Fantasy Football Week 11 Sleepers: Geno Smith offers upside vs. Cowboys porous pass defense
Under-the-radar players who could give your lineup an edge in Week 11
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Jaxson Dart (concussion) is out for the Giants in Week 11, but there's still sleeper appeal for several of New York's players against the Packers. That's because of Jameis Winston.
Winston is always going to be tough to trust because of his volatile play, but he's worth a look in deeper leagues. And he's a must-start option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
In seven starts for the Browns in 2024, Winston had three games with 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns, but he also finished those seven games with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Packers are No. 11 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, but four guys in the past six games have had at least 219 passing yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.
The players who should benefit the most from Winston are Wan'Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson. And both also get a boost with Darius Slayton (hamstring) out.
In two games without Slayton or Malik Nabers (knee), Robinson had six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown on seven targets against Philadelphia in Week 6 and six catches for 95 yards on 12 targets at Denver in Week 7. I consider Robinson a must-start Fantasy receiver in all leagues in Week 11, and the Packers have allowed six receivers to score at least 16.5 PPR points this season.
Johnson has 14 targets in his past two games against the 49ers and Bears, and he finished those games with 10 catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. The Packers have allowed five tight ends to score at least 11 PPR points this season, and Johnson has top-10 upside in the majority of leagues.
I don't love the Giants' running backs in this matchup, but I would lean toward Devin Singletary over Tyrone Tracy Jr. if forced to start one of them as a flex. Singletary should be more involved in the passing game, and he has five catches for 61 yards on five targets in two games without Cam Skattebo (ankle).
Week 11 Sleepers
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Sleepers
Sleeper QBs
Smith is tough to trust, and the Raiders have offensive line issues. But the matchup against Dallas is too good to overlook, so I would consider Smith a low-end starter in deeper leagues. And he's a must-start option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. The Cowboys are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and every quarterback against Dallas this season has scored at least 23.7 Fantasy points. Hopefully, Smith will follow suit, but he's worth the risk given the potential reward.
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Purdy will return in Week 11 at Arizona after missing the past six games with a toe injury. Hopefully, he won't have any setbacks in this game, and he's worth using as a starter in deeper leagues, as well as a must-start option in Superflex and two-quarterback formats. Purdy has only appeared in two games this season, but he scored at least 20.8 Fantasy points in both. And in his absence, Mac Jones has scored at least 22 Fantasy points four times. This isn't an easy matchup against the Cardinals, who are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. But I would take the chance with Purdy now that he's back in action.
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Rodgers has struggled in his past two games against the Colts and Chargers, scoring a combined 22.5 Fantasy points in those outings. Prior to that, he scored at least 20.8 Fantasy points in three games in a row, including his best game of the season in Week 7 at Cincinnati with 30.6 points. The Bengals are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Joe Flacco in Week 1 (with Cleveland) and Jordan Love in Week 6 have failed to score at least 20.5 Fantasy points against Cincinnati this season. Rodgers is worth using as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in this matchup.
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Tagovailoa has scored more than 20 Fantasy points just once in his past five outings, but this matchup against Washington in Madrid is amazing. The Commanders are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Russell Wilson in Week 1 failed to score at least 19.5 points against this defense. The past four quarterbacks against Washington have scored at least 28.9 Fantasy points, including Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold, and Jared Goff, and hopefully Tagovailoa will follow suit. He's worth using as a low-end starter in all one-quarterback leagues in Week 11.
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We don't know how long Jayden Daniels (elbow) will be out, but Mariota has been a serviceable Fantasy option in his place, scoring at least 20.2 points in three of four starts this season, including Week 10 against Detroit when he had 22.7. The Dolphins are No. 8 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and seven guys have scored at least 22.8 points this year, including two in a row with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Mariota has also rushed for 110 yards in his four starts, and the Dolphins have struggled with rushing quarterbacks this season in Daniel Jones (14.6 Fantasy points with his rushing stats), Drake Maye (9.1), and Justin Fields (14.1). Mariota is worth using as a low-end starter in all one-quarterback leagues in Week 11.
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Sleeper RBs
Harvey should be headed for a big role in Week 11 against Kansas City with J.K. Dobbins (foot) injured, and hopefully, Harvey takes advantage of this opportunity. He has one game this season with double digits in touches, which was Week 4 against Cincinnati, and he had 14 carries for 58 yards and four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown on five targets for 19.8 PPR points. The upside is immense, and we've seen him excel as a pass catcher recently with three receiving touchdowns in his past four games. Keep in mind the Broncos can still limit Harvey's touches and have him share work with Tyler Badie or even Jaleel McLaughlin. But that duo has combined for 13 total touches this season, so it should be the Harvey show. Since this is a difficult matchup against the Chiefs, who are No. 7 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, I wouldn't overvalue Harvey. But he should be considered a flex option in Week 11, given the expected (hopeful) increase in touches with Dobbins hurt.
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Isiah Pacheco (knee) is out for Week 11 at Denver, which should keep Hunt in a prominent role for the Chiefs. In Week 9 at Buffalo, with Pacheco out, Hunt had 11 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 6 yards on two targets. He has now scored at least 12.5 PPR points in three of his past five games, and he's worth using as a flex option against the Broncos. Even though Denver is No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, three guys have scored at least 15.3 PPR points against the Broncos in their past four games, with five total touchdowns over that span.
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Demercado could be the lead running back for the Cardinals in Week 11 against San Francisco with Trey Benson (knee) still on injured reserve, as well as Zonovan Knight (ankle) banged up. Michael Carter will also be a factor for the Cardinals, but Demercado has more upside heading into this game. He had 14 carries for 79 yards and one catch for minus-1 yard in Week 9 at Dallas, and then he had four carries for 64 yards and three catches for 40 yards on four targets in Week 10 at Seattle. The 49ers have allowed six running backs to score at least 15.1 PPR points in their past seven games, and I like Demercado as a flex option in this matchup.
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Allgeier comes into Week 11 against Carolina having scored a rushing touchdown in four of his past six games. In Week 10 at Indianapolis in Berlin, Allgeier had 11 carries for 57 yards and two touchdowns, and he scored 17.7 PPR points. His production has been a problem for Bijan Robinson, but Fantasy managers looking for a flex option in Week 11 can lean on Allgeier. The Panthers have allowed three rushing touchdowns in their past three games, and Allgeier should be a candidate to score in this matchup, especially if the Falcons are playing with a lead late in the game.
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Rodriguez looks like the lead running back for Washington heading into Week 11 against Miami in Madrid, and he's worth using as a flex option in all leagues. In his past two games against Seattle and Detroit, Rodriguez had 18 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and he didn't finish the Lions game with a shoulder injury. He offers nothing in the passing game, but he could still be productive against the Dolphins, who are No. 10 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. While Miami has gotten better against the run since the beginning of the season, nine running backs have still scored at least 12.7 PPR points against the Dolphins, including two in a row.
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Sleeper WRs
Wilson steps into a big role for the Cardinals with Marvin Harrison Jr. (appendix) out in Week 11 against San Francisco, and Harrison has averaged 6.9 targets per game this season, including 22 in the past two games against Dallas and Seattle. Wilson only has one touchdown this year and has yet to score double digits in PPR in any game, but the 49ers have allowed five receivers to score at least 13.4 PPR points in their past five games, which gives Wilson a good chance to succeed. I'm willing to trust Wilson as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues in Week 11.
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I like that Johnston had 10 targets in Week 10 against Pittsburgh, but he only finished with five catches for 42 yards. I'll take my chances with Johnston again as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in Week 11 at Jacksonville if he's getting that many targets, which could happen. This is a great matchup for Johnston since the Jaguars have allowed seven touchdowns to receivers in the past four games, with five guys scoring at least 12 PPR points. Johnston could be great in Week 11.
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Shakir had another solid stat line in Week 10 at Miami with seven catches for 58 yards on nine targets, and he has now scored at least 11 PPR points in all but two games this season, including three in a row. While he has at least seven targets in three games in a row, he could see an uptick in production with Dalton Kincaid (hamstring) out, and this is a favorable matchup against Tampa Bay. Seven receivers have scored at least 14 PPR points against the Buccaneers in their past four games, and Shakir should be considered a solid No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. Keon Coleman, who caught a touchdown in Week 10 at Miami and finished with three catches for 46 yards on eight targets, also has sleeper appeal in deeper leagues with Kincaid injured.
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Tucker was quiet in the Raiders' first game without Jakobi Meyers in Week 10 at Denver, with two catches for 28 yards on three targets. But Tucker should do better in Week 11 against the Cowboys, who are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Dallas leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns allowed to receivers, and 11 guys have scored at least 12 PPR points against the Cowboys this season. Tucker is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues in Week 11. And in deeper leagues, you can take a flier on Tyler Lockett, who had five catches for 44 yards on six targets in the first game without Meyers against the Broncos.
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Washington is worth a flier in deeper leagues given his matchup with the Commanders in Madrid. Washington has scored a touchdown in two of his past three games, and the Commanders are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Eight receivers have scored at least 12.2 PPR points against the Commanders in their past four games, with seven touchdowns over that span, which is great for Jaylen Waddle. But Tua Tagovailoa will hopefully help Washington find the end zone again in this matchup, and Washington can be used as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper formats.
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Doubs and Christian Watson are worth using as No. 3 Fantasy receivers in the majority of leagues in Week 11 against the Giants, who are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Four receivers have scored at least 11.3 PPR points against the Giants in the past three games, and Doubs and Watson will hopefully get quality targets from Jordan Love. Doubs has scored at least 13.2 PPR points in two of his past four games. And Watson is averaging 23.5 yards per catch in three games since coming back from last year's torn ACL. There's upside for both Green Bay receivers in Week 11, and hopefully, both will deliver.
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Austin missed the first game against the Bengals in Week 7 with a shoulder injury, but he's had at least six targets in each of the past three weeks since coming back. His best game was Week 9 against the Colts with five catches for 56 yards on six targets, but he could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper leagues in Week 11. There have been 13 receivers with at least six targets against Cincinnati, and nine have scored at least 11.6 PPR points. Austin is worth a flier if you need receiver help in deeper leagues.
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Sleeper TEs
Freiermuth has the best matchup of any tight end in Week 11 against the Bengals, who are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to the position. And he took advantage of this matchup in Week 7 with five catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns on six targets. The Steelers also got touchdowns from Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington in that game, but Freiermuth posted the best stat line. Given the matchup, Freiermuth is worth trusting as a low-end starter in the majority of leagues.
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Loveland didn't score 29.8 PPR points in Week 10 against the Giants like he did in Week 9 at the Bengals, but he had a respectable four catches for 55 yards on four targets for 9.5 PPR points. He should have the chance to be in a similar range in Week 11 at Minnesota, and the Vikings have allowed five touchdowns to opposing tight ends in their past five games. Loveland should be considered a low-end starter in the majority of leagues.
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Ertz hasn't been great in four starts with Marcus Mariota, but he did have four catches for 54 yards on five targets in Week 10 against Detroit. This week, Ertz gets to face the Dolphins, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. Seven tight ends have scored at least 10.3 PPR points against Miami, with seven touchdowns allowed and four in the past two games, and Ertz is worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues.
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The Seahawks have been a standout defense this season, but one area where they struggle is defending tight ends. Seattle is No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and eight tight ends have scored at least 10.1 PPR points against the Seahawks this season. Higbee has scored a touchdown in two of his past four games, and he had five catches for 46 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in his last game against Seattle in Week 18 last year. I like Higbee as a flier in deeper leagues.
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Dalton Kincaid (hamstring) is out for Week 11 against Tampa Bay, and Knox is worth using as a starter in deeper leagues. In Week 10 at Miami, when Kincaid was injured, Knox had season highs in catches (three) and yards (37) on four targets. Kincaid also missed Week 6 at Atlanta, and Knox scored his lone touchdown of the season in that game. The Buccaneers are tough against opposing tight ends, but five guys have scored at least 10.3 PPR points against Tampa Bay this year.
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Defense/Special Teams
- Falcons (vs. CAR)
- Cowboys (at LV)
- Dolphins (vs. WAS)
Kicker
- Tyler Loop (at CLE)
- Harrison Butker (at DEN)
- Evan McPherson (at PIT)
