2021 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 11

We had another odd week with the Lions playing to a tie against the Steelers and Panthers QB Cam Newton turned back the clock in his re-debut with the team.

The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams are the only two teams out on bye this week.

There are only a handful of top fantasy players out on bye this week, but honestly, after the Rams & Broncos performances last week, you needed a week away to calm down.

Will Bucs QB Tom Brady bounce-back from a sub-par performance?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 11 of the 2021 NFL season…and enjoy our awesome MS Paint masterpiece of QB Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

START’EM

  • QB Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) – Newton didn’t play a lot last week, but he was the red zone quarterback for Carolina. I expect a bigger role for Newton this week against Washington and should end up being a top-12 fantasy quarterback this week. Also, the fact that he is an strong option for goal-line carries, will hurt RB Christian McCaffrey’s fantasy stock in non-PPR leagues.
  • WR DeVonta Smith (Philadelphia Eagles) – Smith has scored three touchdowns in his last two games. He has scored 22+ fantasy points in back-to-back games. He faces a tough Saints secondary, but I think he will get some looks in the red zone this week and there’s always a chance he could break a big play.
  • TE Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers) – It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is in Pittsburgh, Freiermuth will be get targets. He had a career-high nine targets last week against the Lions. He caught five of those for 31 yards. The Steelers offense was stale with QB Mason Rudolph, so he didn’t get the red zone targets like he did the last few games. He faces the Chargers this week and they’ve allowed a few big games to opposing tight ends this season.
  • RB D’Andre Swift (Detroit Lions) – Swift had his biggest workload of the season in their tie against the Steelers. He ran the ball 33 times for 130 yards over five quarters of football. I think he could be a solid flex play against the Browns. Cleveland’s offense is missing a lot of talent and QB Baker Mayfield suffered a knee injury last week (he’s currently day-to-day).
  • QB Mac Jones (New England Patriots) – Jones isn’t the most consistent fantasy quarterback, but he racks up points against below average teams. The Falcons offense will be crippled without RB Cordarelle Patterson and the Patriots should often have good field position on Thursday night.
  • San Francisco 49ers Defense & Special Teams – Any defense facing the Jets or Jaguars are a solid streaming option. The Niners are coming off an impressive performance against the Rams on Monday Night Football. They travel to Jacksonville this week and should have another double-digit fantasy output.
  • WR Rashod Bateman (Baltimore Ravens) – Bateman is only owned in 31% of leagues and is a steal on the open market. It took him a couple games to get used to the speed of the NFL, but he has back-to-back games with eight targets. He is coming off a six reception, 80-yard performance against the Dolphins.
  • RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (San Francisco 49ers) – Now that RB Elijah Mitchell is doubtful with a finger injury, Wilson should be flying off the waiver wire. He should get almost all the work this week and he has good hands.
  • TE Dan Arnold (Jacksonville Jaguars) – I’ve listed Arnold here just about every single week since he was acquired from Carolina. Jaguars rookie QB Trevor Lawrence looks for Arnold often, but the offense isn’t great, so he lacks red zone targets. Actually, he has yet to score a touchdown this season, but it’s coming. The tight end position is most touchdown-or-bust, but Arnold is a consistent PPR tight end with near-double-digit targets per game.
  • WR Hunter Renfrow (Las Vegas Raiders) – I’ve been on the Renfrow bandwagon since the Henry Ruggs tragedy. He’s had seven receptions and a touchdown in back-to-back games. His targets have increased and is a solid WR2 fantasy play.
  • RB Michael Carter (New York Jets) – Carter will be a top-eight fantasy running back as long as QB Mike White is in the game. Carter is his favorite target and gets red zone touches. Honestly, due to his impressive skills, he should continue to see a lot of targets if the Jets choose to go with another quarterback against the Dolphins.
  • Tennessee Titans Defense & Special Teams – The Titans face the Texans this week and I will likely recommend starting just about every opposing team’s defense against Houston this year. Tennessee has a talented defense and should have a double-digit fantasy output this week.
  • QB Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Brady is coming off one of his worst games this season. He threw two interceptions against Washington and barely cracked 200 passing yards. I expect Brady will prepare extra for his game against the Giants on Monday Night Football. It’s been a long, long time since Brady has had bad game in back-to-back weeks. 

SIT’EM

  • RB Devonta Freeman (Baltimore Ravens) – Freeman is probably the only running back in Baltimore worth a look as a flex play, but I don’t like this week’s match-up. Freeman didn’t get much work in last week’s 22-10 loss to the Dolphins. It looks like if a game is tight, QB Lamar Jackson trusts his own legs over his aging backfield.
  • QB Carson Wentz (Indianapolis Colts) – Wentz didn’t have a good game against the Jaguars, but he honestly didn’t need to do much to get that win. He faces a much more skilled defense against the Bills this week. Wentz has only thrown three interceptions this season, but boy has he gotten lucky with some of his throws in pressure in recent weeks. The Bills will pressure him a lot this week and he won’t get lucky if he throws balls with his left hand in this game.
  • WR Jarvis Landry (Cleveland Browns) – Browns receivers are having a rough fantasy season. Landry was most likely drafted early in your fantasy league this season and here we are in Week 11 and he only has 23 receptions all year. He has a decent match-up against the Lions this week, but as I mentioned earlier, Mayfield added another injury to his medical chart last week (knee). I’d rather start Ravens WR Rashod Bateman or Falcons WR Russell Gage over Landry.
  • RB Adrian Peterson (Tennessee Titans) – I’ve been down on Peterson since his Titans debut. He just isn’t doing anything with the handful of carries he’s getting in Tennessee. I actually think RB D’Onta Foreman has better long-term prospects. I could see him eclipsing Peterson by a large margin soon. You’re not going to keep getting carries if you average a hair over 2.0 ypc on a potential playoff team.
  • QB Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) – Rodgers looked off against the Seahawks last week. He is coming back from a stint with the virus and got thrashed in the media for the duration of his quarantine. He started the game rough, but did look better in the second-half. He usually has solid performances against the Vikings every year, but I wouldn’t trust him right now. He’s still shaking the rust off right now.
  • WR Kadarius Toney (New York Giants) – Toney had a huge game in Week 5 against the Cowboys, but he has only caught eight total passes since. He is still owned in 42% of leagues, which is high for his production level. I don’t like his match-up against the Bucs this week. I’d rather start Bucs WR Tyler Johnson or Cowboys WR Michael Gallup.
  • TE Jared Cook (Los Angeles Chargers) – Cook had some solid games early this season, but he only has seven total receptions in his last three games. He is in a good passing offense, so that production isn’t acceptable. I’d go with a streaming option like Jaguars TE Dan Arnold or keep an eye on Washington’s TE Logan Thomas, he could be activated this week.
  • Pittsburgh Steelers Defense & Special Teams – The Steelers have been a top-five fantasy D/ST this season, but I don’t like their match-up against the Chargers. They struggled last week due to QB Mason Rudolph leaving them high and dry with field position. It could happen against if Big Ben doesn’t get cleared by Sunday.
  • TE Mo-Alie Cox (Indianapolis Colts) – The Colts tight end position has been up-and-down this season, but it looks like Colts TE Jack Doyle is the favored tight end right now. Honestly, I wouldn’t start either of them this week, but Cox is the one I wanted to point out the most. The Bills could make it tough for Colts QB Carson Wentz.
  • Dallas Cowboys Defense & Special Teams – The Cowboys defense has been a very good fantasy defense this season, but I’d sit them out this week against the Chiefs. There’s been a lot of concern about Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes this season, but he looked outstanding against the Raiders last week. I’d rather stream Patriots D/ST, Titans D/ST or Dolphins D/ST this week.

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sweetbob-author-picAbout the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.