I've officially hit my crazy season, that time of year when I get tasked with coordinating a fantasy baseball magazine production effort right in the middle of an already manic fantasy football season – and, of course, right in the middle of the holiday season. For this reason, I'll be rolling out a Skinny Lite for at least the next two weeks. All that means is that the "What to watch for" section will be reduced to a quick comment. But, as a trade off, I'm including defensive fantasy points allowed by position for each team instead of the usual YPC and YPA stats. …
Alright, no more byes. We're back to a full slate. So let's get to it …
Week 11 Preview A snapshot of each Week 11 matchup
What to watch for: MIA QB Tyler Thigpen(notes) is better in fantasy than in reality. When he was the KC regular a couple years ago, he'd often pad his numbers with 30-40 rushing yards. He's got that Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) X-factor ability, so consider him at least a sleeper against a tough CHI defense.
What to watch for: CIN has been brutal on opposing QBs and Ryan Fitzpatrick has been falling back to Earth the past few weeks. BUF RB Fred Jackson(notes), especially with RB C.J. Spiller(notes) out, feels like the only Bill you can really trust. … The green light for CIN TE Jermaine Gresham(notes) has everything to do with the BUF FAN PPG allowed numbers against TEs, and Gresham's huge performance last week.
What to watch for: We thought last week would be a reemergence for DET RB Jahvid Best(notes) against BUF. It didn't happen. He hasn't scored or reached 100 YFS in seven straight games. It's time to sit him down until he forces your hand again.
What to watch for: PIT has been floundering against the pass, but that's been against much (much) better QBs than Jason Campbell(notes). I expect OAK to cater almost entirely to RB Darren McFadden(notes) and TE Zach Miller. … Obviously owners of WRs Hines Ward(notes) and Mike Wallace(notes) will want to closely follow the ankle injury of OAK CB Nnamdi Asomugha(notes). If he can't play, it's all good. But there is the potential of a double whammy if Asomugha does play and Ward, who is dealing with a concussion, isn't cleared to play. That would be the worst case scenario for owners of both WRs.
What to watch for: I'm giving all members of the Jets receiving corps a yellow light, because it's impossible to predict which player(s) from that unit will emerge from week to week – and because the Jets run so much, it isn't likely they'll all go off. But if I owned any of those players (Keller, Holmes, Edwards), this is as good of a matchup as any of them will encounter. Consider them all chartreuse.
What to watch for: With CAR, easily the worst offense in the league, now likely down to No. 3 QB rookie Tony Pike(notes), I'm not touching a single Panther this week. CAR RB DeAngelo Williams(notes) solidified his Bust of the Year frontrunner status by landing on the IR with a foot injury. If CAR had a remote chance of competing for the playoffs, this probably doesn't happen.
What to watch for: If you're somebody who plays Randy Moss(notes) without fail, you've now been disappointed more times than not this season. This week is a great matchup for Moss, but that'll probably play more to WR Nate Washington's(notes) favor, as you can still expect Moss to draw the extra attention. … I'm expecting RB Keiland Williams(notes) to once again be the man in the WAS backfield. If RB Ryan Torain(notes) plays, downgrade Williams and consider Torain the green light instead. Although, in a game where WAS is going to have to throw the ball a fair amount, I like Williams in a featured role more than Torain.
What to watch for: KC RB Thomas Jones(notes) has a combined 102 rushing yards and 0 TDs in his past three games, which were against three of the seven most generous defenses in the league to opposing RBs (DEN, OAK, BUF). This is a good matchup for Jones, once again, but he can no longer be trusted for slam dunk production. … I sat KC WR Dwayne Bowe(notes) last week (in favor of Thomas Jones). Never again.
What to watch for: Anyone else tired of seeing concerning injury reports about MIN WR Percy Harvin(notes)? I've been leaving a lot of points on my fantasy bench because of the "maybe he'll exit the game early" factor. That's a habit I plan to kick, starting this week. … If GB WR Donald Driver(notes) can't play, consider WR James Jones(notes) with chartreuse-colored glasses.
What to watch for: I'm of the mind that you never sit RB Steven Jackson. But I'm leery about injuries to his offensive line which could be problematic for the STL running game, especially given how tough ATL is in ground defense.
What to watch for: NO RB Reggie Bush(notes) is back, and he gets a SEA defense that has allowed a lot of production to RBs in the passing game. I'm expecting NO to waste little time getting him back in the swing of things. … I like SEA RB Justin Forsett(notes) more than RB Marshawn Lynch(notes) this week given the likelihood of the Seahawks playing catch-up.
Key Injuries: SEA WR Mike Williams (finger); SEA QB Matt Hasselbeck (wrist); SEA OT Russell Okung(notes) (ankle); SEA DT Colin Cole(notes) (ankle); NO RB Reggie Bush (fibula); NO RB Pierre Thomas(notes) (ankle); NO TE Jeremy Shockey
What to watch for: You'll find Cadillac Williams among the sleepers below because of the healthy receiving production that SF allows opposing RBs. For RB LeGarrette Blount(notes), this game sets up like the ATL matchup a couple weeks ago … I don't think SF WR Michael Crabtree(notes) has huge upside this week, but I'll now go green with him more often than not given how spectacular he is around the goal line, holding penalties or not.
What to watch for: I like IND a lot this week, but owners of Colts know that it's all about the injury report. Big games could be had by RB Joseph Addai(notes), WR Austin Collie(notes) and TE Jacob Tamme(notes). Or they could all sit out because of various ailments. The rule of thumb is simply to play whichever Colts end up suiting up and starting on Sunday. … NE TE Rob Gronkowski(notes) is often listed here as a sleeper because of his red zone attraction. But, despite his 3 TDs last week, he's far from a sure thing this week – note the Colts' FAN PPG allowed to TEs.
Key Injuries: IND TE Jacob Tamme (back); IND WR Austin Collie (concussion); IND FS Bob Sanders(notes) (biceps); IND RB Joseph Addai (shoulder); IND RB Mike Hart(notes) (ankle); NE OG Stephen Neal(notes) (shoulder)
What to watch for: This game feels like an aerial shootout to me, and I'm only slightly cautious on WRs Jeremy Maclin(notes) and Mario Manningham(notes). Lump them with the other chartreuse tweeners this week. … NYG TE Kevin Boss(notes) has a sore back. Given the production that PHI has allowed to TEs, you'd have to feel good about the NYG TE this week. If, because of injury, that's not Boss, then jump on the Travis Beckum(notes) bandwagon.
What to watch for: Like the Colts, SD is all about the injury report. WR Malcom Floyd(notes) sounds like a for-sure returnee. But TE Antonio Gates(notes) and RB Ryan Mathews(notes) are still iffy. The matchup is great for SD starters this week. If reports for Mathews and Gates turn glowing by week's end, bump up their status. But I'm leaning towards caution with them at the moment.
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