If you’re 5-5 or better heading into Week 11, then you’re close to clinching the playoffs, if you haven’t already. Your sights may already be set on Weeks 15 through 17, the fantasy football playoffs. Whether you’re still fighting for a spot or positioning yourself for that title run, knowing which players are Week 11 risers and fallers holds tremendous value.
Matchups matter. Availability matters. There are 16 NFL teams that will have their respective bye week across three of the next four weeks. I’ll be taking it all into consideration with the Week 11 risers, fallers, and a player on the hot seat. Before you dive in, feel free to review my Week 10 risers, fallers, and the player on the hot seat that I named before last weekend.
Week 11 Risers, Fallers, and a Player on the Hot Seat
Risers
Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
The first half of the 2024 fantasy football season is worth forgetting when it comes to Calvin Ridley. In six games, Ridley scored 8.0 or less points in Points Per Reception formats in five of them. A lot of his struggles can be attributed to the struggles of quarterback Will Levis. Ridley was also competing with DeAndre Hopkins for targets, as well.
Since the Titans traded Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs, Calvin Ridley has been a steady riser for fantasy football. Over the last three weeks since the trade, Ridley ranks first in target share (34%), second in receiving yards (300), and eighth in receptions (20) across the entire league. He leads the Week 11 risers list ahead of four-straight games against defenses that rank inside the top 12 in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. Three of these next four matchups for Ridley are against teams ranked inside the top eight.
The days of deciding whether or not to start Calvin Ridley are seemingly over. Considering the volume and schedule ahead, Ridley is a Week 11 riser despite your feelings on Will Levis as his quarterback. We can at least hope that Levis’ season-high 78.3% completion percentage in Week 10 and two touchdowns without a turnover are a step in the right direction.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Spotlighting Rachaad White on the Week 11 risers list isn’t a knock against Bucky Irving. In fact, I value Irving higher coming out of the team’s Week 11 bye. Irving runs better than White, as evidenced by his 5.1 yards per carry average as a rookie. In one more game played than White, Bucky Irving has just 16 more total carries but has 186 more rushing yards than the veteran back.
After missing Week 6 with a foot injury, it looked like Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker were the future of this backfield. The two backs, with 14 carries each, also each scored a touchdown and combined for 217 rushing yards. However, White returned the following week and has been fantasy football’s RB7 over the last four weeks. He’s averaging 19.1 fantasy points per game in that span.
White has played at least nine snaps or more than Bucky Irving in every game they’ve played together this season. Although Irving looks better as a runner, White possesses far more upside as a receiver. He has four receiving touchdowns in his last four games, in addition to one rushing touchdown.
The Buccaneers’ backfield’s rest of the season schedule is exceptional for fantasy football purposes. In their final five games, Tampa Bay plays four of them against teams allowing 20.0 or more fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. That includes two games against the Carolina Panthers. Playoffs are still possible for this team. Especially with Chris Godwin out for the season, and while awaiting Mike Evans’ return, it’s extremely possible the Bucs heavily lean on their run game out of the bye. Bucky Irving and Rachaad White belong in lineups.
More Quick-Hitting Risers
Kyler Murray is beyond the toughest part of his and the Arizona Cardinals’ schedule this season. Although half of Murray’s first 10 games yielded 16.0 or fewer fantasy points, he scored 21.0 or more in four of his last six, including three of his last four. I’m including Murray as a Week 11 riser to emphasize holding onto him during his Week 11 bye. His rest of the season schedule isn’t the easiest but is far easier than it’s been. Murray should take advantage of it as a passer in addition to his rushing upside.
Jauan Jennings could be a league winner. Yeah, I said it. Most of his 2024 fantasy production is attributed to his 46.5 PPR points in Week 3, but I think steady production is ahead for this Week 11 riser. Out of the 49ers’ bye, and after missing two games due to injury, Jennings returned to a team-high 32% target share. That’s with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey active. All three carry their own injury concerns, as well. Jennings led the team in routes run, receptions, yards, and air yards. There’s a clearly defined role for Jennings on the playoff-hopeful 49ers.
Will Dissly is the tight end your league is probably overlooking the most that could help your team go on a run. He has the most targets on the Chargers over their last five games. After averaging 2.5 targets per game over the first four weeks, Dissly is averaging 6.4 targets per game since Los Angeles’ Week 5 bye. While that ranks 10th amongst tight ends in that span, a player like Trey McBride, who ranks fifth, is averaging 7.0 targets per game. Dissly is seeing fantasy-friendly volume as of late. All five of the Chargers’ next five opponents rank inside the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to tight ends, three of which rank inside the top four.
Fallers
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Before panicking about seeing Kareem Hunt on the Week 11 fallers list, understand that this is a long-term evaluation. Hunt still has value over the next few weeks, but that should change upon the return of Isiah Pacheco.
The three-week return window for Pacheco is now open. Sitting at 9-0, there’s no real rush to get Pacheco back onto the field. Consider, too, the Chiefs play the Bills, Panthers, and Raiders over the next three weeks. At face value, they should win two, if not all three, of these games. That said, Pacheco may not return until the absolute last possible opportunity before Week 14.
So, Kareem Hunt is probably looking at three more weeks of fantasy-relevant production. He has been nothing short of fantastic since returning to the Chiefs. Since Week 4, Hunt is fantasy football’s RB11 on a points-per-game basis. He has scored at least one rushing touchdown in four of six games. Though he failed to do so in Week 10, Hunt showed off his receiving upside catching seven of 10 targets for 65 yards.
As mentioned before, the Bills, Panthers, and Raiders are the next three matchups for the Chiefs and Hunt. All three teams are among nine allowing an average of 20.0 or more fantasy points per game to running backs. So, while Hunt is an immediate Week 11 faller, managers relying on him to this point need to be prepared with other options for the fantasy football playoffs when Isiah Pacheco is back on the field for the Chiefs. Discussing Hunt here is just foresight into that.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
The first-round rookie receiver started the season off extremely strong. Unfortunately, a chest injury of his own and a shoulder injury to quarterback Trevor Lawrence have Thomas prominently on the Week 11 fallers list.
There’s plenty of speculation that Lawrence’s season could be over. If so, that would mean Mac Jones is the starting quarterback for the remainder of the year. Out of the team’s Week 12 bye, the Jaguars face the Texans, the Titans (twice), the Jets and Raiders. These aren’t easy matchups for any quarterback, but especially a backup like Mac Jones.
I will be heavily investing in Brian Thomas Jr. next season. If the Jaguars move on from Christian Kirk, they have the ability to spread $13 million in dead cap money across the next two seasons while saving $19.5 million toward the cap. Either way, Thomas himself, and the draft capital invested in acquiring his talents, indicate he is the team’s WR1 moving forward. He’s still a worthwhile bench piece, but the reliability of Thomas posting anything more than WR3 numbers has gone down considerably. I’ll be keeping an eye on the coaching changes in Jacksonville this off-season that could make Thomas an even more appealing 2025 fantasy draft target.
More Quick-Hitting Fallers
D.J. Moore is a bench-worthy candidate for Week 11 lineups. Moore hasn’t scored more than 7.3 fantasy points since Week 5. The vibes are atrocious surrounding the Chicago Bears. They’re heading into Week 11 after firing offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, so perhaps it’s the change the team needed. Let’s hope because the remaining schedule for Moore and the Bears passing game is one of the best in the league. All three of his fantasy football playoff matchups are against teams inside the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. Moore could quickly end back up on the risers list if there’s any sign of play-calling competence against the Packers this week.
Javonte Williams is an obvious Week 11 faller after having just one carry out of the Broncos’ backfield in Week 10. He added just two receptions and recorded just seven total all-purpose yards. That’s after logging 14 touches for 84 yards the week prior. Williams’ lack of involvement in Week 10 might not have a ton meaning. However, he’s in a contract year, averaging under 4.0 yards per carry. It’s possible rookie Audric Estime will continue to handle the majority of carries and prove himself for an even bigger role in 2025.
The Week 11 Hot Seat
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
With just four weeks left in the fantasy football regular season, it’s time to acknowledge Tyreek Hill as the worst possible draft pick for the 2024 fantasy football season. In nine games, Hill has scored 99.9 PPR points this season. He needed just four games last season to score 100.4 PPR points. The stat that stands out the most to me is that Hill hasn’t recorded over 100 receiving yards since Week 1. He did so seven times last season, with a game of 99 yards, as well.
Of course, we can point to the fact that Hill has been without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for nearly half of this season. However, in his last three games since Tua’s return, Hill is averaging just 3.25 receptions, 56 receiving yards, and 12.3 PPR fantasy points per game. On top of all of this, Hill has reportedly been dealing with a torn ligament in his wrist. It did not hold him out of Week 10, but it can’t help but be a cause for concern this late in the season, especially if the Dolphins fall out of playoff contention.
Prior to the fantasy football playoffs, Hill has a handful of tough matchups, specifically against tough cornerbacks, from the Patriots, Packers, and Jets. It’s hard to regret investing in a wide receiver capable of finishing at the top of the position. However, most teams with Hill on their roster are probably still barely fighting for a fantasy playoff spot. There’s a chance he can still come through which is why he’s justifiably on the Week 11 hot seat.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!