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Some fantasy football owners are in cruise control.
Already set for the playoffs at 8-2 or 9-1, Week 11 brings little pressure. But to most players, this is crunch time.
Here are four teams who you won’t be able to lean on this week due to byes:
- Atlanta Falcons (Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, Taylor Gabriel, Mohamed Sanu, Matt Bryant)
- Denver Broncos (Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Devontae Booker, D/ST)
- New York Jets (Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte and…uh…that’s it)
- San Diego Chargers (Melvin Gordon, Philip Rivers, Tyrell Williams, Antonio Gates, Josh Lambo)
Let’s talk some close-call start-sit decisions.
Running Backs
Start: Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks
Sometimes, saying nothing says a lot.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll neglected to mention Christine Michael while talking about his running backs on Tuesday, per ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia.
He instead focused on rookie C.J. Prosise, who totaled 153 yards in a 31-24 win over the New England Patriots Sunday night, and Thomas Rawls, last year’s breakout star who has been injured since Week 2.
C-Mike owners freaked out.
Later in the day, they wept. Seattle waived him, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Rawls‘ return is the clear reason why. Here’s Carroll on his second-year back, per Kapadia:
I’m really excited about this one because Thomas is practicing to play this week. That’s where it is. We’ve come to that conclusion. He got himself ready to play this week mentally, and he’s ready to go at it. We have to get through the days and the work and all that, but with some optimism here, at the end of the week he can come out playing.
When Rawls subbed in for the hobbled Marshawn Lynch in Weeks 3-5 last year, he ranked as the No. 10 standard fantasy back, per Fantasy Pros. When he again took the reins from Weeks 10 to 12, the undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan was the No. 2 overall RB, trailing only Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson.
Rawls finished his rookie campaign with 147 totes for 830 yards (5.6 per carry) and four touchdowns. He added nine catches for 76 yards and a score.
Rawls injured his fibula in Week 2 this year and has missed every week since. Now, it appears he’s ready to rock, according to Schefter:
With the shifty, sure-handed Prosise sliding into a third-down role, Rawls seems poised to be immediately start-worthy for fantasy owners who can acquire him.
The Philadelphia Eagles are no cupcake matchup, but they have been torn up on the ground. With a rejuvenated Russell Wilson back to commanding an elite offense, expect Rawls to have a shot at goal-line work and 10-12 carries, even in his first game back. His role figures to grow in the coming weeks, too.
Sit: Tim Hightower, New Orleans Saints
The Tim Hightower Experience is not over yet.
But for this week, it’s on intermission.
The Carolina Panthers rank fourth against fantasy running backs, having smothered Arizona’s David Johnson, Los Angeles’ Todd Gurley and Kansas City’s Spencer Ware for a combined 148 rushing yards over the past three weeks. That’s an average of 49.3 yards on the ground with zero combined touchdowns against three guys who warrant weekly RB1 consideration.
This should be the type of game that Drew Brees just flat-out chucks. Carolina is the fifth-most generous defense to opposing fantasy signal-callers, so head coach Sean Payton will have little reason to pound both Hightower and Mark Ingram.
If you want to make the whole “short weeks should favor the running game” argument, fine. NOLA is playing on Thursday, after all. But Hightower only totaled 6.5 points in half-point-per-reception leagues last week. In a bind, he’s droppable.
But if you have the bench space, he’s worth rostering as a future flex play with the added upside of a season-winner should Ingram get hurt or fumble his way back into the doghouse.
Wide Receivers
Start: Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears
With Alshon Jeffery sidelined four weeks thanks to a performance-enhancing drug suspension, Jay Cutler‘s passes have to go to somebody.
You know, when they’re not caught by opponents.
Cameron Meredith was much more lethal under backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, who peppered him with a WR1-worthy number of targets, than he’s been under Cutler. He has just three receptions in his past three games, which is clearly less than ideal.
Here’s one of those catches, though, per SportsCast:
At 6’3”, 207 pounds, the 24-year-old rookie has the makings of an effective outside receiver. Eddie Royal and tight end Zach Miller figure to see an uptick in targets, too, but Meredith should see the biggest boost as Jeffery’s fill-in.
Rotoworld’s Raymond Summerlin listed Meredith as his No. 1 WR waiver pickup this week, citing sheer volume as reason for a roster spot.
For all his turnover issues, Cutler has an affinity for the splashy big play, and Meredith could find success against an underrated New York Giants secondary in Week 11. Big Blue figures to jump out to a decent lead, forcing the Bears to try to push the rock.
You’re not starting Cutler, but Meredith certainly warrants a WR2 play. It only takes one catch to make that move worth your while.
Sit: Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions
In a season mired with question marks, Jalen Ramsey has been an exclamation point for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Just 10 weeks into his NFL career, last spring’s No. 5 overall pick is already a true shutdown corner.
Draft Sharks’ Jared Smola has the numbers to prove it:
Matt Harmon of NFL.com has some more:
How’d that game against the Houston Texans go? Brent Martineau from CBS 47/Fox 30 will tell you:
This week against the Detroit Lions, Ramsey figures to line up against Marvin Jones. Though Golden Tate seems to have supplanted for the former Cincinnati Bengal as Matthew Stafford’s go-to target, the bigger Jones fits the traditional No. 1 receiver role.
He’s likely to see more of Ramsey, who will make life even harder than it has been for Jones owners. After an outstanding start to the season, here are his last four outings:
- Two catches, 10 yards, one touchdown vs. Los Angeles Rams
- Four catches, 94 yards vs. Washington Redskins
- Three catches, 33 yards at Houston Texans
- One catch, five yards at Minnesota Vikings
It’s hard to imagine Jones being completely taken out of the game, but it’s certainly possible if Ramsey shadows him. Don’t get your hopes up for a bounce-back from the 26-year-old.
Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com
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Tim Hightower
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Cameron Meredith
Let the lineup tinkering begin.