Fantasy Football Week 11 Quarterback Start/Sit: Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, and More

Injuries will keep building up until the final week, but we are also to the part of the season where players are going to be benched, allowing for younger and less heralded players to get time. When the matchups align, those guys can have surprise fantasy value.

The New York Giants and New Orleans Saints are two examples where this already happened, as Jaxson Dart took over for Russell Wilson way back in Week 4, and Tyler Shough took over for Spencer Rattler a few weeks ago. We don't know who will be benched next, but staying up to date with news can help you know who those surprise streamers might be each week.

Let's look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 11 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names below, like Lamar Jackson. Instead, we have six players who are good fantasy options some weeks and better left on the bench other times. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the players and teams with the best matchups each week.

Start

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears

He has also missed five games, but McCarthy hasn't been very good when on the field. He has thrown for 173 yards per game on 6.4 per attempt with five touchdowns and six interceptions. His 110 rushing yards and two scores help, but it's hard to expect great play from the first-year starter.

McCarthy's fantasy scores have been decent in large part because of that running production, leaving him as a guy you can consider based on matchups, even if his real performance leaves plenty to be desired.

The matchup here is about as good as it gets, as the Bears have given up the third-most yards per pass attempt and the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. While they haven't given up a ton of rushing, that is matchup-dependent, as the three running QBs they faced (Jayden Daniels, Tyler Huntley, and Jaxson Dart) have all topped 50 rushing yards.

Last week, Dart finished with 66 yards and two touchdowns, and he even missed a chunk of the second half after suffering a concussion. Given that McCarthy's best fantasy work has come from running, there is intrigue here that he could again find success.

McCarthy faced the Bears in Week 1 and ran twice for 25 yards and a touchdown. He threw for 143 yards on 20 attempts, struggling mightily early before improving in the second half to bring his team back. The odds are in his favor to again have a decent fantasy performance in this one.

Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys

It has been a rough go for the Las Vegas offense. They have scored the second-fewest points per game and gained the third-fewest yards per rush attempt, though they are simply below average passing the ball, not among the worst in the league. Counting on any Raider in fantasy is a risky proposition.

Smith has had a few good games, though, topping 280 passing yards three times and 10.0 yards per pass attempt twice. He also threw three or more touchdowns in two different games. Smith also failed to reach 200 yards in five of nine games, so it's far from a guarantee that he is even a middling fantasy player on any given week.

The matchup here is too good to ignore, as the Cowboys have allowed the second-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Those numbers have come from volume along with efficiency, as teams have averaged 271.8 passing yards per game with 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

I don't want to count on Las Vegas for fantasy production, but this is one of the best matchups available for the passing game. Smith is a solid fantasy streamer in Week 11, though he's only a one-week option with a tougher matchup against Cleveland up next.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Commanders

Tagovailoa leads the league with 13 interceptions; the only other player with more than eight picks is Smith, who has 12. Tua averaging just 195.2 passing yards per game on 6.7 per attempt, the latter number his worst since his rookie season.

His 17 touchdowns are on pace to tie his career high (29), a nice fantasy bump, but Tagovailoa doesn't run the ball, so when he isn't putting up passing stats, there's not much value as a fantasy player. Tua is QB18, far away from the level of a fantasy starter.

His spot here is once again because of the fantastic matchup. Washington has allowed the most yards per pass attempt and the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Like with Dallas, the Commanders are giving up tons of volume on top of efficiency, as QBs have averaged 273.7 yards per game with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Miami is short on playmakers, and they have a low floor, but the matchup here is juicy enough to make Tagovailoa a good streaming option if you're in need in Week 11.

Sit

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Lawrence was listed here last week because he was playing against the Texans, who currently have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. This week is technically easier, as the Chargers have allowed the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to QBs, but it's still a brutal matchup.

Lawrence didn't have to do much last week, as his team went up big early, but when Houston was coming back, Lawrence couldn't do enough to help keep his team from blowing a 19-point lead with less than 17 minutes remaining. He finished with 158 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Lawrence has been a low-level fantasy player most of the season, averaging 222 yards per game on just 6.3 per attempt. That latter number is the worst since his rookie season, when he was way down at 6.0, and Lawrence was at 7.0 or higher in the three seasons between then and now.

With the young quarterback struggling to excel and the matchup heavily against him, Lawrence is a must-bench player in Week 11. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him end up with even worse numbers than last week.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos

Mahomes has been a real-life and fantasy football star this season. He has held that title in real football essentially since taking over as the starter, but his fantasy performance had fallen off over the past few seasons. Mahomes is back on top this year, ranking as QB2 (he was QB1 before his bye last week).

The matchup here is a really tough one, as the Broncos have given up the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Denver has allowed just 206.6 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns and five interceptions, and they don't give up rushing production to QBs (11.4 yards per game).

Part of Mahomes increase in fantasy prowess is his increase in running. He is averaging more than 30 rushing yards per game, on pace for around 540 yards for the season. His previous career high is 389 yards, and Mahomes has already matched his previous high of four touchdowns on the ground.

Mahomes has been great, but I don't want to count on him in this matchup. I would take him as my actual quarterback to go out and beat the Broncos, but you can find a better fantasy option this week, even given how good the Kansas City QB has been.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals

We did this last week: I listed Purdy here in the “Sit” section with the caveat that Mac Jones might start again, but I was being optimistic because Purdy had encouraging signs pointing toward his return. Purdy missed the game, leaving Jones to start against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jones had a very good statistical game, throwing for 319 yards on 8.2 per attempt with three touchdowns and an interception. San Fran's passing game is very good, so it's tough to bet against them, but the matchup pointed that direction last week, and it does the same here.

Arizona has allowed the ninth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. It gets masked because the offense is in flux, particularly around the quarterback position right now, but the Cardinals have built a deep, talented defense that causes problems for opponents.

Whoever starts for the 49ers can still have a good day because their passing game is just that efficient most times, but the matchup here is against them. You can probably find a better outlook this week than either Jones or Purdy.