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| Sunday, November 19, 2023 |
Since we last spoke, Joe Burrow and Mark Andrews have both been ruled out for the rest of the season, a significant blow to countless Fantasy teams and a pretty lousy way to kick off Week 11. |
This season, maybe more than any other I can remember in 14 seasons writing about Fantasy Football (and another 12 or so as a player) has been defined by significant injuries, especially at the QB position. It has led to a constantly shifting landscape that has been tough for analysts and players to figure out on a weekly basis, and it doesn't look like that's going to change. |
| And yet, we have to keep fighting for a chance at a championship with a few weeks left to make the push for the playoffs. Today's newsletter has my latest rankings updates plus the injury news you need to know about for Sunday's games. |
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| Now, here's everything you need to set your Week 11 lineup, plus the latest on injuries and more: |
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The QB position continues to be hit hard by injuries, with eight different starting quarterbacks having been on IR or the PUP list at some point this season, including Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson this week. That list doesn't include Justin Fields, who missed four games with his thumb injury but is making his return in Week 11 against the Lions. Fields' injury came at an especially bad time as he had put together two of the best passing performances of his career, with four touchdowns in each game prior to the injury. He also rushed for 279 yards against the Lions last season, so while there's certainly some risk involved in starting him coming off the injury, the upside makes it a worthwhile gamble. |
Matthew Stafford is also returning to the lineup this week after missing one game (plus the bye) with his own thumb injury. He practiced all week and should be good to go, but he's more of a QB2, with his returning more representing good news for Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp than anything else. |
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Among the running back injuries for Week 11, we mostly have good news. Dameon Pierce (ankle) is out, and Antonio Gibson (toe) is doubtful, but otherwise, the big names at the position are pretty healthy this week. |
That includes Miami's De'Von Achane, who is set to make his return from a knee injury that landed him on IR. He missed the minimum amount of time, and while he probably won't get 15-plus carries, he should have a solid role against a good matchup with the Raiders around. I'm ranking him ahead of teammate Raheem Mostert, who is a little beat up himself, though I do expect something of an even split here. Achane is a top-20 RB for this week, and he has top-five upside the rest of the way with how explosive he's looked in this offense; Mostert is still a solid RB2 in a game the Dolphins should win easily. |
There are a couple of other situations to know about Sunday, starting with the Vikings. Alexander Mattison reportedly cleared the concussion protocol this week and is expected to play per reports. Ty Chandler was already starting to turn this into a timeshare last week, so Mattison is by no means a must-start option, though the matchup against the Broncos does give him a chance for better efficiency than we typically see. He's a fringe RB2, while Chandler is still an okay TD-or-bust RB4 if you're desperate. |
And then there's the Bears. D'Onta Foreman (ankle) is expected to play this week, and Khalil Herbert (ankle) was activated from IR a few days ago, which means we could be looking at a frustrating three-way mess. Before Herbert's injury. Foreman was a healthy scratch more often than not, but he impressed in five games, rushing for 351 yards and scoring four total touchdowns. It could be that rookie Roschon Johnson sees his role decrease, however, he's the most natural passing downs option, so I'm not sure that's all that likely. This team should be able to run the ball well, but in a three-way split with no certainty, I'm trying to avoid them in Week 11 if I can. |
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There are a handful of big names on the injury reports for Week 11 at wide receiver, though thankfully it sounds like most of the important guys are going to play. Justin Jefferson (hamstring) won't because he wasn't activated from IR in time, but it does sound like he has a chance of returning in Week 12, so let's cross our fingers there. |
Otherwise, it sounds like Keenan Allen (shoulder), Garrett Wilson (elbow), and Tyler Lockett (hamstring) are all expected to play, with Lockett carrying the most questions as of Sunday morning. You'll want to check in on inactive reports just to be sure, but I'm starting all three where I have them. Of the three, I have concerns about Allen and Lockett more so than Wilson, at least as far as being limited during games. Allen should still be the No. 1 option for a very beat-up Chargers passing game, while Lockett has played through this hamstring injury for a while, to mixed results. He's more like a WR3, while Allen and Wilson are both ranked as WR1s for me despite the injury. |
Another situation you need to know about is in Houston, where Nico Collins (calf) is ready to make his return after missing last week's game with the injury. He'll be replacing Noah Brown (knee), who is not expected to play after missing the entire week of practice, despite being listed as questionable. Brown has broken out with 325 yards over the past two weeks, but Collins and Nathaniel Dell should be able to keep this passing game humming. Both are solid starters with Dell's recent play giving him the edge (though Collins has plenty of upside as a WR2/3 in this passing game). |
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There really aren't many injuries you need to know about at tight end this Sunday, thankfully. Dallas Goedert (forearm) is out, but the fact that the team hasn't put him on IR yet seems to indicate he could be back before four games. I don't expect any of the Eagles tight ends to be Fantasy-relevant with Goedert out, but we could see a boost for DeVonta Smith, like last season when Goedert was out. |
The other news you need to know about is that Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) is expected to make his return from IR for the Steelers, and he's in the TE2 range. That's also true for Donald Parham, who will play a bigger role for the Chargers this week with Gerald Everett (chest) already ruled out. |
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| Flex top 125 rankings |
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