Week 11 Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Courtland Sutton vs. DK Metcalf

Week 11’s fantasy football debate between Courtland Sutton and DK Metcalf comes down to matchups, momentum, and scoring upside—see who earns the edge in this critical start/sit decision.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Passion for NFL players in the fading market fades away with each disappointing outcome. Courtland Sutton (WR21) and DK Metcalf (WR23) were drafted as backend WR2s in the season-long contests in early September. After 10 weeks, they rank almost identically to their preseason draft value in PPR formats (Sutton – WR20 and Metcalf – WR23). Unfortunately, start/sit decisions often come down to recent form.

Over the past three weeks, Sutton has only had 16 targets, leading to dull showings (4/67, 1/30/1, and 3/24), two of which came in what were expected to be favorable matchups (DAL and LV). Metcalf delivered one steady game (5/55/1) over the past month, while his other three results were well below expectations (3/50, 2/6, and 3/35 on 16 combined targets).

Who to start: Courtland Sutton or DK Metcalf

My goal in fantasy football is to draft wide receivers where I have to make the fewest decisions each week. On the downside, players go in and out of form while also having good and bad matchups. Consistency and scoring are key factors in head-to-head matchups, but the ultimate plan is to score the most fantasy points.

In this start/sit decision, both players scored over 20.00 fantasy points in one game this season (Sutton – 6/118/1 and Metcalf – 5/126/1). 

Sutton reached that level twice in 2024 (7/122/1 and 8/97/2) while coming close in two other contests (8/100 and 6/70/1), all of which came over a five-game span (Week 8 to Week 12).

Heading into this season, Metcalf was coming off a down season (WR31), partly due to missing two games. His best two outcomes came in Week 2 (10/129/1) and Week 3 (4/104/1), where he hit on 56- and 71-yard touchdowns. His only other edge start was in Week 7 (4/99/1 – 31-yard TD). 

Kansas City Wide Receiver Defense

The Chiefs struggled to defend Sutton in 2024 (6/70/1 and 5/98/1), with both games coming after Week 9, when Bo Nix was developing into a top-12 quarterback in his rookie season. He also scored in both games against Kansas City in 2023 (4/46/1 and 2/29/1). 

Shawn Childs

The Chiefs have the second-best defense against wide receivers (238.90 fantasy points) this year. Wideouts gain a league-low 10.1 yards per catch, but they catch 68.6% of their targets. They’ve allowed six touchdowns to wide receivers.

• Keenan Allen (7/68/1)
• Quentin Johnston (5/79/2)
• Zay Flowers (7/74)
• Brian Thomas (4/80)
• Jameson Williams (6/66/1)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (9/45)
• Terry McLaurin (3/54/1)

Kansas City has faced four below-par passing quarterbacks.

• Russell Wilson (160/0)
• Trevor Lawrence (221/1)
• Geno Smith (67/0)
• Marcus Mariota (213/1)

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CHECK OUT OUR WEEK 11 WIDE RECEIVER PROJECTIONS & RANKINGS!

Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Defense

If Zay Taylor could speak with the Wizard of Oz, his first request would be a healthy Joe Burrow. His second choice would be a tier defense. The Bengals have allowed 36 touchdowns and 16 field goals over 97 possessions this year, while failing to hold any of their last eight opponents to fewer than 27 points. Their run defense left the building in Week 8 (37/254/2) and Week 9 (37/283/2), and quarterbacks have three passing scores or more in four contests (JAC – 271/3, DET – 261/4, PIT – 249/4, and CHI – 302/4), with each failure coming at home.

Shawn Childs

Surprisingly, the Bengals sit 11th in wide receiver defense (259.50 fantasy points) despite allowing 13.0 yards per catch. Offenses have gained 52.5% of their receiving yards from their wideouts, and they have accounted for only 47.1% of the team’s completions.

• Cedric Tillman (5/52/1)
• Dyami Brown (5/57/1)
• Justin Jefferon (5/75)
• Courtland Sutton (5/81/1)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (8/100)
• Matthew Golden (3/86)
• Tyler Johnson (3/64/1)
• Olamide Zaccheaus (6/58/1)

The Verdict: Courtland Sutton vs. DK Metcalf

Based on matchups, Metcalf brings a bright shade of green to Week 11, and I’ve chased him down the losing path in the DFS market over the past two weeks. He turned in an empty game (3/50 on five targets) earlier in the year against Cincinnati, when Pittsburgh had its best offensive showing (396 combined yards) of the year. Big scoring plays drive his success, and his Bengals can be beaten in the deep passing game, especially when they spent their bye week trying to solve their run defense problems.

As for Sutton, he has a cleaner WR1 role with recent success against the Chiefs’ defense. By no means am I sitting him based on his matchup. Kansas City likes to play man-to-man defense, where Denver’s top wide receiver should create enough wins on the day.

In the end, this start/sit decision is more geared to fantasy leagues with two WR roster slots or for a game manager with excellent strength at wide receiver. Metcalf is the winner in this exercise, but he needs the Bengals to continue to put up points offensively.