Fantasy Football Week 11 Low-Ranked Starters: J.J. McCarthy, Tre Tucker, and More

Last week's attempt to find guys ranked outside the fantasy starters who would finish among that lofty group was about as successful as could be:

• Matthew Stafford finished as QB2 on a big fantasy day, as he threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Stafford has a real MVP case and keeps succeeding in fantasy football also.
• TreVeyon Henderson gained 147 rushing yards on 14 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Henderson just had another huge game on Thursday night against the Jets, scoring three touchdowns and gaining 93 total yards. What a span of five days for the rookie!
• Jameson Williams was on our list for the second straight week, and he delivered for the second time, catching six passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Each of those numbers was at least tied for the team lead.
• Theo Johnson caught seven passes for 75 yards on a day in which the Giants overcame bad weather to have a good passing day. Jaxson Dart suffered a concussion and won't play this week, so Johnson might see a dip in fantasy value.

That's a great effort, as three guys had big weeks, and Johnson finished as a top-10 tight end in both standard and PPR even though he didn't find the end zone. Let's do it again and identify one player at each offensive fantasy position who is ranked below the starters at his position but will finish in that group.

We are using our FantasySP projections for the rankings. The top 10 will represent the “starters” at quarterback and tight end and the top 20 at running back and wide receiver. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the players with the best matchups each week who are in position to excel.

Quarterback

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

These teams played in Week 1, when McCarthy struggled mightily in the first half before having a big fourth quarter to lead his team to victory and save his fantasy day. He finished with 143 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 25 rushing yards, and another score on the ground, leading to a QB11 finish.

His performance was subpar, but the rushing work helped save the day, particularly the TD. In his three games since that time, McCarthy has run for 85 yards and scored another touchdown, helping him find some fringe fantasy value.

He missed five games in the middle of the season, so we haven't gotten a chance to really see what McCarthy can be. His numbers have mostly been below average, with 173 passing yards per game on 6.4 per attempt, five touchdowns, and six interceptions. McCarthy isn't a player I want to rely on often.

The matchup here is too good to ignore, though, as the Bears have allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and the third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. QBs are averaging more than 250 passing yards per game against Chicago with 20 touchdowns (fifth most).

They have picked off 13 passes, most in the league, but five of them came in two games in which the quarterbacks both threw at least 45 passes, and six others came against Geno Smith and Spencer Rattler; I'm betting that number is going to slow down moving forward.

McCarthy is a lower-level fantasy player, but he runs the ball, which gives him a nice boost, and the matchup here is about as good as could be. He's a decent bet to reach the top 10 this week, and his floor is probably still a mediocre day.

Running Back

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Buffalo Bills

White is just outside the top 20 RBs, but he does miss that cutoff, making him eligible for our list. White has been filling in as RB1 for much of the season, as Bucky Irving hasn't played since Week 4.

From Week 5 through Week 10, White ranked inside the top 25 running backs in both standard and PPR. His numbers aren't great or consistent, but in those six weeks (five games and a bye), White averaged 63.2 total yards and 3.6 receptions per game while scoring two touchdowns.

Irving will miss Week 11 as he inches back to action, so White and Sean Tucker will again share the backfield work. While the presence of Tucker takes away from White's upside, White has been leading the way and is the better fantasy option because he gets more touches and does way more receiving work.

The matchup here is also a positive one, as the Bills have given up the second-most yards per rush attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Five of the nine teams Buffalo has faced gained 100 rushing yards from their RBs, and three of those included one player topping 100 yards.

They don't give up a ton of receiving work to backs (just under four catches and 25 yards per game), but better receivers in De'Von Achane and Bijan Robinson had good performances in three games (two for Achane). RBs have also scored 12 rushing touchdowns against Buffalo, and their 14 total rushing TDs allowed are tied for second most.

White has a positive outlook here and plenty of flex value, maybe approaching the RB2 fringe. He's not a lock to put up numbers, and there's a bit of a lower floor, but White is likely to have at least a decent performance in Week 11.

Wide Receiver

Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys

When the Raiders traded Jakobi Meyers before the deadline, they sent out their only involved pass catcher with more than two years of experience prior to 2025. Vegas has since signed Tyler Lockett (who led the team with five catches and 44 yards last week against Denver), but they have mostly embraced a youth movement at the skill positions, leaving room for someone to step into a bigger role.

Tucker leads the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and he's just three targets behind Meyers for the top spot. Though he is on pace to smash his previous career highs, Tucker's stats are still modest, as he is tracking for 64 catches, 860 yards, and 7.5 touchdowns. That's fine work, and without Meyers, Tucker is likely to keep getting chances to produce.

Brock Bowers is the team's WR1, much like Travis Kelce was for the Chiefs for a handful of years, so Tucker is second at best in the pass-catching hierarchy. That's still a player who can be useful, but it's important not to think of him as a possible top receiver because of Meyers' departure.

The matchup this week is fantastic, as the Cowboys have given up the second-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. WR groups are averaging around 12 catches, 170 yards, and nearly two touchdowns per game against Dallas, making them one of the friendliest matchups available.

Tucker has a strong outlook in Week 11. Dallas scores a lot of points as well as giving them up, so this could turn into a shootout, leaving plenty of volume to go around.

Tight End

Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

I gave the advantage to Smith earlier this week, but you could make an argument for either Pittsburgh tight end as a streaming option. The matchup is phenomenal, as the Bengals have allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and by far the most fantasy points to tight ends.

The position is averaging 6.8 receptions and over 70 yards per game against Cincinnati while scoring 12 touchdowns in nine games. When these teams played in Week 7, Freiermuth had his best game in years, catching five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns; Smith added three receptions, 28 yards, and a score of his own.

Smith plays more snaps and has gotten a little more volume, the reason why I give him the slight edge. It's notable that Freiermuth was the one who blew up in the first game, but that doesn't mean he'll do the same here. The defense could key on him a little more to prevent a repeat, leaving more room for other guys.

Both Freiermuth and Smith have upside but aren't guaranteed for big things. It's likely that at least one of them has a good game, though choosing the right one leaves some risk. There's plenty of optimism around Pittsburgh's passing game this week.