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We’re now through 10 weeks of the NFL season and if your team resembles the one that you drafted, then count yourself among the lucky few. For the rest of us, swapping players out due to ineffectiveness and injury is the only way to fill out the roster. Tonight we’ll look at several players who are being moved up the depth chart to replaced players who have been injured and will be out several weeks, or players who are just ineffective, or both!

Duke Johnson (RB-HOU) – David Johnson was put on the IR before last week’s game, paving the way for Duke Johnson (no relation) to take over the backfield. Unfortunately for Duke, his team could only muster 7 points and he did not do much with his 14 carries. Going forward for at least the next couple of weeks, I do expect Duke’s usage to remain a consistent 15-20 touches per week. This season he is averaging only 3.1 yards per carry, down from last year’s 4.9 and his career average of 4.3. David Johnson was only averaging 4.0 yards per carry this season anyways, so it’s not like he was lighting up the world. While David is out, Duke’s only real challenge to carries will come from Deshaun Watson, who has 25 carries over the last 3 weeks. Getting Duke in the lineup next week against the Patriots isn’t a bad idea, and getting him in the following week against the Lions is essential. After that, they play Indy twice, separated by a game in Chicago, so you’re going to want to look elsewhere until his week 16 matchup against Cincy.

Giovani Bernard (RB-CIN) – Joe Mixon has now missed 3 straight games with his foot injury, suffered against the Colts back in week 6. Each week we get the standard ‘Mixon didn’t practice’ blurb from all the Bengals beat reporters. Zac Taylor has been cautious in general about injuries on the team, bringing people like A.J. Green and Geno Atkins back up to speed slowly, and I expect more of the same here. As of today, Mixon is not practicing or even out on the rehab field – makes me wonder if he’s headed for the IR since the Bengals are way out of the playoff picture and they just signed him to a large extension. Fine for dynasty squads, not so great for your redraft league where you most likely selected Mixon as a top-10 RB. Meanwhile, Giovani Bernard has been the 10^th highest scoring RB in half-PPR from weeks 7-10, and that is including the Bengals’ week 9 bye week where he was just playing Madden and smokin’ a joint. Shhh… don’t tell anyone I told you. Washington is middle of the road against RBs, but Bernard is a multi-faceted threat on a team that is going to dump off to him more than normal. He can be started with confidence this week. The issues here to worry about, of course, are Joe Mixon coming back this week, or even soon, which seems unlikely according to my magic-8-ball, and also 2^nd year RB Trayveon Williams capturing some of Bernard’s work. Williams was able to turn 5 rushes into 22 yards against the Steelers in week 10 and looked fresh out there. He should, those are first 5 carries he’s ever had in the NFL since he sustained a foot injury in a 2019 preseason game. Woohoo!

Salvon Ahmed (RB-MIA) – Salvon Ahmed has only appeared in 2 NFL games in his career. Last week, and Week 9 in Arizona. Last week he did see a healthy 21 carry game, turning it into 85 yards and a touchdown. Ahmed finds himself atop a depth chart that features an injured Matt Breida, a useless DeAndre Washington, and Patrick Laird, who hasn’t even been in on 20% of Miami’s snaps in a single game this season. Couple that with Jordan Howard being cut, and apparently Salvon Ahmed is second UDFA in Florida to be given the top spot of a backfield. He should be featured heavily in most games for now, considering a frequent run game is always a good compliment to a rookie QB. Ahmed may need to fight for carries with Myles Gaskin when he returns from IR and Matt Breida if he ever finds his way back into the lineup. Until then, Ahmed is the first option in the running game on the team, and could retain that spot with another strong performance this week against Denver, who gave up 20+ points to 2 different backs on the Raiders last week.

Michael Pittman (WR-IND) – Who’s the WR1 on the Colts? Because you would think it was T.Y. Hilton. And that’s what his grandma thought before the season started as well, but it looks like 2^nd round rookie Michael Pittman is making a good case for the job. Last week he caught 7 of 8 targets for 101 yards and rushed once for 21 yards. Meanwhile, Hilton has yet to break 70 yards or score a TD in any game so far this year. Yikes. After being drafted this year, experts (myself included) had Pittman behind both Hilton and 2019 2^nd rounder Parris Campbell, who injured his PCL in week 2 and may be back later this season but has yet to practice. Since Hilton has underperformed and Campbell has been unavailable, I think it’s time to call Pittman a surprise WR1 who should enjoy the lion’s share of targets going forward. I don’t see Zach Pascal as competition here, and the only 40% owned (in Fleaflicker) Pittman is a steal right now that could help you win the ‘ship.

Jameis Winston (QB-NO) – Last week Drew Brees went down, and he went down very hard. Brees looked every bit his age when he was sacked on a play that ultimately fractured several ribs and collapsed his lung. Brees will be out, conservatively, for a few weeks, and possibly for the rest of the regular season. This leads us to examine the Saints interesting QB group. Everybody knows about their favorite gadget player, Taysom Hill, but Hill does not seem to be in line to start and play every snap at QB considering he did not do so last year. When Brees went down in 2019, it was Teddy Bridgewater, and not Hill, who started 5 games in Brees’s absence.  This time around, I expect that replacement to be Jameis Winston. Right now, the Saints need to jumpstart their downfield passing game, and Winston is the perfect QB to do that. Last week, Winston was just getting his feet under him, going 6 for 10 for 63 yards, but I expect last year’s passing yardage leader to do a lot more than that against the Falcons next week. Sure it’s partly because Winston is actually an NFL QB and Taysom Hill is still just a gadget player, but I also like the fact that the Falcons are giving up the most points to opposing QBs. Their opponent the following week, Denver, is nothing special against the pass, and then they get the Falcons again in Week 13. If you’re a QB streamer, or in a 2 QB league, then Jameis Winston should be in your starting lineup this week. Now, you just need to pay attention to the news in case the Saints throw in the towel on the year and start Hill.

Jakeem Grant (WR-MIA) – Preston Williams suffered a knee injury in week 9 against the Cardinals and was put on IR. Granted, Williams wasn’t providing earth-shaking production at the position, but he has scored 4 TDs and has been an integral part of the Dolphins’ passing attack throughout the season. With Tua Tagovailoa taking over under center the offense has looked different, and as we know about the ascent of rookie QBs from over the years, they can change the whole look of the offense. Jakeem Grant came in as a new cog and immediately caught 4 of 5 targets for 43-yards and a TD against the Chargers. The speedy WR ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and is exactly the kind of big play receiver that Tua needs to continue his march toward the playoffs this year. While the Dolphins did just sign former Browns’ WR Antonio Callaway to the roster, he has yet to record any fantasy points this year and it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to now be behind a Grant that is quickly building chemistry with Tua.

Kalen Ballage (RB-LAC) – Cut from the Jets in October and picked up on the Chargers practice squad, Kalen Ballage has suddenly found himself with lots to do over the last two weeks due to the Chargers depleted backfield. In the last 2 games, he has received 33 carries and 9 targets. In week 10, he ran 22 pass routes and was in on 73% of the offensive snaps. Ballage isn’t terribly efficient right now, but he does have 186 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown over those two games. It appears that he is in line to be the Chargers workhorse back for as long as Justin Jackson and Austin Ekeler are out. Jackson was just put on IR before last week’s game, so he will be out at least 2 more games. Joshua Kelley doesn’t seem to be a danger to take carries from anyone, and Austin Ekeler can only tell us “the time draws near”, as if he and Frodo are approaching Mordor. Troymaine Pope may be the best bet to take carries from Ballage, but Pope missed the last game with a concussion. The only thing that is certain is that the Chargers backfield is a mess.

Keelan Cole (WR-JAC) – Just a few years ago, Cole appeared to be the WR to own for the future of the Jaguars’ offense. Him and Blake Bortles were good buddies, going for 748 yards and 3 TDs in 2017 when he was an UDFA. But we haven’t heard from him since them. We have been hearing about guys like D.J. Chark and newly drafted rookie Laviska Shenault. Shenault has admittedly had a great start to the season, but after Gardner Minshew was injured and benched in favor of Jake Luton, Shenault had less success and then was taken out of the game with a hamstring injury in week 9. New QBs often result in chemistry and connections with new WRs, as we know, and in this case it looks like Keelan Cole is back in action, having been targeted 7 times in last week’s matchup against the Packers and coming down with 5 receptions for 47 yards and 1 TD. We’ll see if Luton remains under center for the rest of the season, but as long as he does it looks like Chark and Cole will be the targets of choice.

(Editor's note: This was completed before the start of Thursday Night Football, but posted shortly after kickoff.)

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! There are now just 3 weeks remaining before the fantasy playoffs. You should have a good picture of where you stand in the playoff chase. Week 11 is the last week of the season with more than 2 teams on a bye (Tampa and Carolina in week 13 are the only byes left after this week). This may be the last week that you’re scrounging for a fill-in in your lineups, and with how productive the rookie crop has been this year there’s likely to be someone listed below that can help you. So far this season, the rookie class accounts for 2 of the top-14 QBs, 5 of the top-20 RBs, and 6 of the top-30 WRs. Which of those players are going to be useful in week 11? Let’s dive in and find out…

(Notes: All scoring and points allowed rankings are based on half-PPR scoring unless otherwise noted. Players under same header at same position are listed in the order I would play them in this week.)

Rookies to Start:

QB Justin Herbert, LAC (Wk. 11: vs. NYJ): Herbert hit a bit of a speed bump last week against the Dolphins, but I’d expect him to get back on track against the Jets this week. Against the lowly Jets, a blowout is always a possibility (the Chargers are an 8.5-point favorite this week), but the Jets have given up big fantasy days in blowout losses to Kyler Murray, Josh Allen & Patrick Mahomes this year. The Chargers also don’t play in a lot of blowout games. They’ve played just 1 game that was decided by more than 8 points this season, so this might not get too out of hand. The Jets rank dead last in Football Outsiders’ pass defense DVOA stat, and even including last week’s clunker Herbert has at least 2 touchdowns in 6 straight games and 260+ passing yards in 7 of his 8 starts. He’s back to being a safe low-end QB1 this week. 

RB D’Andre Swift, DET (Wk. 11: @Car.): Swift has clearly established himself as the Lions’ lead back in recent weeks. He’s led the backfield in snaps for 5 straight weeks since the team’s bye and was on the field for a whopping 73% of the snaps in week 10 despite the Lions playing from ahead for most of the game. Detroit usually deploys Adrian Peterson a lot more in that scenario, but things seem to have changed. Swift has been making the most of his opportunity, finishing as a top-16 RB in 4 of the last 5 weeks, and a top-5 back in two of them. This week he gets to face off with Carolina, who allows the 4^th-most running back points per game and could be without starting QB Teddy Bridgewater this week. If Teddy sits, the Lions are more likely to play from ahead and could give Swift more rushing work. In any case, Swift should be a strong RB2 this week with top-5 upside once again. There is some concern about Swift’s availability for this week as it was announced Thursday that he went into the concussion protocol, so watch the injury updates closely. If he’s unable to play, Kerryon Johnson could be a sneaky upside play this week. He’s more likely to pick up Swift’s receiving work than Adrian Peterson.

RB Antonio Gibson, WAS (Wk. 11: vs. Cin.): JD McKissic continues to play an outsized portion of the snaps and see an absurd number of targets each week (15(!) in week 10), but Gibson continues to make do with his limited early-down role. He did actually see his second and third 3^rd-down touches of the year last Sunday in the loss to Detroit. The key for Gibson is that the game has to stay competitive. When Washington falls behind and gets into a pass-happy mode, McKissic plays the bulk of the snaps. The Football Team isn’t very good, so that’s happened often. This week, Washington is actually favored by a point & a half. That could bode well for Gibson if the game plays out that way. The Bengals rank just 21^st in run defense DVOA and have allowed the 7^th-most rushing yards in the league. Expect Gibson to play a bit more in this game than he has in recent weeks, and with a lot of top backs banged up around the league he should be a safe RB2 in a reasonable matchup.

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC (Wk. 11: @LV): Keep an eye on the injury report for CEH. He was held out of practice on Thursday unexpectedly, but if that proves to not be a significant issue, I actually like Edwards-Helaire as an RB2 this week. He’s been playing about twice as many snaps as Le’Veon Bell since the veteran was acquired, and the Raiders' offense is good enough to keep this game competitive into the second half. Las Vegas has a piss-poor run defense, ranking 26^th in run defense DVOA and allowing the 5^th-most running back points per game. This looks like a perfect spot for the rookie to get back on track after 3 straight floor games. He totaled 80 scrimmage yards on 13 touches in the first meeting with the Raiders in a game where the Chiefs just didn’t look like themselves. I expect they’ll look much better this time around, and that Edwards-Helaire will be part of the reason why. It’ll take a bit of a leap of faith to trust him even if he’s healthy, but I expect a strong outing from CEH on Sunday.

WR Chase Claypool, PIT (Wk. 11: @Jax.): I talked last week in this space about Claypool turning the corner and starting to see a significant target share even in weeks when Diontae Johnson stayed on the field, and that continued in week 10. Claypool finished with 4-56-2 on 10 targets against the Bengals in a game that the Steelers led most of the way. This week’s game script should be similar with Pittsburgh a 10-point favorite. Claypool has 32 targets over the last 3 weeks, so anything short of 8 in this one would be a disappointment even if the Steelers play from ahead. With the big-play ability Claypool has shown, 8+ targets against a defense allowing the 9^th-most WR points per game isn’t something you can leave on the bench.

WR Justin Jefferson, MIN (Wk. 11: vs. Dal.): Jefferson flashed again in a big way on Monday night, possibly helping Kirk Cousins break his Monday night curse along the way. Jefferson posted 8 catches and 135 yards as Kirk Cousins got his first win as a starter on Monday Night Football in his 10^th try. It also continued a strange pattern with Jefferson, who has put up blowup games every third game. In team games 3, 6, and 9, Jefferson has had at least 9 targets and 135 yards receiving in each one, averaging 8-159-1 on 10 targets in those games. In the team’s other 6 games, he hasn’t seen more than 5 targets in any of them and has only reached 50 receiving yards twice. I’m not going to read too much into this trend just yet. I think it’s mostly coincidence, but I thought it was interesting to note. This week’s matchup with the Cowboys is a good one. Dallas allows the 3^rd-most WR points per game, and while Minnesota may play from ahead and lean on the run game, I’d have a hard time leaving Jefferson’s upside on the bench in such a favorable matchup. He’s a solid WR3 this week with the upside for a lot more.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Tua Tagovailoa, MIA (Wk. 11: @Den.): Tua has looked sharp in his last two starts, but hasn’t reached QB1 levels as he finished as the QB16 and QB15 in those two games. Denver isn’t a pushover defense, but they also aren’t a very daunting one either. The Broncos rank 12^th in pass defense DVOA but allow the 14^th-most QB points per game. They gave up 3 passing scores in 2 of their last 3 games, and the only reason they held Derek Carr in check last weekend was that the Raiders ran all over them in a blowout win. I don’t expect this game to be as lopsided. Tua probably finishes somewhere in that high-to-mid QB2 range again. He’s worth consideration if you’re missing your starter in a 1-QB league, and he’s a solid QB2 in superflex and 2-QB formats.

QB Joe Burrow, CIN (Wk. 11: @Was.): Burrow finished last week with his 2^nd-lowest fantasy scoring game of the season in a daunting matchup with the Steelers, and this week he gets another matchup that looks tough on paper. Despite their poor record, Washington ranks 5^th in pass defense DVOA and allows the 11^th-fewest QB points per game. When you dig a little deeper, it looks like Washington’s numbers were built in a 3-game stretch where they got to face off with Daniel Jones (twice) and Andy Dalton, and gave up fewer than 15 QB points in each game. In the 3 games around that stretch, they gave up 23+ points to Matt Stafford, Jared Goff, and Lamar Jackson. I think Burrow is closer to that second group than the first one. I’d still tread a little carefully here with Burrow and view him more as a QB2 than a QB1 in what is still not a plus-matchup.

RB James Robinson, JAX (Wk. 11: vs. Pit.): I’m not going to pretend that you might sit James Robinson if you have him, but it’s worth noting that you should temper your expectations for him this week and probably shouldn’t be targeting him in DFS formats. The Steelers allow the 2^nd-fewest RB points per game and rank 6^th in run defense DVOA. Pittsburgh is also a 10-point favorite, so game script could be working against Robinson. Throughout the season Robinson has had a pretty safe built-in floor with his receiving usage, averaging about 4 catches and 32 receiving yards per game, but that hasn’t carried over to Luton’s starts. In the last two weeks with Minshew out, Robinson has just 2 catches for 3 yards on 7 targets. The Steelers allow a league-low 3 running back catches per game. Robinson is likely going to have to earn his points on the ground this week, and as a 2-score underdog, it could be a more uphill fight than we’re used to. Robinson will be a low-floor RB2 against the Steelers.

RB Salvon Ahmed, MIA (Wk. 11: @Den.): Ahmed had an impressive day last Sunday putting up 85 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. He seems to have a pretty firm grasp on the early-down role until Myles Gaskin returns from injury, and the matchup this week isn’t much tougher than the one he just faced. Denver allows the 14^th-most RB points per game, and in the last 3 weeks they’ve allowed 2 pairs of teammates to run for over 150 combined yards against them (Devontae Booker/Josh Jacobs last week, and Justin Jackson/Troymaine Pope in week 8). There’s plenty of upside for Ahmed to run the ball well again in this one. He doesn’t get much receiving usage – just 1 target in the last 2 games, so the cap that puts on his ceiling makes him more of a flex play than a solid RB2.

RB Jonathan Taylor, IND (Wk. 11: vs. GB): It’s been a precipitous fall from grace for Jonathan Taylor over the last few weeks, at least among fantasy players. Since the Colts’ bye in week 7, Taylor has played less than 35% of the snaps in each game and seen that share drop each week since that bye. He did find the end zone once in those games, but also lost a fumble and averaged just 34 scrimmage yards per game. With the way that Frank Reich uses his running backs, there’s always a chance that Taylor gets the hot hand and gets some extended usage, but it’s hard to count on that given the way he’s played in recent weeks. The matchup with Green Bay is a good one. The Packers allow the 3^rd-most RB points per game, but this could be more of a Nyheim Hines week as Green Bay gives up the 2^nd-most RB receiving yardage per game. Even in his diminished role, Taylor has averaged 8 carries and 2 catches per game since the bye, so you could talk yourself into using him if you’re desperate for a running back.

RB JK Dobbins, BAL (Wk. 11: vs. Ten.): The Ravens’ offense hasn’t been quite right in the last few weeks, with 3 of their 4 lowest team point totals coming in the last 3 games, and the return of Mark Ingram isn’t going to benefit Dobbins. In Ingram’s first game back, Dobbins handled just 6 touches and gained 14 scrimmage yards. He averaged 15 touches per game in the 2 games Ingram missed. The matchup this week is favorable with the Titans allowing the 8^th-most RB points per game, but it’s uncertain that Dobbins will see enough work to take advantage. The Ravens are a 6.5-point favorite, so game script should be in their favor, but given the workload split in Baltimore, Dobbins is no more than a desperation flex option in deeper leagues.

WR Tee Higgins, CIN (Wk. 11: @Was.): Higgins continued his impressive rookie campaign last week with a 7-115-1 line against the Steelers. It was his 6^th-straight game with 60+ yards and his best fantasy day of the season. He’s very likely to reach that 60-yard minimum again this week, but this probably won’t be a ceiling week for him. Washington allows the 2^nd-fewest WR points per game, largely on their ability to limit wide receiver touchdowns. They’ve given up just 5 TDs to the position all year and are the only defense in the league that hasn’t allowed a 100-yard day to an opposing wideout. You know what kind of floor you get with Higgins, and he should be fine as a WR3, but if you have another option with more upside this might be a week to consider them. Higgins missed practice with an illness late in the week, so there is even more uncertainty thrown in. Make sure to monitor his status if you plan to play him.

WR CeeDee Lamb, DAL (Wk. 11: @Min.): Lamb actually managed to post a solid day against Pittsburgh going into the bye with Garrett Gilbert under center. It sounds like Andy Dalton will be back at QB this week, but it’s unclear if that will be an upgrade or not. Lamb has the highest target share of any receiver on the team when Dalton is in (22.3%), but he’s turned 19 targets from Dalton into just 9 catches for 85 yards. The Vikings are a plus matchup for receivers, allowing the 5^th-most WR points per game, but with the inconsistency of this offense since Dak’s season ended I’d view Lamb as a volatile WR3 option.

WR Michael Pittman Jr., IND (Wk. 11: vs. GB): Pittman was one of the stars of the Colts’ victory last Thursday, posting his first career 100-yard game. He looks to be fully recovered from his compartment leg syndrome and may be pulling ahead of TY Hilton for the team’s WR1 role. I’d still expect the Packers’ top corner Jaire Alexander to be matched up on Hilton, which should mean Pittman is in line for another decent day. The Packers have the offensive firepower to keep the Colts throwing, and while Green Bay does a decent job of limiting WR production (they allow the 9^th-fewest WR points per game), they rank just a middling 16^th in pass-defense DVOA and have been burned by Keelan Cole and Richie James in recent weeks. Those guys may be closer stylistically to Hilton, but I’d still view Pittman as an upside WR3 in this matchup.

WR Jerry Jeudy, DEN (Wk. 11: vs. Mia.): Jeudy came back down to earth a little bit last week after his breakout week 9 performance, but he still posted his 3^rd straight game with double-digit PPR points and more than 65 receiving yards. He’ll face a tough individual matchup this week against Byron Jones, but he’s been peppered with targets in recent weeks (32 total in the last 3 games). I’d be a little nervous for him if Lock is out and Brett Rypien starts. In Rypien’s one previous start, Jeudy was targeted just 4 times, but it’s a small enough sample that I wouldn’t overreact to it. The week before that game when Rypien came on in relief of Jeff Driskel, he targeted Jeudy 3 times in just 9 attempts. Jeudy is a reasonable WR3 or flex option this week, but don’t expect a ceiling game against Jones.

WR Jalen Reagor, PHI (Wk. 11: @Cle.): Reagor was on the field for a season-high 88% of the offensive snaps last week and targeted a season-high 7 times in that game despite Alshon Jeffery’s return. He’s now seen 13 targets in 2 games since returning and is basically neck & neck with Travis Fulgham for WR1 status on the team. This week he faces off with a Cleveland defense that allows the 6^th-most WR points per game and ranks 20^th in pass defense DVOA. He does draw the toughest individual matchup with Denzel Ward, but against this defense, he’s still got room to post a nice day if he sees another 7+ targets. Carson Wentz has been up & down this year, so there is some volatility here, but if you believe Reagor’s WR1 role is for real, he’s an upside WR4 this week.

Rookies to Sit:

QB Jake Luton, JAX (Wk. 11: vs. Pit.): Luton came back down to earth a bit in his second NFL start against Green Bay. The Jaguars hung around in the game, but the rookie finished as the QB22 with fewer than 10 fantasy points. He gets an even tougher matchup this week. Pittsburgh ranks 2^nd in pass defense DVOA and allows the 5^th-fewest QB points per game. Luton should get Laviska Shenault back this week, but that likely won’t be enough help to push him into being a useful option against the Steelers. He’s probably not worth considering even as a QB2.

RB Joshua Kelley, LAC (Wk. 11: vs. NYJ): Week after week I’ve been listing Kelley as a borderline option as part of the backfield committee in LA, and week after week he fails to produce a quality stat line. His ceiling games have been around 10 PPR points, and that just isn’t the kind of upside you’re hoping for from him. He hasn’t found the end zone since week 1, and at the moment this backfield looks like the Kalen Ballage show. Kelley played just 27% of the offensive snaps last week while Ballage played the other 73%. The matchup this week is good. The Jets are the worst team in the league and allow the 7^th-most RB points per game, but we’ve been burned by Kelley time and again. I wouldn’t want to use him even in this plus matchup unless I was pretty desperate. This probably means he’s going to have his best game of the season.

RB DeeJay Dallas, SEA (Wk. 11: vs. Ari.): Carlos Hyde will be active tonight, and will likely slot in as the lead back for Seattle on early downs with Chris Carson sidelined again and Alex Collins back on the practice squad. Travis Homer will be out tonight as well, so Dallas will serve as the 3^rd-down back against a Cardinals team that doesn’t give up a lot of receptions to the opposing backfields (just 4.4 per game). Only Raheem Mostert, Ezekiel Elliott, and Mike Davis have caught more than 3 passes in a game from the running back position against Arizona. With Hyde back, and Bo Scarbrough active as the 3^rd-string running back, it’s hard to imagine Dallas getting any opportunities at the goal line. Without a touchdown or a significant number of catches, there isn’t much upside for Dallas.

RB Cam Akers, LAR (Wk. 11: @TB): Akers has started to become a bigger part of the backfield committee for the Rams, but the role he’s carved out doesn’t have a lot of fantasy upside. For starters, he has struggled in pass protection and as a result, hasn’t been getting many opportunities in passing situations. He has just 1 target in the last 2 games. He also isn’t getting the ball at the goal line. The Rams ran for 3 short scores last week, and it was Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson doing the scoring. The increased playing time is a good sign for Akers, but until he cleans up the pass blocking or starts run the ball effectively enough to make it hard for Sean McVay to keep him off the field, he’s not going to be seeing the high-value touches. Against a Tampa defense that ranks 2^nd in run defense DVOA, you don’t want to bet on Akers producing in that limited role.

WR Laviska Shenault, JAX (Wk. 11: vs. Pit.): As I mentioned with Jake Luton, the Jacksonville passing game as a whole is going to be shaky this week. The Steelers have been vulnerable to wide receivers, allowing the 11^th-most points per game to the position, but the guys who have made them pay have been bigger perimeter wide receivers. The 4 highest point totals they’ve allowed to receivers this year were put up by Darius Slayton, AJ Brown, Travis Fulgham, and Tee Higgins. Shenault is not that kind of receiver. If he finds his way to 60 yards and a score in this one it would be a wildly successful game for him.

WRs Henry Ruggs & Bryan Edwards, LV (Wk. 11: vs. KC): Ruggs is a guy that I always view as a boom-or-bust kind of player, but he has consistently busted since his breakout performance against the Chiefs back in week 5. He totaled 118 yards and a touchdown in that game but has a total of just 7 catches for 74 yards on 14 targets in the 4 games since. Are the Chiefs the opponent to get him booming again? I probably wouldn’t bet on it. The Chiefs allow the 5^th-fewest WR points per game, and Ruggs’ 2 catches of 40+ yards in the first meeting make up half of the 40+ yard completions Kansas City has allowed all year. Keep him sidelined. His teammate Bryan Edwards took a step forward last week, playing 20 snaps in his first extended action since week 3. I wouldn’t consider him this week, but if his snap share keeps trending in the right direction, he should be a better weekly fantasy play than Ruggs before long.

WR Devin Duvernay, BAL (Wk. 11: vs. Ten.): Duvernay’s time may be coming, but the recent resurgence of Willie Snead in the slot for the Ravens hurts Duvernay’s upside. He’d be best suited to stretching the seam from the slot, and Snead seems to have that role pretty well locked down right now. Duvernay has moved ahead of Miles Boykin on the depth chart and played at least 40% of the offensive snaps in each of the last 3 weeks (a season-high 55% last weekend), but until that starts turning into more consistent targets he’s going to be a low-floor dart throw for fantasy. He’s been targeted just 6 times in those last 3 games. The Titans are burnable. They allow the 4^th-most WR points per game and Duvernay has splash play abilities, so if you want to take a swing in a DFS tournament be my guest. He only costs the minimum on DraftKings, but this passing game is too volatile for me to roll the dice on Duvernay right now.

WR Quintez Cephus, DET (Wk. 11: @Car.): There is some potential upside for Cephus this week with Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola both missing practice on Thursday, but it’s been clear in the past couple of weeks that the Marvins – Hall & Jones – are the ones who will benefit most from their absence. The Lions’ QB Matt Stafford will be playing through a torn ligament in his throwing hand, which throws a little additional uncertainty into how effective the Detroit passing game will be, and there’s always a chance that they call up Mohamed Sanu from the practice squad and that he siphons snaps from Cephus. Add in the fact that Carolina allows the 12^th-fewest WR points per game, and a possible expanded role for the rookie just isn’t all that exciting in this one. If you’re scrounging this far down the WR ranks, I’d take a swing on a higher ceiling than Cephus has this week.

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, CLE (Wk. 11: vs. Phi.): Peoples-Jones did play a handful more snaps last week than he did in week 10, even hauling in a couple of catches for 16 yards, but he’s still playing as the WR4 in this offense…an offense that ran the ball on about two-thirds of their offensive plays a week ago now that Nick Chubb is back. There isn’t a reason to start DPJ in any formats this week.

TE Harrison Bryant, CLE (Wk. 11: vs. Phi.): After posting a goose egg last week, you probably don’t need me to tell you to sit Bryant. It’s ugly enough at tight end this week that a lot of folks playing on ESPN are using Taysom Hill as a tight end streamer, so you may be looking pretty far down the ranks for help. The Eagles do allow the 6^th-most tight end points per game, but as I mentioned under Peoples-Jones, with Nick Chubb back last week the Browns ran the ball on about two-thirds of their offensive snaps in a close game. With Austin Hooper back, Bryant’s snap share is down to just over 50%, so he’ll likely be limited to less than 20 routes run. You’re counting on a TD if you play him, and if you don’t get one another goose egg is entirely possible.

Rookies on Byes: RB Zack Moss, BUF, RB JaMycal Hasty, SF (also out with broken collarbone), WR Brandon Aiyuk, SF, WR Darnell Mooney, CHI, WR Gabriel Davis, BUF, WR Austin Mack, NYG, TE Cole Kmet, CHI

Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:

RB La’Mical Perine, NYJ (WK. 11: @LAC): It’s undoubtedly a trap to suggest playing any Adam Gase running back, but I actually like Perine’s chances at a decent day in this one. Frank Gore continues to see more rushing work than the rookie, but the Jets have talked breathlessly about wanting to get Perine more involved. This would be a good week to do it. The Chargers have allowed the 11^th-most RB points per game, but more importantly, have allowed more than 6 catches per game to the position, and Perine has 2 catches in each of the last 4 games while Gore has 8 catches all season. Perine is mostly a desperation flex play in season-long leagues, but he costs little more than the minimum on DraftKings and I’ve got a feeling he’s going to outplay that cost.

RB Anthony McFarland, PIT (Wk. 11: @Jax.): McFarland missed last week’s game with an illness, but should be good to go for week 11. Prior to his absence, he had played more snaps than Benny Snell in week 10 and seemed to be starting to carve out a bigger role for himself. The key to this matchup for McFarland will be garbage time, and how much of it there will be. I kind of suggested playing this game last week with AJ Dillon against these same Jaguars, and that didn’t work out so well, but it’s worth noting that McFarland could see some extended run if the Steelers get far enough out in front. He has more big-play speed than Snell, so he has a better chance of cashing that garbage time work into fantasy points. I wouldn’t look at him as anything more than a cheap DFS tournament play though.

WR KJ Hamler, DEN (Wk. 11: vs. Mia.): After seeing 10 targets in back-to-back games now that he plays primarily in the slot, I might be doing Hamler a disservice to call him a ‘deep-league sleeper’. If Drew Lock misses this game as expected, Hamler could lose a little bit of that mojo, but since he’s in the slot he’ll mostly avoid top corners Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Instead, he’ll face off with Nik Needham, which should result in some extra looks going Hamler’s way. The Dolphins allow the 13^th-most WR points per game, and Hamler should be in a pretty good spot to take advantage of a reasonable matchup. His price tag could be a steal at $3,600 on DraftKings, and he should be a decent flex option for deeper leagues.

WR Denzel Mims, NYJ (Wk. 11: @LAC): Since returning from injury Mims has played a significant role in the Jets’ offense. He’s been on the field for 96% of the offensive snaps in each of the last two weeks and seen 6 targets per game since his return. He’s played one game with Joe Flacco at QB, and in that game, he turned 8 targets into 4 catches and 62 yards. This week he faces a Chargers’ defense that does a pretty good job limiting wideouts, allowing the 6^th-fewest points per game to the position, but it’ll be Breshad Perriman who gets the toughest matchup, squaring off with Casey Heyward. Slot man Jamison Crowder will be the Jet with the most favorable matchup, but Flacco showed a willingness to take deep shots in his last start, and I’d expect Mims to be the guy who benefits if that happens again this week. He’s shown a built-in floor with at least 40 yards in each game he’s played, but he’s got an upside this week well beyond his $3,300 price tag on DraftKings.

WR Freddy Swain, SEA (Wk. 11: vs. Ari.): Keep a close eye on the status of Tyler Lockett for Thursday night before considering Swain. If Lockett is out the rookie has some sneaky upside for DFS tournaments, especially the Thursday showdown slate where he costs just $1,200 on DraftKings. Swain has been consistently playing around 30-35% of the offensive snaps with everybody healthy. It hasn’t really translated to targets, but he did manage to post 3-37 on 4 targets last Sunday. If Lockett misses the game or is limited, both Swain and David Moore would be in line for bigger roles against a defense that allows the 8^th-most points per game to opposing WRs. There would be upside for both, but Swain’s lower price tag will make him an intriguing option.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully, it helps you with your toughest lineup decisions involving rookies. Make sure to check the active/inactive updates on Sunday, and make sure you don’t start a sidelined player. If you have any questions or want to yell at me about anything written above, feel free to hit me up on Twitter and let me know (@Shawn_Foss). As always: Good luck, trust your gut and have fun. It’s just a game.

Welcome to Statistically (in)Significant, the place to find great stats that probably only matter at the water cooler (or bar). Each week I'll dig through the stats of the week gone by and deliver you some choice conversation starters. All fantasy stats are half PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

0 Targets in Week 11

The WR3 this week, (or TE1, depending on your hosting site) had exactly zero targets in the passing game this week but put up 24.42 points. In surely the most controversial issue of the fantasy season, Taysom Hill started at QB this week for the Saints, while retaining WR or TE eligibility on most fantasy platforms. This was surely a triumph of the well prepared because Hill found the end zone twice on the ground and also threw for 223 yards, more than doubling his career passing yards total. He still sits at zero passing TDs, but has 13 career rushing & receiving TDs, already halfway to Drew Brees’s career total. The fantasy football story from this game that has been buried is that Michael Thomas finally had a good game. He broke out for 9 receptions and 104 yards, more than he had combined in his previous three starts in 2020. Going into next week’s much tougher matchup against Denver, it’s anyone’s guess how Taysom Hill will perform, or even what positions he will be eligible to start in. One thing I think we might be able to speculate with some confidence is that Michael Thomas has resumed duties as the WR1 on the New Orleans Saints.

25 Fantasy Points Per Game

With 9 starts now under his belt, Chargers rookie QB Justin Herbert is averaging 25 points per game, which is good for 5^th among all QBs in the league. This week he put up his second-highest total of the year, 27.74 points, on the strength of his highest passing yards total of 366 and 3 touchdowns in an easy victory of the Jets. Herbert is now 7^th in overall points at the QB position and 5^th in points per game, which is a remarkable feat considering he was only inserted as an emergency starter in Week 2, with no apparent plans to make him a starter that early in the season. Now that Joe Burrow is done for the year and we saw Tua Tagovailoa benched against Denver in the 4^th quarter, I think it’s safe that say that Justin Herbert has the Offensive Rookie of the Year award all but wrapped up with 6 games still remaining in the season.

16 Receptions

Keenan Allen caught 16 passes on Sunday, a franchise record for the Chargers, in a game that they had to have to avoid supreme embarrassment. Let’s face it, anyone who loses to the Jets this year will be the laughing stock of the week, so the Chargers did dodge that bullet in a game where they were up 24-6 at one point. That’s very on point for the Chargers this year. But I digress, let’s go back to Keenan Allen. He’s now leading the league with 81 receptions after 10 games. A bit off of Michael Thomas’s record-setting pace last year, but still on pace for 130 on the season and by far the most he’s had in a single season of his career, which was 104 last year. Allen has been a huge part of bringing Justin Herbert along as a rookie, and I don’t think that either player would be in the excellent fantasy position they are in without the other one.

3 Out of the Last 4 Weeks

Dalvin Cook has now led all running backs in fantasy points in 3 of the last 4 weeks. In Weeks 8 and 9, it was from gaudy totals of 47 and 38 points, but last week he led a rather low scoring group with 22.50 points. Cook has 14 total touchdowns on the season and has scored in all but one game this season. He also exceeded 100 yards from scrimmage for the 6^th time this season – his 4^th week in a row. Cook is now sitting all alone as the RB1 on the season, having edged out Alvin Kamara by 5 points, though Cook does have one fewer game played on the season, putting his average points per game well ahead of everyone other than Christian McCaffrey. While it’s certainly possible that Cook is passed in points by a player tonight, let’s just suppose that doesn’t happen. That means that while Cook has been on this hot 4 game tear, his team is 3-1, sweeping through the NFC North while dropping a game to the Dallas Cowboys of the embarrassing NFC East. Of course, the Cowboys did get Andy Dalton back who threw 3 touchdowns and saw Ezekiel Elliott crack 100 yards for the first time all season.

22.86 Fantasy Points

Travis Kelce continued his utterly dominant season this week, catching a wide-open touchdown to seal the victory for the Chiefs late in the 4^th quarter last night. Kelce now has 162.76 points on the season, which would make him the WR3 on the season if he played that position. Of course, instead, he’s the TE1, but since the numbers line up so well with Taysom Hill, why not just play with positional eligibly a little bit. Kelce has now finished as the top TE of the week 4 times on the season, and 3 of the last 4 weeks, just like Dalvin Cook. Kelce has the 3^rd most receiving yards in the league and leads all tight ends in every statistical category. Kelce is on a pace to have the second-most fantasy points in a season by a TE in NFL history, right on pace with Jimmy Graham’s 2013 season. He’s still got some work to do if he wants to match Rob Gronkowski’s 2011 season, however.