Nov 17, 2024, 07:47 PM ET
Week 11 of the 2024 fantasy football season featured big surprises. Who were the big winners and losers? Which players received A and F grades?
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis, and Seth Walder provides his grades. We also asked NFL Nation reporters to answer questions about what happened in the Thursday and Sunday games.
Jump to a topic:
Ranking winners | Ranking losers
Who got an A | Who got an F
Biggest injuries and what’s next
Top questions from Week 11
Ranking fantasy winners of Week 11
1. Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
Fantasy football’s favorite gadget player set a personal best with his 41.52 PPR fantasy points, driven by a trio of rushing touchdowns and 10 targets, the latter a team-leading total. Hill saw an expanded role in the Saints’ second game since changing coaches as well as putting Chris Olave on injured reserve, handling a quarter of the team’s rushing attempts alongside the lofty target share. The Saints now enter their bye week, but if this is any indication of how interim head coach Darren Rizzi intends to use Hill down the stretch, the tight end-eligible veteran would warrant a universal add-and-start. For the record, Hill began Week 11 rostered in 46.2% of ESPN leagues and started in 28.4%. — Cockcroft
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2. Detroit Lions offense
When you drop 52 points on the Jaguars, and over 600 yards of total offense, we have to write-up the entire unit here. We’ll start with Jared Goff , who scored a season-high 34.58 points while throwing for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a season-high too, racking-up 38.7 points, catching all 11 of his targets for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Jameson Williams (22.6 points) got involved as well, recording 124 yards and a touchdown (on only four receptions). And let’s not forget about the running backs, as David Montgomery (24.5 points) had two rushing scores and Jahmyr Gibbs (19.3 points) logged 123 total yards and a touchdown. Video game numbers for Detroit in Week 11. — Bowen
3. Los Angeles Rams pass game
Matthew Stafford was dialed-in during the road win over the Patriots, while both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua went to work on the New England secondary. Stafford scored a season-high 27.8 points, throwing four touchdowns. Kupp caught six of 10 targets for 106 yards and two touchdowns, which was good for 28.6 points. And Nacua logged 25.3 points, his best of the season, as he brought in seven of nine targets for 123 yards and a touchdown. The Rams get a much tougher matchup in Week 12 against the Eagles, but Kupp and Nacua will remain volume targets. — Bowen
4. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Things are looking good for the prospects of a rookie tight end pacing his position in PPR fantasy points for the second consecutive season. Bowers scored a career-best 31.1 points Sunday, thanks in large part to a whopping 16 targets, to take over the positional lead from the inactive George Kittle. It’s the seventh time Bowers has had eight or more targets, second most by a rookie behind Jeremy Shockey’s 10 (2002) since tracking began in 1993, underscoring Bowers’ top-dog status in the offense. — Cockcroft
5. Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
In his first start since Week 8, Richardson played his best football of the season in the win over the Jets. Richardson’s 28.08 points here were a season high, and he showed more efficiency as a thrower, completing 20 of 30 for 272 yards and a score. Richardson also had 10 carries for 32 yards and two touchdowns, which included the designed rushes in the low red zone. When Richardson can hit the schemed throws, and produce as a runner, in a game plan that maximizes his dual-threat traits, he has the makeup of a true QB1. And he’s rostered in only 43.5% of ESPN leagues with the Lions’ defense up next in Week 12. — Bowen
6. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
Here’s hoping the fantasy managers responsible for selecting him fifth overall on average in the preseason remain in their leagues’ playoff races, because Hall certainly had the look of a potential league winner in Week 11. Hall had a pair of explosive (10-plus yard) runs and was a receiving dynamo yet again on his way to a season-best 31.1 PPR fantasy point total, as 52% of his fantasy production for the season has now come on receptions. Though still somewhat inconsistent, the Jets’ offense has shown more overall life since Davante Adams’ acquisition, meaning Hall might well make good on that mid-first-round draft price tag in the season’s closing weeks. — Cockcroft
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7. Jameis Winston, QB; Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns
Winston posted season-best numbers in the loss to the Saints, completing 30 of 46 passing for 395 yards and two touchdowns. Add in a rushing attempt for eight yards, and Winston finished with 26.6 points. Jeudy, who posted a season-high 26.2 points, logged six of 11 targets for 142 yards with a touchdown on an 89-yard catch-and-run throw. The Browns have a really tough stretch of games looming (PIT, @DEN, @PIT), however, Jeudy is available in over 40% of ESPN leagues. He’s a potential roster add in deeper formats. — Bowen
8. Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers
In a Week 11 loss to the Seahawks, Jennings led the 49ers in targets (11), receptions (10), and receiving yards (91). Jennings, who had 25.1 points, also added a 3-yard touchdown catch on a boot concept in the low red zone. With 22 targets over his past two games, and at least 16 points in each, Jennings should be viewed as a fringe WR2 for the Week 12 game at Green Bay. — Bowen
9. Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
His string of fantasy success continued with what was his fourth game of 20-plus points in his past seven, and Nix’s 28.78 points in Week 11 were punctuated by his strongest stat line as a passer yet. He completed 84.8% of his pass attempts for 307 yards and four scores, each of those a personal best. Nix brings both the rushing ability and recent improvement as a passer that fantasy managers want to see with critical weeks upcoming. He’ll be a top-10 quarterback again for Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders. — Cockcroft
Ranking fantasy losers of Week 11
1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
The highest-projected player for Week 11, Jackson instead delivered a season-low 14.88 fantasy points, as he and his Ravens suffered a crushing loss in Pittsburgh. Jackson’s 48.5% completion rate was his fourth worst as an NFL starter, but credit the Pittsburgh Steelers for their near-immaculate defensive play, as they pressured him on 43% of his dropbacks, on which he managed a 40.2 passer rating, while their zone defense flustered Jackson to the tune of 7-of-17 passing for 77 yards. In fairness, Jackson didn’t get much help, between bad penalties (illegal man downfield that erased a 34-yard completion), bad drops and multiple missed field goal attempts, but the fantasy stat sheet reflects that he drew the honor of the game’s big-time bust. On the bright side, with the AFC North title now more of a long shot, we’re more likely to see Jackson playing meaningful football up until the end of our seasons. — Cockcroft
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2. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Williams’ 8.6 points in the win over the Patriots were a season low. Williams did average 5.7 YPC in this one, finishing with 86 yards on 15 rushing attempts. But with no usage as a receiver (zero targets), and the lack of a rushing score, Williams simply didn’t produce for managers. Williams has now scored fewer than 12 points in three straight games, and he hasn’t rushed for a touchdown in the past four. Let’s see if Williams can bounce back in a tough Week 12 matchup against the Eagles’ run defense. — Bowen
3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
If the New York Jets are truly one of the better matchups for running backs, you wouldn’t have guessed it Sunday. Taylor scored just 7.0 PPR fantasy points on a whopping 25 touches, finishing his day with 23 fewer rushing yards than expected, per NFL Next Gen Stats, while being stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage five times. Though it’s instinctual to shrug off such an unusual output, Taylor’s performance is of particular concern since Anthony Richardson was more of the centerpiece in his return to the lineup, and Taylor’s Week 12 matchup against the Detroit Lions will be a tough one. — Cockcroft
4. Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
I really liked the matchup for Wilson on Sunday against the Ravens, and I had him as a potential streaming play. But Wilson posted a season-low 6.3 points. He finished with only 205 yards passing, and failed to throw a touchdown despite multiple trips into scoring position. And without the lower-body quickness at this stage of his career to produce as a runner (4 carries, 1 yard), Wilson has to throw touchdowns to boost your lineup. He’ll look to bounce back in the Week 12 game at Cleveland. — Bowen
5. Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings
He posted season lows with 5.3 PPR fantasy points and 2.6 yards per carry, but in a particularly troubling trend, played 55% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps and totaled 15 carries, while backup Cam Akers played 37% and had 10 carries. Jones couldn’t get much of anything done against a middling Tennessee Titans run defense, failing to exceed five yards on any play while being stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage three times, and while Akers hardly excelled as the understudy, he did have a key three-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. It raises questions about Jones’ fantasy RB2 stock, and it demands his managers add Akers as an insurance policy. — Cockcroft
6. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
Wilson had a team-high eight targets in Sunday’s loss to the Jets, but he caught only four passes for 18 yards, finishing with a season-low 5.8 points. Wilson has now failed to post over 10 points in each of his past two games, and the Jets’ passing offense has lacked explosive play ability. With a bye next, Wilson and the Jets have time to find some answers before a matchup with the Seahawks in Week 13. — Bowen
7. Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel logged just five touches in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, catching four passes for 22 yards, while seeing one carry for minus-1 yard. And that was good for only 6.1 points. Samuel has now scored fewer than 13 points in four straight games, and he hasn’t found the end zone since Week 6. Let’s see if the 49ers’ dual-threat playmaker can get back on track in Week 12 versus the Packers defense at Lambeau Field. — Bowen
8. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
His hot stretch, just as the Chiefs’ undefeated season, came to an abrupt end in Week 11. After three consecutive games with 20-plus PPR fantasy points and 12-plus targets, Kelce’s numbers in those categories dropped to 2.8 and four. He simply couldn’t get open against the Buffalo Bills’ secondary, primarily covered by cornerbacks Christian Benford and Taron Johnson (1 catch for 2 yards on 2 targets total with them as the nearest defenders). Fortunately for Kelce, he gets a much softer matchup in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers, so a return to peak form should be expected. — Cockcroft
Injury impact
Alexander Mattison and Zamir White, RBs, Las Vegas Raiders
What we know: White left because of a quadriceps injury midway through the fourth quarter, and Mattison followed him to the sidelines a few plays later because of an ankle injury, with neither back able to return. Ameer Abdullah handled the rushing chores from that point, though he wasn’t especially needed, as Gardner Minshew attempted 14 straight passes to close out a 34-19 loss.
What’s next: Should Mattison, White or both be unable to play in Week 12, Abdullah would slide up the depth chart, with rookie Dylan Laube probably returning to active status. — Cockcroft
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
What we know: He had a solid 15.1 PPR fantasy point performance in Tennessee but took several rough hits and sat out the Vikings’ final eight offense plays because of what the team reported was cramping.
What’s next: Addison’s ailment might be nothing, but he’ll be a player to monitor during the practice week. Jalen Nailor is the next man up on the depth chart. — Cockcroft
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons
What we know: He sustained a hamstring injury during the third quarter and was unable to return.
What’s next: With the Denver Broncos blowing out the Falcons and the bye week up next, there was no reason for the team to push Mooney to return. Keep tabs on his health heading into Week 13, but Ray-Ray McCloud III would most stand to benefit should Mooney miss additional time. — Cockcroft
Who earned an A this weekend?
Joey Porter Jr., CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Porter, mostly aligning opposite Rashod Bateman in Sunday’s huge win against the Ravens, did not allow a single reception on four targets over 31 coverage snaps, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Porter also closed on Lamar Jackson on what would have been a tying two-point attempt in the final two minutes of the game, forcing what was ultimately an incompletion.
Denzel Ward, CB, Cleveland Browns
Ward’s impact was felt through big plays in the Browns’ loss to the Saints. First, he picked off Taysom Hill on a deep ball to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Then later he forced Hill (then a receiver) to fumble and Ward recovered it, too. Technically Ward allowed 44 receiving yards on four receptions as the nearest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats, but all of the downfield passes were when he was in zone coverage and against a player whom he wasn’t originally covering to start the play. Ward added another downfield pass breakup on Valdes-Scantling, too.
Who earned an F this weekend?
DJ Glaze, OT, Las Vegas Raiders
Glaze had a rough game in the Raiders’ loss to the Dolphins, recording just a 67% pass block win rate — worst of all offensive linemen in Week 11 through the early Sunday window. Glaze mostly was facing fellow rookie Chop Robinson. This is an advanced-stats-only “F”, because none of Glaze’s pass block losses resulted directly in sack of Minshew (though on one play his loss forced Minshew to step up into a sack by another player). Still: pass block losses reduce the efficacy of plays even when they don’t result in a sack.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Just about everything went wrong for the Jaguars in their 52-6 loss to the Lions, and one small part of that was Etienne’s production (or lack thereof). The Jaguars’ running back had 59 expected rushing yards on his 12 carries but managed just 27 actual rushing yards on those same plays. Plus, he added just six receiving yards through the air.
Lingering questions from Week 11’s games
Another week, another long touchdown catch by Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That’s three TDs in the past two games for MVS. What has he added to the Saints’ passing game and do you see this trend continuing?
The Saints had to turn to a lot of new faces after Rashid Shaheed went on IR for the season and Chris Olave was put on IR after several concussions. Valdes-Scantling, who signed with the Saints a month ago, has brought back the speed and big-play element they missed when Shaheed injured his knee. Valdes-Scantling and Kevin Austin Jr. heavily outpaced the other wideouts in snaps against the Browns after the Saints made Mason Tipton a healthy scratch, so clearly they’ve earned Derek Carr’s trust. He’s going to continue to go to Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill and Valdes-Scantling as his main offensive targets with his top two receivers out. — Katherine Terrell