Jordy Nelson is finally making due on his high ranking in the preseason.
The Green Bay Packers wide receiver went through a lull midway through the season, going for less than 10 points in three consecutive weeks. Before week 8, he managed only two outings where he went for double-digits in fantasy points.
But lately, thanks to a Packers offense in catch-up mode, Nelson is hitting on all cylinders. He’s gone for at least 94 yards receiving in three consecutive games and has a touchdown in each of those games.
He’s consistently being targeted and with Green Bay’s offense in disarray, expect more of this in the future. Pretty much every game is a plus-matchup at this point, and Sunday night’s week 11 tilt against Washington is no different.
Here’s the week 11 wide receivers start ’em, sit ’em guide for fantasy football.
Start
Cameron Meredith vs. New York Giants
Alshon Jeffery’s absence will open up more opportunities for someone on the Bears offense.
That person is likely Meredith, who has disappeared with Jay Cutler as the quarterback. Meredith at one point this season had two straight 100-yard performances.
That has been far from the player he is now, thanks to Cutler rejoining the offense. However, despite the severe drop in targets, he has still played more than any other receiver on the Bears roster.
Chicago is likely to find itself down in most games and week 11 is looking like that will happen once again. Somebody is going to have to catch some balls thrown from Jay Cutler.
Meredith is the best bet. He’s likely available on your waiver wire, too, so pick him up and put him in your starting lineup for this week.
Steve Smith vs. Dallas Cowboys
This game just screams like a Steve Smith game.
Everybody’s on the Dallas hype train. Nobody’s talking about a Baltimore team that has quietly strung together two consecutive victories since its bye week. Baltimore needs to find a guy with a chip on his shoulder, and no one wears that chip better than Smith.
This game should be much more competitive than most people are predicting, and part of that is Dallas’s inability to stop the passing game. The Cowboys were shredded in week 10 against Pittsburgh and haven’t done a ton in that department all year.
Dallas allows 263 yards per game, the 12th highest among NFL teams, and has allowed 15 touchdown passes compared to four interceptions. The Ravens employ a high-volume passing attack anyway, and most of those targets should find their way to Smith.
Since returning from injury, he’s attracted 14 targets in two games and turned those into 107 yards receiving and one touchdown.
He’s a sure play as a WR3 and can emerge as a WR2 with a touchdown.
Tyreek Hill vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I’m high on the Chiefs’ passing game in week 11. And that means Hill should once again be a stellar performer.
In case you’ve missed it, Hill has been a heavily targeted receiver during the last three weeks for Kansas City. He garnered 13 targets in week 10 against Carolina, and was targeted 11 times in the previous two games.
He filled in for Jeremy Maclin last week and was by far the most targeted receiver for Kansas City. Even if Maclin returns, Hill will see some balls thrown his way against a Tampa Bay defense not known for stopping the pass.
The Buccaneers are a bottom-10 defense against the pass, allowing 8.1 yards per catch, the fourth-highest amount in the NFL.
Hill is a big-play receiver with plenty of speed, so teams that give up big chunks of plays, are more prone to give up fantasy points to Hill.
He’s another solid WR3 play, with potential to be a top-flight WR2 in week 11.
Sit
Marvin Jones vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
This is a tough sit, but lately Jones has been the marginal wide receiver for Detroit, not Golden Tate.
Forget about the overall fantasy points for a moment. Since week 5, Jones has generated more than 37 yards receiving only once, and that was in an outing where he was only targeted five times.
The most he’s been targeted since week 5 is seven times. Tate’s reemergence has cut into Jones’s production, and I don’t expect Tate to go anywhere anytime soon.
It was likely fool’s gold anyway at the beginning of the season with Jones being a monster in fantasy production after being only a second receiver at best in the past. He’s coming more into what he was in the previous years and that means he likely won’t garner much fantasy influence again in week 11.
Jacksonville’s pass defense is actually a top-five defense, so I expect Jones to have another day where he belongs on your fantasy bench.
Randall Cobb vs. Washington Redskins
The best two options for Green Bay are Nelson and Davante Adams. That leaves Cobb on the outside looking in for fantasy relevance.
Whether he’s still injured or not, his production hasn’t been on a level consistent with solid fantasy numbers. He’s been targeted 10 times in the last two games and turned that into 45 combined yards.
He played less than 70 percent of the time in week 10 against Tennessee in a game where Green Bay threw all over the yard.
Cobb is losing out on targets to the top two options and he’s battling a nagging injury. That doesn’t sound like a recipe for success heading into a week 11 matchup with an emerging Washington team.
The Redskins are decent as a pass defense, yielding only 10 touchdowns in nine games through the air. Cobb needs touchdowns to be productive and that may not happen at the same clip we’ve expected in the past.
I’m starting Adams and Nelson this week and leaving Cobb on the bench.
John Brown vs. Minnesota Vikings
Where are you John Brown? The fantasy world is still looking for you.
Since attracting 16 targets in week 4, Brown has been in the witness protection program, only escaping for a brief time against Carolina in week 8.
Since his big day in week 4, he’s gone for a combined 19 targets in four games. That’s not enough to keep him on your fantasy radar.
Arizona also has shown an inability to show up on the road this season and with a game against the Vikings, which still own a top-five passing defense, that’s a bad sign.
The only reason Brown had any relevance recently was in catch-up mode against Carolina. I can’t imagine Minnesota jumping out to a big lead, so I expect the Cardinals to keep their offense grounded, limiting Brown’s opportunity at making plays.
