Week 11 gives us a much different match-up than the previous week. The Bengals and Ravens come in fighting for their division crown in a tight race in the AFC North. After a 1-4 start, the Bengals have turned it around in a big way, winning four of their last five games, including wins against San Francisco and Buffalo.
On the other side, the Baltimore top 10 offense has been in cruise control, averaging 34.25 points in their last four games. The Ravens’ defense and run game have played a large factor in their success. Based on how these teams function, there could be a lot of touchdowns scored from running backs between these division rivals.
Week 10 Game Ball: D’Onta Foreman – 2 catches for 92 all-purpose yards and one touchdown
A game that I was hoping would be a shootout ended up being exactly what I should have expected. Both teams accumulated a total of 523 yards, 29 points, and one touchdown that wasn’t from a D/ST. Just to put that in perspective, the Dallas Cowboys alone smashed those numbers with 640 total yards, 49 points, and seven offensive touchdowns. Even though there weren’t any elite performances last Thursday, D’Onta Foreman did come through for fantasy managers. His near 100-yard game may be one of his last this season, with Khalil Herbert expected to return. How involved he will be in his first week back will be something to monitor.
TNF fantasy football preview: Week 11 starts
Elite Starts
These are my locked-in starts that you never need to think twice about. Just put them in and watch the magic happen.
Mark Andrews – Andrews is about as consistent as they get for tight ends. Even with missing week one, he still leads all tight ends with six touchdowns this year. After having only his second single-digit fantasy outing of the year last week, Andrews will look to get back on track against their division rival. Andrews has yet to surpass 100 yards in a game this season, but I expect that to change against a Bengals defense that ranks 30th in the league in yards given up to tight ends.
He may not find the endzone, but I anticipate him to serve as Lamar’s security blanket all game.
Projection: 6 catches for 101 receiving yards
Ja’Marr Chase – Chase has found his groove and is continuing where he left off last year. He has been a target monster for the Bengals and is #2 in the league in targets, right behind Stefon Diggs. He does get a tough task this week against the Ravens, who have only given up seven passing touchdowns (leads the league) on the year. Baltimore also gives up the 4th lowest completion percentage to quarterbacks so far this season. Luckily for Chase, he is one of the league’s best at contested catches with 69. With Tee Higgins likely to not play, Chase will be getting targeted early and often on Thursday.
Projection: 7 catches for 115 receiving yards and one touchdown
Solid Starts
These are the starts you shouldn’t be nervous about but certainly aren’t locked in for top-tier production.
Joe Burrow – Burrow is coming off back-to-back 300+ yard passing games. He has also had multi-touchdown games in his last five outings. He gets a tough test this week against a stout Ravens defense. While he has been getting back into his throwing stride throughout the season, so have his legs, as he has added 67 yards on the ground over his last three games. While I don’t expect his 300+ yard streak to continue, I do see him tossing two touchdowns.
Projection: 292 passing yards, 18 rushing yards, and 2 touchdowns
Tyler Boyd – With Tee Higgins unlikely to play on Thursday, go ahead and fire Boyd up in your lineups. In the four career games Boyd has played with Higgins out, he is averaging nine targets for 77.5 yards. The match-up isn’t the greatest against Baltimore, but don’t be hesitant to give him the start. I expect this to be a much higher-scoring game than last Thursday.
Projection: 5 catches for 70 receiving yards
Joe Mixon – Mixon is years removed from his explosive and high-efficiency numbers. Though that’s gone, opportunity will always be king for fantasy football. Entering his 7th season, Mixon is still averaging 18.9 opportunities per game this year and is currently on a 3-game touchdown streak. Hopefully, Mixon can keep his touchdown streak alive in this potential shootout.
Projection: 3 catches for 102 all-purpose yards and one touchdown
Lamar Jackson – Jackson has been a tale of two players this year. His highs are high, and his lows are low. In ten games, he has the same number of fantasy finishes under 15 points as he does over. With only two total touchdowns in the last three games, it’s time for a get-right game for Jackson. Fortunately, he plays a Bengals defense that’s middle of the road against the pass. My only concern is their commitment to the run. The Ravens are averaging 32.4 rush attempts per game. Let’s just hope some of these attempts are for Jackson.
Projection: 263 passing yards, 55 rushing yards, and 2 touchdowns
Flex Worthy Starts
They are worth a start, but no one is going to blame you if you want to bench them.
Zay Flowers –The Zay Flowers hype has cooled off over the last few weeks, but he’s still providing managers with flex-worthy stats. Only one touchdown on the year is a little disappointing, but you can’t complain about the 6.5 targets per game the rookie has been receiving over the last six weeks. If you need a reliable start to get you 10-12 points, he’s your guy. I would love to see this guy develop into a PPR monster for years to come.
Projection: 5 catches for 62 receiving yards
Keaton Mitchell/Gus Edwards – I don’t want to trust either of these guys, but one, if not both, is bound to get into the endzone. With 19 rushing touchdowns and 1549 rushing yards on the season, it’s clear what this team wants to do. With the rise of Keaton Mitchell, Justice Hill has been slightly pushed out the door, but he’s still around. Both of these guys are startable, but you just never know what you will get.
Projections:
Mitchell – 2 catches for 72 all-purpose yards and one touchdown
Edwards – 1 catch for 49 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown
Break Glass in Case of Emergency Starts
Starts that will have questionable usage and you are just hoping you can sneak a touchdown out of them. Pick your poison.
- Justice Hill
- Rashod Bateman
- Trenton Irwin Jr.
- Irv smith
- Odell Beckham Jr.
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