Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 11

The 2021 NFL season is already halfway over as we head into Week 11.  Benjamin (@FFRabbitDad) and Brendan (@obryanbren) are back with more players to take a look at when setting your fantasy football lineups. Check it all out here in our unique Start or Sit Faceoff, for this week with Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Week 11.

Brendan: That was a bit more like it! Week 10 felt a bit more normal than the week before. This is really good since we’re creeping up on fantasy playoff season. Now is the time that you really need to be making that push and putting your best lineup forward. No more silly decisions and questioning your star players. If you haven’t been, it’s time to start using our Consistency Score to make those hard lineup decisions. Many of the suggestions Benjamin and I will be making come directly from the consistency score. Do all your homework before setting your lineup each week.

Benjamin: Trade deadlines are almost here. The fantasy playoffs are not far away. Oh, how I love this point in the season! Not only do you need to make the most educated decisions based on your roster, but you also need to ensure you’ve got depth on your bench for any possible scenario. The FF Faceoff’s own Nick Mimi puts together a great Waiver Wire article each week that highlights many of the top options to build strength, even at the bottom of your rosters. After you’re finished here, go give it a look.

Quarterbacks

Start: Jalen Hurts – Derek Carr

Benjamin: Carr has been mightily solid in 2021. He has thrown for over 260 passing yards and multiple scores in six of nine games and he is fourth in passing yards on the season. The Bengals defense held back a number of quarterbacks this season from having good fantasy days. In Week 8, however, they gave up 405 passing yards along with three passing touchdowns to Mike White. They are also sporting the ninth highest D-PAC rating of 7.91 – not a bad outlook for Carr who has thrown at least 34 passes in eight of nine games this season and has a completion rate of 67.7%. Give me all the Carr shares this week!

Brendan: Ah! So you decided to pick old man Carr for your starter this week? I seem to remember a few weeks back someone saying Carr was a bit old and decrepit. What a difference a few weeks might make. My pick this week however is Jalen Hurts. Hurts has been your prototypical fantasy quarterback this season, even though the perception is that he’s not that great for the Eagles. Regardless of what the finicky Eagles fans think, you want to start him on your fantasy team. He is averaging 54.7 yards per game on the ground, which is a good starting point each week. He’s also been super consistent with a league-high 11.73 Consistency Score and has scored in the top 12 of the league in 90% of his games played. The Saints are a tough matchup, only allowing 17 points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but I still believe Hurts is a strong start.

Benjamin: Yeah, I was bashing on Carr earlier this season, but he has made me a believer again! I have since firmly attached my trailer to the Carr bandwagon and will be riding along for the remainder of the season.

Sit: Carson Wentz – Justin Herbert

Brendan: Unlike my start pick and current Eagles quarterback in Hurts, the former Eagles and current Colts quarterback Carson Wentz has not nearly been as consistent. He has seemed to perform fairly well against bad defenses but makes bad decisions against the good defenses. This week he is going up against the league’s best defense in the Buffalo Bills who are only allowing 10.63 points per game to opposing quarterbacks. The Bills are facing a few injuries this week, and Jonathan Taylor should open things up for him a bit, but I don’t expect much from Wentz this week.

Benjamin: I’d like to say this is a bold pick for myself, but based on recent performances, it really isn’t. Herbert is not having the fantasy season we had all hoped for this season. In his last four games, he has cracked the top 14 of fantasy quarterbacks once. Pittsburgh makes for a tough Week 11 opponent as they have allowed only one signal-caller, Justin Fields, to finish in the top 10 at the position in their last four contests. Wentz will be a bad start this week, but Herbert should also find himself on your bench.

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Running Backs

Start: James Conner – J.D. McKissic

Brendan: James Conner looked to be a solid start last week, but had quite the lackluster outing going until a late touchdown saved his owners a bit. I don’t think it would be fair to put all of that on Conner, as the Cardinals’ offense looked like a shell of itself without Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. Both of those playmakers are looking to be trending in the right direction, which should open up some room for Conner. I also love his matchup this week, as the Seahawks are giving up 23.8 points per game to opposing running backs and have allowed a top-five running back in three of the last four games. Barring any setbacks from Kyler and Hopkins, I expect a good outing from Conner this week.

Benjamin: McKissic has literally been hit-or-miss every other of the season. In Week 6, he gathered 110 total yards with eight catches followed by just 56 total yards in week seven. In Week 8, he caught eight passes and totaled 93 yards before falling back to just 39 total yards in Week 10. By this metric, McKissic looks to be a hit again in Week 11 against the Panthers who allowed the Patriots runners to average 4.4 YPC and accumulate 74 receiving yards on just five receptions. These are cracks in the armor of an otherwise strong defense. I believe McKissic will have another good outing this week.

Sit: Elijah Mitchell – Devontae Booker

Benjamin: Mitchell suffered a broken finger in the previous matchup and then received surgery for this week. Coach Shanahan is “optimistic” that he will be ready to play Sunday. If he is active, he will be limited. If you’ve had surgery of any kind, you know it still hurts for a number of days following the procedure. The 49ers may even wait until just before game time to announce his designation, so you need to be prepared. Jonathan Taylor is the only running back to eclipse 44 rushing yards against the Jaguars, who face San Francisco this week, since Derrick Henry in Week 5. Avoid the anxiety and leave Mitchell on the bench.

Brendan: Devontae Booker has been a solid replacement for Saquon Barkley owners over the past few weeks. However, it appears that his time might have come to pass as it looks like Barkley will return to the Giants lineup this week. I do expect Booker to have a role in this offense going forward, as he showed he can be productive, but the healthier Barkley gets, you can expect Booker’s usage to decrease. Once you get past the guarantee that Booker’s usage is going to decrease, you also have a matchup against Tampa Bay who has the third-best D-PAC score in the league of 4.6 and only allowing 15.82 points per game to opposing running backs. You will want to bench Booker this week and depending on his showing, it might be getting close to drop-time.

Wide Receivers

Start: Brandin Cooks – Hunter Renfrow

Brendan: Brandin Cooks has been a solid WR2-WR3 start all season and that is with him being on this bad Texans team. He has had a few stinkers, but has a reasonable Consistency Score of 3.77 and is demanding a 30% target share in the Texans offense. This week the Texans take on the Titans, who remarkably have not fared that well against opposing receivers giving up the most receptions, yards, and fantasy points (nearly 30) in the league this season. They also have a third-worst D-PAC score of 11.01 this season. Call me a hater, but I am just not a Titan believer yet this season.

Benjamin: Based on this choice and my earlier advocation of Derek Carr, I’m all in on the Las Vegas passing game this week. With eight or nine targets, six or seven receptions, and three touchdowns grabs, Renfrow has been the wideout the Raiders have been waiting for since Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper left. Las Vegas will host Cincinnati this Sunday, who has allowed four different wide receivers to tally at least 80 receiving yards in the last three games. Really, what more do you want from a wide receiver in fantasy? Put Renfrow in your lineup and smile.

Sit: T.Y. Hilton – Emmanuel Sanders

Brendan: T.Y. Hilton came back from his concussion last week and only saw five targets with one reception against the Jaguars. They could be just easing him back into the lineup, and with the emergence of Michael Pittman, it’s not exactly a bad idea. However, they are heading to Buffalo this week who have allowed the fewest points to receivers in the league this season at only 14.13 points per game. He might get more than five targets this week, but I expect a run-heavy game plan from the Colts and low production from Hilton.

Benjamin: For a number of weeks, Sanders was considered to be an every-week play in fantasy. Since the Week 7 bye, however, he has managed only six catches in three games including one game with zero receptions. In regards to the Buffalo receivers, there’s very little consistency, to begin with. Sanders’ inconsistency comes with many fewer targets overall and the high weeks involve multiple touchdowns. There are too many other options for me to consider Sanders as a fantasy starter any longer.

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Tight Ends

Start: C.J. Uzomah – Tyler Conklin

Benjamin: When you’re streaming tight ends in fantasy football, and let’s face it; you probably are, you want a guy who is seeing targets for a powerful offense. The Vikings have scored at least 27 points in three of the previous four games and Conklin has seen five or more targets in each of those four games. Last week, the Packers surrendered 10 receptions for 85 yards to Gerald Everett and Will Dissly against Seattle and a Russell Wilson who clearly wasn’t at 100%. Conklin has also emerged as the third option for Minnesota’s passing game as the team is manifesting a more balanced offense between running and passing. Give the ‘Conk’ a shot and I think you’ll be delighted. 

Brendan: This is a great matchup for Uzomah. The Raiders have been giving up tons of points to opposing tight ends this season and their 11.53 points per game is second-most in the league. He isn’t exactly the book of consistency, as he’s not logged enough usage to make our tight end Consistency Score, but I think he can have a solid week. There is really good news, as he probably can be found on waivers since he had a bye last week. So pick him up and instantly put him in your lineup.

Sit: Dan Arnold – Dalton Schultz

Brendan: Dan Arnold has been decent this season, scoring in the top 12 of tight ends in 22% of games played. His stats don’t really blow anyone away as he is averaging 44 yards per game and three receptions. With those stats for a tight end, he would be very touchdown-dependent, but he has yet to score a touchdown. His matchup this week is not optimal as well.  The 49ers have been good against opposing tight ends this season, only allowing 6.16 points per game to opposing tight ends and a top ten D-PAC score of 1.84. I would put Arnold on your bench for this week.

Benjamin: Sorry to say, but the Dalton Schultz experience has come to an end. He had a great stretch from Week 3 through Week 6. Now that Michael Gallup has come back from injury, those reliable stat lines are all but over. He had managed less than 15 yards in two of the previous games and hasn’t scored since Week 4. Even the perceived weakness that is the Kansas City defense won’t help him get targets. On top of that, Kansas City hasn’t allowed a tight end to surpass 27 receiving yards since Week 6, where even Waller was held to 24 yards on four catches. Time is up for Schultz and fantasy managers need to move on.

Don’t forget to hit us up on Twitter with any of your lineup questions. You can find Benjamin @FFRabbitDad and Brendan @OBryanBren. You have a question, we will give you some guidance. After all, we want you to win!

This article makes use of a couple of The FF Faceoff’s original tools including D-PAC and Consistency Score.

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What is the Consistency Score?

Consistency Score Home

Consistency Score: Running Backs

Consistency Score: Wide Receivers

Consistency Score: Tight Ends

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