an eye-opening 9 targets. The team obviously wants to get him the ball, as he is one of the most dynamic tight ends in the NFL. The Cardinals, as mentioned earlier, are facing an Oakland defense which is among the worst against tight ends this year. They’re allowing 62 yards per game to tight ends, which is 4th worst in the league. The Cardinals will look to get their weapons involved early and often. Due to the lack of depth at the position, Seals-Jones trends as a TE1 this week.
Dud
Trey Burton, Chicago Bears: Burton has been one of the most inconsistent players in fantasy this year. He’s had only one game with more than 5 catches and has been held to 2 or fewer catches in three games. The Bears seem to want to get him the ball, it just doesn’t happen that often. The Bears are facing a Vikings defense ranked 14th against tight ends. While this doesn’t seem that great, their pass defense overall has been very solid. Mitchell Trubisky, then, may struggle to get the ball to his weapons. Burton is more of a high-end TE2 this week, but could become a solid starter if the Bears make the effort to get him the ball more often.
Photo Credit: David Cross via Flickr
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