Fantasy Football: Week 11 Sunday Superlatives
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The eleventh Sunday of the NFL season saw the best teams begin to distance themselves as the Ravens, Cowboys, Patriots, and 49ers all earned hard-fought victories.
Dak Prescott and Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 400-plus yards, Lamar Jackson remained unstoppable, and Sam Darnold threw four touchdowns for the first time in his young career.
We also witnessed two fantasy stars make NFL history. Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey became the first player to ever have over 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in his first ten games of the season. Saints WR Michael Thomas became the first player to record 90-plus receptions in his first ten games of the season.
Let's take a look back at the week that was:
Welcome Back Party
Derrius Guice, RB, Redskins
The talented second-year back saw his first action since suffering a knee injury back in Week 1. The exciting running back, out of LSU, has not been able to stay healthy in the NFL after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. On Sunday against the Jets, he showed he could offer flex appeal in the fantasy playoffs with fresh legs in the Redskins backfield. Guice took a short screen pass and went 45 yards showing the explosion he displayed in college en route to his first career touchdown.
Surprise of the Week
Calvin Ridley, WR, Falcons
Ridley, who has been a big disappointment, surprised everyone with his first 100-plus yard receiving game since back in Week 2. The second-year wideout, who had posted single-digit PPR fantasy games in five of his previous eight games, was great on Sunday catching eight passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Fantasy owners should be ready to fire up Ridley once again next week when the Falcons return home against Tampa Bay in a game the oddsmakers have listed with the highest point total (54) of any game in Week 12.
Biggest Busts
Deshaun Watson, WR, Texans
Watson, who has been sensational this season, had one of the worst starts of his career in Week 11 against the Ravens. The third-year signal-caller, who ranks as the overall QB4, threw for only 169 yards, an interception and lost a fumble on Sunday. His 8.65 fantasy points in the SI Fantasy Football World Championships were a total shock from a quarterback who had 14 total touchdowns in his previous five games. Watson will have to shake off the poor performance quickly, with a short turnaround playing on Thursday night against the Colts as a -3.5 point home favorite.
Kenny Golladay, WR, Lions
Fantasy owners were let down in Week 11 by the star receiver who had been sensational in his previous three games hauling in 13 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns. On Sunday, the third-year wide receiver caught only one of his five targets for 34 yards against the Cowboys. Golladay, who struggled to get on the same page with backup QB Jeff Driskel, should be able to bounce back in Week 12 with a plus-matchup against a Redskins defense that was just torched by Sam Darnold and the Jets.
Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jones, who had scored three touchdowns in the last two weeks with consecutive double-digit PPR fantasy point performances, burned his fantasy owners on Sunday against the Saints. His 13 yards rushing and two receptions for one yard were all season lows. Jones should be able to bounce back in Week 12 with a plus-matchup against Atlanta.
Top Quarterback
Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
Prescott, who has now thrown three touchdowns in each of his last three games, threw for 400-plus yards for the third time this season in Week 11 on the road against the Lions. The fourth-year fantasy stud quarterback, who leads the NFL in passing yards, is performing at an elite level, and although he has a tough matchup against the top-rated Patriots defense in Week 12, he must be used by all fantasy owners. Prescott, with a strong command of one of the league's best offenses, has emerged as a top-three quarterback with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson weekly.
Top Running Back
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers
The star running back was superb once again on Sunday, shredding the Atlanta defense for a season-high 11 receptions and his first 100-plus yard receiving game of the season (121). The MVP candidate, who is easily the most dominant position player in all of fantasy, posted the most PPR fantasy points (30.1) of any running back in Week 11. With 21-plus point PPR fantasy performances in nine-of-ten games, owners can safely depend on McCaffrey as an elite RB1 with favorable matchups for the fantasy playoffs against Washington in Week 13 and Atlanta in Week 14.
Top Wide Receiver
John Brown, WR, Bills
Brown was fantastic against the Dolphins in Week 11, posting season-highs in targets (14), receptions (9), yards (137), and touchdowns (2). The six-year pro has been steady and reliable, scoring double-digit PPR fantasy points in nine-of-ten games this season. The speedy wideout, who has developed excellent chemistry with Bills second-year QB Josh Allen, has one of the safest floors of any WR2 heading into the fantasy playoffs.
The New Sheriff In Town
Sam Darnold, QB, Jets
Darnold was outstanding for the second straight week throwing for 293 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on Sunday against Washington. The young signal-caller, who missed a good chunk of the season with mono, will look to build off his 6:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past two games in Week 12 against AFC foe Oakland. Darnold, owned in less than 28% of leagues, will be among the hottest waiver adds with plus-matchups against Cincinnati in Week 13 and Miami in Week 14.
Stop & Take Notice
DJ Chark, WR, Jaguars
Chark continued his emergence as one of fantasy's best young wideouts with his third 100-plus receiving yard game of the season. In Week 11 against the Colts, he grabbed eight receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. The electric wide receiver, who has posted 17-plus fantasy points in six-of-ten games this season, has a favorable schedule down the stretch. With upcoming matchups against Tampa Bay in Week 13, Chargers in Week 14, Oakland in Week 15, and Atlanta in Week 16, Chark should be trusted in all starting lineups when fantasy glory is all on the line.
Randall Cobb, WR, Cowboys
The nine-year veteran has been fantasy gold the last two weeks working from the slot of the Dallas Cowboys prolific offense. On Sunday, he grabbed four of seven targets for 115 yards and a touchdown in Dallas' 35-27 win over the Lions. Cobb, who now has ten receptions for 221 yards and two scores over the last two games, continues to make big plays and gain the trust of QB Dak Prescott. Cobb's production is not something fantasy owners should continue to ignore as he was only started in 19% of leagues in Week 11.
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