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Tuesday, November 16, 2021
The start of the Odell Beckham era in Los Angeles did not go quite as hoped. Beckham played a limited role, and his lack of experience with Matthew Stafford showed on an early interception where the two clearly weren't on the same page. Things never quite got better for them, as the 49ers dominated the whole way, winning 31-10. And, with the exception of Cooper Kupp, nobody from the Rams offense had a game to remember. 
The bye week comes at a good time for the Rams, who need to figure out how to move forward without Robert Woods and how best to integrate Beckham. They're joined on the bye in Week 11 with the Broncos, though those are the only two teams on bye this week, which hopefully means most of you won't have too many absences to deal with. 
Well, too many absences due to byes, at least. We're likely already without Aaron Jones (knee) and Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) for Week 11, and CeeDee Lamb (arm), Dallas Goedert (concussion), and Baker Mayfield (knee) were all added to the lengthy list of injuries we'll have to watch this week. We'll hopefully get more details on those injuries -- and, as always, we'll probably learn about more injuries -- Tuesday, but that's what we're watching this week. 
Keeping track of injuries is a big part of Fantasy every season, but it does feel like it's been more of an issue this season than usual. Which means you need to pay close attention to the news this week. So, make sure you tune in to Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET, and for help locking in your waiver-wire claims join Heath Cummings and Adam Aizer on the FFT YouTube stream tonight at 8 p.m. , where we'll be taking your questions live for an hour. If you've got any questions before then, as always, you can email me at Chris.Towers@ViacomCBS.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" to be included this week -- including in tomorrow's trade mailbag. 
And here's what we've got on tap in today's newsletter: 
  • ➕Top Week 11 Waiver Wire Targets
  • 📈Week 11 Rankings📉
Hopefully, this week's waiver options will be able to make an impact, and there are a few who certainly have the opportunity. You can find Jamey's entire breakdown here. We're gonna need the help: 
Jamey Eisenberg's top targets
  1. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE (51%) -- If you're looking for upside at running back, Stevenson is the obvious choice. He's the only Patriots running back they've trusted as both a pass catcher and rusher this season, and we saw the upside of that role in Week 10 as he finished as RB2 in PPR leagues. Damien Harris is likely to return as the lead back for the Patriots, but this is a famously un-sentimental team, so it wouldn't be shocking to see them simply turn to Stevenson as the lead back if they feel he gives them the best chance to win. That potential is worth chasing. 
  2. D'Onta Foreman, RB, TEN (8%) -- But if you need someone to start in Week 11, Foreman is probably the best pick. He's looking better than Adrian Peterson so far and gets to face the Texans this week, so I think he could potentially be a top-30 RB this week. If you need someone to fill in, Foreman can do so in a pinch. 
  3. Darnell Mooney, WR, CHI (53%) -- Did you know Mooney has the 17th-highest target share in the league at 26%? That's No. 1 WR usage. Obviously, in a low-volume passing game, there's only so much Mooney can do with those targets, but Mooney certainly deserves to be more rostered than this. 
  4.  Dan Arnold, TE, JAX (50%) -- Arnold hasn't had a huge breakout game, so I suppose it makes sense why his roster rate remains so low, but that's mostly just because he hasn't found the end zone yet. In his past five games, he has at least 10 PPR points in four of five, including 60 or more yards in those four as well. Given his role in the Tampa offense, Arnold looks like he's pretty close to being a must-start TE. 
  5. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, MIA (51%) -- Tagovailoa was thrown into a tough situation in Week 10, relieving Jacoby Brissett despite dealing with a broken finger on his throwing hand against the Ravens . He played well enough to assuage some concerns about his health, and now he gets a much softer landing against the Jets in his return to the starting lineup. Tagovailoa was playing well before the injury, and he's a worthwhile streamer (at least) for Week 11. 
A few other options ... 
  • The top long-term QB flier: Cam Newton, QB, CAR (20%) -- Newton is expected to start for the Panthers in Week 11 against Washington, and I'm pretty excited about that. When I went through the process of projecting Week 11, he came out much higher than I ultimately ranked him. I'm not ready to declare Newton is back as a top-10 QB, but I think this might be the best set of pass-catchers he's ever played with, in an offense that has already created six rushing touchdowns for quarterbacks. The potential here should be obvious. 
  • A deeper-league RB: Wayne Gallman, ATL (3%) -- Gallman led the Falcons in carries in Week 10, but it's fair to wonder how much of that was just because they were getting blown out so badly by halftime, as much of his work came in the second quarter. However, with Cordarrelle Patterson dealing with an ankle sprain that seems like it could cost him at least this week, Gallman is worth adding -- it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he led the team in carries Thursday against the Patriots.
  • An upside WR target: Rashod Bateman , BAL (64%) -- In the first four games of his career, Bateman has at least six targets in each, with 80 yards in two of four. He hasn't had a huge breakout game yet, but he's carved out an immediate role and been productive, which bodes very well moving forward. I don't buy the idea some have mentioned that he is going to overtake Marquise Brown as the lead target in the offense -- in the same stretch where Bateman has 28 targets, Brown has 44 -- but Bateman looks pretty good in his own right, and could break out in the second half of the season. 
  • The highest-upside TE: Logan Thomas , WAS (52%) -- Hopefully Thomas can get back in Week 11 after practicing a bit last week and being designated to return. He doesn't have to be activated until next week, but you rarely see teams take the full 21 days in these situations, so I expect we'll see Thomas this week. He's a top-12 TE for me if he plays.  
📈Week 11 Rankings📉
Here's where things stand for me in my first run through of the Week 11 rankings for PPR leagues. You can find Jamey, Dave, and Heath's rankings right here:
Quarterbacks
There's something interesting happening with QB play around the NFL in recent weeks. As friend of FFT (and former co-worker) Ben Gretch pointed out Monday, league-wide average depth of target has fallen from 8.2 yards per pass attempt during the first six weeks of the season down to 7.5 over the past four. That may not sound like much, but when you're talking about nearly 4,000 pass attempts over the past four weeks, that's a pretty sizable shift. 
What does that mean for Fantasy? It's hard to say right now. We've seen guys like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes struggle to complete the deep ball recently, with Mahomes adjusting to post the lowest intended air yards per target of his career in Week 10, choosing to lean on the short pass when that's what the defense is giving him. It led to one of his best games of the season in Week 10, but we also continued to see fewer explosive plays from the Chiefs
This is something to watch for over the rest of the season because it's possible that the shift toward ever more pass-heavy approaches might lead defenses to grow more comfortable giving up the short stuff (or getting hurt by the run) rather than allowing big plays. In theory, that should benefit rushing quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, who can hurt defenses when they are dropping seven back in coverage with his legs or by extending plays and finding holes in the defense. Jackson would be my No. 1 QB for Week 11 regardless of this fact, but it's an interesting shift that could have an impact on how we value quarterbacks, so it's something I'll be watching closely moving forward. 
  1. Lamar Jackson @CHI
  2. Patrick Mahomes vs. DAL
  3. Josh Allen vs. IND
  4. Tom Brady vs. NYG
  5. Dak Prescott @KC
  6. Jalen Hurts vs. NO
  7. Justin Herbert vs. PIT
  8. Aaron Rodgers @MIN
  9. Joe Burrow @LV
  10. Russell Wilson vs. ARI
  11. Tua Tagovailoa @NYJ
  12. Ryan Tannehill vs. HOU
  13. Derek Carr vs. CIN
  14. Cam Newton vs. WAS
  15. Kirk Cousins vs. GB
  16. Daniel Jones @TB
  17. Justin Fields vs. BAL
  18. Mac Jones @ATL
  19. Jimmy Garoppolo @JAX
  20. Tyrod Taylor @TEN
  21. Mike White vs. MIA
  22. Baker Mayfield vs. DET
  23. Matt Ryan vs. NE
  24. Taylor Heinicke @CAR
Running backs
Week 11 could see the return of several starters from injuries, which could create a lot of additional questions at a position that generally doesn't need more of them. The biggest name coming back is Saquon Barkley, and I think his return should be pretty straightforward -- he'll play 70% of the snaps if not more and should have both a goal-line and passing game role, and he's back in my top-10 even in a tough matchup against the Buccaneers.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is also expected back from his knee injury, and he presents a tougher question. The Chiefs haven't committed to him as an every-down back in quite the same way as Barkley, and Darrel Williams played fine in his absence, especially as a pass catcher. Edwards-Helaire is a much better runner than Williams and should have a healthy role waiting for him there, but the Chiefs have shown they are willing to take CEH off the field in passing downs and near the goal line for Williams. If that remains the case, Edwards-Helaire's upside is going to be capped. He's RB20 for me in his expected return against Dallas, but I'm not particularly confident in it.
It's also possible we'll see Miles Sanders return from IR this week, and his return could come in a dramatically different offense than the one he left. Through Week 7, when Sanders suffered the injury, he was the only Eagles running back with more than 10 carries in a game, something that happened just three times in the first seven games. In three games since, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, and Jordan Howard have had double-digit carries in a game a combined seven times in three games. If Sanders returns to be the lead back of a suddenly run-first offense, he could be a second-half breakout. It would be quite a turnaround.
  1. Christian McCaffrey vs. WAS
  2. Jonathan Taylor @BUF
  3. D'Andre Swift @CLE
  4. Najee Harris @LAC
  5. Austin Ekeler vs. PIT
  6. Dalvin Cook vs. GB
  7. Ezekiel Elliott @KC
  8. Leonard Fournette vs. NYG
  9. Joe Mixon @LV
  10. Saquon Barkley @TB
  11. AJ Dillon @MIN
  12. Nick Chubb vs. DET
  13. James Conner @SEA
  14. James Robinson vs. SF
  15. David Montgomery vs. BAL
  16. Mark Ingram @PHI
  17. Michael Carter vs. MIA
  18. Antonio Gibson @CAR
  19. Josh Jacobs vs. CIN
  20. Clyde Edwards-Helaire vs. DAL
  21. Elijah Mitchell @JAX
  22. Myles Gaskin @NYJ
  23. Alex Collins vs. ARI
  24. Zack Moss vs. IND
  25. Damien Harris @ATL
  26. Boston Scott vs. NO
  27. Rhamondre Stevenson @ATL
  28. D'Onta Foreman vs. HOU
  29. Devonta Freeman @CHI
  30. Darrel Williams vs. DAL
  31. Mike Davis vs. NE
  32. Ty Johnson vs. MIA
  33. Kenyan Drake vs. CIN
  34. Tony Pollard @KC
  35. Devin Singletary vs. IND
  36. D'Ernest Johnson vs. DET
  37. Jordan Howard vs. NO
  38. Adrian Peterson vs. HOU
  39. Nyheim Hines @BUF
  40. Wayne Gallman vs. NE
  41. Jeremy McNichols vs. HOU
  42. J.D. McKissic @CAR
  43. Jamaal Williams @CLE
  44. Jeff Wilson @JAX
  45. Alexander Mattison vs. GB
  46. David Johnson @TEN
  47. Patrick Taylor @MIN
  48. Kenneth Gainwell vs. NO
Wide receivers
Week 10 was a get-right week for some of the elite tier at wide receiver, as Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb, and Keenan Allen, among others, put up big games in the midst of somewhat concerning trends. One guy who didn't really take part was Davante Adams, who finished as WR15 with seven catches for 78 yards -- a fine game, but yet another disappointing performance from the presumed WR1 entering the season. 
Adams is WR4 on the season, so it's hard to say he's been too disappointing, but he hasn't been the dominant player we expected -- he has as many games with 13 or fewer PPR points (four) as he does with 15-plus. But he's still WR2 for me this week, and I still think he's probably the best Fantasy WR the rest of the way -- it's either him or Cooper Kupp, and both have their bye weeks left. Adams still leads the league in target share, and the absence of Aaron Jones for the next week or two may only increase that. 
I don't know how much of a discount you can get for Adams, but if anyone is selling him for anything close to a discount, I'm buying. His current 3.06% touchdown rate is his lowest since 2015 -- he was at 12.1% in 2020. He's basically been every bit as good as last season with the exception of the touchdowns. 
  1. Tyreek Hill vs. DAL
  2. Davante Adams @MIN
  3. Keenan Allen vs. PIT
  4. Stefon Diggs vs. IND
  5. Justin Jefferson vs. GB
  6. Deebo Samuel @JAX
  7. CeeDee Lamb @KC
  8. Ja'Marr Chase @LV
  9. Chris Godwin vs. NYG
  10. Mike Evans vs. NYG
  11. D.K. Metcalf vs. ARI
  12. Marquise Brown @CHI
  13. Terry McLaurin @CAR
  14. A.J. Brown vs. HOU
  15. D.J. Moore vs. WAS
  16. Brandin Cooks @TEN
  17. Amari Cooper @KC
  18. Diontae Johnson @LAC
  19. Jaylen Waddle @NYJ
  20. Tyler Lockett vs. ARI
  21. Michael Pittman @BUF
  22. Tee Higgins @LV
  23. Adam Thielen vs. GB
  24. DeVonta Smith vs. NO
  25. Hunter Renfrow vs. CIN
  26. Sterling Shepard @TB
  27. Jakobi Meyers @ATL
  28. Jarvis Landry vs. DET
  29. Cole Beasley vs. IND
  30. Marvin Jones vs. SF
  31. Corey Davis vs. MIA
  32. Mike Williams vs. PIT
  33. Darnell Mooney vs. BAL
  34. Jamal Agnew vs. SF
  35. Rashod Bateman @CHI
  36. Laviska Shenault Jr. vs. SF
  37. A.J. Green @SEA
  38. Jamison Crowder vs. MIA
  39. Christian Kirk @SEA
  40. Mecole Hardman vs. DAL
  41. Kenny Golladay @TB
  42. Allen Robinson vs. BAL
  43. Emmanuel Sanders vs. IND
  44. Tyler Boyd @LV
  45. Kadarius Toney @TB
  46. Brandon Aiyuk @JAX
  47. Elijah Moore vs. MIA
  48. Russell Gage vs. NE
Tight ends
Before Week 10, I said those famous last words a Fantasy analyst can utter: "Maybe tight end isn't so bad anymore." So, of course, only 12 players reached double figures in scoring even in PPR formats, a pretty typical number, with fringe types like Gerald Everett, Austin Hooper, and Albert Okwuegbunam making the number look better without actually helping many Fantasy players.
But I stand by what I said! I've only got 10 tight ends projected for double-digits in Fantasy points this week, so I'm not over the moon about the position, but I would be fine starting Pat Freiermuth, Tyler Conklin, Dawson Knox, Jared Cook, or Hunter Henry if I needed to, which means the position runs 14 deep with guys I think you can trust. That's better than we're used to, and that's with Tyler Higbee and Noah Fant on bye and Dallas Goedert dealing with a concussion. 
Tight end isn't so bad right now!
  1. Travis Kelce vs. DAL
  2. Darren Waller vs. CIN
  3. George Kittle @JAX
  4. Mark Andrews @CHI
  5. Kyle Pitts vs. NE
  6. Mike Gesicki @NYJ
  7. T.J. Hockenson @CLE
  8. Dan Arnold vs. SF
  9. Logan Thomas @CAR
  10. Dalton Schultz @KC
  11. Pat Freiermuth @LAC
  12. Hunter Henry @ATL
  13. Tyler Conklin vs. GB
  14. Dawson Knox vs. IND
  15. Jared Cook vs. PIT
  16. Cole Kmet vs. BAL
  17. Zach Ertz @SEA
  18. Austin Hooper vs. DET
  19. O.J. Howard vs. NYG
  20. Adam Trautman @PHI
  21. Evan Engram @TB
  22. Cameron Brate vs. NYG
  23. David Njoku vs. DET
  24. C.J. Uzomah @LV
Top-150 Flex Rankings
  1. Christian McCaffrey vs. WAS
  2. Jonathan Taylor @BUF
  3. D'Andre Swift @CLE
  4. Tyreek Hill vs. DAL
  5. Davante Adams @MIN
  6. Najee Harris @LAC
  7. Austin Ekeler vs. PIT
  8. Travis Kelce vs. DAL
  9. Dalvin Cook vs. GB
  10. Ezekiel Elliott @KC
  11. Keenan Allen vs. PIT
  12. Leonard Fournette vs. NYG
  13. Stefon Diggs vs. IND
  14. Joe Mixon @LV
  15. Justin Jefferson vs. GB
  16. Saquon Barkley @TB
  17. Deebo Samuel @JAX
  18. CeeDee Lamb @KC
  19. Darren Waller vs. CIN
  20. Ja'Marr Chase @LV
  21. George Kittle @JAX
  22. AJ Dillon @MIN
  23. Nick Chubb vs. DET
  24. Chris Godwin vs. NYG
  25. Mike Evans vs. NYG
  26. James Conner @SEA
  27. D.K. Metcalf vs. ARI
  28. Marquise Brown @CHI
  29. Terry McLaurin @CAR
  30. A.J. Brown vs. HOU
  31. D.J. Moore vs. WAS
  32. James Robinson vs. SF
  33. David Montgomery vs. BAL
  34. Brandin Cooks @TEN
  35. Josh Jacobs vs. CIN
  36. Amari Cooper @KC
  37. Diontae Johnson @LAC
  38. Jaylen Waddle @NYJ
  39. Tyler Lockett vs. ARI
  40. Mark Ingram @PHI
  41. Michael Carter vs. MIA
  42. Antonio Gibson @CAR
  43. Mark Andrews @CHI
  44. Michael Pittman @BUF
  45. Tee Higgins @LV
  46. Clyde Edwards-Helaire vs. DAL
  47. Kyle Pitts vs. NE
  48. Adam Thielen vs. GB
  49. Elijah Mitchell @JAX
  50. DeVonta Smith vs. NO
  51. Hunter Renfrow vs. CIN
  52. Myles Gaskin @NYJ
  53. Mike Gesicki @NYJ
  54. Sterling Shepard @TB
  55. Jakobi Meyers @ATL
  56. Jarvis Landry vs. DET
  57. Alex Collins vs. ARI
  58. T.J. Hockenson @CLE
  59. Cole Beasley vs. IND
  60. Zack Moss vs. IND
  61. Marvin Jones vs. SF
  62. Corey Davis vs. MIA
  63. Mike Williams vs. PIT
  64. Darnell Mooney vs. BAL
  65. Jamal Agnew vs. SF
  66. Rashod Bateman @CHI
  67. Dan Arnold vs. SF
  68. Laviska Shenault Jr. vs. SF
  69. Damien Harris @ATL
  70. Boston Scott vs. NO
  71. A.J. Green @SEA
  72. Rhamondre Stevenson @ATL
  73. D'Onta Foreman vs. HOU
  74. Devonta Freeman @CHI
  75. Darrel Williams vs. DAL
  76. Jamison Crowder vs. MIA
  77. Christian Kirk @SEA
  78. Mecole Hardman vs. DAL
  79. Kenny Golladay @TB
  80. Allen Robinson vs. BAL
  81. Emmanuel Sanders vs. IND
  82. Tyler Boyd @LV
  83. Mike Davis vs. NE
  84. Kadarius Toney @TB
  85. Brandon Aiyuk @JAX
  86. Ty Johnson vs. MIA
  87. Kenyan Drake vs. CIN
  88. Logan Thomas @CAR
  89. Elijah Moore vs. MIA
  90. Tony Pollard @KC
  91. Dalton Schultz @KC
  92. Devin Singletary vs. IND
  93. Russell Gage vs. NE
  94. D'Ernest Johnson vs. DET
  95. Marquez Callaway @PHI
  96. Marcus Johnson vs. HOU
  97. Pat Freiermuth @LAC
  98. Jordan Howard vs. NO
  99. Adrian Peterson vs. HOU
  100. Tyler Conklin vs. GB
  101. Amon-Ra St. Brown @CLE
  102. Nyheim Hines @BUF
  103. Rondale Moore @SEA
  104. Dawson Knox vs. IND
  105. Jared Cook vs. PIT
  106. Wayne Gallman vs. NE
  107. Jeremy McNichols vs. HOU
  108. Cole Kmet vs. BAL
  109. T.Y. Hilton @BUF
  110. J.D. McKissic @CAR
  111. Hunter Henry @ATL
  112. Zach Ertz @SEA
  113. Nelson Agholor @ATL
  114. Jamaal Williams @CLE
  115. Austin Hooper vs. DET
  116. Jeff Wilson @JAX
  117. O.J. Howard vs. NYG
  118. Alexander Mattison vs. GB
  119. Bryan Edwards vs. CIN
  120. Michael Gallup @KC
  121. Zach Pascal @BUF
  122. Kendrick Bourne @ATL
  123. Donovan Peoples-Jones vs. DET
  124. Allen Lazard @MIN
  125. Nico Collins @TEN
  126. David Johnson @TEN
  127. Adam Trautman @PHI
  128. Randall Cobb @MIN
  129. Patrick Taylor @MIN
  130. Deonte Harris @PHI
  131. Kenneth Gainwell vs. NO
  132. Evan Engram @TB
  133. Cameron Brate vs. NYG
  134. Brandon Bolden @ATL
  135. David Njoku vs. DET
  136. K.J. Osborn vs. GB
  137. Robby Anderson vs. WAS
  138. Deejay Dallas vs. ARI
  139. Marquez Valdes-Scantling @MIN
  140. Sammy Watkins @CHI
  141. Danny Amendola @TEN
  142. Demarcus Robinson vs. DAL
  143. Giovani Bernard vs. NYG
  144. Tajae Sharpe vs. NE
  145. C.J. Uzomah @LV
  146. Samaje Perine @LV
  147. Olamide Zaccheaus vs. NE
  148. Preston Williams @NYJ
  149. Dyami Brown @CAR
  150. Le'Veon Bell @CHI
 
 
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