Week 11 has some great matchups for the column, highlighted by Dallas and Minnesota. These are two teams that are in the thick of the playoff race in the NFC, with Dallas badly needing a win after an upset loss to Green Bay. We also look at the Thursday night clash between the Titans and the Packers, in what should be a throwback game between two teams that have really strong running games.

Dallas Cowboys DL (1st in FantasyPros DL Rankings) @ Minnesota Vikings OL (7th in FantasyPros OL Rankings)

The Vikings got a huge win last week in the game of the year so far for the NFL. Now they return home with a three-game cushion on the Packers, but another tough test awaits. Dallas has a ferocious pass rush that ranks 1st in the NFL in sacks (35), 3rd in pass-rush win rate, and 4th in pass DVOA. While Minnesota ranks 7th in the league in adjusted sack rate (5.8%), they allowed four sacks last week to the Bills.

Micah Parsons is making a strong argument for Defensive Player of the Year. He already has eight sacks and is tops in the league with a 30% pass-rush win rate despite coming off a game where he only had one QB pressure and zero sacks. Dallas does a good job of moving Parsons around the formation, giving him a chance to wreak havoc from multiple spots on the field. Minnesota’s interior offensive line is the weak point in this unit, so I would expect Parsons to be used more as an inside pressure point this week. That leaves DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong (5 sacks each) on an island in what should be one-on-one matchups with Minnesota tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Darrisaw is a stud and has yet to allow a sack this season, so it will be important for O’Neill to play well opposite of him.