Welcome to Week 11! We are about to embark on that part of the season that reveals the legit contenders and the pretenders of the NFL. The same can be true for many fantasy leagues, as teams around the .500-mark battle for a playoff spot (if your league is into that kinda thing, most of mine are). Let’s take a look at some matchups to exploit and some to avoid.
PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out.
Quarterback
Start: Joe Flacco
Can you believe Joe Flacco was drafted in 2008?!
In the three games preceding Cincinnati’s Week 10 bye, Flacco scored 26, 24.3, and 32.7 fantasy points. As many of us hoped, the 40-year-old quarterback has largely saved the day for fantasy managers of the Bengals’ skill position players. What I didn’t anticipate, though, was that Flacco himself might become fantasy-relevant again.
Joe Flacco‘s Passing Opportunity and Productivity Metrics
Coming off a bye week preceded by three top-ten finishes, Flacco finds himself in yet another juicy matchup. This isn’t your uncle’s Pittsburgh Steeler defense. Pittsburgh has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year. A ranking that would be worse yet if not for their Week 9 matchup vs Indy, where they came away with six turnovers. They came away with zero turnovers in four of their last five games and have allowed the second-most passing yards despite playing only nine games. Sitting at QB7 in our weekly rankings, I’m starting the South Jersey native in most instances this week.’
Honorable Mention: Aaron Rodgers
Sit: Trevor Lawrence
After being held to just 10.8 fantasy points last week in Houston, Trevor Lawrence will have another tough matchup in Week 11 when the Jaguars host the Los Angeles Chargers. With Travis Hunter on IR, and Brian Thomas Jr. dealing with a high-ankle sprain (though it is “low-grade”), Lawrence is best left on the bench again this week.
Honorable Mention: Jared Goff
Running Back
Start: D’Andre Swift
I must admit, I did not think I would be recommending D’Andre Swift as often as I have this year. The fifth-year veteran back has been able to show off his explosiveness under new head coach Ben Johnson. Upon his return from injury in Week 10, Swift was once again the unquestioned lead dog in the Chicago backfield, outsnapping rookie Kyle Monangai 62% to 38% and doubling him in carries.
D’Andre Swift‘s Explosive Rating
Week 11 finds the Bears travelling north to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in a divisional showdown with playoff implications. The matchup isn’t fantastic. Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores deploys an aggressive, complex defensive scheme. But the Vikings do allow more fantasy production to running backs than they do wide receivers, and they have allowed 100 rushing yards in six out of nine games (and over 200 yards on two occasions). Combine this with Swift’s steady volume, and we’re looking at another week with the floor being high-end RB2 production from the former Bulldog.
Honorable Mentions: Quinshon Judkins, Woody Marks
Sit: Kenneth Walker III
Kenneth Walker, as he has throughout his career, has flashed frequently this season when he’s gotten the ball. The only problem is, he’s not really getting the ball.
Kenneth Walker‘s Opportunity Metrics
After weeks of hoping it would get better, I’m finally capitulating that this is how this team wants to deploy their backfield. I know, I am probably a bit behind the curve here, having succumbed to some denial as the season has gone along, no doubt.
Be that as it may, the Week 11 matchup is terrible for the entire Seattle backfield. The Los Angeles Rams allow the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Let’s look elsewhere this week.
Honorable Mentions: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kareem Hunt
Wide Receiver
Start: Jordan Addison
Jordan Addison had a rough go of it last week in a plus matchup against the Ravens, hauling in just three of his eleven targets for 35 scoreless yards. So, what makes me think this week will be any different? We’re often told in fantasy football evaluation that “volume is king,” and eleven targets is some serious volume. Last week, Jalen Nailor was the more efficient of the “non-Justin Jefferson” Vikings wideouts, but he still only saw six targets.
This week, the Vikings have an even better matchup for their wide receivers, as they take on the Chicago Bears. The Bears are allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to the position. They’ve given up 13 touchdowns to opposing wide receivers. Only the Cowboys have allowed more. Let’s get Addison into our flex spots this week as he looks to bounce back in a big divisional game on Sunday.
Honorable Mentions: A.J. Brown, Tre Tucker
Sit: Deebo Samuel
Deebo Samuel was able to bail out fantasy managers who played him last week with a third-quarter touchdown. The score bolstered his four receptions for 29 yards to allow him to finish as the WR27 on the week in PPR scoring. He’s scored only four touchdowns on the year, and with the Commanders now having to roll with backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, the scoring opportunities are likely to be even more sparse. Add these factors to a tough Week 11 matchup with the Dolphins, who are allowing the fourth-fewest points per game to wide receivers, and it’s enough for me to keep Deebo on the bench.
Honorable Mentions: Parker Washington, Tez Johnson
Tight End
Start: Kyle Pitts
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wince just a little (maybe more than a little) when I typed “Kyle Pitts” up there just now. Since his TE7 finish in Week 1, he has cracked the top ten at his position twice, but there appears to be a pattern: Every third game, Pitts comes through.
It’s in the Game Log, man!
To help out with this conspiracy theory, in Week 11, the Atlanta Falcons take on the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points and the fourth-most yards per game to opposing tight ends. Maybe Pitts can keep his “every third game” streak alive.
Honorable Mention: Zach Ertz
Sit: Jake Ferguson
After a scorching-hot start to the 2025 season, Jake Ferguson has cooled off considerably since the offense has been able to get CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the field together. After putting up a goose egg in Week 8, Ferguson posted just 8.0 PPR points before the Cowboys’ Week 10 bye. He is still a red-zone target, so if you are in a real pinch, you could surely do worse. But Fergie is outside of our top twelve at the position for a reason. We have Cade Otton, Dalton Schultz, and even Hunter Henry ranked higher this week. Proceed with caution.
Honorable Mention: Mark Andrews
That’s all for this week. Thank you for reading!
Feel free to hit me up on X, Instagram, or Bluesky to let me know if you agree or disagree, or to share your own lineup dilemmas!
Many Successes,
Kyle
For more articles from PlayerProfiler, check out the fantasy home page – NFL Fantasy | PlayerProfiler – Fantasy Football News & Media
