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8 Things We Learned: Week 11 (2019 Fantasy Football)

8 Things We Learned: Week 11 (2019 Fantasy Football)

As NFL teams are vying for a spot in the playoffs, it’s fantasy teams who are relying on the extra effort and urgency to make an increased impact in their weekly lineups leading up to the fantasy postseason. As the power rankings continue to shift, let’s see what we were able to take away from Week 11.

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The Falcons take down yet another NFC South rival down as the underdog in one the most surprising mid-season turnarounds in the league.

This is back-to-back weeks the NFC South has had a major upset. One week removed from dismantling the Saints, the Panthers were next up in the Falcons’ out-of-nowhere resurgence. Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones were cornerstones of the offense in the absence of Austin Hooper and Devonta Freeman as Matty Ice kept his cool. Ridley especially shined with an 8-143-1 line, and both wide receivers should see a boosted fantasy production as long as Hooper and Freeman miss time, as the offense will need to flow through them to effectively move the ball downfield.

Dak Prescott and Michael Gallup renew their early-season chemistry. 

After breaking 100 yards twice in the first five weeks, Gallup was relatively quiet until another big 148-yard performance Sunday. Prescott was outstanding as well, throwing for 444 yards and three touchdowns, with each score going to different players. This came at a cost for Amari Cooper, who was a focal point of the Detroit defense and consequently held to only 38 yards. Cooper will bounce back into his regular tier-one self in the coming weeks, and Gallup’s big game makes this Cowboy’s offensive attack even more versatile.

Jonathan Williams will be one of the hottest waiver wire pickups this week.

Marlon Mack was having a monstrous game before exiting with a hand injury. In his relief entered the little-known Jonathan Williams who proceeded to rack up 147 total yards on only 14 touches. The Colts have had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL this year, and it showed in their matchup against the Jaguars. If Mack’s injury turns out to be anything serious, Williams has massive potential to fill the early-down role. Please note the game script of a 33-13 victory had a lot to do with his usage, however, so temper expectations. In negative game scripts, Nyheim Hines would be the one to see a bigger jump in usage and is someone to consider via waivers in PPR leagues if Mack misses time.

An already-impressive D.J. Chark has been upgraded with Nick Foles’ return.

The breakout year gathers steam for D.J. Chark. He was a major benefit in the midst of Minshew magic, but with Foles returning this week, fantasy owners were wondering how that would affect his target share. Going from uncertain fear to oozing with unbridled confidence, Chark owners celebrated as he led the Jaguars with 15 targets and two scores and nearly doubled the second-closest targeted players. It’s clear Foles views him as a strong WR1. While this massive target total can’t be counted on each week, especially as they played catchup and had no commitment to the running game, we can safely assume he will remain a top option in lineups going forward.

Josh Allen and John Brown ignite fantasy fireworks against the Dolphins.

The Dolphins’ short-lived winning streak comes to a halt against the Bills. Josh Allen crushed the Dolphins’ defense similar to the initiation of a Bills’ mafia fan being smashed through a table, neither the table or the Dolphins stood a chance. Allen rushed for a touchdown and tossed three more as he was involved every time the Bills found the end zone. Feeding off his success step by step was Brown, who posted a season-best 9-137-2 line. Brown remains the best receiving threat on the team, and his ability to burn defenders deep gets rewarded more often than not. The Dolphins remain a must-start-against for fantasy players, and this week was no different. 

Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey save their day with 10+ receptions each.

In what was an unusually down rushing day for a lot of the top running backs in the league, Kamara and McCaffrey outweighed their lower than average rushing totals with massive receiving opportunities. Of course, this is only significant in half or full PPR leagues, but Kamara roped in 10 catches and McCaffrey turned 11 receptions into 121 receiving yards. The Panthers scored three points total, yet CMC had no problem turning in another high-production game and retains his RB1 title.  

Derrius Guice shows flashes in loss.

Guice is back from injury and immediately made an impact. He looked particularly spry on a long touchdown run after the catch late in the game, showing vision with his blockers and eluding would-be tacklers. It’s tough to trust anyone on this Washington team, but one thing has seemed consistent all year long and that’s their commitment to seeing what they have in their young players. Terry McLaurin was first, Dwayne Haskins was next, and now Guice is back seeing heavy reps in his first game back from injury. Although changes to the organization have taken place since he was drafted, remember Guice was essentially the starter before falling to injury. It’s a very real possibility he could earn back that starter role in the coming weeks if his health will finally allow it.

As the Eagles’ receiving corps falls apart, tight end Dallas Goedert rises up when fantasy owners needed the most.

Each week that goes by, Goedert’s snap count has seen a steady increase. The Eagles can’t really trust any wide receiver, and the ones they do are often injured. This has led to a play-calling design that emphasizes two tight end sets in 12 or 22 personnel sets. This is fantastic news for a fantasy world that is dreadfully thin at the position. If Evan Engram, George Kittle, and Austin Hooper injuries have left you wanting, Goedert provides sustainable value and could be available in your league.

Thanks for reading and stay golden!

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David Zach is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from David, check out his archive and follow him @DavidZach16.

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