Week 11 Flex Rankings – A Barrage from Kalen Ballage

2020 has been a unique year for many reasons. But even amidst the countless things that have taken place that we never thought we would see, there are still occurrences that continue to surprise us. Case in point – me featuring Kalen Ballage in my Week 11 Flex rankings. If there was ever a “2020 in a nutshell” moment, this may be it.

Just a few short months ago, Kalen Ballage was close to being laughed out of the league. He had averaged just 2.96 yards per carry in 110 rushes over his first two NFL seasons. That included a 75-yard touchdown, which only underscores how abysmal he was on his other 109 carries. This summer, the Miami Dolphins waived him, then tried to trade him, then waived him again. The New York Jets, led by Ballage’s former coach Adam Gase, signed Ballage in September. However, even the winless Jets and the league’s worst offense cut the cord with Ballage after just three ballgames. The Los Angeles Chargers then signed Ballage to their practice squad. That is likely where Ballage would have languished would it not for multiple injuries to the Chargers running backs. Even still, it was a bit of a surprise when they promoted him two weeks ago.

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Most people believed that Ballage would be little more than an insurance policy behind Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley. But Jackson was hurt on the first play of the game in the Chargers’ Week 9 outing. Los Angeles then elected to feature Ballage over Kelley, and the results were not half bad. Ballage had 69 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, essentially splitting reps with Kelley. Last week, Ballage dominated the bulk of the backfield opportunities. The former Dolphin garnered 23 touches against his old team, while Kelley had just seven and Troymaine Pope failed to touch the football. Ballage cracked the century mark in total yards and has seemingly earned the trust of the coaching staff. On deck for Ballage is a Week 11 contest against his most recent former team, the New York Jets.

The Jets are not the easiest team to run the football against. But they have traded away Steve McLendon and Avery Williamson in recent weeks, and their run defense has taken a bit of a hit as a result. In their most recent outing, they allowed the combination of Damien Harris and Rex Burkhead to combine for 127 yards and a score on 26 carries. If the Chargers attempt anything close to the 41 rushing attempts the Patriots had against the Jets, Ballage should be plenty busy. It may be difficult to project much in terms of efficiency from Ballage, but virtually any running back who can approach and possibly even exceed 20 touches in what figures to be a positive game script is worth considering for your Flex spot this week. I believe he will end up as a weekly RB2 once the dust has settled on Week 11.

Mr. McKissic Goes to Washington

The return of Alex Smith to the gridiron is one of the feelgood stories of our lifetimes, let alone 2020. Smith suffered a gruesome injury that became worse when he suffered from severe infections which nearly resulted in the loss of his leg. His comeback to the field of play is truly inspirational, and the fact that he is a starting quarterback in the NFL just two years later is nothing short of incredible. Yet, as happy as we all are that Smith can once again step on the field and lead an NFL offense, there is one person who is happier than all of us. No, it is not Smith himself, or anyone in his immediate family. I am speaking, of course, about Washington running back J.D. McKissic.

You remember McKissic, right? The guy who had a total of 88 rushes and 70 receptions during his first four years in the league? Yeah, he’s the one. Before Week 4 of this season, his single-game career-highs were as follows:

Targets – 7
Receptions – 6
Receiving yards – 40

Over his last six games, McKissic has averaged 8.8 targets, 6.2 receptions, and 42.2 receiving yards. He is the overall RB22 in half-PPR leagues since Week 4 despite scoring just one touchdown on the season. Since Washington named Smith their starting quarterback, McKissic’s usage has been almost Kamarian. McKissic has been targeted like no other back in the league. Hell, he has been targeted like no other player in the league. McKissic has been targeted a massive 29 times in the last two weeks and has finished as a top-15 back in both of Smith’s starts. If I did not know any better, I would think Smith started McKissic in his fantasy leagues.

The crazy part is that McKissic’s insane usage has not taken much away from his backfield mate, Antonio Gibson. Gibson is the overall RB9 over the last two weeks. Given Gibson’s college profile, I did not expect Washington to utilize the rookie as a traditional running back. But they have for the most part, and it has allowed both backs to flourish. Washington hosts Cincinnati in Week 11, which has the look of a Gibson game to me. I do not expect them to play from behind much in this one, which is why I have Gibson ranked higher than McKissic in my Week 11 Flex rankings. However, given his recent usage and the rapport that he has established with Smith, McKissic is not that far behind. Fantasy managers can very easily justify putting McKissic in their Flex spots this week.

Week 11 Flex Rankings

Below are my Week 11 Flex rankings. There are plenty of injured stars, so below is my attempt to read the tea leaves on players like Calvin Ridley, Joe Mixon, Kenny Golladay, and several others. I will update these again on Sunday morning once there is some clarity regarding these players and their likely Week 11 roles.

If you enjoyed Mick’s Week 11 Flex Rankings, make sure to check out the rest of our Week 11 Analysis for more help in optimizing your lineups.

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