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Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 11: Latest Fantasy Football Lineup Advice for Sunday

Fantasy Football
November 19, 2016

Crunch time has arrived in the world of fantasy football. Lineup decisions for Week 11 are crucial as fantasy owners focus on either improving their playoff seeds or, in many cases, attempting to fight for their postseason lives over the final weeks of the regular season.

The fact there are four teams on bye this week further complicates the situation. That’s especially true because the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers all feature multiple assets who would normally start across the fantasy spectrum.

Ultimately, the importance of the week combined with the potential loss of key contributors makes the decision-making process all the more difficult. So let’s take a closer look at some fringe fantasy players and whether they belong in the lineup or on the bench this week.

                                  

Start ‘Em

Blake Bortles may be struggling in the real world, but his fantasy production remains strong. He’s averaged 22.3 points over his last three games and should approach a similar total in what should be a high-scoring game against a Detroit Lions defense that ranks 31st against fantasy QBs.

Last week was a reminder Jay Ajayi can’t put up monster numbers every week. That said, he’s still a must-start fantasy option thanks to his high-volume role for the Miami Dolphins. Expect over 100 yards and at least one score against a middling Los Angeles Rams rush defense.

Donte Moncrief has scored a touchdown in three of the four games he’s played this season. He’s got a golden opportunity to add at least one more against the Tennessee Titans this week thanks to a skill set that makes him a crucial red-zone contributor, as noted by Mike Wells of ESPN.

“He’s a big-bodied guy, very fast, athletic and has good hands,” Colts receivers coach Lee Hull said. “He brings another dynamic to us because obviously our other receivers are smaller. He gives us that big physical presence that we’ve been looking for.”

Ladarius Green didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his season debut last week with just three catches for 30 yards. Look for him to get more heavily involved against the Cleveland Browns, who rank last against fantasy tight ends, as his workload increases, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:

Cairo Santos is on a roll for the Kansas City Chiefs. The kicker has reached double-digit fantasy scoring in four straight games, including 28 points over the last two. He should surpass that barrier for a fifth consecutive time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what could be a field-goal fest.

The Miami Dolphins defense has performed noticeably better since the bye week. The unit has tallied 29 combined points over its last two games. Expect Miami to attack Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff early and often in his debut en route to another big game.

                                 

Sit ‘Em

Dak Prescott is seemingly handling the potentially distracting quarterback debate well. Yet there’s no doubt the pressure on the rookie’s shoulders increases markedly with Tony Romo back healthy. Waiting a week to see how he responds is the safe fantasy move.

Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News provided the QB’s comments on the situation:

Nobody’s ever going to tell me this is my team. As I said a couple of weeks ago, this is a team and it’s the reason we’re winning. When the starting quarterback at the beginning of the year says what he says yesterday, it shows this is everybody’s team. It’s not just about the quarterback position. … It’s about everybody, what everybody’s putting into this.

Ty Montgomery looked like a fantasy star in the making for a few weeks. His production has faded since he began experiencing symptoms related to his sickle-cell trait, though. Add in the drop-off in his workload spotlighted by Graham Barfield of FantasyGuru.com, and he’s not worth starting right now:

Michael Crabtree has provided terrific value to fantasy owners who nabbed him in the middle rounds of their drafts. Alas, the impending slugfest against the Houston Texans, who rank third against opposing fantasy wideouts, doesn’t leave much upside for a No. 2 target.

Cameron Brate is quietly putting together a strong campaign for the Bucs. His recent run of success includes 12 catches and two touchdowns over the last two games. The Chiefs rank fourth against fantasy tight ends, however, and have only allowed one TD to the position all year.

The Buffalo Bills continue to stick with Dan Carpenter even though he’s only connected on 73.3 percent of his field-goal attempts this season. Fantasy owners shouldn’t follow suit. There are myriad better options available for Week 11 and beyond.

Although the Tennessee Titans are coming off a strong defensive showing against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, don’t bet on them to make it two straight. The last time they faced the Indianapolis Colts, they scored minus-two fantasy points, and this time, the game is on the road.

                                                                  

All fantasy scoring details mentioned are based on ESPN’s standard format.

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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