NFL Reactions: Week 11 Recap

There's nothing like a Chiefs vs. Bills matchup to highlight game day. Not to be outdone, the Ravens and Steelers added another great contest to their storied rivalry. In addition, both Green Bay at Chicago and Seattle at San Francisco gave us fantastic divisional matchups. Let's dive into this week's action.

Chiefs at Bills

Huge game for the Bills. A late TD run by Josh Allen put the game away late in the fourth quarter. Otherwise, the scoring total didn't reflect the overall fantasy performances of the players. Yes, James Cook scored twice. However, his 14 touches resulted in 27 yards. Coming back from injury, Amari Cooper was targeted just three times, though he posted 55 yards. Clearly, the Bills knew the Chiefs struggled to cover the slot. That led to Khalil Shakir turning 12 targets into 70 yards. As often happens in key games, Josh Allen rushed 12 times for 55 yards and that big TD. For fantasy, there's not much to take away. The key Buffalo players tend to be heavily involved most weeks.

Kansas City was dealt its first loss of the season. The good news for the Chiefs is they expect to get Isiah Pacheco back next week. On an offense that often lacks explosive plays, the hope is that Pacheco can provide those plays on the ground. That would allow the Chiefs to be in more favorable situations to set up their passing attack. That said, I would expect Pacheco to be eased back into his regular role the next few games. That means Kareem Hunt should continue to get touches. The Bills did a great job taking away Travis Kelce (two catches, eight yards) and DeAndre Hopkins (three catches, 29 yards). Obviously, Kelce and Hopkins have had (and will have) much better games. There's no need to panic. 

Don't be surprised if these teams meet in the postseason. If they do, will this be the time the Bills slay the dragon when it matters most?

Ravens at Steelers

I was excited to see the new look Ravens offense against its divisional nemesis, the Steelers. I was stunned that Baltimore had a horrible offensive performance. After being largely invisible since the first week of the season, Isaiah Likely was the most productive player from scrimmage with 75 yards. Fortunately, Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers scored touchdowns to salvage their fantasy days. Justin Tucker missed a pair of field goals, which ultimately may have cost Baltimore a win. With four losses on the season, there is a very good chance the Ravens will have to win multiple road games if they hope to get to the Super Bowl. 

Russell Wilson had one big connection as a passer in this game. The veteran threw an ugly interception in the fourth quarter that put Pittsburgh in position to lose. However, the Steelers held on for a one-point win. George Pickens was a bright spot, catching eight passes for 89 yards. The receiver had a favorable matchup against a struggling Baltimore secondary, and he took advantage. Otherwise, Najee Harris had plenty of volume, which led to 93 scrimmage yards. In games when Wilson is unable to connect on deep passes, this offense may have difficulty scoring points when facing solid defenses. The Steelers' only scoring in this game came from kicker Chris Boswell, who drilled all six of his field-goal attempts. Pittsburgh got a huge win, and in this  important divisional contest, that's all that matters. 

Packers at Bears

The Packers needed to block a last-second field goal to hold on to a one-point victory against their biggest rival. Coming off a bye, the Green Bay offense did not look sharp. Clearly paying attention to the matchup, the coaching staff chose to go with a run-heavy approach against the Bears. However, 25 rushing attempts resulted in just 106 yards, though Josh Jacobs and Jordan Love each had rushing touchdowns. Christian Watson was the lone productive receiver. With just four targets, a pair of big plays turned into 150 receiving yards for Watson. This has not been the same great fantasy offense as in 2023. Aside from Jacobs, who gets consistent volume, there's no counting on any player to have a high weekly scoring floor.

Credit has to go to Chicago's new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. After the Bears failed to move the ball with much success in their last three games, they looked better against Green Bay. Facing a Packers defense that has been weak against the run, the Bears rushed 34 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns. And after the wide receivers were  largely invisible for the last month, DJ Moore had 67 scrimmage yards while Rome Odunze chipped in with 65 yards. This offense is far from trustworthy. Every Chicago offensive player should be considered a matchup-based fantasy option.

Seahawks at 49ers

The Seahawks pulled off the upset on a TD run by Geno Smith in the waning moments. The last drive was aided by Nick Bosa being out of the game with a hip injury. Regardless, it was a great win for Seattle. The only Seahawk with a big game was Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 10 passes for 110 yards. Otherwise, DK Metcalf posted 70 yards and Kenneth Walker scored on the ground. Seattle's offense is inconsistent, but Metcalf, Walker and Smith-Njigba remain strong lineup options. Smith should be considered a QB streamer.

San Francisco did not have a good offensive day. It was held to 290 scrimmage yards. Not only did George Kittle (hamstring) miss the game, but Ricky Pearsall was shut out on two targets. For the second week in a row, Christian McCaffrey barely surpassed 100 scrimmage yards (106, 103) while not finding the end zone. The only other player who had a good fantasy performance was Jauan Jennings, who caught 10 passes for 91 yards and a TD. Jennings should be in fantasy lineups. I wouldn't worry about the team's poor offensive performance. This unit has too much talent to not figure out its struggles.

Falcons at Broncos

The Broncos have been an excellent football team much of the season. Their defense is for real. Denver rushes the passer extremely well, and they have one of the best cornerback groups in the league. On offense, they have a diverse rushing attack with Bo Nix playing point guard and getting the ball to every available option. Nix tossed four touchdown passes against the Falcons. He had receivers open all over the field, especially in the second half. He's a player who certainly can be consider a starter in 12-team leagues. Just be careful when the matchups are tough. The biggest surprise for many was that Javonte Williams basically took his job back after being relegated to the bench last week. Fortunately for Audric Estime, Denver had a huge lead that allowed the rookie to get touches in the second half. However, there is no way to know how this backfield will shake out each week. Volume can be pulled away from either of these backs at a moment's notice. The understanding has to be that each running back has a weekly scoring floor of zero. Williams remains the more likely runner to have big fantasy weeks. He hasn't had many, but he has had a few very strong performances and PPR scoring formats. Estime is unlikely to have a big ceiling, making him a risky lineup option.

After playing a soft schedule the last month, Atlanta had a terrible matchup at Denver. All season, when Kirk Cousins is under pressure, he struggled to run an efficient offense. That's exactly what happened in this matchup. Not only was the pressure difficult, but the Broncos have one of the best cornerback trios in the league. It didn't help that the Falcons trailed by 15 points at halftime. Once Atlanta became one-dimensional on offense, things only got worse. Don't hesitate to go back to your Atlanta players, however. I recommend writing off this game as a matchup-based disaster.

Jaguars at Lions

The Lions are often great at blowing out bad opponents. Surprisingly, Jared Goff attempted 29 passes in this game. He usually averages slightly more than 20 attempts in games the Lions win big. Those who started the quarterback in fantasy were rewarded with 412 yards and four touchdowns. There was plenty to go around for the skill-position players. David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams had fantastic stat lines. Aside from some weekly volatility, this continues to be a great offense for fantasy.

Even though Jacksonville was getting blown out for most of the game, it did almost nothing for fantasy. The only player with more than 35 scrimmage yards was Brian Thomas. The rookie hauled in five passes for 82 yards. After a  pair of weaker performances, Thomas appears fully recovered from his chest injury. He should be considered a top-24 receiver. At this point, the only way to consider Evan Engram as a fantasy option is in full PPR leagues. The yardage may end up being terrible as long as Mac Jones is at QB, but at least the tight end will catch around five passes per game.

 Vikings at Titans

Minnesota controlled this game throughout. That led to it being conservative on offense. The approach helped Sam Darnold avoid making the big mistakes that plagued him in recent games. Both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison were targeted eight times. They were the only players on the Vikings besides Darnold to have strong fantasy performances. Overall, this offense has been headed in the wrong direction since Darnold's mistakes began to increase. Jefferson is the one player to count on each week. Even Aaron Jones has seen his productivity decrease the last few weeks despite continuing to see significant volume. With that volume, Jones is not a player I would bench.

Tennessee was completely overmatched by a dominant Minnesota defense. The Vikings were overly aggressive when the Titans had the ball near their own goal line in the third quarter. After needlessly selling out on a blitz, they blew a coverage, leading to a 98-yard touchdown by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Aside from that, the offense did nothing. Westbrook-Ikhine continues to have an incredible touchdown rate, but counting on that is unlikely to continue bearing fruit. However, the receiver is a full-time player, so the potential for high target volume will continue. Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley should be in weekly lineups. 

Raiders at Dolphins

With Miami scoring 34 points against the Raiders, it would seem as if it had a massive fantasy day. Two players probably not in a ton of fantasy lineups had the best performances. First, Tua Tagovailoa had his best game in quite some time. The quarterback passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns. The next best player was Jonnu Smith. Smith still continues to compete with Tyreek Hill for targets. Smith scored on a busted coverage for a 57-yard touchdown, leading him to 101 yards and two scores on the day. Smith has been a useful fantasy option for nearly a month. There are certainly going be occasional bad games for the tight end, but there is no compelling case to leave him on the bench in fantasy unless you have an elite option. Tagovailoa will continue to be a matchup-based weekly option.

Brock Bowers continues to be one of the best values from this year's fantasy drafts. The tight end was targeted a whopping 16 times. He turned those opportunities into 126 yards and a touchdown while hauling in 13 passes. Usually, Jakobi Meyers  is a high-floor fantasy option. In this game, he caught just four passes for 28 yards. Still, aside from Bowers and Meyers, it's not easy to put Raiders' players in fantasy lineups with confidence.

Rams at Patriots

The Rams faced little resistance from an overmatched New England defense. The trio of Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp each had massive fantasy performances. In a game they led for most of the afternoon, it was a bit of a surprise that Kyren Williams only handled 15 carries. Williams was great on a per-carry basis while posting 86 yards, but he wasn't used as a receiver, and he didn't  score. The secondary options for the Rams have not been busy the last couple games. At this point, we're starting the Los Angeles stars, and only playing the ancillary players if understanding their downside.

Game script helped the Patriots post solid offensive numbers. Drake Maye attempted 40 passes. As a result, the quarterback passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns. After not playing a snap against Chicago last week, Kendrick Bourne led the Patriots' receivers with 70 yards and a touchdown. It's unlikely many started Bourne. Both Hunter Henry and DeMario Douglas remained solid floor plays in PPR leagues. Henry caught six passes for 63 yards while Douglas hauled in five passes for 59 yards. Otherwise, there is no pass catcher in this offense who can be considered a predictable high-ceiling player. 

Browns at Saints

Taysom Hill is a beast. The veteran rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught eight passes for 50 yards. As ever, Hill is one of the most extreme boom-or-bust fantasy players. In leagues in which qualifies as a tight end, bench him at your own peril. Also, Marquez Valdes-Scantling took advantage of a blown coverage to post 87 yards and a touchdown. Oddly enough, this is one of the best two-game stretches of his career. That is despite Valdes-Scantling having played with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. The Saints don't exactly have a lot of options in the passing game and they like to throw deep as often as possible. MVS's weekly floor  is zero, but he is capable of games like this when given an opportunity.

Cleveland faced a Saints defense that has plenty of weak spots. Although the Browns moved the ball up and down the field on many occasions, they were unable to close out a number of drives. Jameis Winston, Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku had outstanding fantasy performances. it appears as if they will trail in most games they play. That gives this offense weekly fantasy upside. However, when defenses bring pressure, the Cleveland offense can fall apart quickly. 

Colts at Jets

New York converted its initial first down with 1:31 left in the first half. When the game ended, the team had only posted 253 scrimmage yards. Somehow, it scored 27 points. For the first time in a month, Breece Hall had an excellent fantasy performance. On 23 touches, the superstar posted 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Aside from Hall, Davante Adams has become a high-floor fantasy option. Adams caught six passes for 72 yards. With just three wins, the Jets' season is over. As bad as they've been, things could fall apart even further. Expecting fantasy upside from players on this team is not wise.

For the Colts, Anthony Richardson returned to the lineup. The quarterback completed 66 percent of his passe in one of his most-accurate games of the season. Richardson passed for one touchdown and ran for two more. It is certainly a step in the right direction for the young player. In terms of fantasy, consider him a player with a low floor and high ceiling. If Richardson puts together another strong game or two, he could become a great option for the fantasy playoffs. Josh Downs continues to be the one receiver we can count on on this offense. In addition to the great work that Downs did with Joe Flacco, the receiver now has consecutive strong games with Richardson. It seemed as if the Jets defense was mainly worried about Jonathan Taylor. As a result, Taylor could only produce 57 yards on 24 rushing attempts. Better days are certain to come soon for Taylor. 

Injuries 

• Darnell Mooney suffered a hamstring injury.
• Zamir White (quad) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) were both injured. Ameer Abdullah picked up the slack.
• Gabe Davis hurt his knee.