For the first time since Week 7 — which feels like both ages ago and just yesterday — there are only two teams on bye this week. Especially considering that one of those teams is the Saints, we are basically at full strength from a fantasy football lineup-setting perspective (aside from managers with Jonathan Taylor, but I don’t feel sorry for them anyway).
In a week like this, taking matchups into account can be the best way to break the tie between two decent options. As always, that’s what this article is all about. I’ll be using the Fantasy Points Allowed tool to find the best (and worst) fantasy football matchups at every position for Week 11. Without further ado, let’s get started.
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Points Allowed: Best & Worst Matchups (Week 11)
Week 11 Quarterback Fantasy Football Matchups
Good Matchup: Joe Flacco (QB – CIN) @ Pittsburgh Steelers
There are a lot of terrible pass defenses in the NFL this season. The Cowboys and Bengals speak for themselves, and the Jaguars just gave up nearly 30 fantasy points to Davis Mills. But the Steelers stand alone in terms of passing yards per game allowed to opposing quarterbacks, with a whopping 290.7. No other team is at even 275.
Pittsburgh is stingier in terms of quarterback rushing, but that’s not relevant for 40-year-old Flacco. The veteran gunslinger has averaged over 25 points per game since taking over as the Bengals’ starter, and he’s doing it entirely in the old-fashioned way. Coming off his bye, Flacco is available in over 50% of fantasy leagues, but he’s a viable QB1 this week.
Bad Matchup: Baker Mayfield (QB – TB) @ Buffalo Bills
Although they’ve struggled against opposing rushing attacks (or perhaps because they’ve struggled against opposing rushing attacks), the Bills’ defense has been tough on quarterbacks this season. Quarterbacks facing Buffalo are averaging just 13.6 fantasy points per game, the third-lowest mark in the league.
In Week 11, this is bad news for Baker Mayfield. After generating MVP buzz with some impressive fourth-quarter comebacks early in the season, Mayfield has slowed down of late. Tampa Bay’s litany of wide receiver injuries hasn’t helped, but Mayfield himself has also been inconsistent. With that in mind, I recommend looking for another option this week over Mayfield in a tough matchup.
Week 11 Running Back Fantasy Football Matchups
Good Matchup: Jaylen Warren (RB – PIT) vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Where the Steelers are an outlier in terms of passing yards allowed, their Week 11 opponents are an outlier in terms of rushing yardage. The Bengals are giving up 141 yards per game on the ground to opposing backs, while the second-place Giants are just below 120. This has translated directly to the fantasy scoreboard, where the Bengals’ 30.8 points conceded per game to running backs is more than six points clear of second place (New York once again).
This week, the lucky recipient of this dream matchup is Jaylen Warren. He is trending in the wrong direction in terms of receiving usage, but he still dominates carries in Pittsburgh’s backfield. That should be more than enough for him to provide a borderline RB1 outing at home in Week 11.
Bad Matchup: Kenneth Walker (RB – SEA) @ Los Angeles Rams
Kenneth Walker’s lack of true No. 1 RB usage has been one of the most discussed topics of the fantasy season. He’s been mired in a roughly 50/50 split with Zach Charbonnet all season, and things are only getting worse: George Holani scored a goal-line touchdown on Sunday. However, Walker’s explosive ability and still-decent usage on an excellent offense have kept him in fantasy lineups.
Unfortunately, this is not the week to bet on an explosive outing from Walker. The Rams’ defense has been the toughest matchup for opposing running backs this season, giving up just 13.8 points per game to the position. They’re particularly good at preventing exactly the kind of big plays Walker thrives on.
The longest rush they have given up to an opposing running back is just 13 yards. With mediocre volume and low chances at a big play (or a touchdown, as the Rams have allowed the fewest touchdowns to opposing backs), Walker should be benched if you have other options this week.
Week 11 Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Matchups
Good Matchup: Tre Tucker (WR – LV) vs. Dallas Cowboys
With Jakobi Meyers in Jacksonville, Tre Tucker is officially the Raiders’ No. 1 WR. His first game in his new role was uninspiring, as the Raiders’ entire offense never got going against the Broncos last Thursday night. But Tucker has an excellent chance to come through this week, as the Raiders host the Cowboys and their paper-thin secondary.
Dallas leads the league with 34.6 points per game allowed to opposing receivers. The aforementioned terrible Steelers’ secondary has them beat in terms of yards allowed, but no one can touch their massive 1.78 touchdowns per game given up to the position. At home in a dome, the Raiders even have an above-average 23.5-point team total this week. If you’re not starting Tucker this week, feel free to drop him, because wide receiver matchups don’t get better than this.
Bad Matchup: Jakobi Meyers (WR – JAX)/Parker Washington (WR – JAX) vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The first red flag for this duo of Jacksonville receivers is that I wasn’t sure which one of them to list as the Jaguars’ No. 1 WR. Washington has been serving in that role with Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter sidelined, but Meyers was already decently involved in his first week with the team last week.
The second red flag is this matchup, as the Chargers have allowed the second-fewest points to opposing wide receivers this season. If it were guaranteed which of these players was the favorite to lead the Jaguars in routes and/or targets this week, that player could still be a solid option. But with questions about role and the bad matchup working against them, I recommend you leave any and all Jacksonville receivers on your bench this week.
Week 11 Tight End Fantasy Football Matchups
Good Matchup: Jonnu Smith (TE – PIT) vs. Cincinnati Bengals
I’ve spent most of the season avoiding the mess that is the Steelers’ tight end room. Pittsburgh’s offense as a whole actually ranks second in terms of tight end target share, but they spread it among three players: Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. The trio’s usage fluctuates from week to week, and none of them has ever secured a large enough share of the pie to really be worth chasing.
But if ever there was a week to dive into the weeds of this tight end room, it’s this week. The Bengals, once again, lead the league by far in points given up to opposing tight ends. This is in no small part thanks to the whopping 47.6 half-PPR points they allowed to this same trio back in Week 7. Smith led the tight end triumvirate with a 68% route participation rate last week (and leads in both routes and targets for the season), so he gets the official nod. If you’re looking for a streaming tight end for this week, look no further.
Bad Matchup: Cade Otton (TE – TB) @ Buffalo Bills
With the injuries to Tampa Bay’s wide receiver room, Cade Otton has stepped up in recent weeks as a reliable target for Baker Mayfield. Last week, he caught nine of a whopping 12 targets for 82 yards, finishing as the TE6 with 12.7 points. Unfortunately, he is not likely to follow up that solid outing with another, as the Bills’ defense has been tough on tight ends this season.
Buffalo has allowed just one tight end — Travis Kelce — to finish with more than seven half-PPR points this season. And, although they haven’t faced many elite tight ends, they’ve held solid names like Hunter Henry (5.6), Juwan Johnson (4.3), Kyle Pitts (3.3) and Mark Andrews (1.0) in check. No offense to Otton, but he seems more at home in that list than he does next to Kelce. Otton will be a solid streamer for some weeks this season, but this isn’t one of them.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
