Week 11 is here ... and desperate times calls for desperate measures. There are only four more games until the playoffs. Either you're lobbying for the highest possible seeding, scratching the surface of making the postseason cut or your season is so far gone at this point. Whatever the case may be — even if you're strictly playing for pride — you may want to follow these tips to notch another 'W' in the win column by the end of Monday Night Football. Move the chains and build your game-winning drive.
Bye-Week Teams: New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns
Starters You'll Need to Replace
Giants: Veteran quarterback Eli Manning has been having a pretty respectable fantasy campaign this season. That has helped second-year wideout phenom Odell Beckham Jr. reap the benefits with 863 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. They'll need to be replaced as well as wideout Rueben Randle, running back Rashad Jennings and even back-up rusher Shane Vereen in deeper leagues.
Saints: Look to replace veteran QB Drew Brees and running back Mark Ingram, who has been quietly putting together a pretty solid 2015 campaign out the backfield.
Steelers: Is there a better wide receiver in the NFL than Antonio Brown? If so, Tech Times doesn't know his name. Fantasy owners will sorely miss the dynamic wideout this week, especially after his 139-yard, two touchdown performance for 27 points in non-points-per-receptions' leagues. In addition to Brown, you may need to replace quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wideout Martavis Bryant and running back DeAngelo Williams.
Browns: At this point in the season, you shouldn't be starting any Browns. Maybe you have rookie running back Duke Johnson stashed deep on your bench, but there's no starting quality on this team. Sorry, Johnny Manziel.
Need a Running Back? Claim Them Off Waivers Now: James White, Matt Jones, Jay Ajayi, Denard Robinson, Shaun Draughn
I advised owners to scoop up New England Patriots running back James White last week and he wound up rushing once for five yards and catching one pass for another six yards, spelling zero, yes, zero fantasy points in non-PPR leagues. Well, at home against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football could be different.
The Bills stifled LeGarrette Blount, the Patriots current featured running back, for four yards on two carries back in Week 2, but Blount was playing second fiddle to Dion Lewis at that point. Still, in terms of rushing style, White favors Lewis more than Blount.
So, if Blount struggles to get his ground-pound game going, White may spell just the change-of-pace rushing that the Patriots need against the Bills and the 23-year-old could feasibly have a big night. CBS Sportsline lists White as being on 60 percent of rosters in all fantasy leagues, but if your league falls in that 40 percent, he's a no-brainer to snatch up on waivers this week.
At this point in the season, it's key to plan ahead. Yes, Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones faces a daunting task, rushing against the undefeated Carolina Panthers and their stout defense. But the Redskins' Week 12 and 13 opponents are the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys — not exactly shut-down defensive teams. If you're in a bind at running back this week with say Mark Ingram or DeAngelo Williams on a bye, maybe you roll the dice on Jones this week, fully expecting to have the acquisition pay off in the forthcoming weeks. Like White, though, good luck getting a hold of Jones, as his ownership percentage throughout Sportsline leagues is listed as 58 percent.
Back up to Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi is a handcuff running back option ... but then again so were Kansas City's Charcandrick West and Chicago's Jeremy Langford and look how their fantasy stock is skyrocketing. I'm not advising to go out your way trying to land Ajayi, but if he's ripe for the picking, add him to your roster. He could come in handy during this stretch run.
If Jacksonville Jaguars' No. 1 running back T.J. Yeldon (foot injury) can't play on this short week against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football, it could spell Denard Robinson splitting the workload out the backfield with Toby Gerhart. Robinson could be worth the start if you're desperate for a spark with your running backs.
The San Francisco 49ers are terrible, but running back Shaun Draughn showed signs of life out of the Niners' backfield, rushing for 58 yards and hauling in four passes for another 38 yards, equalling eight points in non-PPR leagues. If the 27-year-old continues to show his hunger, he could possibly become a viable fantasy option down the stretch as well.
Need A Wide Receiver? Claim Them Off Waivers Now: Danny Amendola, Steve Johnson, Dorial Green-Beckham, Devin Funchess
Don't look now, but Danny Amendola is currently the most-added free agent throughout all of Sportslines' leagues. That makes total sense, too, considering that New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman could miss the rest of the season with a broken foot.
While Amendola isn't as shifty running his routes as Edelman, he is certainly capable of putting numbers on the board. If your league falls in the 51 percent of leagues that count Amendola as a free agent, he's a no-brainer add on the waiver wire this week with the Pats hosting the Buffalo Bills. Make him a priority ... especially with Tom Brady throwing him the ball in New England's high-powered offense.
Veteran wideout Steve Johnson finds himself as a hot free-agency add this week, too, and it's by default. San Diego Chargers wide receivers Keenan Allen (kidney) and Malcom Floyd (shoulder) are still nursing injuries, meaning Johnson's busy 10 targets, which he converted for seven catches and 68 yards, could continue this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Add him on the waiver wire if you can, as he is listed on 66 percent of Sportsline rosters.
Dorial Green-Beckham could stand to put up some decent numbers on this short week, especially if his Tennessee Titans are able to turn their Thursday Night Football clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars into a shootout with heavy offensive fireworks.
Fellow rookie wideout Devin Funchess could be in a similar position this week, too. Although the difference is, his Carolina Panthers are doing so well right now that it seems like it's just a matter of time before he gets his opportunities within the offense and produces. Maybe that time is this week against the average Washington Redskins.
Anticipated Letdowns: Cardinals Defense, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant
The Arizona Cardinals are going to be hard-pressed to stifle the Cincinnati Bengals, especially after the AFC powerhouse only mustered six points in their first loss of the season last week. I expect the Bengals to bit back with extra ferocity and such a case wouldn't bode well with the Cards' defense at all.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is eligible to return to the team this week after missing eight weeks with a fractured collarbone. To sit out two months and suddenly come back and perform at a high level isn't an easy task. I'm not saying Romo isn't capable of doing that against the Miami Dolphins this week, but let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if he has a letdown, either.
And Romo having a letdown — if he even plays — will result in Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant having a meltdown as well.
Sleeper Picks: Matthew Stafford, Brock Osweiler, Charles Clay
They're arguably the worst team in football, but the Detroit Lions showed some signs of life last week in pulling out a huge road upset against the Green Bay Packers. The game saw struggling QB Matthew Stafford produce a respectable stat line of 24-of-38 passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for 19 yards. Nothing that jumps off the page, but a worthy performance, nonetheless.
That being said, Stafford's Lions host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday and that game could see Stafford's production potentially skyrocket, considering the Silver and Black are giving up a ridiculous 293 passing yards per game this season. In other words, with the exception of Charles Woodson, the Raiders secondary has been Swiss cheese. That could spell a big outing for Stafford, making the gunslinger a good sub-in option for this week.
If you have a Drew Brees, Eli Manning or Big Ben Roethlisberger on the bye this week and your league's free agency pool is extra thin, perhaps you want to consider rolling the dice and giving Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler a shot. Starting in the place of Peyton Manning, this is Osweiler's chance to show and prove — and he could do it with the comfort, knowing that Denver is a run-first team this season. The run could open up the pass and give young Brock opportunities to pick the Chicago Bears apart.
For whatever it's worth, Buffalo Bills tight end Charles Clay did find the end zone against the New England Patriots back in Week 2. Then again, the Patriots have done nothing but improve since then ... and the Bills haven't, so the choice is yours.
Confusion By Committee: Baltimore Ravens Wide Receivers Kamar Aiken and Chris Givens
It's hard to decipher who's going to reach paydirt when it comes to the Baltimore Ravens' receiving corps right now. Take last week for example with Kamar Aiken being targeted 14 times, recording seven catches for 73 yards. Teammate Chris Givens was targeted half that amount, but actually wound up scoring a touchdown. Added to his 37 receiving yards, Givens' nine fantasy points trumped Aiken's seven in non-PPR leagues ... and the frustrating thing if you have Givens on your roster is that could change this week. In a way, it's a good problem to have. In another, it could be downright frustrating when frustration is the last thing you need at this point in the season.
Trade Deadline
The trade deadline is today, Wednesday, November 18 in Sportsline and other fantasy football platforms as well. I've been preaching to deal a player like Dallas Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant to return max value, but you may need him if you say ... had a wide receiver like a Julian Edelman go down to an injury, the way I experienced with my squad.
Still, don't be afraid to put something on the table before the deadline. If you could get by with one of the running backs on your bench in hopes of landing a hot wide receiver, do so, and vice versa. Whatever you think could set you up for the stretch run over these next four weeks should be the move executed. Good luck!
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