Week 11 is officially here and that means you’re probably facing tough lineup decisions due to a combo of injuries piling up & players hitting their byes. Of course, with the fantasy playoffs right around the corner, now is as important as ever to call the right shots.
To help out, we’ve enlisted several Featured Pros to offer up spot play advice. Specifically, we provided the experts with a list of 14 players (available in less than 40% of leagues) and asked them to rank the players based on their value for this coming week. Their picks were then combined to develop a set of consensus rankings. The result is week 11 spot play pickup advice.
If you’re looking for long-term help, be sure to take a look at our rest of season rankings (updated Tues afternoon). Otherwise, you can check out the rankings from this week’s Featured Pros for short-term solutions.
Featured Pros
Mike Woellert – (FantasyFootball.com)
Mike Clay (Pro Football Focus)
Ken Zalis – (Fans Fantasy Football)
Consensus Spot Play Rankings*
| Player | Position | Team | Matchup | Consensus Rank |
Best Rank |
Worst Rank |
| Denarius Moore | WR | OAK | @ MIN | 1.5 | 1 | 2 |
| Laurent Robinson | WR | DAL | @ WAS | 2.0 | 1 | 3 |
| David Nelson | WR | BUF | @ MIA | 4.8 | 2 | 9 |
| Vincent Brown | WR | SD | @ CHI | 5.5 | 3 | 7 |
| Kendall Hunter | RB | SF | vs. ARI | 5.5 | 3 | 10 |
| Earl Bennett | WR | CHI | vs. SD | 5.8 | 4 | 8 |
| Maurice Morris | RB | DET | vs. CAR | 6.7 | 1 | 11 |
| Damian Williams | WR | TEN | @ ATL | 6.8 | 6 | 8 |
| Lance Ball | RB | DEN | vs. NYJ | 8.3 | 3 | 10 |
| Chris Ogbonnaya | RB | CLE | vs. JAC | 9.8 | 5 | 11 |
| Greg Little | WR | CLE | vs. JAC | 11.3 | 9 | 14 |
| Harry Douglas | WR | ATL | vs. TEN | 11.7 | 8 | 14 |
| Titus Young | WR | DET | vs. CAR | 12.5 | 9 | 14 |
| Marion Barber | RB | CHI | vs. SD | 12.7 | 9 | 14 |
*Click to see how each expert ranked the players
Expert Top Picks
We also asked each expert to tell us why it is they like the #1 ranked player on their list. Here are the expert responses:
Mike Woellert – FantasyFootball.com
Denarius Moore (WR – OAK): The status on Jacoby Ford’s ankle injury is unclear, but what is clear is that Carson Palmer is looking Denarius Moore’s way and is favoring him more than the other receivers. He had 7 targets – more than any Oakland WR – in week 10. Moore converted those targets into 5 catches for 123 yards and 2 scores. In the two weeks since Palmer has started, he has 19 targets for 9 catches and 184 yards and has shown that the two already have a great rapport. I love the match-up for Moore heading into week 11 as the Vikings are ranked #1 in points allowed to opposing WRs over the last three weeks. The Viking secondary has allowed, on average, over 225 YPG to opposing wide receivers in that timeframe and Moore’s speed should allow him to roam free in that defensive backfield.
Denarius Moore (WR – OAK): After leading the Raiders with 12 targets in Week 9, Denarius Moore went bananas in Week 10’s Thursday Night game vs. San Diego, totaling 123 yards and 2 TDs. There are only so many NFL WRs with sure hands and legitimate 4.3 speed, and it is clear he will be Carson Palmer’s number one option moving forward. After the game, Palmer told reporters that Moore has the ability to be one of the “best wide receivers in the game.” Quite a statement coming from the man who made a career for another silky-smooth, slim WR named Chad. Minnesota is the 7th-best matchup for opposing WRs on the season, and the 2nd-best over the last 5 weeks.
Mike Clay – Pro Football Focus
Maurice Morris (RB – DET): Because we’re talking non-PPR here, the running backs are generally going to get a leg up on the wide receivers when it comes to selecting a Flex player. The Lions threw the ball 63 times in Week 10, which only allowed 15 carries for the running backs. Morris was responsible for 10 of those carries, though, which works out to about 15 carries on a normal week. Morris is also seeing 2-3 targets per game, which means another handful of fantasy points. Add to the equation that the Panthers are awful against the run and Morris is in the picture as a Top 20 option at Running Back in Week 11. Denarius Moore and Laurent Robinson are more skilled and present a higher upside than Morris, but this is just one of those situations where opportunity and match-up trump skill. Morris is your guy.
Laurent Robinson (WR – DAL): Robinson is a decent spot-play even with a healthy Miles Austin in the lineup, just because of his and the Cowboys’ offense’s explosiveness. But with Austin out, as he was in week 10 and should continue to be, Robinson is a legit WR2 in any given week. He faces a very beatable Redskins’ pass defense that let Brandon Marshall post solid numbers in week 10, and really is starting to slip overall. Robinson has three huge games on the season, and could very easily have his fourth in week 11.
Laurent Robinson (WR – DAL): I’m choosing Robinson simply because he’s been the hottest and has been the most reliable. I’ll agree that the Redskins pass defense isn’t the easiest to beat, but neither is the Bills and Robinson scored twice on them. Robinson has re-arrived in Fantasy.
Ken Zalis – Fans Fantasy Football
Denarius Moore (WR – OAK): The Vikings are giving up the 6th most points to WRs over the last 3 weeks and the most over a 5 week span. Jacoby Ford is either out or limited meaning more targets for Moore. Since Palmer burst onto the scene, Moore has been his favorite target with 19 looks. He also has been the 3rd most productive WR over the last 3 weeks with an average of just over 15 points per game. All of this adds up to a very productive rest of the season for Denarius.
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Thanks to this week’s Featured Pros for stopping by to share their advice! Stay tuned for more picks as their weekly rankings are unveiled shortly.
