Stars of Week 11
QB: Aaron Rodgers, GB: 22-36, 341 yards, 3 TDs
RB: Jonas Gray, NE: 37 carries, 201 yards, 4 TDs
WR: Mike Evans, TB: 7 catches, 209 yards, 2 TDs
TE: Coby Fleener, IND: 7 catches, 144 yards, 0 TDs
Aaron Rodgers predictably torched the Eagles’ secondary, and makes it back to back weeks as the top QB. Jonas Gray ran roughshed over the Colts in the Sunday night game - we’ll take a closer look at Gray below. As mentioned last week, Mike Evans is the new #1 WR for the Bucs – so move over Vincent Jackson. Coby Fleener took the top TE nod this week with a valiant effort against the Patriots.
Week 11 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Ryan Mallet, QB - HOU: 20-30, 211 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Analysis: In a move that probably should have happened a few games back, Ryan Mallet took over the starting QB duties for the Texans from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Mallet played well overall, and his performance gives reason for the Texans to be optimistic. Mallet flashed his potent arm and also showed good chemistry with Andre Johnson. Only two teams have a bye remaining, so you likely won’t need a fill-in QB going forward. But for those of you in larger leagues or who otherwise need a QB for whatever reason, then Mallet could be an intriguing option, especially with the Titans and Jaguars coming up on the schedule (after the Texans face the Bengals next week). Mallet should be viewed as a QB2.
- Jonas Gray, RB – NE
Analysis: No one ever knows which Patriots’ RB will be the lead guy from week to week. So with Gray blowing up against the Colts, can we feel fully confident that Gray will dominate the carries? Still, the answer is no. Gray should be owned in all leagues, and most likely started in most, but you need to account for the risk of Belichick frustrating you once again. Gray can be looked at as a risky RB2 going forward, but don’t overreact. If you do start Gray, it would be best to go with a safer play with your other RB spot. That’s if you can afford to do so, that is – not too many of those guys left.
- Charles Sims, RB – TB: 13 carries, 36 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: The Bucs manhandled the Redskins on Sunday, but the running game did not contribute in a major way. Nevertheless, we can gleam important information from what took place among the Bucs’ RBs. As predicted here, Charles Sims took a bigger chunk of the carries than did Bobby Rainey to the tune of a 13 to 5 ratio. While Sims did not assert himself with his performance, look for him to continue to get the majority of the carries going forward. The Bucs are playing for next season, and need to see what they have in Sims. They already know what they have in Rainey – a solid RB, but most likely not a player in their long term plans.
- Jordan Matthews, WR - PHI: 5 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Jordan Matthews continued to show promise for the Eagles, now having posted strong weeks back to back (138 yards and 2 TDs last week). Matthews is the real deal, and has clearly supplanted Riley Cooper as the second wide receiver option for the Eagles. Matthews won’t supplant Maclin, but you should expect WR3 numbers for the remainder of the season. He’s a great talent playing in a potent offense. Sanchez running the offense won’t limit Matthews’ performance – not in Chip Kelly’s offense, anyway.
- Kenny Britt, WR – STL: 4 catches, 128 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Kenny Britt has emerged as the number one target for the Rams. That’s not the same thing as being the number one target for a team like the Packers, so let’s not get too excited here. But, Britt has shown nice chemistry with Shaun Hill, and he led the team with targets this past week against the Broncos. Britt should be considered a low-end WR3/high-end WR4 for the rest of the season. He’s always had the talent to be a good WR. We’ll see if he’s finally taking the next step down the stretch.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.
QB: Mark Sanchez, PHI
RB: Latavius Murray, OAK
RB: Theo Riddick, TB
WR: Charles Johnson, MIN
WR: Jarvis Landry, MIA
TE: Jacob Tamme, DEN (if Julius Thomas misses any time)
Week 12 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Andrew Luck
3. Drew Brees
4. Peyton Manning
5. Jay Cutler
6. Tom Brady
7. Matthew Stafford
8. Tony Romo
9. Colin Kaepernick
10. Russell Wilson
11. Mark Sanchez
12. Philip Rivers
13. Ryan Tannehill
14. Matt Ryan
15. Josh McCown
16. Joe Flacco
17. Robert Griffin III
18. Andy Dalton
19. Alex Smith
20. Kyle Orton
Running Backs
1. DeMarco Murray
2. Jamaal Charles
3. Arian Foster
4. Eddie Lacy
5. Matt Forte
6. Marshawn Lynch
7. Mark Ingram
8. LeSean McCoy
9. Justin Forsett
10. Rashad Jennings
11. Denard Robinson
12. Jeremy Hill
13. Andre Ellington
14. Alfred Morris
15. Ryan Mathews
16. Trent Richardson
17. Frank Gore
18. C.J. Anderson
19. Tre Mason
20. Isaiah Crowell
21. Joique Bell
22. Chris Ivory
23. Lamar Miller
24. Jonas Gray
25. Jerick McKinnon
26. Shane Vereen
27. Giovani Bernard
28. Bishop Sankey
29. Terrance West
30. Darren Sproles
31. Charles Sims
32. Fred Jackson
33. Branden Oliver
34. Reggie Bush
35. Bryce Brown
Wide Receivers
1. Demaryius Thomas
2. Calvin Johnson
3. Jordy Nelson
4. Dez Bryant
5. A.J. Green
6. T.Y. Hilton
7. Randall Cobb
8. Brandon Marshall
9. Alshon Jeffery
10. Julio Jones
11. Mike Evans
12. Jeremy Maclin
13. Sammy Watkins
14. Josh Gordon
15. Golden Tate
16. Odell Beckham Jr.
17. Mike Wallace
18. Jordan Matthews
19. DeSean Jackson
20. DeAndre Hopkins
21. Emmanuel Sanders
22. Torrey Smith
23. Andre Johnson
24. Reggie Wayne
25. Julian Edelman
26. Percy Harvin
27. Vincent Jackson
28. Anquan Boldin
29. Mohamed Sanu
30. Keenan Allen
31. Michael Floyd
32. Doug Baldwin
33. Brandon LaFell
34. Steve Smith Sr.
35. Rueben Randle
Tight Ends
1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Jimmy Graham
3. Antonio Gates
4. Martellus Bennett
5. Julius Thomas
6. Larry Donnell
7. Jason Witten
8. Coby Fleener
9. Travis Kelce
10. Owen Daniels
11. Delanie Walker
12. Kyle Rudolph
13. Zach Ertz
14. Jordan Reed
15. Mychal Rivera
- Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports expert for RealGM. He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on twitter at @NeemaHodjat.