Week 11 Flex Rankings: Steel City Madness

Week 11 of the NFL season is upon us and the fantasy football playoffs are on the horizon. There is still plenty of time to make a move or improve your seeding. In one of my leagues, nine of the 12 teams are either 6-4, 5-5, or 4-6. We won’t talk about the fact that I’m 5-5 even though I have the second-most points scored in the league. Anyway, regardless of where you are in the standings, hopefully, you will find my Week 11 Flex rankings useful. I have ranked nearly 250 players based on half-PPR scoring. These should provide a good data point for you to work off of. If you have any specific questions regarding your lineup decisions, drop them below.

Running Back Notes

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced that Jaylen Warren will be the team’s starting running back. Warren has undoubtedly been better than Najee Harris this season, so the move makes sense. However, this feels like the type of news that fantasy managers will overreact to. I do not see this as a death knell for Harris going forward. Harris still had 20 opportunities in Pittsburgh’s last game. That is plenty for him to remain fantasy-relevant. In that contest, the Steelers ran the ball 36 times compared to 23 Kenny Pickett pass attempts. If anything, I think this shift may limit the ceiling of some of Pittsburgh’s pass catchers. More on that in a minute. Pittsburgh has a tough Week 11 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, but I think both Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris make for decent Flex options this week.

Another situation worth monitoring is in Minnesota, where Ty Chandler took over for an injured Alexander Mattison in last week’s Vikings victory. Mattison suffered a concussion and has not practiced yet this week. That means that Chandler will most likely get the starting nod on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Denver has been the most fantasy-friendly matchup for running backs this season, though that is a bit skewed by their Week 3 game against Miami. Over the last four weeks, Denver has been a middle-of-the-pack matchup for running backs. I currently have Chandler as my RB29 overall, but will probably bump him up into the RB2 range in 12-team leagues once Mattison is officially ruled out. Mattison has not exactly lit it up this year (he is PFF’s 54th-ranked RB among 59 qualifiers) so this game could be an audition of sorts for Chandler.

Wide Receiver Notes

Jakobi Meyers sits as the overall WR17 on the season in half-PPR formats. But fantasy managers may want to consider selling high on the former Patriot if possible. Meyers has been an afterthought in the offense led by new Raiders quarterback Aiden O’Connell. O’Connell has attempted 104 passes and targeted Meyers just 13 times. That is a 12.5 percent target share. In 210 pass attempts by the combination of Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer, Meyers was targeted 51 times for a target share of 24.3 percent. I am considering benching Meyers in a league where he has been my leading scorer at the wide receiver position this season. The lack of usage combined with a tough matchup against the Miami Dolphins duo of Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard has me a bit pessimistic about Meyers’ Week 11 outlook.

I touted Diontae Johnson in this space a couple of weeks ago, and he came through with 90 yards and a touchdown, his first since 2021. However, Johnson only secured one pass in last week’s game against Green Bay. Meanwhile, George Pickens has just six grabs for 66 total yards over his last three contests. With the Steelers emphasizing the run a bit more, their pass catchers may suffer a bit in certain matchups. This may be one of their tougher tests against the Cleveland Browns. I expect both teams to play this game close to the vest. Johnson is my preferred option of the two Pittsburgh wideouts, but I do not expect either to get a ton of work in this game. Both are outside the top 70 overall in my Week 11 Flex rankings.

Tight End Notes

Sure, last week I talked about how tight ends may make for better Flex plays than I previously gave them credit for. Then only 10 tight ends scored eight or more fantasy points last week, while 33 running backs did the same. Thanks for making me look stupid, tight ends! Anyway, some productive tight ends are on a bye this week, including Taysom Hill (TE7), Jonnu Smith (TE14), Kyle Pitts (TE17), and Hunter Henry (TE18). If you need a streamer, I would consider Tyler Conklin of the New York Jets. The upside is limited based on the team’s allergic reaction to the end zone. But Conklin has secured all 13 of his targets over the last two weeks. The Buffalo Bills have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends over the past four weeks.

Other Notes

Both Justin Jefferson and De’Von Achane are trending towards playing in Week 11 after lengthy absences. I do not like to trust players who are returning after being out for more than a month, but I think you have to make an exception with players of this caliber. Having said that, I would try to temper expectations if possible. Neither may receive a full workload in their return to action. I currently have Jefferson ranked as my overall WR10 for this week, while Achane is my RB22. I may adjust these throughout the week, but I just think the likelihood of either player hitting their previous ceilings immediately upon returning is a bit unrealistic.

Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Half-PPR by Position | Flex Rankings | Positional Ranks w/ K & DST | Dynasty | Superflex Dynasty

Week 11 Flex Rankings