Week 11 Fantasy Football Start Advice Featuring Ty Chandler, Tank Dell, Dalton Schultz and more
A last-minute look at players on the sit/start line and how to proceed.
Last minute Start/Sit advice for a critical Week 11 slate before you set your lineups this week. As always, utilize our Who Should I Start tool for decisions not covered here and our Fantasy Assistant for personalized advice.
Quarterbacks
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans vs Arizona Cardinals
Stroud is QB9 by total fantasy points (according to Fantasy Pros) and ranks sixth in fantasy points per game. Stroud is second in passing yards and tied for ninth in passing touchdowns (while already having his bye). He has thrown just two interceptions.
If you haven’t already started looking at Stroud as a “quarterback” instead of a “rookie,” it’s time to do so; Stroud has proven he is a top-10 fantasy QB.
He faces the Arizona Cardinals in Houston this week, the team giving up the eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Cardinals have been a little above league average in terms of passing yards allowed, but they’re tied for the sixth-most touchdown passes allowed.
Stroud is set up for success in Week 11 and likely to finish among the top 10 at his position. Start him unless you have a name like Mahomes or Hurts.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears
Goff has been a solid fantasy contributor this season, finishing in the top 10 four times and top five twice. He has gone over 300 yards three times in nine games and twice thrown for three touchdowns.
Chicago has allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game and fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They’ve also given up 20 passing touchdowns (second most) and have the least number of sacks in the league (13).
This is a great matchup: a player having a very good year on a winning team against one of the worst teams in the league that has struggled to stop the pass all season. Goff will likely be a top 10 QB in Week 11, and I'd start him if you don't have a top-line passer.
Running Backs
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos
Chandler is a second-year player with only 34 touches, 150 yards, and one touchdown to his name. He has become the hottest name in fantasy football due to the combination of Alexander Mattison dealing with injury and the Denver Broncos being the worst run defense in football.
Denver has allowed 158.3 rushing yards per game, nearly 20 yards more than the second-place Jets. That’s over 14% more yards than anyone else in football. They have allowed the most fantasy points per game to running backs and are in the top six in most rushing touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns allowed to backs.
Adam Schefter tweeted (X'd?) that Mattison will play after spending the week in concussion protocol. This is one of the toughest calls of the week: Mattison has been the lead runner, but there's always a chance of reaggravating concussion injuries. Also, Mattison just hasn't been that great this season. Chandler took over in Week 11 when Mattison went down and carried the ball 15 times for 45 yards and a touchdown.
The matchup makes both players relevant. I'm treating both like flex players with RB2 upsides, as it's likely they both get work against this pourus defense. I feel safer about Chandler because of the possibility of lingering effects and/or a reduced role for Mattison.
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans
Conner returned from IR last week and had a decent 73 yards. The big number, though, is 16: Conner had 16 carries while two other backs combined for three rush attempts. Conner dominated the touches, and that alone puts him under fantasy consideration.
He doesn’t have a great matchup this week; it’s fair to call Houston league-average against the run, as they have given up the 13th-most fantasy points per game to running backs but just the eighth-least rushing yards per game.
Kyler Murray helps open more room for his running backs, but he steals some of the most valuable touches near the goal line. In Murray’s first game back last week, he ran six times for 33 yards and a touchdown. That’s likely to continue, and it lowers the chance of Conner getting into the end zone.
Conner is a flex player for me this week that you can consider against your roster.
Devin Singletary, Houston Texans vs Arizona Cardinals
Arizona has allowed the fifth-most total rushing yards per game and the third-most fantasy points per game to running backs. They are ripe to be picked on by any running back in the league.
Singletary was mostly a non-factor in fantasy before exploding in Week 10: in his second game leading the backfield with Dameon Pierce out, Singletary ran the ball 30 times for 150 yards and a touchdown, catching one pass for 11 yards.
Singletary led the backfield alone in Week 9 and touched the ball 15 times, producing just 26 yards. That was against the Bucs, though, one of the best run defenses in the league. Week 10 was against the Cincinnati Bengals, a much easier team to move the ball against on the ground.
With Arizona struggling against the run, Singletary has another chance to find success. There’s also a chance Houston will blow out the Cardinals, and that would mean a lot of running for the Texans.
Singletary is a safe option in Week 11, and I'm treating him like a RB2.
Quick Hits
- Kahlil Herbert will return after five games off, but I don't feel good about starting him this week. D'Onta Foreman has played well in Herbert's stead, and Justin Fields is also returning to the field. Herbert may be limited in his return and will likely have to fight for touches, especially near the goal line. On top of everything, the Lions have allowed the second-least rushing yards and the six-least fantasy points per game to backs. Sit Herbert; there's too much risk (same for Foreman).
- De'Von Achane will also return from a stint on IR to face the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have allowed the third-most rushing yards and the seventh-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Many are questioning how this will effect Raheem Mostert, but I feel good about him in Week 11. Achane may be limited in his return, and there is plenty to go around for both backs in this offense (as we've seen). Both are RB2s (because of split touches) with RB1 upside.
Wide Receivers
Tank Dell and Nico Collins, Houston Texans vs Arizona Cardinals
Arizona has allowed the 11th-least total passing yards but the 11th-most receiving yards to WRs. Dell and Collins each have three good games, three poor games, and two in the middle, and both missed a game on top of the bye.
Matchup dictates a lot of what we can expect from these receivers. With the Cardinals somewhere in the middle, it’s reasonable to expect one player to have a decent day while the other stays quiet. It’s a 50/50 proposition on that front; I wish I had a better answer for you.
I’d treat both players like WR3s this week with Collins having a slight edge. Their quarterback has been on fire, as Houston is producing the second-most passing yards per game, and we’ve seen the upside, but there are safer matchups. I could be talked into treating either like a low-end WR2 (maybe).
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tennessee Titans
Kirk has been a top-30 receiver in seven of his nine weeks in both Standard and PPR. That surprised me, even knowing that he has been the top receiver in Jacksonville.
Tennessee has given up the ninth-most fantasy points per game to receivers; that includes the seventh-most receptions and 10th-most receiving yards to the position.
Kirk usually works in bulk, so this bolds well for his Week 11. In two games against the Titans last year, Kirk had 12 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. There’s no reason to think he can’t keep up his run of production against this division foe.
Tight Ends
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets
Kincaid didn’t have five Standard points or 10 PPR points in any game until Week 7; since that time, he has surpassed those numbers in all four games. Even with a subpar start to the season, Kincaid is 13th in total Standard points and 11th in PPR among tight ends.
Kincaid has become a legit weekly option for Josh Allen and the Bills offense over the past month, and there’s no reason to think he will fall off. He was drafted in the first round and was the first tight end taken in a historically good class.
The Jets have given up six touchdown receptions to tight ends, tied for the most in the league with New Orleans. Kincaid has scored twice during his hot streak and has a good chance to get in the end zone again in Week 11.
Really, I see Kincaid as a weekly starter moving forward. The nice matchup is just a bonus.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans vs Arizona Cardinals
Having at least one Texan at each position says two things: the Texans have a good offense that can keep up with about anyone, and the Cardinals are who we thought they were (possibly the worst team in the league).
The Cards have been good against tight ends, though, allowing the seventh-least fantasy points per game to the position. While they’ve allowed the ninth-least receiving yards to TEs, the eight teams ahead of them have all played one less game, showing how effective Arizona has been.
The case for Schultz, though, is that he has been playing like a no-doubt starter for about two months. Weeks 1-3 were mostly anonymous for Schultz; he then began a streak of four out of five games with a touchdown and has finished in the top 10 at his position every week except one (excluding Houston’s bye).
Even including his poor weeks, Schultz is in the top eight in total points and points per game in both Standard and PPR. Schultz is worth starting even in this tough matchup because of the connection he’s made with Stroud as the offense has excelled.
Quick Hits
- George Kittle has been very hit-and-miss this season, either finishing as a top-10 TE or outside the top 30 every week. He's a 50/50 proposition, and the Bucs are in the middle against the pass. Some won't have a better option than Kittle, but he's near the line of start-worthy. He's safe enough to roll with if you don't have an alternative.
- Trey McBride has taken over as the lead tight end in Arizona, and the Texans are giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. McBride is a player you can start in Week 11.
#start-sit #tank-dell #ty-chandler
