Fantasy Football: 5 Things to Watch for in Week 11
Week 10 produced some of the blowouts we were expecting, but there were a few surprises, including the Titans beating the Patriots. As we head into the final push for the fantasy playoffs, there are plenty of storylines that will impact your teams and players over the next few weeks. One thing we won’t have to worry about is the Chiefs coin-toss victory streak, which promptly ended the weekend after I wrote about it. Sorry Chiefs fans.
But that was last week. What are we looking forward to in Week 11?
1. Juggernaut Battle on Monday Night Football
Monday Night’s game is a possible Super Bowl primer when the 9-1 Chiefs take on the 9-1 Rams. This game was supposed to be played in Mexico City; however, the field conditions were so poor the NFL moved the game back to L.A.
After a few weeks of poor-to-mediocre-at-best MNF matchups, the world will be treated to an absolute gem of a game. Each team sports one of the league’s premier young QBs, exciting young RBs, and break-a-TD-at-any-given-moment WRs; there is no lack of excitement in this game. It will truly be must-see TV.
2. Season Defining Divisional Games
While the MNF game could be a Super Bowl preview, there are a few games this week that could likely determine the path to a Division Title and/or Wild Card spot for a handful of teams.
In the NFC North, the 5-3-1 Vikings at 6-3 Bears pair a rested Vikings team coming off their bye against the surging Bears offense led by Mitch Trubisky. Both teams have Division title aspirations with the Packers falling another game behind after Thursday nights loss to the Seahawks.
An AFC North battle between the slumping 5-4 Bengals and the also slumping 4-5 Ravens. While the Bengals are still second in the division and only one game behind the Steelers, that’s two teams heading in opposite directions. The Ravens have dropped three straight games and lost starting QB Joe Flacco. There is a possibility that we could finally see the exciting rookie Lamar Jackson get his first start and spark the offense.
Down in the AFC South, the 5-4 Titans play the 4-5 Colts. Both teams have been playing better, especially the Titans who are coming off two consecutive primetime victories over the Cowboys and Patriots. Both teams are hot on the heels of the division-leading Houston Texans.
3. The Battle for 2019’s Top QB Draft Prospect
Looking ahead to 2019, two teams with poor records standout with a need to draft their QB of the future: the 3-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 2-7 New York Giants. Other teams have the same or worse records, but they also all appear to have their future QB rostered, which brings us back to this Week 11 matchup. The “winner” is actually the team who loses this week to give them a better shot at drafting their future QB ahead of the other team.
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4. Fantasy Football Trade Deadline
Many leagues have their trade deadline quickly approaching. If your league does, it’s time to look over the schedule and target some must-stash players for a playoff run. While looking at the schedules, keep in mind how easy/difficult it would be to acquire a player on said team. For example, the Denver Broncos have the easiest schedule against RBs in Weeks 14-16, just ahead of New England, Carolina and Cincinnati. Royce Freeman and Philip Lindsay could be a lot easier to acquire than Christian McCaffrey or Joe Mixon. 5th on the list is the Baltimore Ravens. Alex Collins would likely be an easier target than David Johnson on the 6th ranked Arizona Cardinals. Don’t forget: be realistic about your expectations and trade offers.
5. Hot Seat Coaches
Speaking of trade deadlines, this time of the year is time to start looking at your keeper and dynasty teams for impending coaching changes. It is still way too early to know who will get fired over the next few weeks, but it’s never to early to start looking at the impact looming coaching changes might have on your players. It’s also not uncommon for hot-seat coaches to make rash decisions with their players to try and save their job, which can negatively impact your fantasy team. It never hurts to take the “30,000′ foot view.