Week 11 Start 'Em or Sit 'Em
Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em is geared toward redraft leagues but can also be used for setting DFS lineups, as these are the players I’ll likely be filling out my cash lineups with on Sunday. As is the case each week, I’m ignoring the Thursday night game.
QUARTERBACK
Start of the Week: Matthew Stafford vs. Raiders: Stafford has faced one of the toughest schedules, going up against the Nos. 1, 3, 5, 5, 9, 11, 13, 17, and 19th-ranked pass defenses in terms of fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Oakland ranks 26th and will be, by far, Stafford’s easiest test to date, and he gets them at home. Stafford’s remaining stretch-run schedule, for that matter, is one of the rosiest on the books. In a week with not many projected high-scoring games, Raiders-Lions has the highest over-under at 48.5 points. Oakland is favored by two, but both clubs have respectable team totals, with the Lions checking in at 23.25 points. As pointed out in Rich Hribar’s Week 11 Worksheet, the Raiders face the most pass attempts per game (42.6). In two games with new OC Jim Bob Cooter, Stafford has attempted 36 and 38 passes. With no running game to speak of, the offense operates through Stafford. At a 69.39-percent clip, no team is more pass-heavy than the Lions. And Stafford is much better at home. In four starts at Ford Field, Stafford is averaging 282.75 yards, two touchdowns, 1.5 interceptions, and 7.8 YPA on 36.25 attempts per game. Stafford is scoring 21.7 fantasy points per game at home this season. If we’re to factor in the Raiders’ horrific pass defense, Stafford’s ceiling is probably around 30. Oakland also just lost one of its top edge rushers, Aldon Smith, to a one-year suspension this week. He was having a fine season with 36 combined sacks, hits, and hurries. Stafford is a phenomenal DFS play at his cheap price.
Starts
Mark Sanchez vs. Bucs: Sam Bradford suffered a separated left (non-throwing) shoulder and concussion in the Week 10 loss to Miami. Sanchez was pretty terrible in relief, completing 14-of-23 passes for 156 yards and an interception. But in eight starts for coach Chip Kelly last season, Sanchez was a fairly respectable fantasy quarterback, averaging 15.9 points per game. The Eagles run the fastest-paced offense in the league, and there’s whispers they may go even faster with Sanchez under center since he’s well-versed in the system and has been in it for two years. There’s plenty of volume here for Sanchez, and Philadelphia has the sixth-highest implied team total of the week at 25.5 points. The Bucs play strong run defense, but allow the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, and only the Saints and Browns have surrendered more touchdown passes. Wind is expected to be a factor Sunday, but Sanchez throws so many short passes it may not affect him.
Derek Carr at Lions: Opposite Matthew Stafford on Sunday will be Carr. He’s overall QB9 in fantasy points per game with an 18.7 mark. Carr has topped 300 passing yards in 5-of-8 healthy games, including three-straight, and has tossed multiple touchdowns in 7-of-8. He’s proven somewhat matchup-proof in recent on-paper tough dates with the Jets and Vikings. The Lions don’t present one of those supposed tough matchups, as they’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and lost two of their top three cornerbacks, Rashean Mathis (concussion) and Josh Wilson (knee), to season-ending injured reserve in the past 7-10 days. No. 1 CB Darius Slay remains, but some combination of Nevin Lawson, Quandre Diggs, and Crezdon Butler will be forced into heavy snaps. Who? Exactly. This is a pass defense to pick on, even for Carr on the road. He’s shown a solid floor and 300-yard, four-touchdown ceiling. Both quarterbacks in this one are strong plays.
Tyrod Taylor at Patriots: Taylor is a somewhat scary proposition after he’s attempted 17 passes or fewer in two of his past three games and been held under 181 yards passing in three-straight. But with the Bills as 7.5-point road underdogs at New England, Buffalo is likely going to have to throw the ball, whether it’s to keep up or catch up to the Patriots. In the previous matchup between these two clubs in Week 2, the Patriots jumped out to a 34-13 lead at one point in the third quarter. Taylor ended up firing off 30 attempts and bringing the Bills within eight, losing 40-32. Taylor had his best fantasy game of the season, piling up 25.98 fantasy points. Expect him to have to throw the ball Monday night in similar circumstances on the road. There’s monstrous upside with Taylor.
Matt Ryan vs. Colts: Ryan is one of those quarterbacks it’s hard to get excited about, but he’s super consistent, having thrown for at least 250 yards in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season. The problem this season is Ryan hasn’t thrown for more than two touchdowns in a single game and tossed seven picks, while only topping 300 yards twice. If anything, he’s been consistently average. Week 11 presents a chance to get back on track after losing 3-of-4 prior to the bye week. The Colts don’t rush the passer well and have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Ryan gets this unit at home with a fully-healthy receiving corps. Leonard Hankerson (hamstring) is expected back, and Ryan has come out and said having HankTime in the lineup opens up a lot of things for the offense. Taking defensive pressure off Julio Jones is No. 1. Jones, himself, got a chance to rest during the bye after heavy workloads. Fantasy’s QB23 in points per game, Ryan is a top-12 option this week.
Editor's Note: For updated rankings, fantasy news columns, IDP, injury analysis, dynasty and much more, check out the Rotoworld Season Pass.
Sits
Kirk Cousins at Panthers: Cousins is coming off the best passing game of his career after torching the Saints’ league-worst secondary for 324 yards and four touchdowns on 25 attempts (12.96 YPA). He was the straw that broke Saints DC Rob Ryan’s back, getting him fired the next day. But Cousins has had numerous strong passing days in the past only to follow them up with duds. Multiple duds. Heading out onto the road against the 9-0 Panthers and their second-ranked pass defense — by Pro Football Focus — isn’t the spot to use Cousins. Carolina leads the league in interceptions. Those that picked up and streamed Cousins last week can safely bench him or set him back free to the waiver wire, though Cousins will again be in play Week 12 at home against a Giants team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Ryan Tannehill vs. Cowboys: The Cowboys’ defense isn’t one to fear by any means, but the way Dallas’ offense plays, it’s hard to feel comfortable with any opposing skill players against this team. The Cowboys play at such a slow tempo offensively that it limits possessions for the other team’s offense. Miami already runs the sixth-fewest plays per game coming into this matchup. Tannehill is the definition of “meh.” He’s only topped 17 fantasy points twice in 2015 and blew the roof off it with two performances of 24-plus points. He’s also been held under 12.5 points four times. Dallas-Miami has the fourth-highest over-under of the week at 47.5 points, but this probably isn’t a game I’ll be looking to have much exposure to on the Dolphins side. The Cowboys have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. If there’s a place to beat them, it’s on the ground.
Philip Rivers vs. Chiefs: After being fantasy whipping boys for opposing quarterbacks early on this season, the Chiefs’ pass defense has really turned itself around after the benching of CB Jamell Fleming and return from suspension of RCB Sean Smith. Rookie LCB Marcus Peters has held his own despite being targeted heavily by opposing quarterbacks, and the Chiefs have found a stabilizing slot corner in CB/S Ron Parker. Through 10 weeks, Kansas City fields Pro Football Focus’ sixth-ranked pass coverage unit and pairs it with a strong pass rush anchored by OLB Justin Houston. Keenan Allen (kidney) is done for the season, and Malcom Floyd suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder Week 9. Floyd plans to play again this season, but that’s up in the air, and he seems like an extreme long shot for Week 11. Rivers doesn’t have any downfield weapons. Antonio Gates (knee) is running on one leg. Stevie Johnson is merely a chain-mover. Ladarius Green (ankle) is still hurt. The Chiefs are three-point road favorites in a game with a Vegas total of 44 points.
Russell Wilson vs. 49ers: Wilson has seemed to find the bottom of this list numerous times this season. Being drafted as the third quarterback off the board over the summer, he’s fantasy QB21 overall in points per game, behind guys like Alex Smith, Joe Flacco, and Brian Hoyer. Seattle is 32nd in red-zone success, scoring a touchdown just 35 percent of the time. And the Seahawks are 29th in offensive touchdowns scored per game with a 1.7 mark. Marshawn Lynch is a great bet to find pay dirt Sunday, which doesn’t leave much for Wilson, even in a plus-plus matchup. Against the 49ers in Week 7, Wilson completed 18-of-24 passes for 235 yards, one score, and two picks, with just 20 rushing yards. It was Wilson’s lowest fantasy output of the season. Wilson has a safe floor thanks to his rushing ability, but the ceiling has proven to be very low in 2015.
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RUNNING BACK
Start of the Week: Charcandrick West at Chargers: West has long been intriguing ever since Three Sigma Athlete’s Zach Whitman charted West’s freakish athletic measurables via SPARQ. West isn’t the biggest player at 5’10/205, but he tore up the lower college level at Abilene Christian. Since taking over for Jamaal Charles (torn ACL) four games ago, West is playing 82.2 percent of the snaps. The past three weeks, West is handling 25 touches per game and making the most of them, averaging 137.3 yards with four total touchdowns and at least one in each game. Even in a tough matchup against the Broncos’ league-best defense in Week 10, West put it all together and piled up 27 touches for 161 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. He now gets the opposite side of the spectrum. After squaring off with Denver’s No. 1 fantasy defense, West gets San Diego’s dead-last run defense that is allowing 24.5 fantasy points per game to running backs and has yielded a rushing touchdown in five-straight. West is a no-brainer must-start Sunday as a top-five running back.
Starts
Latavius Murray at Lions: Oakland-Detroit is a game to hammer in fantasy. Only the Saints (32nd) have allowed more overall fantasy points than the Lions (31st) and Raiders (30th). In a dome, this is a game to heavily target with the highest Vegas total of the week at 48.5. Murray has posted a number of duds this season and been held under 10 fantasy points five times. But he continues to dominate the touches in Oakland’s backfield, handling over 19.1 per game. Fullback-type Jamize Olawale has mixed in here and there in recent weeks, but the Raiders don’t have a real threat to Murray on their roster. The Lions have allowed the most rushing touchdowns to running backs and the fifth-most fantasy points to the position. Murray gets a much-needed softer opponent after facing a top-seven fantasy defense against running backs three-straight games.
Darren McFadden at Dolphins: Tony Romo’s (collarbone) impending and expected return to the lineup this week gives the entire offense a boost, but McFadden might get the biggest one. Since taking over as the Cowboys’ workhorse four games ago, DMC is playing 79.7 percent of the snaps and handling a whopping 26.25 touches per game. He’s coming off a bad outing against the Bucs where he turned 20 touches into just 58 total yards. But with the return of Romo, defenses won’t be able to load the box like they did against Matt Cassel. Backup RB Christine Michael got the ax earlier this week, leaving Rod Smith, Robert Turbin, and Trey Williams behind McFadden. Play-caller Scott Linehan is as committed to the run as any OC in the game and has no problem letting his running back handle monstrous workloads. Only the Chargers have allowed more fantasy points to running backs than the Dolphins. In Romo’s first game back, McFadden will be leaned on heavily.
Jonathan Stewart vs. Redskins: Another foundation running back finds the list. After a cold start to the season, Stewart has scored four touchdowns in his past five games and seen at least 20 carries in all five, averaging 22 carries per contest. The Redskins’ run defense has kept running backs out of the end zone with just four touchdowns given up on the ground, but they’re allowing over 4.79 YPC to the position. No team runs the ball more than the Panthers (52.7 percent). Washington started off the season strong in run defense, but has allowed several big rushing lines the past four weeks to Mark Ingram (5-77), LeGarrette Blount (29-129-1), Doug Martin (19-136), and Chris Ivory (20-146-1). Stewart’s red-zone usage has spiked of late, as he’s seen 24 carries inside the opponent’s 20-yard line the past five games. According to Rotoworld’s Graham Barfield, Stewart has handled 61.5 percent of Carolina’s red-zone carries over that span.
Frank Gore at Falcons: In OC Rob Chudzinski’s first game as play-caller in place of recently-fired Pep Hamilton, Gore handled a season-high 29 touches against the Broncos and turned them into 102 yards and one score. With Andrew Luck (kidney) potentially done for the rest of the regular season, Gore’s workload should remain heavy with 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck under center. In Hasselbeck’s two starts earlier this season, Gore handled a total of 44 touches. And on Thursday, coach Chuck Pagano said the Colts won’t limit Gore’s workload as they had previously planned to do earlier in the year. Only the Lions have allowed more touchdowns on the ground to running backs than the Falcons, who are surrendering the eighth-most fantasy points to the position. Atlanta has also given up the most catches out of the backfield to running backs.
Sits
Justin Forsett vs. Rams: The Rams have been shredded by Adrian Peterson and Jeremy Langford in back-to-back games, but they’re still allowing just 3.72 YPC to running backs and five total rushing touchdowns to the position. St. Louis also leads the league in opponent red-zone scoring percentage, allowing a touchdown 34.78 percent of the time. The Rams don’t have a really strong weakness anywhere on defense when healthy. On the other sideline, the Ravens are one of the pass-happiest teams in the league. Joe Flacco is on pace for a new career-high in attempts. Baltimore runs the ball just 37.29 percent of the time. A lot of that has to do with playing from behind, but even with the lead last week against the Jaguars, OC Marc Trestman was dialing up pass after pass. Over his past four games, Forsett is averaging 3.67 YPC on 60 carries with one rushing score. He’s got a floor with his involvement as a pass catcher, but it’s hard to see Forsett doing much damage Sunday.
Jeremy Hill at Cardinals: It’s hard to let go of Hill. He had a very productive rookie season and was a top-three running back over the second half of last season. But it’s just not happening in 2015. With A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, and Marvin Jones all healthy after missing a TON of time last season, the Bengals are playing more up-tempo and using Giovani Bernard in the backfield. Not only is Hill not even a FLEX option Sunday, he’s inching toward droppable territory in 12-team leagues. Hill hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown since Week 4 and is averaging 3.21 YPC since then. Arizona is allowing 3.67 YPC to running backs and the ninth-fewest fantasy points to the position. In what projects to be a high-paced game with a 48-point Vegas total, Bernard is on the RB2 radar.
Karlos Williams at Patriots: With LeSean McCoy healthy and running like he did in 2013, Williams is averaging 8.5 touches per game the past two weeks since returning from a concussion. The impressive rookie out of Florida State has buoyed his fantasy output with a touchdown in every game he’s played in this season, but that streak is bound to end. It’ll come to a close this week. In the Week 2 matchup with New England, Williams rushed six times for 21 yards (3.5 YPC) and vultured McCoy for a six-yard score. McCoy is running lights-out right now and should get the bulk of the scoring chances. Williams is a fine player, but has been getting by on big plays kind of like another former Florida State player in Antone Smith for the Falcons last season. The Patriots are allowing 3.71 YPC to running backs, the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the position, and should get LB Jamie Collins (illness) back in the lineup Monday night. Williams is more of an RB4 in a tough matchup.
Alfred Morris at Panthers: Morris is coming off his best rushing game since Week 1 after rushing for 92 scoreless yards on 15 carries (6.13 YPC) last week against the Saints’ league-worst defense. But Morris still played only 40 percent of the offensive snaps and was out-gained by Matt Jones 187-106. It was literally the best matchup possible, and both running backs took advantage. Morris has yet to score a touchdown on the season and remains a misfit for coach Jay Gruden’s power-run scheme. Jones is more of a downhill, ferocious runner who fits the system. Heading out on the road as 7.5-point underdogs, Morris could fall back into that 10-snap, 4-6 carries range he was in the two games prior to Week 10. The Panthers are allowing 3.85 YPC to running backs.
WIDE RECEIVER
Start of the Week: Michael Crabtree at Lions: Crabtree is coming off his lowest target total of the season after the Vikings did well to pretty much shut down both he and Amari Cooper. Derek Carr did well to throw for 300-plus yards and two touchdowns with Minnesota taking away his top two receivers. Cooper is fully expected to be shadowed by Lions No. 1 CB Darius Slay on Sunday. Over the past five weeks, Slay is Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 cover corner out of 100 qualifiers. He’s allowed just eight catches for 100 yards on 16 targets over that span. With Slay occupied by Cooper, that’ll leave Crabtree working against CBs Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs after Nos. 2 and 3 CBs Rashean Mathis (concussion) and Josh Wilson (knee) were placed on season-ending I.R. last week. Crabtree should be a lock for 8-12 targets, something he’s done seven times this season. Only the Saints have allowed more total fantasy points than the Lions this season.
Starts
Jamison Crowder at Panthers: Even with DeSean Jackson (hamstring) back in the lineup the past two games, Crowder has played 83.9 percent of the offensive snaps as the slot receiver. Panthers CBs Josh Norman and Charles Tillman might be the best outside combo in the league, but slot CB Bene Benwikere has really struggled in coverage as a sophomore. Over the past four weeks, Benwikere is Pro Football Focus’ 100th-ranked cover corner out of 101 qualifiers. He’s allowed three touchdowns in the past three weeks, and Crowder showed he isn’t allergic to the end zone with his first career touchdown in Week 10. Crowder is averaging 7.3 targets per game over the past seven. Washington is 7.5-point underdogs and will likely be playing catch-up in the second half. Carolina will probably force everything to the middle of the field to drain the clock and keep the Redskins in front of them, which should translate to heavy targets for Crowder, Jordan Reed, and Chris Thompson.
Stevie Johnson vs. Chiefs: In the Chargers’ first game sans Keenan Allen (kindey), Johnson saw a season-high 10 targets. He didn’t do a whole lot with them, turning in a 6-78 receiving line. But Johnson did get tackled at the four-yard line on one catch and was overlooked wide-open in the end zone by Philip Rivers on the very next play. Johnson knows how to get open and will be leaned on as the default No. 1 receiver with both Allen and Malcom Floyd (shoulder) out. All three of Johnson, Antonio Gates, and Danny Woodhead saw double-digit targets last game. The Chiefs have been much better against the pass the past month-plus, but Johnson figures to avoid stud RCB Sean Smith the entire game and run most of his routes against FS/SCB Ron Parker. Johnson has a high floor, and while his upside isn’t spectacular, we can do a lot worse for our WR3 spot.
Golden Tate vs. Raiders: Tate’s targets have been all over the place this season, seeing as few as four twice and as many as 15 one week. The week he saw 15, TE Eric Ebron was sidelined with a knee injury. Taking away his two games with four targets and the one with 15, Tate has averaged 7.5 targets per game. He’s yet to top 80 yards receiving in a single contest and has found the end zone just once. But Tate figures to draw the best matchup of the day among Lions receivers on Sunday. Third-year CB D.J. Hayden covers the slot for the Raiders and has been a bottom-five cover corner at Pro Football Focus much of the season. He’s been the second-most targeted corner in the league behind the Steelers’ Antwon Blake and allowed five touchdowns. Tate’s probability of a touchdown remains lower than Calvin Johnson and Ebron, but this is a great on-paper matchup.
Jordan Matthews vs. Bucs: Matthews played a season-low 59.2 percent of the offensive snaps last week after having easily his best game of the year and scoring the game-winning touchdown in overtime the week before against Dallas. Part of his absence Week 10 can be attributed to the “death” pass Mark Sanchez threw Matthews in the second half that got Matthews drilled in the midsection and the wind knocked out of him. This looks like a good week to go back to Matthews. According to 4for4.com’s John Paulsen, Matthews averaged 4.22 catches for 66.56 yards and 0.67 touchdowns on 6.11 targets in Sanchez’s nine games played last season. And that was with Jeremy Maclin in the lineup and Matthews a part-time rookie. The Bucs have been shuffling their secondary, and veteran CB Alterraun Verner has been assigned to slot duties. Matthews (6’3/212) has a big size advantage over Verner (5’10/189), and Sanchez has a clear rapport with Matthews.
Sits
Brandon LaFell vs. Bills: LaFell had a bad game last week against Giants fill-in RCB Jayron Hosley, catching just 2-of-5 targets for 66 scoreless yards. He was stuck on one catch for 12 yards most of the afternoon. Tom Brady’s lone interception was intended for LaFell. The matchup gets even tougher for LaFell on Monday night. He figures to run the bulk of his routes at Bills RCB Stephon Gilmore. Both Gilmore and rookie RCB Ronald Darby are playing out of their minds on the outside for coach Rex Ryan, and have graded out as top-14 cover corners at Pro Football Focus. Brady is obviously the best quarterback they’ve seen all year, but the place to beat the Bills is in the middle of the field. This projects to be a Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski game through the air.
DeSean Jackson at Panthers: Jackson figures to draw the Josh Norman treatment on Sunday. Norman doesn’t really shadow receivers unless they’re of the elite variety, which Jackson is not, so Jackson could avoid him at times. But opposite Norman is the ageless Charles Tillman. Norman-Tillman has proven to be one of the best outside cornerback duos in the league this season. Since returning from a hamstring injury two weeks ago, Jackson has played just 66.1 percent of the snaps behind both Pierre Garcon and rookie Jamison Crowder. He’s also been targeted only nine times, catching five for 59 scoreless yards. This isn’t the game Jackson is going to flip the switch.
Jeremy Maclin at Chargers: Maclin hasn’t topped 50 yards in three-straight games. He’s been out-targeted by Travis Kelce 22-14 over that span and seen the same amount of targets as Charcandrick West out of the backfield. Maclin has had back-to-back tough draws against Lions CB Darius Slay and Broncos CB Chris Harris, but it doesn’t get any easier Sunday. Chargers feisty No. 1 CB Jason Verrett is expected to shadow Maclin much of the afternoon. Verrett is Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 cover corner on the season. Alex Smith is a risk-averse quarterback who isn’t going to force the ball into tight coverage. Look for Kelce and West to be 1-2 in targets for the Chiefs.
Doug Baldwin vs. 49ers: Baldwin came out of nowhere to see a season-high 10 targets last week against the Cardinals, turning them into seven catches for 134 yards and one touchdown. The Seahawks were playing from behind the entire night, which obviously led to increased pass attempts for Russell Wilson. This week, the Seahawks are the biggest favorites on the book as 13-point home favorites over the lowly 49ers. San Francisco presents a fine matchup for Baldwin, but the Seahawks just don’t throw the ball enough to seriously consider any of their pass catchers. Seattle has a sizable 26.5-point team total. Marshawn Lynch is a serious candidate for 100 yards and two scores, while odds are in the Seahawks’ defense’s favor of also scoring a touchdown. Go back to forgetting about Baldwin, even if he wants to think he’s one of the better receivers.
TIGHT END
Start of the Week: Eric Ebron vs. Raiders: In the six games Ebron’s been healthy, he’s averaged 6.3 targets and seen no fewer than five. He had a horrific Week 10 against the Packers, dropping three passes, but the good sign is that he was targeted on 25 percent of his snaps in a close game. The drops are worrisome after Ebron really struggled in that department at North Carolina and as a rookie last season. But prior to last Sunday, he’d dropped just three passes total on 29 targets. Ebron has been making big plays when given an opportunity, as his 6.0 yards after catch per reception is sixth among tight ends with at least 20 targets. The Raiders have allowed the most touchdowns to tight ends (10), and only the Saints have surrendered more fantasy points.
Starts
Travis Kelce at Chargers: Above, it was mentioned that Kelce leads the Chiefs in targets the past three weeks with 22. He’s also second on the team in red-zone targets over that span behind Charcandrick West. With the Chargers likely to try and take away Jeremy Maclin with shadow CB Jason Verrett, Kelce and West project to be the main sources of offense yet again for Kansas City. If West isn’t scoring the touchdowns for the Chiefs, it’ll likely be Kelce. The Chargers have given up the sixth-most touchdowns and ninth-most fantasy points to tight ends. At a position littered with low-floor players, Kelce’s rising target total makes him one of the preferred options on the slate.
Crockett Gillmore vs. Rams: If the Rams have one weakness on defense, it’s that they haven’t been great against tight ends after WLB Alec Ogletree went down with a broken leg. In the Ravens’ first game minus Steve Smith Sr. (Achilles’) last week against the Jaguars, Baltimore used multiple tight ends on 36 percent of the snaps. Gillmore turned four targets into a 4-42-1 line and walled out his defender on his red-zone touchdown grab. He’s the only Ravens pass catcher to see at least one red-zone target each of the past three games.
Martellus Bennett vs. Broncos: Bennett played 100 percent of the snaps for just the second time this season in last week’s throttling of the Rams. But he saw a season-low three targets, catching all of them for 18 scoreless yards while No. 2 TE Zach Miller went berserk, reeling in all five of his targets for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Chalk that up as a fluke. Bennett is still the No. 2 or 3 option in the passing game and remains a top-five tight end in targets per game with a 7.8 mark. Jay Cutler isn’t going to beat the Broncos very often on the outside against their elite set of corners, so the middle of the field with Bennett and Matt Forte/Jeremy Langford projects to be the weak zone. Bennett’s upside isn’t great, but he’s provided a comfortable floor.
Sits
Charles Clay at Patriots: The Patriots have done really well to stymy opposing tight ends this season and should get do-it-all, rangy LB Jamie Collins (illness) back this week from a two-game absence. The past three weeks, Clay has average just over 3.3 targets per game and hasn’t scored since Week 3. In the previous meeting between these two clubs in Week 2, Clay caught 3-of-5 targets for a meager 19 yards but was able to find pay dirt. With Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy healthy, Clay has taken a backseat after being Tyrod Taylor’s favorite target earlier in the year.
Vernon Davis at Bears: After playing nine snaps in his Broncos debut two weeks ago, Davis’ snap percentage rose to 47.9 percent in Week 10. He was still targeted just three times, catching two balls for 19 yards. The low snap counts have been attributed to Davis now being up to speed with the Broncos’ offense. He should play more against the Bears, but Brock Osweiler might lean heavily on Demaryius Thomas as a safety blanket, while the Broncos will also try to get their running game off the ground. The Bears have allowed two touchdowns and the sixth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. Give Davis another couple weeks to get his feet wet before firing up as a TE1 for the fantasy playoffs against bottom-nine tight-end defenses San Diego, Oakland, and Pittsburgh Weeks 13-15.
Jacob Tamme vs. Colts: Tamme has been a very useful player for the Falcons; he’s seen double-digit targets three times this year. But Leonard Hankerson has been sidelined for two of those games. He’s expected back this week coming off the bye, and both Hankerson and Tamme have done well to cancel each other out as the No. 2 pass-game option behind Julio Jones. The Falcons have also said they want to get Roddy White more involved down the stretch. With all three healthy and in the lineup, none make for advisable fantasy starts.
