RealGM Analysis
Stars of Week 11
QB: Jared Goff, LAR: 31-49, 413 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs (4 carries, 6 yards, 1 TD)
RB: Saquon Barkley, NYG: 27 carries, 142 yards, 2 TDs (2 catches, 10 yards, 1 TD)
WR: TY Hilton, IND: 9 catches, 155 yards, 2 TDs
TE: Travis Kelce, KC: 10 catches, 127 yards, 1 TD
Several NFL storylines emerged in Week 11, including the Rams and Chiefs putting on the best regular season game of all time, the Saints continuing to proclaim their alpha status as the league’s top team notwithstanding the MNF participants, the Colts showing that they may be playoff ready in 2018, Alex Smith suffering a gruesome leg injury, and not unrelatedly, the Cowboys emerging as the favorite in the NFC East.
In the fantasy world, we’ve got household names earning top honors this week. Jared Goff won the historic duel with Patrick Mahomes, and he’s become a top 5 fantasy QB, Saquon Barkley has Giants’ fans rightfully excited for the future. Barkley ate against the Bucs, and he’ll be a top five pick in next year’s fantasy drafts. A healthy Andrew Luck has the Colts eyeing a playoff spot, and Luck’s progress to form has brought TY Hilton back to the forefront of the top fantasy WR discussion. Hilton scored two TDs against the Titans and surpassed 150 receiving yards, catching all nine of his targets. Hilton resumes his perch as a WR1 with a healthy Luck in place. The Chiefs need to be represented as well. Travis Kelce did Travis Kelce things, which means lots of catches, covering lots of yards and finding the end zone. Kelce has become the number one tight end in fantasy football.
Week 11 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Lamar Jackson, QB – BAL: 13-19, 150 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT (27 carries, 117 yards, 0 TDs)
Analysis: With Lamar Jackson starting in place of an injured Joe Flacco, we’ve now had each QB selected in the first round of the 2018 draft start a game. From that group, Jackson has the largest learning curve in terms of developing as an NFL passer, so it was no surprise that much of his debut was geared towards running the ball. Did anyone anticipate Jackson carrying the rock 27 times though? Not a chance. Well, we learned from his performance against the Bengals that Jackson can indeed create excitement as a runner, but is nowhere close to being ready as a passer. The timing for Flacco’s return from a hip injury is uncertain, but looking at the Ravens’ upcoming schedule, they’ve got the Raiders next, followed by the Falcons, Chiefs and Buc. You couldn’t really ask for better matchups for Jackson for the next month, so if Flacco remains out, then Jackson makes for an exciting play at QB. I would expect to rank him in the 10-15 range, and he’ll blow up in at least one of those games. So if you need a QB, Lamar Jackson can provide help if Flacco remains out.
- Gus Edwards, RB – BAL: 17 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: So who is Gus Edwards? That’s a very important question we need answered as we head into Week 12 waiver pickups. Well, Edwards played at Rutgers and joined the Ravens as an undrafted free agent. Edwards is a big bruising, north to south runner, and he provides the team with a physicality that Collins doesn’t quite provide. Edwards essentially took over lead RB duties from the second quarter on, and he nearly tripled Collins’ snaps. The Ravens haven’t had the same level of production from Collins, and it’s been an open discussion that the team has tried to upgrade its backfield. While the team took a flyer on Ty Montgomery, it appears the upgrade will come internally. As mentioned in Lamar Jackson’s writeup, the team faces a stretch of poor run defenses. Edwards is a must add in all league formats, and he has potential to be an RB2 for the stretch run.
- Tre’Quan Smith, WR – NO: 10 catches, 157 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Tre’Quan Smith has been on the periphery of fantasy sleepers over the last few weeks, due in large part to the amazing opportunity he has in the Saints’ juggernaut offense. The Saints picked Smith in the third round of the 2018 draft, and have very high expectations for their rookie pass catcher. What’s kept Smith on the outside looking in, however, has been inconsistent performance. Smith had his first 100 yard receiving game in October against the Redskins, and he found the end zone twice in that game to boot. Outside of that game, his yardage totals were 0, 18, 0, 44, 18 and 23. So going into the tilt against the Eagles, Smith was rightfully viewed as a player who could post a big game, but was unlikely to do so. With now his second monster game in the books, we need to revisit Smith’s progress. The key difference between this past weekend’s performance versus the Eagles and his initial triple digit yardage game against the Redskins is Smith’s targets. Brees targeted Smith a whopping 13 times this past Sunday, showing evidence that Brees is welcoming Smith into the circle of trust. Against the Redskins, Smith was targeted a measly three times, and accumulated his yardage throw hugely vertical targets. While Smith’s inconsistency still remains, the increase in targets provides more confidence that he will continue to see increased involvement in the offense. Smith is worth a pickup if you need a WR. He’s a flex candidate with some level of volatility.
- Gerald Everett, TE - LAR: 3 catches, 49 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: The Rams lost Cooper Kupp for the season in their Week 10 matchup with the Seahawks, and the question arose as to who would fill Kupp’s rather large void. We’ve got our answer now, with WR Josh Reynolds and TEs Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee each taking on a piece of the responsibility. All three guys played a key role in the Rams’ win against the Chiefs, with Everett catching the game winning TD from Goff with two minutes left in the contest – his second TD of the game. The loss of Kupp means the Rams will utilize their tight ends far more in the passing game, and Everett has the brighter ceiling over Higbee for fantasy purposes. Everett’s not likely to be consistent from week to week, but don’t be surprised for him to find the end zone on an every other game pace the rest of the way. Everett should place as a top 15 TE, so if you need help at the position, he’s worth a look.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been featured above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.
QB: Baker Mayfield, CLE
RB: Josh Adams, PHI
RB: Theo Riddick, DET (he’s the guy to own with Kerryon Johnson out)
WR: DJ Moore, CAR
WR: Keke Coutee, HOU
TE: Cameron Brate, TB (great value now with OJ Howard out for the year)
Week 12 Rankings
Quarterbacks:
- Drew Brees, NO Atl
- Andrew Luck, Ind Mia
- Matt Ryan, Atl @NO
- Aaron Rodgers, GB @Min
- Cam Newton, Car Sea
- Tom Brady, NE @NYJ
- Jameis Winston, TB SF
- Philip Rivers, LAC Ari
- Russell Wilson, Sea @Car
- Carson Wentz, Phi NYG
- Kirk Cousins, Min GB
- Deshaun Watson, Hou Ten
- Lamar Jackson, Bal Oak
- Ben Roethlisberger, Pit @Den
- Dak Prescott, Dal Wsh
- Baker Mayfield, Cle @Cin
- Nick Mullens, SF @TB
- Eli Manning, NYG @Phi
- Andy Dalton, Cin Cle
- Matthew Stafford, Det Chi
Running Backs:
- Alvin Kamara, NO Atl
- Saquon Barkley, NYG @Phi
- Melvin Gordon, LAC Ari
- Ezekiel Elliott, Dal Wsh
- Christian McCaffrey, Car Sea
- David Johnson, Ari @LAC
- James Conner, Pit @Den
- Leonard Fournette, Jax @Buf
- James White, NE @NYJ
- Joe Mixon, Cin Cle
- Nick Chubb, Cle @Cin
- Mark Ingram, NO Atl
- Dalvin Cook, Min GB
- Phillip Lindsay, Den Pit
- Aaron Jones, GB @Min
- Marlon Mack, Ind Mia
- Sony Michel, NE @NYJ
- Adrian Peterson, Wsh @Dal
- Matt Breida, SF @TB
- Tevin Coleman, Atl @NO
- Lamar Miller, Hou Ten
- Tarik Cohen, Chi @Det
- Dion Lewis, Ten @Hou
- Chris Carson, Sea @Car
- Gus Edwards, Bal Oak
- Duke Johnson Jr., Cle @Cin
- Theo Riddick, Det Chi
- Jordan Howard, Chi @Det
- Josh Adams, Phi NYG
- LeSean McCoy, Buf Jax
- Kenyan Drake, Mia @Ind
- Jalen Richard, Oak @Bal
- Peyton Barber, TB SF
- Isaiah Crowell, NYJ NE
- Frank Gore, Mia @Ind
- Royce Freeman, Den Pit
- Nyheim Hines, Ind Mia
- Austin Ekeler, LAC Ari
- Alex Collins, Bal Oak
- Mike Davis, Sea @Car
Wide Receivers:
- Michael Thomas, NO Atl
- Julio Jones, Atl @NO
- Odell Beckham Jr., NYG @Phi
- Adam Thielen, Min GB
- Antonio Brown, Pit @Den
- DeAndre Hopkins, Hou Ten
- Keenan Allen, LAC Ari
- Mike Evans, TB SF
- Davante Adams, GB @Min
- Stefon Diggs, Min GB
- T.Y. Hilton, Ind Mia
- J. Smith-Schuster, Pit @Den
- A.J. Green, Cin Cle
- Jarvis Landry, Cle @Cin
- Julian Edelman, NE @NYJ
- E. Sanders, Den Pit
- Amari Cooper, Dal Wsh
- Kenny Golladay, Det Chi
- Josh Gordon, NE @NYJ
- Tyler Boyd, Cin Cle
- Alshon Jeffery, Phi NYG
- Doug Baldwin, Sea @Car
- Corey Davis, Ten @Hou
- Tyler Lockett, Sea @Car
- Courtland Sutton, Den Pit
- Larry Fitzgerald, Ari @LAC
- Allen Robinson, Chi @Det
- Golden Tate, Phi NYG
- Devin Funchess, Car Sea
- Tre'Quan Smith, NO Atl
- DJ Moore, Car Sea
- Danny Amendola, Mia @Ind
- M. Valdes-Scantling, GB @Min
- DeSean Jackson, TB SF
- Sterling Shepard, NYG @Phi
- Calvin Ridley, Atl @NO
- Keke Coutee, Hou Ten
- Mohamed Sanu, Atl @NO
- Christian Kirk, Ari @LAC
- D. Thomas, Hou Ten
Tight End:
- Zach Ertz, Phi NYG
- George Kittle, SF @TB
- Rob Gronkowski, NE @NYJ
- Greg Olsen, Car Sea
- Jack Doyle, Ind Mia
- Austin Hooper, Atl @NO
- Jordan Reed, Wsh @Dal
- Vance McDonald, Pit @Den
- Evan Engram, NYG @Phi
- David Njoku, Cle @Cin
- Cameron Brate, TB SF
- Jared Cook, Oak @Bal
- Trey Burton, Chi @Det
- Kyle Rudolph, Min GB
- Eric Ebron, Ind Mia
- C.J. Uzomah, Cin Cle
- Benjamin Watson, NO Atl
- Ricky Seals-Jones, Ari @LAC
- Jeff Heuerman, Den Pit
- Nick Vannett, Sea @Car
Defense/Special Teams:
- Chicago Bears @Det
- Jacksonville Jaguars @Buf
- Houston Texans Ten
- Los Angeles Chargers Ari
- Buffalo Bills Jax
- Dallas Cowboys Wsh
- Baltimore Ravens Oak
- New England Patriots @NYJ
- Indianapolis Colts Mia
- Pittsburgh Steelers @Den
- Tennessee Titans @Hou
- Washington Redskins @Dal
- Carolina Panthers Sea
- Minnesota Vikings GB
- Philadelphia Eagles NYG
