| | | | Thursday, November 19, 2020 | | Outside of the quarterback position, there actually aren't that many injuries we're keeping track of for Week 11. That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of injuries -- there are! -- but by 2020 standards, things don't seem so bad. That means our lineup decisions are going to come down to matchups and trends, not who happens to be healthy. | | Thursday's newsletter is all about making sure you're equipped with the best lineup help we can offer. I've got a quick breakdown of Dave Richard's favorite plays and biggest fades for Week 11 along with his Start and Sit calls for every game, and if you missed Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em yesterday, you can find that here . Plus, I'm digging through the mailbag to answer some of your lineup questions -- email me at [email protected] with your questions -- and I've got a preview of what should be a very good Thursday night game between the Seahawks and Cardinals. And, of course, updates on all of the injuries you need to know about because, like I said, there's still a lot of them. | | More Week 11 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Starts & Sits, Sleepers & Busts | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: RB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: WR | Waiver Wire | Biggest Questions | Trade Values | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Rest-of-Season Rankings | Cut List | Believe It or Not | Winners & Losers | FFT Newsletter | | Dave Richard's Starts and Sits | | | | Three guys Dave likes for Week 11 | | Clyde Edwards-Helaire -- Le'Veon Bell's addition to the Chiefs offense has had the expected impact in one key way: Edwards-Helaire has just 26 carries in the past three games. Dave is betting that Edwards-Helaire becomes more of a focal point coming out of the bye, especially given Bell's struggles. Tee Higgins -- Basically since his Week 3 breakout, Higgins has had a very valuable role in the Bengals offense every week, and he went into the Week 10 bye averaging 81.1 yards on 5.3 receptions per game with four touchdowns in seven games from Week 3 on -- he ranks 12th in PPR scoring per game among all WR since Week 3. The breakout is already here, and he probably needs to be in your lineup every week. Travis Fulgham -- I'm probably there with Dave that you should start Fulgham this week, but I'll admit to being a bit more concerned after he saw his targets drop to five in the first game with Alshon Jeffery, Dallas Goedert and Jalen Reagor all active. And Zach Ertz has an outside shot at returning this week, too. Still, I'll give Fulgham one more week to show he's still one of the top options in this offense. | | Three guys Dave doesn't like for Week 11 | | Robby Anderson -- Anderson's catch rate has fallen over the past four games, and he and Teddy Bridgewater have struggled to connect on the deep ball. Neither of those things are likely to get better with a hobbled Bridgewater or either Will Grier or P.J. Walker at QB. Jameis Winston -- There's near-unanimous excitement for Winston's chance to play QB for the Saints, but Dave is here to dump some cold water on that. Winston missed on four of his five attempts to Michael Thomas last week and had the third-worst bad-ball rate in 2019. Add in that he's likely to lose some key snaps to Taysom Hill, and you can start to see why Dave isn't quite as excited as everyone else. Duke Johnson -- The problem with getting excited about Johnson's opportunity to be the lead back for the Texans is that it's not quite clear he's suited for the role. He didn't run the ball well in Week 10 and is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry for the season. The bigger problem might be that the Texans are somehow averaging just 4.8 targets per game to their running backs, actually down slightly from 2019. Maybe this just isn't a great offense for a running back? | | A quick Week 11 Mailbag | | I've received more emails from you all than normal this week, and I wanted to make sure I got to as many as I could, so here's a quick lightning-round mailbag -- 25(-ish) words or less from yours truly for each answer. You can probably tell how hard that is going to be for me. | | Mark: Taysom Hill is TE-eligible on ESPN. Should I pick him up to start over Dallas Goedert this week? | | Where Hill is eligible at tight end, he's definitely worth adding. But you're not starting him over Goedert unless he's starting too. That upside makes him worth the add. | | Scott: In PPR, pick three: Chris Godwin, Diontae Johnson, A.J. Brown or Tyler Boyd. | | Brown is the easy call, and I think I prefer Johnson and Boyd to Godwin, given the higher target volume. | | Steve: I have Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman, Jalen Reagor and Allen Lazard available. Please rank them ROS and would you drop Antonio Brown for any? | | Higgins might just be a must-start WR at this point, so he's the easy call. But I'm not confident Brown will even be the second best of this group. | | Jose: Pick two: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Damien Harris, Mike Davis, or Nyheim Hines? | | Davis is the easy call of the three for me, and I think I go with CEH over Harris and Hines, in that order. | | Steve: Some of us do playoffs in Weeks 15-17 because, in our 34-year-old league, it's about rewarding the best player, not about being easy. Why not play Week 17? If you have guys off, you need to plan for it. | | I may have attacked people who play through Week 17 in a recent newsletter. My apologies. For me, avoiding Week 17 isn't about making it easy; it's about trying to avoid introducing even more randomness into an already random game. | | Week 11 Injury Updates | | | | Keeping up with injuries has been a key part of playing Fantasy football this season, but it's a lot easier when someone does it for you. Here are the injury updates you need to know about after the first day of practice for Week 11 around the league. Ready? | | QB Injuries | | Drew Brees (ribs/shoulder) -- Did not practice. Brees seems likely to miss a few games while dealing with five broken ribs and a collapsed lung, though it's still not clear if he is going to go on IR. Winston should start in his place for as long as Brees is sidelined. Matthew Stafford (thumb) -- Did not practice. Stafford is dealing with a partial tear in his right thumb and the expectation is he'll play through it. Don't expect to see much of him in practice while dealing with this injury, but Stafford won't need to practice to play. Still, expect a downgrade in his production as well as the Lions offense as a whole. Drew Lock (ribs) -- Lock is going to try to fight through this injury and play against the Dolphins, but it seems pretty unlikely he'll be able to do so. Brett Rypien would likely be in line for the start against this tough defense, and it would make Jerry Jeudy and the rest of the Broncos skill players much tougher to trust. Teddy Bridgewater (knee) -- Limited at practice. It's not clear whether Bridgewater is going to play, but this is a good first step. Will Grier and P.J. Walker will split the practice reps Bridgewater can't take, but if he isn't going to play, you figure they'd want to make a call as early as possible to give whichever backup they tab as the starter as many reps as possible. Andy Dalton (concussion) -- Full participant at practice. Things have not gone Dalton's way, as he suffered a concussion and then tested positive for COVID-19, but he's back on the active roster and will return to the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Vikings. Dalton isn't a recommended starter, but it's not hard to imagine the Cowboys offense playing better in the second half of the season with Dalton leading the way. That could make him a viable starter if he plays well. Sam Darnold (shoulder) -- Darnold has already been ruled out for Week 11 against the Chargers, with Joe Flacco set to start in his place. Flacco was excellent in Week 9 against the Patriots, but don't expect a repeat. | | RB Injuries | | Joe Mixon (foot) -- Did not practice. Mixon has been "day to day" for quite a few days now, as he hasn't played since Week 6. He'll have to get back on the practice field to really have a chance to play, so this wasn't a good start. Giovani Bernard will be a solid starter against Washington if Mixon is out, though we could see more of second-year back Trayveon Williams, who rushed for 22 yards on five carries in his first NFL touches last week. Christian McCaffrey (shoulder) -- Did not practice. McCaffrey has already been ruled out for Week 11. Mike Davis (thumb) was a full participant and looks good to go for Week 11 against the Lions. He's Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Week, so don't be scared off by a few poor performances. This is a great matchup. James Robinson (shoulder) -- Limited at practice. There is no reason to be alarmed just yet, but this is the first time Robinson has been on the injury report all season, so it's worth noting. With Chris Thompson on IR, Devine Ozigbo is currently the only other healthy running back on the roster for Jacksonville, though he was also limited Wednesday with a hamstring injury. We'll definitely want to watch this one the rest of the week. Ezekiel Elliott (hamstring) -- Full participant at practice. Elliott admitted he is still dealing with some lingering stiffness, but he played through the injury in Week 9 and looks like he's going to do so again this week against the Vikings. He also said he feels better than he did in Week 9. He's been a disappointment since Dak Prescott's injury, but Elliott remains a starting Fantasy option. You might want to add Tony Pollard if you've got the roster space in case Elliott does suffer a setback of some sort. Matt Breida (hamstring) -- Full participant in practice Wednesday, which bodes well for his chances of returning. What that will mean for Salvon Ahmed remains to be seen -- Breida hasn't really been able to carve out a consistent role with the Dolphins, but he was higher on the depth chart than Ahmed before his injury. Breida would have to be a desperation start, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could be useful against the Broncos. Austin Ekeler (hamstring) -- Ekeler is getting closer to returning, but we haven't seen him at practice yet. You're probably antsy for his return, understandably, but you'll have plenty of warning for whenever Ekeler returns because the Chargers will have to designate him to return from injured reserve before he can practice. That didn't happen Wednesday, and it seems very unlikely he'll play in Week 11. Remain patient, and start Kalen Ballage against the Jets. Damien Harris (ankle/chest) -- Harris was limited Wednesday, but this is the same injury he played through last week, so expect the same in Week 11. He's a solid starter against the Texans. Jalen Richard (chest) -- Did not practice. Richard doesn't have much Fantasy appeal on his own, but his absence could create an opportunity for Devontae Booker to play a larger role yet again. You shouldn't expect another two-touchdown game like he had in Week 10, but teams have had some success running against the Chiefs and Richard and Booker average close to 10 touches per game between them, so Booker can be a flex play in a pinch. Jaylen Samuels (quad) -- Did not practice. Samuels is just a reserve for the Steelers, but if this injury is serious, it could clear up the hierarchy in the event of an injury to James Conner, with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland likely to split time if that happened. | | WR Injuries | | Calvin Ridley (foot) -- Limited at practice. This does represent some improvement for Ridley, who was unable to practice at all in the week prior to the team's bye. We'd like to have seen him get a full practice in after a week off, but there's still time for that. Have a replacement ready to go, and we'll watch Ridley's status the rest of the week leading up to Sunday's game against the Saints. Davante Adams (ankle) -- Limited at practice. Adams was able to play after briefly leaving with the ankle injury Sunday, so we didn't think much of it, but it sounds like there's at least a chance he doesn't play in Week 11. Or at least, he wouldn't guarantee he will, but is preparing as if he will. It seems more likely he will be able to play, but we'll just have to watch this one the next few days. Kenny Golladay (hip) -- Limited at practice. This is the first we've of Golladay at practice since the injury in Week 7, and he was actually the healthiest of the Lions top receivers, as Danny Amendola (hip) and Marvin Jones (knee) were unable to practice Wednesday. We'll see what the rest of the week holds for the injury-riddled Lions passing game, but it might be best to avoid it in Week 11 against the Panthers if you can help it. That's easier said than done with Golladay, at least. Allen Lazard (core) -- Full participant at practice. Lazard was activated from IR and seems well on his way to making his return to the lineup in Week 11 against the Colts. You probably won't want to start him in his first game back -- and Week 12 might be tough against the Bears -- but Lazard has serious potential as the No. 1 option in this offense if he's right. Jerry Jeudy (ankle) -- Limited practice. Jeudy is starting to get pretty beat up, as he missed time in practice last week with a shoulder injury and was limited Wednesday. There's no sign this is a serious injury, but we'll keep an eye on it for now. Breshad Perriman (shoulder) -- This is a new injury for Perriman, it seems, and he was limited by it Wednesday. The fact that he's still hurt coming off a bye week is a concern, but Adam Gase told reporters the team is hopeful Perriman will be ready to play. Laviska Shenault (hamstring) -- Did not practice. Shenault has struggled with injuries in his rookie season, but has shown flashes when healthy. He's a decent stash, but if you need the roster spot, go ahead and drop him. | | TE Injuries | | Noah Fant (ankle) -- Did not practice Wednesday. Fant has been fighting through an ankle injury for the past few weeks, and appeared to aggravate it in Week 10. That he's been able to play through it so far, including last weekend after aggravating it, would suggest that he'll do the same in Week 11, but we can't know that for certain yet. T.J. Hockenson (toe) -- Limited at practice. It seems like Hockenson is going to keep trying to gut it out with this injury, and last week he sat out practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday, so don't overreact if the same thing happens tomorrow. You probably have to start Hockenson if you have him, but he's another player you don't feel all that comfortable with at this point. Irv Smith (groin) -- Limited at practice. Smith missed Monday's game against the Bears, but it looks like this might just be a one-week absence. If he does play, Smith would be an interesting streaming option for the matchup against the Cowboys. | | TNF Preview: Cardinals at Seahawks | | | | All lines from William Hill Sportsbook. | | Line: SEA -3.0; o/u 57.5 Implied totals: Cardinals 27.25, Seahawks 30.25 | | The last time these two teams met they combined for 71 points, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray had seven touchdowns and 151 rushing yards between them, DK Metcalf made one of the most impressive plays in recent NFL history, and they needed 69:45 for the Cardinals to ultimately win. If this one is half as entertaining, it'll be one of the best Thursday night games ever. | | Key injuries | | Chris Carson (foot) -- Questionable. Carson is definitely getting close to returning and could be a game-time call, but Adam Schefter reported Wednesday Carson is "unlikely" to play. With Carlos Hyde (hamstring) looking likely to play after getting a full practice in Wednesday, the Seahawks can just give Carson the extra long week to get to 100% if they want. Tyler Lockett (knee) -- Questionable. Coach Pete Carroll was pretty unequivocal in his belief that Lockett will play, even though his knee sprain kept him out of practice Monday and Tuesday and had him limited Wednesday. If Lockett plays, you have to start him in what should be a shootout, but you won't feel great about it until you see him out there and he makes his first catch. Travis Homer (knee/thumb) -- Doubtful. If Hyde plays and Carson doesn't, we're likely to see a ton of Hyde in this one, with DeeJay Dallas serving as the backup. It's not hard to see a scenario where they ride Hyde hard, knowing they can put him back on ice when Carson returns. | | What to watch for | | DK Metcalf vs. Patrick Peterson. Metcalf made his impact felt in other ways in their earlier matchup in Week 7, but he finished the game with just two catches for 23 yards in more than a full game. The Seahawks were seemingly fine with that, as they shifted attention over to Tyler Lockett, who had a massive three-touchdown game. Lockett may not be at 100% in this one, so they may have to force the issue with Metcalf. For what it's worth, Metcalf did score what would have been a game-winning 48-yard touchdown on a screen pass in the final minutes of overtime, but it was nullified due to a holding penalty. He may be held in check again, but it's not guaranteed, and you're not sitting Metcalf. To paraphrase an oversized purple monster -- no, not Barney: Dread it. Run from it. [Regression] arrives all the same. Russell Wilson came out of the gate on fire, tossing 14 touchdowns in the first three games and generally looking like the best QB in Fantasy. Things slowed down from there, but it's only in the last few games that he's started to actually struggle, turning the ball over seven times over the last two with just two touchdowns. Wilson is, of course, one of the very best quarterbacks in the NFL, so I don't think this recent run is indicative of much more than just the mirror image of his literally unbelievable and unsustainable early play. The question is, facing an offense like Arizona's and given these struggles, will the Seahawks opt to play a more conservative brand of football? The way they've played this season sort of goes against everything Pete Carroll and Brian Schottenheimer seem to believe in, so maybe this is the excuse to take Russ off the burner. He's still obviously a must-start player, but it'll be interesting to see if they make any adjustments. | | Notable player props | | Chase Edmonds, 19.5 receiving yards -- Over. I'm actually not sure how this one is this low, because it feels like an obvious call that Edmonds will go over. He's gone over 19.5 yards receiving in five of nine games and had 87 yards on seven catches in the last matchup with the Seahawks. It's not guaranteed, but if this game turns into the shootout the over/under suggests it will, Edmonds should see plenty of targets. This is the kind of prop he can go over with one catch. Kenyan Drake, 47.5 rushing yards -- Over. I know Drake has struggled -- including just 34 yards in the previous matchup against Seattle -- but you've just gotta bet on the consistent workload Drake gets week in and week out, because it's led to over 50 yards six times in eight games. He's not the most exciting Fantasy running back in the world, but you're starting Drake and he's getting to at least 50 yards. Carlos Hyde, 56.5 rushing yards -- Over. Hyde only saw extensive action in one game and he rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries. And it just so happened to be the last game against the Seahawks. Obviously, the chances of this happening change if Carson is able to play, but if not, except a lot of Hyde in this one, and it'll be enough to get him over this and to make him a viable Fantasy play. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | Parlay Pick'em | ✔Scores & Highlights
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