The Biggest Start/Sit Decisions for Week 11 (Fantasy Football)
Welcome to Week 11 of the Start/Sit series, where we’ll discuss your most commonly asked “Who should I start?” questions for the week.
The projections between any two players on your roster may appear similar, but this “simple” choice could be the difference between your team’s victory or defeat. Luckily, the Fantasy Footballers have created an amazing Start/Sit tool to easily compare any two (or more) players with insight from the Ballers themselves, and trust me — it’s a precious asset that will help you make these crucial lineup decisions that could ultimately lead you to your #FootClanTitle.
In this article, you’ll find your most popular Start/Sit questions of the week, along with the Ballers’ projections and my personal opinions on the matter. Please note that the Footballers’ rankings are constantly being updated as news breaks, so make sure you check out the tool for yourself to catch any last-second changes.
So, without further ado, let’s kick things off with the biggest Start/Sit questions for Week 11:
QB:
Kyler Murray (ARI) or Justin Fields (CHI)?
Kyler Murray is back! He proved his leg is fully healed after running six times for 33 yards and a TD during last week’s victory over the Falcons. Although he wasn’t able to score through the air, he should be able to do so against Houston’s charitable defense which is the second BEST matchup for opposing QBs in schedule-adjusted rankings since Week 2. His arsenal is fully stocked (more on them later), so skies the limit for the overlooked wunderkind.
H1M 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NPuUWI5QCn
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 14, 2023
Following suit, Justin Fields is expected to finally make his long-awaited return after suffering a thumb injury to his throwing hand a month ago. But unlike Murray, we aren’t sure exactly how he’ll look since he’s already had some shaky throws and his fair share of fumbles. And with reports that his thumb isn’t 100% healed, it’s best to take the wait-and-see approach before throwing him back out there.
The Verdict
Kyler Murray
TE:
Dalton Kincaid (BUF) or Trey McBride (ARI)?
You can’t go wrong with either TE, but while Dalton Kincaid edges out the consensus vote (and is Andy’s TE Start of the Week), I’m shimmying in the flames with Trey McBride. He’s been a bona fide target hog with Zach Ertz out, averaging 9.3 targets per game and seeing nine more with Murray back. That’s an elite target share. And now he gets a plus matchup against the Texans who recently gave up TDs to guys like Cade Otton and Tommy Tremble, making him a strong play in not only redraft leagues but also a DFS near lock in FanDuel and DraftKings cash games.
The Verdict
Trey McBride
WR:
Puka Nacua (LAR) or Tank Dell (HOU)?
This Start/Sit question is dependent on a lot of contingents. If Matthew Stafford (thumb) is active — which we presume he will be — then Puka Nacua is the winner. Their connection is straight-up ridiculous, as is his fourth-best 27.74% TPPR. Their divisional showdown against the Seahawks also has one of the highest totals on the slate.
But surprisingly, Tank Dell‘s match against the Cardinals has an even higher implied total. He and the rest of the Texans’ pass-catchers have been simply outstanding thanks to rookie phenom C.J. Stroud. Dell is coming off his busiest game (14 targets) and now has back-to-back games with double-digit targets, so it’s easy to see why Jason made Dell his WR Start of the Week.
With Nico Collins (calf) expected to return, Noah Brown‘s ascension, and a rising Cardinals’ secondary that is the 11th most difficult matchup for WRs in schedule-adjusted rankings since Week 8, I’d prefer Nacua…assuming Stafford is back. But if Collins is out? Dude, you’re getting a Dell.
The Verdict
Puka Nacua
RB:
Ty Chandler (MIN) or Darrell Henderson Jr. (LAR)?
Fun fact: Ty Chandler scored his first career rushing TD last week against the Saints. Sad fact: Ty Chandler has more rushing TDs than Alexander Mattison this season. That’s how bad Minnesota’s 2023 run game has been under Mattison, and that’s why there’s hope that Chandler might be the cure.
Ty Chandler scores his first NFL TD! @Vikings
📺: #NOvsMIN on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/kECSNGbyLL pic.twitter.com/mCTlQK3oHK— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2023
He’ll get his chance to steal the backfield with Mattison (concussion) likely out. He’ll also be gifted the best possible matchup in the Broncos, and though their defense is improving, they can still be easily run on as shown last week by James Cook (9.1 Y/A) and Latavius Murray (7.6 Y/A, plus a TD).
Meanwhile, Darrell Henderson will be in an ugly timeshare with Royce Freeman, though he’ll also have a great matchup and should see more red zone opportunities with Stafford (thumb) presumed back. But Chandler should see more volume as his team’s clear lead back, making him the safer play so long as Mattison is ruled out.
The Verdict
Ty Chandler
Javonte Williams (DEN) or James Conner (ARI)?
Our third Cardinal on the list and Jason’s RB Start of the Week, James Conner, didn’t quite have the explosive return fantasy managers were hoping for, going 16-73-0 on the ground and having zero targets against the Falcons. But chalk that up to rusty legs. It was good to see him have four red zone carries, and we can assume he’ll continue to ramp up the workload.
On the other hand, Javonte Williams is en fuego and has now seen 55 opportunities in his last two games and is averaging 25 opportunities in his last three. It’s evident that Sean Payton has fully unleashed Williams. Unfortunately, he now faces the Vikings’ stout defensive front that prevented beasts like Alvin Kamara, Bijan Robinson, and Aaron Jones from scoring.
I really like both guys this week, and they both deserve to be started on any lineup. But Williams’ recent production and bell cow usage make him the unanimous choice.
The Verdict
Javonte Williams
FLEX:
Jaylen Warren (PIT) or Diontae Johnson (PIT)?
Oof. We know that Jaylen Warren is nearing an equal timeshare with Najee Harris and gets the more fantasy-valuable looks (averages 4.3 targets per game). We know that Diontae Johnson is normally a PPR machine (8.3 targets per game since returning from injury) that just had his lowest targeted game (four targets) since Week 4 of last year. And we also know that the Cleveland Browns’ defense is one to avoid in all aspects.
That said, the Browns’ defensive ranking against RBs has been buoyed by their Week 9 shellacking of the Clayton Tune-led Cardinals with Keaontay Ingram “leading” the backfield to a 9-8-0 rushing stat line. Not to mention, they did just allow both Gus Edwards and Keaton Mitchell to score last week. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a tough defense to run against, but I’m just saying that it’s not all doom and gloom. Especially with Warren fresh off his first 100+ rushing game.
Gosh I love watching Jaylen Warren run. Top-tier balance with tremendous power for his size. Underrated agility. Just a really good football player.
(I know, I know–GB defense…) pic.twitter.com/dXdpGzxo8a
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 14, 2023
It’s also not impossible for Johnson to have a decent game too. Since Week 7, the Browns have been the seventh EASIEST matchup for opposing WRs in schedule-adjusted rankings, and Johnson should be able to capitalize so long as Cleveland continues to deploy man coverage.
The projections are dead even for now, but Warren gets the vote since the Steelers might lean on the run game in a potentially low-scoring, sluggish defensive battle with Voldemort out for the season (karma).
The Verdict
Jaylen Warren
Good luck Footclan! If you have any questions, hit me up on Twitter. And don’t forget to tune in to the Sunday Live broadcast where Mike will answer your last-second Start/Sit questions!