Yahoo DFS Football: Week 11 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 11 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The Week 11 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET and features 12 games, while the Cardinals and Seahawks kick off the week Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET, the Rams-Buccaneers game concludes the week Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET, and the 49ers, Bears, Bills and Giants are on bye. Those playing Sunday-only slates will be missing out on a number of top options, but there are still plenty of enticing players to choose from in Week 11. Those players include a big-play machine out for revenge, a star running back facing a vulnerable defense, and a quarterback who remains affordable despite some gaudy recent yardage totals.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Alex Smith, WAS vs. CIN ($21): Smith has quietly thrown for 715 yards in less than two full games over the past two weeks, but his 1:3 TD:INT over that span has kept him extremely affordable heading into this home tilt against a Bengals defense that's among the 10 most generous in both points (27.8) and passing yards (265.1) allowed per game. Smith's touchdowns have been depressed by Washington's four rushing touchdowns in these past two contests, but the pendulum should swing back his way in the red zone considering Cincinnati has allowed 18 passing touchdowns compared to just two rushing touchdowns over its last six games, including 11 passing scores in the last three. Smith's an excellent choice if you're looking to stock up on expensive stars at other positions.

RB: Derrick Henry, TEN at BAL ($32): Henry will likely be leaned on heavily against a Ravens defense that's battling injuries to some key cogs in its run defense. Defensive end Calais Campbell (calf) and nose tackle Brandon Williams (ankle) are in danger of sitting this one out, and their absences were certainly felt in last week's loss to the Patriots, which saw Damien Harris top 100 yards on the ground and Rex Burkhead score twice as a receiver out of the backfield for New England. The Ravens have also allowed a rushing touchdown in four consecutive games and six of the past seven, while Henry has plowed into the end zone eight times in his last seven games. He's likely to eclipse his season average of 22.3 carries per game with the benefit of three extra days off after playing Thursday last week, and Henry has proven capable of producing against the normally stingy Baltimore defense, as he racked up over 200 scrimmage yards when these teams last met in the AFC Divisional Round in January.

WR: DJ Chark, JAX vs. PIT ($22): Big-armed rookie Jake Luton has connected well with Chark downfield over the past two games, as Chark has caught 11 of 17 targets for 202 yards and a touchdown over Luton's first two starts. The 1-8 Jaguars will almost certainly fall behind against the undefeated Steelers and give Chark plenty of volume in the passing game, while Pittsburgh has actually struggled to keep wide receivers out of the end zone, as the Steelers' 13 touchdowns allowed to the position are tied for third most in the league.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Cam Newton (NE, $27), Jameis Winston (NO, $30), Joe Flacco (NYJ, $24)

RB: Josh Jacobs (LV, $25), James Robinson (JAX, $24), Nyheim Hines (IND, $19)

WR: Nelson Agholor (LV, $16), Michael Thomas (NO, $29), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB, $20)

TE: Jared Cook (NO, $21), Logan Thomas (WAS, $18)

DST: Minnesota Vikings (vs. DAL, $15), Indianapolis Colts (vs. GB, $17)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

QUARTERBACK

Ben Roethlisberger, PIT at JAX ($32): While it's becoming increasingly difficult to predict which Steelers receiver(s) will go off in any given week, you can eliminate the guesswork by locking in the guy throwing them the ball. With Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson, among others, consistently getting open for him, Roethlisberger has back-to-back 300-yard passing performances and a 7:0 TD:INT over the past two weeks. He's primed to keep rolling against a Jaguars defense that's allowing the third-most passing yards (283.9) and second-most points (30.1) per game.

RUNNING BACK

Mike Davis, CAR vs. DET ($20): Davis failed to rediscover his early-season magic as the starter last week against Tampa Bay's league-best run defense, but Christian McCaffrey's stand-in should benefit from a far more favorable matchup this time around. The Lions have allowed the most touchdowns to running backs both on the ground (13) and through the air (five), while also surrendering the third-most rushing yards and second-most receiving yards to the position. Davis should be heavily involved in both aspects of the offense for the Panthers, as he has averaged 12.9 carries in seven games as a starter and six targets per game over the past nine weeks.

Alvin Kamara, NO vs. ATL ($34): Kamara is delivering elite production as both a rusher and a receiver, averaging 11.6 carries for 54.0 yards per game on the ground and 7.4 catches on 8.9 targets for 72.0 yards per game through the air, while totaling seven rushing touchdowns and four receiving scores through nine weeks. With quarterback Drew Brees (ribs) sidelined, the Saints are likely to implement a low-risk game plan to try to keep gunslinging backup Jameis Winston's worst tendencies in check. That approach should lead to plenty of rushing attempts and checkdowns to Kamara against a Falcons defense that's allowing the third-most scrimmage yards (410.0) and eighth-most points (27.9) per game. The only healthy non-quarterback averaging more fantasy points than Kamara is Dalvin Cook, but the $6 you save with Kamara can help significantly in constructing the remainder of your lineup with a high chance of little to no drop-off in production.

WIDE RECEIVER

Tyreek Hill, KC at LV ($29): Hill was perhaps the league's hottest receiver heading into last week's bye, with 13 catches for 211 yards and four touchdowns on 24 targets over the previous two games. He should pick up right where he left off in the game with Sunday's highest over/under (57), especially with coach Andy Reid likely to scheme up some ways to get the league's best big-play threat involved as the Chiefs look to avenge their lone loss of the season. Hill has nine receiving touchdowns and a rushing score in nine games this season, and his combination of volume and effectiveness make him a steal at $9 cheaper than this slate's priciest receivers.

Justin Jefferson, MIN vs. DAL ($24): Fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen ($26) is coming off a flashy two-touchdown Monday Night Football performance, but Jefferson has been the busier Vikings wide receiver recently. The rookie has finished with more yards than Thielen in three of the past four games, while Thielen topped him by only one yard in the fourth, and Jefferson has 29 targets to Thielen's 21 over that stretch. Though Jefferson has scored only three touchdowns after finding the end zone 18 times as a senior at LSU last season, he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in four of the past seven games heading into this tasty matchup against a Cowboys defense that's tied with Jefferson's own Vikings for the most touchdowns allowed to wide receivers at 16.

Keenan Allen, LAC vs. NYJ ($25): Allen has thrived in eight games with standout rookie Justin Herbert under center, catching 61 of 85 targets for 653 yards and five touchdowns. The Chargers' top wide receiver should continue to get plenty of attention from Herbert at home against a Jets team that lacks the personnel to keep up with Allen in the secondary. New York gives up the fourth-most passing yards (281.8) and third-most points (29.8) per game, and opposing No. 1 wideouts have been particularly troublesome for the Jets of late. In their last two games, the Jets were burned for 98 yards and two touchdowns by Tyreek Hill and then allowed a career-high 169 yards to Jakobi Meyers.

TIGHT END

Dalton Schultz, DAL at MIN ($11): The tight end position has been tough to trust all season, so it makes sense to grab a value option here and spend big elsewhere. Schultz gives you the opportunity to do just that at $1 above the minimum against a Vikings defense that's allowing 59.3 receiving yards per game to tight ends -- fourth most in the league. Since taking over as the starter for the injured Blake Jarwin in Week 2, Schultz has caught 34 of 51 targets for 372 yards and two touchdowns in eight games, and he has averaged six targets per game in the four started by quarterbacks other than Dak Prescott. With Andy Dalton (concussion/illness) due back, the outlook on Dallas' entire offense also improves relative to the last three weeks, and a rising tide lifts all boats.

DEFENSE

Washington Football Team, WAS vs. CIN ($16): None of the value defense options really stand out this week, but Washington comes in slightly cheaper than the priciest defenses likely to be featured in most lineups. Sacks are the name of the game in this matchup, as Washington has the fifth-most sacks in the league (28), while the Bengals have given up the second-most (32). A major storyline for this game will be the battle between first overall pick Joe Burrow and second overall pick Chase Young, as the latter has a great opportunity to add to his total of 3.5 sacks against one of the league's most porous offensive lines. Burrow has done a good job of keeping interceptions down with only five, but he has already put the ball on the ground eight times and accounts for three of Cincinnati's seven lost fumbles. Those seven lost fumbles are tied for third most in the league, so Washington's defense is likely to create some turnovers in addition to bringing pressure.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Justin Herbert (LAC, $35), Patrick Mahomes (KC, $39), Lamar Jackson (BAL, $32)

RB: Dalvin Cook (MIN, $40), Salvon Ahmed (MIA, $17), Duke Johnson (HOU, $16)

WR: Terry McLaurin (WAS, $25), DJ Moore (CAR, $18), Jakobi Meyers (NE, $22)

TE: T.J. Hockenson (DET, $19), Travis Kelce (KC, $33)

DST: Miami Dolphins (at DEN, $21), Pittsburgh Steelers (at JAX, $19)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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