After we saw two rookie wide receivers explode in primetime on Thursday night, it’s time to take a look at some tough start/sit decisions fantasy football manager will have to face in Week 11.
Teams on a bye in Week 11 include the Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks.
Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.
Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.
You also can check out our start and sit bench list for Week 11:
Sit: TE Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Week 11 Opponent: at New Orleans Saints
Managers may not have a choice but to start Higbee. The landscape at the position is incredibly bad, and he’s certainly been usable this season. However, the Saints present one of the worst matchups in all of fantasy football. They have shut down tight ends this season, allowing the fewest PPR points per game (7.4), as well as the third-fewest receptions (36) and receiving yards (317). They’ve also only allowed one touchdown reception to tight ends this season. The Rams offense isn’t the powerhouse we’re used to seeing, and even though Higbee has been involved, there’s very little upside this week.
Start: TE Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders
Week 11 Opponent: at Denver Broncos
With Darren Waller on the injured reserve list, Moreau has stepped into the starting role. He hasn’t done a whole lot with those opportunities since Week 7, but he exploded for a TE6 finish in Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts. He caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Over the last four weeks, Moreau has registered a double-digit target share in each game. The Broncos defense is one of the best in the NFL, but they’ve surprisingly been beaten by tight ends. Over the last five weeks, Denver has allowed the eighth-most PPR points per game (14.1) to the position. It’s not a fun start, but Moreau is a startable option.
Sit: WR George Pickens, Pittsbugh Steelers
Week 11 Opponent: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Had it not been for a rushing touchdown, Pickens’ performance in Week 10 would have been much more disappointment. Despite this being the first game without Chase Claypool, Pickens still only saw four targets. The rookie wideout has flashed upside, but the Bengals have been stingy against fantasy wide receivers. They’ve allowed the 11th-fewest PPR points per game (30.0) to the position over the last five weeks. This may be more on the fact that Kenny Pickett hasn’t shown the ability to support consistent fantasy assets through the air, but managers should be weary of Pickens with the Bengals coming off the bye week.
Start: WR Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
Week 11 Opponent: at Atlanta Falcons
Even with the surging Justin Fields taking over the fantasy landscape, Mooney has still been pretty volatile. Over the last six games, Mooney has just one finish inside the WR2 range. However, he’s in line to produce a big game against the Falcons in Week 11. It’s become a theme for fantasy managers to start wide receivers against Atlanta, who has allowed the second-most PPR points per game (47.8) but the most receptions (80) and receiving yards (1,114) to wideouts over the last five weeks. Fields’ rushing ability will certainly play a factor, but the matchup is there for Mooney to reach the century mark for the first time this season.
Sit: RB Michael Carter, New York Jets
Week 11 Opponent: at New England Patriots
There’s a chance Carter comes off the bye week and has a decent game in PPR leagues. However, this is a matchup fantasy managers should be avoiding at all costs. The Patriots are one of the best defenses against running backs, allowing the third-fewest PPR points per game (16.5) to the position over the last five weeks. Carter finished as an RB1 just before the bye week but has finished outside the top-30 running backs in six of his games this season. Three of those games came in Weeks 6-8. As the Patriots also come off the bye, it’s likely they will try to make Zach Wilson beat them through the air.
Start: RB Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
Week 11 Opponent: at Houston Texans
We gave some love to Antonio Gibson in our sleepers article for the week, but we also must acknowledge the early-down back in the Commanders offense. There is no better matchup for running backs than the Texans, who are allowing the most PPR points per game (34.8) to the position over the last five weeks. They’ve allowed eight rushing touchdowns and 739 rushing yards to running backs over their last four games. Robinson hasn’t been electric or efficient at all since making his debut, but he is seeing volume, coming off 26 carries in Week 10. Gibson is the more exciting play because of his elusiveness, but Robinson should be considered as well given his work on early downs.
Sit: QB Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Week 11 Opponent: at Denver Broncos
Even though we listed tight end Foster Moreau as a start this week, we should be avoiding Carr as a quarterback option at all costs. Carr has just one top-15 finish over his last four games, and the Broncos defense is one of the worst matchups for quarterbacks. Over the last five weeks, they are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game (9.9). The last time these two teams played in Week 4, Carr threw for just 188 yards without a touchdown. We could see more of that again Sunday.
Start: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Week 11 Opponent: at Arizona Cardinals
Garoppolo continues to be the streaming quarterback of the 2022 season. His numbers have been far from eye-popping, but he’s provided stable performances for fantasy managers to lean on throughout the last month or so. He’s thrown for at least 235 passing yards in each of his last five games and even though he didn’t find the end zone through the air in Week 10, he did add a rushing score. The Cardinals have been susceptible to allowing fantasy quarterbacks to thrive, allowing the seventh-most PPR points per game (18.5) to the position over the last five weeks. With a full complement of weapons, Jimmy GQ should be in play as a fringe QB1.
