What’s so great about the NFL? Well let’s see, in week 11, we had Detroit putting up another 52 burger, we had another walk-off blocked field goal along with a plethora of other missed field goals by good kickers, Buffalo handed the Chiefs their first loss, and the Steelers held Lamar Jackson and the Ravens out of the end zone for a 2 point conversion to win the game. The drama just keeps unraveling as teams start to separate from playoff hopefuls to determining where they draft next year. Let’s take a dive into the biggest studs and duds of the week!
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Quarterbacks
Studs:
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions – I don’t hear Goff’s name being thrown around in MVP conversations, but it should be. He leads the league in passing percentage (among QBs with over 200 attempts) at 73%, helped in part by his perfect 18 for 18 game. His team is 9-1, tied for the best record in the NFL, and they just scored 52 points for the 2nd time this season in which Goff was an efficient 24 of 29 for 412 yards and 4 TDs, earning him his first QB1 title this year.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals – Burrow has been a man on an absolute mission the past 3 weeks. He earned QB1 status the past 2 weeks and came up just short of a third consecutive title. In this past 3 week stretch of dominance, Burrow has thrown 145 passes, completing 89 of them for 1,035 yards, 12 TDs and only 1 INT! Unfortunately for Burrow and the Bengals, his 356 yards passing and 3 TDs wasn’t quite enough in their 27-34 loss to the Chargers.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos – There has been a lot of talk about rookie QBs Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams, probably because they went 1 & 2 in the 2024 NFL draft. But you can’t overlook what Bo Nix has done in his rookie campaign. He has led his team to a 6-5 record and the
Broncos are unexpectedly in the playoff hunt. In week 11, Nix was 28 of 33 for a career high 307 yards and 4 TDs, also a career high, in a 38-6 thrashing of the NFC South leading Atlanta Falcons.
Honorable Mentions:
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts – 20/30 passing for 272 yards and 1 TD; 32 yards rushing and 2 TDs.
Mathew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams – 18/27 passing for 295 yards and 4 TDs
Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns – 30/46 passing for 395 yards and 2 TDs
Duds:
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons just couldn’t get any offense going against an aggressive Broncos front 7. Cousins felt a good amount of pressure every time he dropped back. He was only able to complete 18 passes for a mere 173 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans – Stroud has had a bit of a sophomore slump this year, being a fantasy disappointment. In week 11, with WR Nico Collins back from injury, Stroud had a solid on field game, but fantasy wise, his 257 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT doesn’t fare well.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders – Although the Commanders down play it, it seems as thought Daniels’ ribs injury is still affecting his play. He had a rather modest day in week 11, passing for only 191 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, with only 18 rushing yards.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens – A Ravens/Steelers game is almost always going to be a close, defensive slug fest, as was the case Sunday. Jackson continued to have his struggles when playing Pittsburgh, completing less than half his attempted passes, for 207 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.
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Wide Receivers
Studs:
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions – For the 4th time this season, and 2nd consecutive week, we have a QB/WR duo at the top of their prospective positions. Surprisingly, this is only St. Browns 1st WR1 title this season. The Lions just poured it on against the Jaguars, with St. Brown catching all 11 of his targets for 161 yards and 2 TDs.
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams – Kupp has been dealing with an injury most of the season, but has now eclipsed 100 yards receiving twice in 3 weeks. In week 11, Kupp fantasy owners were happy that he not only pulled in 6 of his 10 targets for 106 yards, but hit pay dirt 2X as well.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals – It wasn’t looking like it was going to be a good day for the Bengals in the first half, falling to the Chargers 6-24. But Higgins and company stormed back in a huge way in the 2nd half, eventually tying the game at 27 apiece before eventually losing 27-34. Higgin was accountable for 9 receptions for a season high 148 yards and 1 TD, all fresh off a quad injury.
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns – Most of Jeudy’s damage was done on an 89 yard TD score in the 1st quarter. He finished the day with 6 grabs for 142 yards and 1 TD, meaning the other 5 receptions were only good for 53 yards. But hey, this is fantasy football, and in fantasy, we only care about the final count.
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals – Higgins and Chase both making the studs list marks the 3rd WR duo to do so this season. Naturally, their QB is going to be on the studs list as well, so this trio is definitely something to be reckoned with. This was the 4th game in a row for Chase having double digit targets. He hauled in 7 of those targets for 75 yards, but most importantly to the Chase fantasy owners, had 2 TDs.
Honorable Mentions:
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions – 4 receptions for 124 yards and 1 TD
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams – 7 receptions for 123 yards and 1 TD
Duds:
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders – McLaurin has been a really good fantasy option since week 3 of the season. He has eclipsed 100 yards receiving 4X (almost 5), and the times he did not, he scored TDs. Against a tough Philly defense, QB Jayden McDaniels tried spreading the ball all around, which proved to be an unsuccessful strategy, only targeting their star WR twice. McLaurin finished with 1 catch for 10 yards.
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets – I was curious as to how WR Davante Adams being acquired by the Jets would effect Wilson’s output. I thought maybe Adams would get a lot of targets and Wilson might start to get over looked. The reality is that QB Aaron Rodgers is playing so poorly, no double teams are necessary. Wilson’s talent was keeping him a viable fantasy option earlier in the season, but the last two weeks, he has not been, including a week 11 stinker of 4 catches for 18 yards.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers – Logic may say, no Aiyuk, no Kittle, then Deebo is going to eat. What the 49ers being without Aiyuk for the season, and Kittle nursing a hamstring injury really means is that an opposing defense pays extra attention to Samuel. As was the case Sunday, as Seattle swarmed him all day, holding him to 4 catches for 22 yards.
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles – This marks the 2nd consecutive week for Smith on the duds list. With WR A.J. Brown healthy and in the line up, and the emergence of newly acquired super star RB Saquon Barkley taking a good bulk of touches, and rightfully so, Smith gets pushed aside a bit. He’ll probably continue to be a hit or miss kind of WR, being heavily dependent on catching one or more of his deep pass attempts. In week 11, his 4 catches only went for 29 yards.
Running Backs
Studs:
Joe Mixon, Houston Texans – Right out of the gate, Mixon was off to a dominant night, rushing for a 45 yard TD on the very 1st possession of the game. He continued to dominate the Cowboys on the ground rushing for a total of 109 yards on 20 carries, and 3 TDs, in a 34-10 blowout in Dallas. Mixon coincidentally had exactly 2 receptions for 44 yards for the 2nd consecutive week, all adding up to an RB1 title in week 11.
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles – Barkley was on his way to a 3rd RB1 title of the season until Monday night, when Mixon decided to run wild all over a pretty sad looking Dallas defense. Regardless, Barkley still had a pretty spectacular day with almost 200 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 146 and 2 TDs, adding 2 receptions for 52 yards, in a convincing win over divisional rivals, Washington Commanders, 26-18 on Thursday Night Football.
Breece Hall, New York Jets – I would say, to go right along with the Jets season as a whole, Hall has had a disappointing season, especially for Hall fantasy owners who probably drafted him in the top 5 of their draft. In week 11, he did manage to shine in an otherwise rather dismal showing by the Jets, rushing for 78 yards and 1 TD from 18 yards out, and catching 7 passes for 43 yards and 1 TD, a dump off pass from 29 yards out.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions – You might think with the QB and WR at the top of their prospective lists, there might not be much left for the RBs. Not the case in Detroit where the Lions trounced the Jaguars, 52-6. Montgomery just went about doing his thing, rushing for 75 yards and 2 TDs, adding 3 receptions for 20 yards.
Honorable Mentions:
Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers – 18 carries for 76 yards and 1 TD; 4 receptions for 58 yards
Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions – 11 carries for 69 yards and 1 TD; 1 reception for 54 yards
J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers – 11 carrries for 56 yards and 2 TDs
Duds:
Tony Pollard, Tennesse Titans – Pollard has exceeded my expectations this year. He’s actually been a decent fantasy option for most of the season prior to his past two games. He is dealing with a foot injury, but if you can’t play and be effective, don’t play. Pollard mustered up a mere 15 yards on 9 carries, adding 14 yards on 2 receptions.
Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings – I don’t have any answers or theories on this. Jones just couldn’t get anything going against an underrated Titans defense. He rushed 15 times for 39 yards. Jones has been a good back throughout his career, but does tend to just have a stinker once in a while, as he did here in week 11.
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns – I’m not going to try to despair Chubb in any way. I’m really rooting for him. I’m just not sure Chubb will ever be the same after his horrific knee injury over a year ago. Browns HC Kevin Stefanski claims Chubb’s limited carries (11) were planned in anticipation of a quick turn around as they have the Thursay night game 4 days following after, against Pittsburgh. Chubb had a pretty good average going, rushing for 4.5 yards per carry for a total of 50 yards. But in fantasy, that doesn’t help much.
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Tight Ends
Studs:
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints – I’m just not sure why the Saints only let this guy get loose once or twice a season. The Kordell Stewert 2.0 should be getting a bare minimum of 15 touches in one way or another, every game. Week 11 was a perfect case in point, where he had an 18 yard pass completion, and carried the ball 7 times for 138 yards and 3 TDs. He’s listed as QB/TE but is just a back up for both. Maybe after Sunday they’ll get him more involved.
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins – Smith has forced his way more and more into HC Mike McDaniel’s offense with his stellar play. With QB Tua Tagovailoa back from concussion protocol, the Dolphins offense is clicking again. Smith was a big part of it Sunday, hauling in 6 passes for 101 yards and 2 TDs.
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders – Bowers leads the league in receptions (70) and receiving yards (706) among TEs. He has been a lone bright spot in a disastrous Raider season, as well as in a week 11, 19-34 loss to the Dolphins, where Bowers was the recipient of 16 targets, hauling in 13 of them for 126 yards and 1 TD.
Honorable Mentions:
Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs – 4 receptions for 23 yards and 2 TDs
Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers – 4 receptions for 80 yards and 1 TD
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders – 6 receptions for 47 yards and 1 TD
Duds:
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs – Kelce has given Chiefs fans and his fantasy owners something to cheer about for the last 3 weeks in a row. This week, however, as noted above, back up TE Gray went ahead and poached 2 TDs, while Kelce was left with 2 receptions for 8 yards.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons – Pitts has been pretty volatile as a fantasy option his whole career. I thought he may become a little more consistent when QB Kirk Cousins arrived. Not really the case. Pitts only pulled in one of his 3 targets for 9 yards Sunday, in a 6-38 thrashing by the hands of the Denver Broncos.
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens – Andrews just hasn’t been the Andrews of old all season. He was able to string together some solid performances in weeks 6-10, but not Sunday in a tough divisional match up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 2 catches for 22 yards was all he was able to contribute.
Defense/Special Teams
Studs:
Houston Texans – The Texans went in to Dallas and dominated the Cowboys, 34-10. In the process, they sacked the QB 5 times, had 1 INT and scooped a fumble taking it in for a TD.
Denver Broncos – Denver also dominated their opponent in the Atlanta Falcons. They held them to 6 points, sacked QB Kirk Cousins 4 times and had 1 INT.
Duds:
Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons would like to forget Sunday altogether, getting dominated on both sides of the ball. The Broncos defense dominated Atlanta, but Atlanta had no answers for Denver’s offense. The Broncos put up 38 points, while the Falcons only recorded 1 sack, putting them in the negative for fantasy points.
Thanks for checking out this weeks edition of fantasy football’s biggest studs and duds. I hope you found it informative and an easy read. As always, I love to hear your thoughts and opinions on these players performances, so feel free to leave a message below. Thanks!
Thanks for providing this detailed breakdown!
It is a great resource for anyone interested in the NFL and fantasy football. It’s clear that you have a deep understanding of the game and apassion for sharing your insights.
And the breakdown of the NFL’s week 11 action is comprehensive and engaging, providing a great mix of analysis and commentary for fantasy football enthusiasts.
Hey Shaun!
Thanks for checking out this article! I’m glad you enjoyed it! I appreciate your thoughts and kind words!
Hello Mike!
Great read! I love how you broke down the Week 11 studs and duds—your insights really help with setting lineups and making those tough roster decisions.
I’m curious, though, do you think there are any emerging players who could be sleepers for the rest of the season based on their performances this week? Also, for those of us who are dealing with injuries on our rosters, do you have any advice on how to balance short-term fixes with long-term strategy?
Looking forward to your next breakdown—thanks for all the great tips!
Cheers,
Angela M 😊
Angela,
Thanks for checking out my article and taking the time to leave a note! Greatly appreciated!
Sleepers are kind of hard to come by this late in the season, so my advise for sleepers is look for someone who is capable of performing, but hasn’t done much yet, or is a young player looking to emerge into something great.
I’ll give you a few examples.
Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa is back from concussion protocol and has tons of talent around him. A break out game is very possible.
Not everyone has caught on to NY Giants rookie QB Tyrone Tracy Jr. yet, and with a QB change in NY, the Giants might look to go run heavy with their young work horse.
The Chicago Bears are in complete disarray right now. They are relying heavily on a rookie QB and a rookie WR on offense. These 2 rookies may turn out to be great players, but for now, it’s a hot mess in Chicago. Regardless, the Bears still look to pass more than 50% of the time, and QB Caleb Williams is familiar with, and looks to WR Rome Odunze often. Either player may be available on waiver wire and might be worth taking a look at.
Injuries are unfortunately a big part of football. In fantasy, you hope to draft a deep roster in preparation of bye weeks and injuries. Nonetheless, they can still decimate a roster from time to time. Check the waiver wire to see if you have any possibilities there. Be smart with your flex position. Use it with who ever you have left from your bench after filling required positions first. Good luck!