FantasyFootball

The Tennessee Titans offense was silent Thursday until halfway through the third quarter, when Marcus Mariota scored on a quarterback keeper for a 13-9 lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Heading into the game, Tennessee was the lowest-scoring AFC team, and there wasn’t much Thursday to get excited about when it came to fantasy points.

Mariota salvaged his day with his first rushing touchdown of the season, but don’t count on the ground game for him in the future.        

What you can count on are matchups against weak defenses the next three games. Tennessee plays the Oakland Raiders, Jaguars and New York Jets, and none is ranked in the top 11 in terms of ESPN fantasy points scored this season.

In fact, the Jaguars are ranked 23rd and the Raiders 29th. Mariota has been up and down, with two great games (four touchdowns in each), some zero touchdowns games and injuries that sent him to the bench.

Consider him a top-15 quarterback, with a slight upgrade the next three weeks. 

Running back Antonio Andrews is clearly the Titans’ No. 1 running back right now, but he still finds himself as an RB3 in terms of fantasy.

He had the lion’s share of the carries Thursday. And the good news for fantasy owners is Bishop Sankey was inactive, and newcomer David Cobb, who some thought would make an immediate impact, did not at all.

Andrews hasn’t scored since Week 5 and has not broken the 100-yard mark, so don’t expect much from him. He’s worth a start against a porous Oakland run defense in Week 12, but bench him against the sixth-ranked Jaguars and the Jets, who are ranked first against the rush.

Dexter McCluster proved once against Thursday he’s not fantasy-worthy. His 25 receptions are somewhat noteworthy, but coupled with just 439 yards and one touchdown, it’s not enough to warrant a starting fantasy spot.

He has big-play ability, as shown by three return touchdowns while with the Kansas City Chiefs, but has not had one in two seasons with the Titans.

The six-year veteran left the game in the second half with a knee injury, where the team ruled him questionable to return, but he never did.

Consider McCluster only worthy of the waiver wire.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars entered Thursday’s game against the Tennessee Titans on the heels of three strong performances that gave them reason for optimism, but a lackluster performance in Week 11’s opener dashed those hopes.     

Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns were all held in check by the league’s fifth-ranked defense. But it’s not necessarily a time for owners to panic.

That’s not the case for Thomas, however, as he continues to be a fantasy disappointment in his first year with his new team

Thomas is averaging just 1.8 points per game—well worth a drop for another viable option, such as Richard Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers (six points per game and owned in just 53.6 percent of leagues) or Coby Fleener of the Indianapolis Colts (4.3 points, 30.1 percent ownership).

Robinson turned in his lowest outing since Week 4—the first in that span he hasn’t posted more than 10 points—but still remains a WR1 commodity. He ranks sixth at the position and simply ran into a top pass defense.

A favorable matchup looms next week against the San Diego Chargers’ spotty secondary, so Robinson should return to top form.

Hurns has arguably been the biggest surprise among fantasy receivers, ranking seventh, but was held to his lowest output of the season.

But that’s not to indicate he can’t bounce back.

Hurns is still available in 15.4 percent of leagues, and even though the Jaguars have a rematch with the Titans in two weeks, he’s still a worthy add for fantasy playoff contenders.

The Jaguars play some of the worst pass defenses in the final four weeks of the season—the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans.   

Given the favorable and timely matchups, Hurns and Robinson could be difference-makers for fantasy championships.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues.

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It was hardly a Thursday night matchup many football fans wanted to see, but for fantasy owners who had some of the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ offensive playmakers against the Tennessee Titans, it’s a game they had to pay attention to.

Quarterback Blake Bortles along with running backs T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson were taking on a Titans defense that has allowed its fair share of fantasy points this season. 

Let’s take a look at how Jacksonville’s trio fared on Thursday.   

Blake Bortles

Against a Titans team that has allowed the ninth most fantasy points to quarterbacks, Bortles was having a subpar night on Thursday, throwing for just 193 yards without a touchdown through three quarters.

A lost fumble didn’t helping his fantasy numbers either, as he had just five points on the night. 

The slow performance is unlike Bortles, who has recorded 15 or more points in seven of his previous nine games this season. 

Some of it has to do with an offensive line that saw him under plenty of pressure on Thursday as he did not look too comfortable in the pocket. 

But Bortles has been a pretty consistent quarterback all season. If you are starting him, continue doing so, as he should throw the ball plenty of times in this Jaguars offense.

T.J. Yeldon

A foot injury should have been enough to keep Yeldon out of your starting lineup this week. If it wasn’t, you’re looking at about a six-point output through the game’s first three quarters. 

What had to be infuriating for owners who were looking for points from him on Thursday was his absence in the red zone, as ESPN’s Michael DiRocco pointed out:

Yeldon has only had three weeks where he’s had double-digit outputs, but his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield along with his raw ability as a runner makes it difficult to keep him out of your lineup. 

Keep Yeldon around as a third running back, but monitor the foot. If he has a good week of practice leading into Week 12 with no setbacks, give him another shot next week.

Denard Robinson

With Yeldon listed as questionable until a few hours before game time on Thursday night, fantasy owners who were looking to find points deep within the free-agency market could have seen Robinson as a reasonable pickup. 

But having Yeldon playing all but doomed anyone’s chances of getting a big output from him. However, Jacksonville was giving Robinson carries and inside the 10-yard line too.

But he wasn’t able to produce anything, as Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke observed:

If he is unable to produce in the few opportunities he gets, then there’s no reason to keep him on your roster, especially if Yeldon is healthy. But as I mentioned before, monitor Yeldon over the next few weeks, and if he is unable to play, pick Robinson up, as he should get most of the carries in Jacksonville’s backfield. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.

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The biggest trick fantasy football owners need to know going into Week 11 start ’em, sit ’em decisions?

It’s quite all right to bench star players.

It’s easy to fall into the habit of committing to big-name players no matter the matchup or overarching situation. Last week, as a brief example, owners who tossed Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys blindly into lineups received four points.

Knowing how to balance stars is just as important as the initial draft, waiver wire and all the good stuff about fake football. Those who hit autopilot with stars fade in leagues.

To prevent this, let’s look at some of the biggest decisions facing owners regarding top stars in Week 11.

QB

Star to Know: Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (at MIA)

He’s back. 

Remember Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo? The team will trot him out under center Sunday after a lengthy recovery from injury, and owners would be wise to remember his season debut of 356 yards, three touchdowns and 22 points.

Romo will be a tad rusty in his return, sure, but owners who need a boost could do much, much worse. Besides, the Miami Dolphins allow the 12th-most points to the position this year, with three allowances of three or more touchdown passes.

Would it be a shock if Romo hit on three scores? No chance.

Star to Bench: Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (vs. DEN)

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler makes for a good meme every now and then but still falls into the “star” category.

Remember, Cutler has Alshon Jeffery to sling it to and an army of pass-catching backs behind him. He’s posted 17 or more points six times this season, a streak he carries into this weekend against the Denver Broncos.

That matchup would be the problem, though. The Broncos surrender the fewest points to quarterbacks on average, having allowed just eight touchdown passes and four allowances of double digits.

Could Cutler gun his way to a big game if this turns into a shootout? Of course. Is it a scenario on which owners should want to hinge their league standings? Negative.

RB

Star to Know: Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins (vs. DAL)

Quick: Name fantasy’s fourth-highest scorer at running back. 

Fine: It’s Dolphins running back Lamar Miller, of all people, a huge turnaround for a guy who started the season with just 18 points over the course of his first four games.

Miller’s scored more than that twice in a single game since.

After a bye week and a coaching change, the Dolphins continue to ride Miller, who has 15 or more points in four of his last five. Now he gets the Cowboys, who cough up the third-most points to running backs this year. A floor of 15 points isn’t unreasonable.

Star to Bench: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at PHI)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has been all over the place this season, totaling 16 points over the course of his first three games, exploding for 16 or more over his next three and then going for seven, two and 10 over the most recent three. 

What’s in store for the next trio of showings? It’s bound to start with a dud, as Martin has to encounter the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.

While it sounds like a chance for elite production in what could be a shootout, face-value appearances tend to tell many lies. These Eagles actually allow the eighth-fewest points to running backs this year and have surrendered just one touchdown to the position.

Martin hasn’t shown enough consistency to suggest he’ll be the back to break out against the unit.

WR

Star to Know: Eric Decker, New York Jets (at HOU)

New York Jets wideout Eric Decker has never received enough credit for his star status. 

Look at this year: Decker’s actually owned in just 91.5 percent of leagues. “Just” because he’s scored seven touchdowns this year, has three games in a row with a score and 12 or more points and has five games with six or more catches.

Got all that?

Next up for the consistent Decker? A date with the Houston Texans, a defense that has allowed 10 touchdowns this year and five occurrences of 20 or more points by sets of wideouts. The Jets will continue to feed Decker the ball, and he’ll continue to carry owners.

Star to Bench: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (at ATL)

Meanwhile, someone such as T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts sits on an ownership percentage of 97.5 percent. 

Hilton has just three touchdowns this year and two trips to double digits. Over the course of his last two, he’s totaled just nine points.

With Andrew Luck on the sidelines, Hilton now has to line up against the Atlanta Falcons. It sounds like a shootout waiting to happen, but there’s no Luck, and those Falcons actually allow the fourth-fewest points to wideouts with just three surrendered touchdowns.

Hilton’s in for another quiet outing.

TE

Star to Know: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (at MIA)

Romo’s back, which means it’s time to load up on Dallas tight end Jason Witten again. 

It’s pretty much the same situation owners see over in Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger and Heath Miller. Miller’s only a viable option when the man he’s played with for years takes snaps under center.

A case in point: Witten has scored double digits and touchdowns in just one game this year—Week 1, when a healthy Romo was under center. To make this even sweeter, Miami’s coming off a game in which it allowed 11 catches and 202 yards to tight ends.

Star to Bench: Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (at NE)

Early this season, Buffalo Bills tight end Charles Clay looked to be on his way to becoming one of the year’s breakout stars, thanks to a budding role with his new team. 

Clay exploded out of the gates with a pair of touchdowns and double-digit outings over his first four games on what most figured would be a run-first offense.

He hasn’t done either again since. Clay’s taken a back seat in the Buffalo offense.

Some owners might point to the fact that one of his touchdowns came against these New England Patriots in Week 2, but it came while he caught just three passes for 19 yards. 

In other words, it was a fluke, and there’s nothing to indicate that the Patriots—allowing the eighth-fewest points to the position—will let it happen again.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of November 18. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. Cleveland, New Orleans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh on bye.

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The NFL is constantly changing from week to week and sometimes day to day, and it’s important for daily fantasy football players to keep up with the movement.

Sometimes, the biggest stars from one week might disappear the next, while a new, out-of-nowhere star comes to light up the box scores. If you are capable of keeping up, you can be one step ahead of the rest of the competition.

Here to help you out is a look at the latest stock report for Nov. 19.

Stock Up

Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars ($5,900)

For those of you starting your contests on Thursday, adding Blake Bortles is a good way to get your week off to a nice start.

The second-year passer has become one of the most consistent fantasy producers in the league, throwing multiple touchdown passes in each of his last five games and seven of nine overall. Although he was limited to just 188 passing yards last week, a lot of that had to do with the Baltimore Ravens turning the ball over four times and shortening the field.

Luckily for fantasy owners, the Jaguars defense isn’t good enough to make a habit out of making plays, giving Bortles an opportunity to move the chains a few times before getting into the end zone.

While the Tennessee Titans rank third in the league in passing yards allowed per game, they are actually 27th in yards allowed per pass attempt. With Jacksonville always willing to throw a lot, Bortles should bounce back with a big game.

Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City Chiefs ($4,500)

Over the last three games, Charcandrick West has become a fantasy star. He has scored at least 22 points on DraftKings in each contest, including 31.1 against the vaunted Denver Broncos defense. JJ Zachariason of numberFire made a bold statement on the Chiefs running back after the game:

Considering West is averaging 25 touches over the past three games while scoring at least a touchdown in each, this is tough to argue.

Week 11 could especially be a big one for West, who faces a San Diego Chargers defense allowing the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Despite the hot streak and the matchup, his salary is actually cheaper than it was last week ($4,800). Rather than wonder why, just take the gift and put him on your team.

Brandon LaFell, WR, New England Patriots ($4,300)

With Julian Edelman out with a foot injury, Tom Brady will have to throw the ball somewhere. Rob Gronkowski certainly won’t get all of the targets going forward.

Danny Amendola is expected to get a boost in playing time, but LaFell is the one already in the lineup and has been trusted in big moments. Even after a terrible debut where he couldn’t hold onto the ball, the Patriots have continued to feature the veteran receiver with an average of 7.5 targets per game. This number could increase with few alternatives on the roster.

Considering how good the Patriots offense has been this year, anyone with a significant role is worthy of fantasy consideration. For this cost, LaFell remains a high-upside option in Week 11.

Stock Down

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos ($7,000)

Although he played through an ankle injury in Week 10, Emmanuel Sanders couldn’t bring in any of his four targets on a rough day for the Broncos all around. To make matters worse, he didn’t practice Wednesday, per Mike Klis of 9News.

Even in a fully functioning offense, it would be difficult to trust Sanders this week against a Chicago Bears defense surprisingly allowing the fourth-fewest passing yards in football.

Of course, the problems go much deeper than this for the Broncos. Peyton Manning will miss the upcoming game while dealing with a foot injury, giving Brock Osweiler his first career start. With so much unknown about the inexperienced quarterback, there is no way you should pick Sanders for your fantasy team this week.

Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers ($6,700)

The production simply hasn’t been there lately for Randall Cobb. He has just one touchdown over his last six games, with the score coming on a 53-yard catch against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. Other than that one play, his best performance in this stretch came this past week when he finished with five catches for 53 yards.

This simply won’t do for any fantasy player, let alone one who comes with a relatively high price tag.

While the return of Davante Adams was supposed to free up space for Cobb, Adams instead took away targets, with the second-year player getting an incredible 21 looks in Week 10. With Aaron Rodgers seeming off over the past few weeks, there is simply little reason to expect a dramatic change Sunday, especially against a tough Minnesota Vikings defense. 

Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals ($5,000)

There is always a threat for Jeremy Hill to get a touchdown or multiple scores in a game, but at this point, that is all you are betting on with the Bengals running back. Matt Harmon of NFL.com summed up the team’s backfield during Monday night’s loss:

Cincinnati might have given up on the idea of Hill being a productive player in Week 10, as he finished with a season-low seven carries for just 15 rushing yards. According to Pro Football Focus, Hill also only had 22 snaps compared to 50 for Giovani Bernard.

He hasn’t reached double-digit fantasy points in any of the last three games and now faces the No. 4 run defense in the NFL in the Arizona Cardinals. If you are just hoping for touchdowns, you might be better off playing the lottery.

Note: All prices and fantasy score info courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Enter the DraftKings $1M Play-Action Contest this weekend. Use Promo Code Nerdy Football when you sign up.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for all your fantasy football and daily fantasy needs.

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