If our Sunday Studs list was purely based on fantasy points, then all we’d talk about are QBs this week. That’s because 7 of the top 10 fantasy performances were from QBs yesterday. However, we need to give some love to other positions too, so I only included the top 3 QBs – Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, and Jon Kitna.
Greg Jennings and Steve Johnson produced the most stud-worthy WR performances – each had over 100 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. Santonio Holmes was Mr. Clutch again with a game winning TD. And believe it or not, Fred Jackson was the top fantasy RB for the second week in a row! Wondering where the experts had these guys? Read on and find out!
Here are the top performers from Week 11 and which experts got them right (and wrong):
Sunday Stud: Ben Roethlisberger (QB), Pittsburgh Steelers
Last week, Big Ben just missed the Sunday Studs cut as he compiled some impressive stats in semi-garbage time. This week, there was no doubt that Roethlisberger was going to make the list. His 275 yards passing, 55 yards rushing, and 4 touchdowns earned him the top fantasy scorer amongst all players yesterday. He came into Week 11 with an Expert Consensus Rank (ECR) of QB #10. What If Sports had the highest rating for him at QB #4. Scott Pianowski of Yahoo and FF Toolbox both had Big Ben ranked as QB #6. Amazingly, SI.com rated him QB #26! Other experts who were particularly low on Roethlisberger were Brad Richter of Roto Pilot (QB #21) and KFFL (QB #20).
Sunday Stud: Aaron Rodgers (QB), Green Bay Packers
Yesterday’s Packers/Vikings game was supposed to be about Brett Farve’s last game against Green Bay (are you sure about that, Brett?). Instead, it was all about a dominating QB performance from Rodgers, who racked up 322 yards total offense and threw for 4 touchdowns. Rodgers had a Week 11 ECR of QB #5. Experts who pegged him perfectly at QB #2 included Erik Kuselias of ESPN, Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports, Dave Richard of CBS Sports, and Fantasy Fanatics. Those who were lowest on him included What If Sports (QB #15), Ultimate FF Strategy (QB #11), and Fantasy Sharks (QB #9).
Sunday Stud: Jon Kitna (QB), Dallas Cowboys
Kitna made the cut this week because he was what I’d call extremely efficient. His yardage numbers yesterday weren’t impressive at all (147 yards passing and 40 yards rushing), but he accounted for 4 touchdowns and zero turnovers. He came into the week with an ECR of QB #11. Experts most optimistic on Kitna were Fantasy Sharks (QB #4), Dave Richard of CBS Sports (QB #5), and What If Sports (QB #5). Experts not so bullish on him were Fan House, Matthew Berry of ESPN, and KFFL, who all rated Kitna QB #23. Kitna was mentioned a couple times in our last Featured Pros post about playoff sleepers…he might be even more popular after this week’s performance.
Sunday Stud: Greg Jennings (WR), Green Bay Packers
With so many QBs throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, you know there must be some big WR performances. Jennings proved to be the main benefactor of Rodgers’ big passing day. He torched the Vikings secondary for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns, earning him the best fantasy production amongst all WRs yesterday. Jennings came into Week 11 with an ECR of WR #9. Experts highest on him were Fantazzle (WR #3), Christopher Harris of ESPN (WR #4), Eric Karabell of ESPN (WR #4), and Fantasy Sharks (WR #4). Those who were lowest on him included Sexy Rexy of Game of Inches (WR #25), Fan House (WR #23), and Brad Richter of Roto Pilot (WR #20).
Sunday Stud: Steve Johnson (WR), Buffalo Bills
I am starting to see a trend. When the Buffalo Bills win, they produce major Sunday Studs. Johnson, who has quietly had some very good games this year, put up a career day yesterday. He had 137 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. He had a Week 11 ECR of WR #22. Paul Greco of Fantasy Pros 911 was really optimistic on Johnson this week, rating him WR #7. Mike Krueger of FF Today (WR #13) and KFFL (WR #14) were also high on him. On the flipside, Roger Rotter of Fox Sports (WR #47) was really low on him. Others who did not expect too much from Johnson were Eric Karabell of ESPN (WR #34), Brandon Funston of Yahoo (WR #32), and Brad Evans of Yahoo (WR #32).
Sunday Stud: Santonio Holmes (WR), New York Jets
The Super Bowl Stud from 2009 has been nothing but clutch for the Jets this season. He’s TD with 10 seconds left in the Jets win over the Texans was just one of the four tight games that Holmes has been a huge factor in. I’m pretty sure he might have been responsible for your fantasy team’s win too. His ECR of #17 put him as a solid WR2 for most leagues, so hopefully he was in your lineup. If you followed Sigmund Bloom’s advice you had Holmes starting for sure, as he had him ranked as his WR #6! David Dodds of Football Guys and Matthew Berry of ESPN also had Holmes ranked high as their WR #9. Missing the mark was FF Toolbox with a ranking of WR #34.
Sunday Stud: Fred Jackson (RB), Buffalo Bills
For the second Sunday in a row, Jackson was the top performing RB. He accumulated 129 yards total offense and scored 2 touchdowns to help the Bills win their second straight game. Looks like his stud performance last week caught some of our experts’ eyes. Jackson’s ECR last week was RB #20. This week, his ECR was a little higher at RB #16. Experts who liked Jackson the most included KFFL (RB #5) and David Dodds of Football Guys (RB #6). Those who thought Jackson would come nowhere close to last week’s breakout performance included Roger Rotter of Fox Sports (RB #26), Ultimate FF Strategy (RB #25), and Eric Karabell of ESPN (RB #25).
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Sunday Studs. Stay tuned for our updated accuracy rankings and be sure to check out all the latest fantasy news and advice early this week, since there are six teams playing on Thanksgiving Thursday!