web analytics

Fantasy Football Week 11: Top 50 Flex Players with PPR Rankings

Fantasy Football
November 17, 2015

Before byes banish from the NFL schedule, Week 11 gets ransacked of several prominent fantasy football contributors.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns all get a late rest, stripping the slate of two loaded top-10 offenses. And that’s not including the team harnessing Odell Beckham Jr.

It also erases horribly exploitable defenses. Cleveland, New York and New Orleans respectively rank No. 29, 31 and 32 in total defense, with the Browns last against the run and the Saints worst against the pass after turning Kirk Cousins into a superstar.

Every fantasy squad gets a full deck starting Week 12, but several owners will enter Week 1 short-handed. Let’s see which stars will capitalize and rise up the standard and point-per-reception (PPR) rankings.

 

In a perfect world, the best players receive the most playing time. Nobody would have to say, “Andre Ellington would make a great flex play if guaranteed at least a dozen touches” or “Hey, Alfred Blue is a starting running back.”

Jonathan Stewart is averaging a pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry for the unbeaten Carolina Panthers, but he’s well fed. He has compiled 169 carries through nine games, second behind Adrian Peterson.

No running back besides Stewart has received at least 20 handoffs in each of his last five games. Although injury issues have limited his previous career-high in rushes to 221, set in 2009, he’s on pace for 300 this season.

He’s no efficiency maven, but any solid player will produce when given so many opportunities. During his 20-carry streak, he’s averaging 88.4 rushing yards per game with four touchdowns, including one on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. 

Another 20 touches this weekend will put him on the way to 100 yards against Washington, who has relinquished an NFL-worst 5.0 yards per carry. Don’t expect a repeat performance from Cousins at Carolina, meaning the Panthers should once again run the ball early and often.

Allen Hurns can’t keep scoring a touchdown every game. It’d be one thing if he’d transformed into Julio Jones or Antonio Brown, but the Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver has corralled 32 catches during his seven-game touchdown streak.

Of the 39 receivers with more receptions than Hurns‘ 41 this season, 19 have reached the end zone three times or fewer. That list includes Demaryius Thomas, who has one score despite accruing 68 receptions on 103 targets.

If the touchdown stretch wasn’t improbable enough, the second-year wideout is also dealing with an injury, as confirmed by the team’s official Twitter account:

According to Jaguars.com’s John Oehser, head coach Gus Bradley does not believe the issue is severe:

Unfortunately for Hurns, he has little time to prepare for Thursday night’s battle with the Titans, which sadly bears significant AFC South implications. While Tennessee ranks No. 3 against the pass, it also has allowed 8.0 yards per attempt and 16 passing touchdowns.  

If healthy, Hurns should have a spot in everyone’s starting lineup. Yet the core injury on a short week also dampens expectations.

The San Diego Chargers need more than one week off to heal their wounds. They’ll return from their Week 10 bye to play the remainder of the season without star wideout Keenan Allen. While Malcom Floyd is fighting to return this season, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, he’s not coming back from a torn labrum anytime soon.

That leaves Stevie Johnson as Philip Rivers’ No. 1 wide receiver, a cushy gig considering the passer leads all quarterbacks with 390 pass attempts. Before the bye, the 29-year-old leveraged his increased role into seven catches and 68 yards on 10 targets.

He pleased PPR owners against the Chicago Bears, who quietly rank No. 4 against the pass. He’ll now combat the Kansas City Chiefs, who yield the second-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts, per NFL.com.

San Diego didn’t change its style without Allen and Floyd, executing 42 passing plays to 19 runs. Against Kansas City’s No. 8 run defense, there’s even more motivation to air it out. Johnson, who compiled three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2011-13, stands to benefit with double-digit targets.  

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

NFL

Fantasy Football

Fantasy

You Might Also Like