Bye weeks continue to be a hindrance for fantasy football owners, who find themselves without their players from the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers as we head into Week 11.
Considering that the top wide receiver (Julio Jones), quarterback (Matt Ryan) and kicker (Matt Bryant) are all Falcons, some fantasy owners are in real binds.
However, not all is lost, even if you’re looking at a lineup without Jones. Injuries change the landscape of fantasy from week to week, and some of the projected top players heading into Week 11 may even be available on your league’s waiver wire.
Let’s take a look at the top players and best matchups for Week 11.
Quarterback
Let’s talk about the Tennessee Titans’ Marcus Mariota.
Depending on the size of your league and how much it values the quarterback position, Mariota might not even be one of your opponents’ preferred starters. Per ESPN.com, Mariota is owned in 76.7 percent of leagues.
However, as Mariota and the Titans demonstrated in their rout of the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, this young quarterback is for real. In that game, Mariota threw four touchdowns and no interceptions and posted his highest passer rating of the season (149.8).
Mariota has been getting better and better as the season goes on, and he’s a must-start in Week 11.
Running Back
Lately, it’s been all about the Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott and the Titans’ DeMarco Murray, who are the two highest-scoring running backs in fantasy this year.
But Le’Veon Bell has been a bright spot for an otherwise downtrodden Pittsburgh Steelers team.
Though the Steelers lost their Week 10 matchup against the Cowboys in heartbreaking, last-second fashion, Bell did his part, rushing for 57 yards and a touchdown and adding 77 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air.
In Week 11, Bell and the Steelers face a Cleveland Browns team allowing 143.7 rushing yards per game, which is the second-most in the league, per ESPN.com.
Wide Receiver
The Green Bay Packers are imploding. What does that mean if you own wide receiver Jordy Nelson?
Through all the turmoil and heartbreak the Packers have experienced already this season, Nelson has remained remarkably productive.
He’s the sixth-highest scoring receiver in fantasy this season, posting 109.5 points, largely due to the eight touchdowns he has in nine games, as Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette noted.
Though it’s not good for the Packers, the fact that the team is also often playing from behind means that Aaron Rodgers is airing out the ball more, which increases Nelson’s chances to produce. So for now, keep Nelson at that WR1 spot.
Tight End
It should come as no surprise that Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is the highest-scoring tight end in fantasy in 2016, racking up 91.2 points.
But Titans tight end Delanie Walker is right behind him with 87.4. And though Olsen (712) has more yards than Walker (571), the latter has two more touchdowns.
Against the Packers in Week 10, Walker had more points than any other tight end, thanks to 124 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Defense/Special Teams
Don’t look now, but the Miami Dolphins have had one of the better defensive units in the league (in terms of fantasy) in recent weeks, and they have another favorable matchup in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Dolphins earned their fantasy owners 17 points in Week 10, thanks to three sacks, four interceptions and a defensive touchdown. That mitigated the fact that they allowed the San Diego Chargers to score 24 points.
That’s not a likely outcome for the Rams, who are averaging just 15.4 points per game, the fewest in the league, per ESPN.com.
Kicker
Washington’s Dustin Hopkins turned heads in Week 10 when he had a successful field goal of 50 yards and earned the most fantasy points of any kicker, posting 16 points.
Hopkins had missed a potential game-winning field goal in London against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he went 4-of-4 in Week 10 after his teammates helped him move on, as CSN shared:
Hopkins faces the Packers in Week 11.
Rankings, scoring leaders, average draft position and ownership stats via NFL.com unless otherwise noted and are current as of Nov. 15.
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