Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP)
Last weekend delivered a wonky set of NFL games. The Bears dominated in St. Louis, the Texans handed the Bengals their first loss of the season and the Detroit Lions won at Lambeau Field for the first time since 1991. Also, Peyton Manning’s career may have come to an end on the same day he notched an incredible milestone.
The league has been unpredictable all season long, but Week Ten was a special case. I don’t even know what to say. We can pore over our fantasy lineups for hours, but the league has an endless supply of curveballs to throw. All of a sudden, you have lost your matchup because Jeremy Langford and Zach Miller were the ones to finally solve the Rams’ defense.
Here are some players to start and sit for Week Eleven. All cited fantasy point totals refer to ESPN standard scoring.
START: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions. For all of Stafford’s faults, he’s good for a few stellar performances each season, and the Raiders are a great candidate for one of those performances. Oakland has allowed at least two touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in all but one game this season, and they have given up at least 300 passing yards in five games.
SIT: Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington. Cousins is a completely different player on the road, averaging 9.8 fantasy points in four road games compared to 19.4 fantasy points in five efforts at home. A trip to Carolina, whose Panthers are allowing fewer fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than all but four teams, is not particularly promising.
START: Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver Broncos. Look for the Broncos to ease new quarterback Brock Osweiler into action this week by leaning on the running game. Their opponent, the Bears, have allowed the seventh-highest yards per carry to runners this season.
SIT: LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills. I would be very wary of starting McCoy in New England on Monday night. The Patriots tend to jump on lesser opponents early at home, forcing the visiting team to abandon the run and take to the air. New England is allowing just 11.4 fantasy points to opposing running backs this year, which is good for the third-best in the NFL.
START: Stevie Johnson, WR, San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers always attempts a ludicrous amount of passes at home, and Johnson will likely be the wideout that benefits the most. The Chargers’ opponent, Kansas City, is allowing more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than every team but the Baltimore Ravens.
SIT: T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts. New Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck does not have the same rapport with Hilton that Andrew Luck has. It may be wise to avoid Hilton this week, as Indianapolis travels to play a Falcons team that has only given up three receiving touchdowns to opposing wide receivers this season.
START: Julius Thomas, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars. Who’s ready to play Tight End Roulette? The winner this week is Thomas, a special talent who has not produced much this season, but remains a red zone threat. He has a good chance to score against the Titans, who have allowed five touchdowns to opposing tight ends over the last five games.
START: Jets D/ST. New York cannot be happy after losing at home to Buffalo last Thursday, and now they get to play a mostly toothless Houston offense that has given up at least three sacks in each of their last three games. Todd Bowles is going to blitz away, and Darrelle Revis should be able to slow DeAndre Hopkins down.
Tyler Keating is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at tyler.keating@uconn.edu.
