Start 'Em or Sit 'Em for Fantasy Football Week 11

The fantasy football stretch run is here.

Thursday's meeting in Cleveland between the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers marks the beginning of the final three or four weeks of the fantasy regular season. For the fortunate few sitting at 7-3 or better, it's a matter of keeping momentum going and jockeying for position and a potential first-round bye.

Bunch of jerks. The lot of them.

Totally not bitter, though.

However, if you're 6-4, 5-5 or even 4-6, the fantasy playoffs have already effectively begun. One more loss can be the defeat that seals the deal and kills any chances of advancing into fantasy's second season.

That makes the matchups within the matchups that much more important. Every lineup decision is critical.

It's as harrowing as it is exciting. And it leaves many fantasy owners looking for help anywhere they can get it.

That's where this article comes in—hopefully.

Every week during the 2019 season, I've taken a look at start/sit questions on the Bleacher Report app and selected some that will help offer insight into players who could be due for a great outing—or a lousy one. The sorts of big games (or disappearing acts) that can make or break a week.

Let's get down to getting into the playoffs.

Still can't figure out your fantasy football lineup for the week? Check out Your Fantasy Fire Drill with Matt Camp, and he'll solve your problems live. Submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, only on the B/R app.

Know this going in: Anytime you bench a player like Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns, you risk angering the fantasy gods. Despite the fact that Beckham's been a massive disappointment most of the year with just one big game this season, as soon as you sit Beckham, he'll snap off the second just to make you pull your hair out.

The thing is, it's understandable to want to pull the plug—especially in PPR scoring systems. Over the past two weeks, Jamison Crowder of the Jets ranks sixth in PPR fantasy points among wide receivers.

Beckham ranks 30th.

Still, it's one of those other players who drew my eye.

It's not Tyrell Williams of the Oakland Raiders, who hasn't found the end zone since Week 8.

It's not John Brown of the Buffalo Bills. Don't trust the Bills passing game, even in a favorable matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

It's also not Alshon Jeffery of the Philadelphia Eagles. He'll probably get Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore on Sunday, and that's the fantasy kiss of death.

However, Patriots running back James White is a different story. The sixth-year veteran has been relatively quiet this year, but I can't shake the feeling that Sunday's matchup with the Eagles is a game where it will be White (and not Sony Michel) who shines in the New England backfield.

I'm sticking with Beckham, though. Much like the James White call, it's as much a hunch as anything tangible I can point to. But with the game in prime time and Beckham coming off a season high in targets (12), this feels like the week he breaks through.

The Call: Beckham

That we're even worried about who will be the lead back for a Washington Redskins team that ranks 25th in the NFL in rushing tells you all you need to know about the state of the running back position 10 weeks into the 2019 season.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

As ESPN's John Keim reported, if Washington head coach Bill Callahan knows who will be the Redskins' lead back against the New York Jets, he isn't saying—at least not during last week's bye.

"When the game plan is put in and who we're playing, how we're going to attack that particular defense and how we're going to divide the repetitions and rotations and things of that nature," Callahan said. "Way too early to decide on reps and counts they'll have for that particular game."

However, Keim also indicated that a team source believed that veteran Adrian Peterson would continue to start over youngster Derrius Guice, who injured his knee in the season opener.

It makes sense. Peterson hasn't been a worldbeater in his 13th NFL season, but much like last year, he's been decent, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Guice, for all the talent he displayed at LSU, has played in all of two NFL games—one in the preseason a year ago and that season opener.

In both contests, Guice suffered a significant knee injury.

Frankly, neither player is a good fantasy start in Week 11 against a Jets run defense that has allowed fewer than 82 yards a game in 2019.

But until I see Guice usurp Peterson with my own baby blues, the veteran is the Redskins back to roster in fantasy.

The Call: Peterson

Welcome to fantasy thunderdome. Three men enter. Two men leave.

OK, that may have been laying it on a tad thick. This is a good question, though—or at least a question with three good options.

For most of the season, Tyrell Williams of the Oakland Raiders has made his hay by finding the end zone. Williams hasn't received more than seven targets in a game and hasn't topped 100 receiving yards since Week 1. But thanks to five touchdowns, the 27-year-old has maintained fantasy relevance most of the season.

For Tampa Bay Buccaneers tailback Ronald Jones II, fantasy relevance has come more recently. The second-year pro started out the season playing second fiddle to Peyton Barber, but in each of the past two games Jones has piled up double-digit touches, over 80 yards from scrimmage and a score.

Then there's Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup, who has been all over the place. Gallup missed two games with an injury and hasn't caught five passes since Week 5. But Gallup caught six passes for 109 yards the past two weeks, finding the end zone in both games.

It's that scoring of late from Gallup and Jones that's the deal-maker (or breaker, depending on how you look at it) here. Jones has the toughest matchup of the lot, but he's also going to see the most touches. And with Williams shut out of the end zone the past two weeks, he takes a back seat to Gallup.

The Call: Gallup and Jones

Here we go again with folks using initials and trying to confuse me—a feat that doesn't take a ton of effort.

Working under the assumption that the wideouts listed here are Tyrell Williams of the Raiders (who appears to be this week's favorite son of the puzzled), Demaryius Thomas of the New York Jets and Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons, the call is a fairly easy one.

I've already mentioned that Williams has cooled off lately, and Thomas is the third wideout for one of the league's most anemic offenses. That leaves Ridley, who has himself been chilly over the past three weeks—11 catches for 128 yards and no scores. But if Julio Jones draws James Bradberry in coverage (assuming Bradberry's sore groin allows him to play), Ridley could be in for a nice bump in targets.

That leaves an interesting flex dilemma between two running backs—Brian Hill of the Falcons and Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers.

With both Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith on the shelf, Hill is the de facto No. 1 back in Atlanta—he got 20-plus touches last week against the New Orleans Saints. But Hill barely averaged three yards a carry in that game. Ekeler, on the other hand, was a top-10 fantasy option over the first half. But as Melvin Gordon II has seen his workload increase of late, Ekeler's star has faded,

Both backs get prime matchups; the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers both rank inside the top five in fantasy points per game allowed to running backs.

It's a close call, and Hill's workload is tempting. But Ekeler's the passing-down back for a team that will be passing a lot Monday night in Mexico City in an effort to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Give me Ekeler and Ridley here.

The Call: Ekeler and Ridley

We can't all roll out Lamar Jackson of the Ravens or Deshaun Watson of the Texans every week.

In this three-way quibble among quarterbacks, Jacoby Brissett of the Indianapolis Colts is an easy write-off. Per Zak Keefer of The Athletic, Brissett appears on track to return to action Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And to his credit, when healthy, Brissett has been a decent low-end weekly fantasy starter.

But Brissett's not 100 percent, and even if he were, he has the lowest ceiling of this bunch.

That leaves Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings and Drew Brees of the Saints. Brees is coming off a massively disappointing stat line in a great fantasy matchup with the Atlanta Falcons—a game in which Brees threw all of zero touchdown passes. But the future Hall of Famer gets another bite at the apple Sunday against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has given the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks so far this season.

Cousins, to his credit, has been on a tear recently—since Week 6, the 31-year-old has been a top-five fantasy signal-caller in some scoring systems. But whereas Brees gets one of the best fantasy matchups for quarterbacks in the NFL in Week 11, Cousins draws one of the worst. Only two teams have given up fewer fantasy points to quarterbacks this year than the Denver Broncos. Never mind that Vikings receiver Adam Thielen missed last week's win over Dallas and is iffy for this contest as well.

That gaping difference in matchup seals the deal here.

The Call: Brees

It's not hard to see why this intrepid fantasy enthusiast sought out counsel regarding this lineup decision. All four of the options are fairly close together in terms of fantasy value—and each carries at least one prominent question mark.

Mike Williams of the Chargers has managed just eight catches over the last three weeks. But his yards per grab have been off the chain, as the third-year wide receiver is averaging a hair under 30 yards a pop on those eight grabs.

That's not a typo. Thirty.

Jamison Crowder doesn't boast that sort of vertical speed, but he's emerged as the favorite target of Sam Darnold with the New York Jets. Over the past two games, Crowder has reeled in an impressive 13 catches for 164 yards and two scores.

Curtis Samuel of the Carolina Panthers has also found the end zone in each of the last two games. But his yardage and reception numbers haven't been as impressive over that span—seven grabs for 99 yards.

Then there's Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery. Like most of the Chicago offense, Montgomery has been inconsistent in his first NFL season, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry. But he's become the lead back in Chicago, amassing at least 17 total touches in each of the past three contests.

As gross as the Bears have been offensively most of the season, those touches get Montgomery one of the slots here. The second goes to Crowder, who has been the most consistently productive of the wide receivers listed here.

The Call: Crowder and Montgomery

This question gets some run largely because we don't get asked a lot of two-QB ones. Fantasy leagues that start two quarterbacks (or have a "superflex" spot) are still a niche format. But it's one that's growing in popularity.

If you haven't tried it, it's also fun.

In two-QB leagues, that position carries a ton of value. With 20-plus quarterbacks starting every week and just 32 jobs to go around, depth under center can be hard to come by. Given that, dropping any of those quarterbacks isn't a good idea...not even Darnold, who helms the NFL's worst offense in terms of total yards per game this season.

At least that Jets offense showed a pulse last week against the New York Giants.

So far as who to start, Philip Rivers of the Chargers is an easy "yes." Rivers looked awful in last week's loss to the Oakland Raiders. But in two meetings with the Kansas City Chiefs last year, Rivers threw for 737 yards and five touchdowns.

That Mexico City game has all the makings of a shootout.

That leaves Brissett and Nick Foles of the Jacksonville Jaguars—who just so happen to be facing one another Sunday. Both are coming off layoffs—Foles (broken clavicle) hasn't played since Week 1, and a sprained MCL forced Brissett out of Week 9's tilt with the Eagles, causing him to miss the following week. Both would be considered low-end weekly starters (at best) in fantasy leagues with just one starting slot at quarterback. Both have below-average fantasy matchups in terms of points per game allowed.

If T.Y. Hilton returns for the Colts, it could swing this call. But Hilton missed practice Wednesday, and if he sits Sunday, the pendulum swings back toward Foles and a healthier group of skill-position talent.

Darnold stays glued to the bench until the Jets string together a couple decent offensive efforts in a row.

The Call: Rivers and Foles

If it makes you feel any better, I feel your pain where those backfires are concerned. Fantasy football can be a cruel mistress, and it seems every year I have one team where every call I make blows up in my face.

If you've read this column at all this season, you know that I often lean toward the running back position when it comes to flex decisions. It's a matter of simple arithmetic. Running backs get more touches. More touches mean more opportunities. More opportunities mean more production.

That is, if a running back gets a regular workload. With Ty Johnson out with a concussion, Detroit's J.D. McKissic is a good bet to be the bell cow Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, while Raheem Mostert of the San Francisco 49ers is a much less certain play.

McKissic gets one spot.

That leaves three wide receivers to choose from. Christian Kirk of the Arizona Cardinals is coming off a huge three-touchdown game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the last time Kirk faced the 49ers, he was completely invisible (two catches, eight yards). Dede Westbrook of the Jacksonville Jaguars topped 100 yards on six grabs three weeks ago—and posted the dreaded fantasy goose egg the following game.

No, the play here is Jarvis Landry of the Cleveland Browns. Landry has been Cleveland's most productive fantasy receiver in 2019—including 15 catches for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns over the last two weeks.

Even in standard scoring, Landry's the best bet here for targets. And catches.

The Call: Landry and McKissic

It's been a rough year for Bengals running back Joe Mixon. Last year's leading rusher in the AFC was a first-round pick in many fantasy drafts this summer. He then spent the first half of the season on the side of a milk carton—over the first seven weeks of the season, Mixon was 35th in PPR fantasy points at the position.

The Bengals are still a winless disaster of a team, but the change to Ryan Finley at quarterback may be what saves Mixon's fantasy bacon from here on out. The Bengals leaned hard on Mixon last week against Baltimore, to the tune of 32 touches for 151 yards.

With that kind of heavy workload and a solid matchup looming with the Oakland Raiders, you have to roll Mixon out.

The second spot comes down to Brian Hill of the Falcons and Devin Singletary of the Buffalo Bills. We've already discussed Hill's impressive workload and less-than-impressive per-touch production last week, while Singletary's been all over the place. Two weeks ago, the rookie racked up 23 touches for 140 total yards. Last week against Cleveland, those numbers fell to 11 touches and 50 yards.

That's what you call a high-variance fantasy option. And high-variance fantasy options are risky.

The matchup with the Miami Dolphins is tempting—the 'Fins are sixth in PPR fantasy points per game given up to the position this season. But the Carolina Panthers rank two spots higher.

Passing on Singletary's higher ceiling (in theory) is worth the relative safety Hill affords in Week 11.

The Call: Hill and Mixon

We've got 70 yards to cover and one minute, 15 seconds and one timeout with which to do it.

It's time for Rapid Fire.

dhilly97 is looking for some help under center. "I have Cousins and Wentz. Should I start Cousins or waste a bench spot to get Stafford, Darnold or Rivers just for this week?"

Cousins doesn't have a particularly good matchup. Rivers does. But given how the latter played against the Raiders in Week 10, it's best just to stick with Cousins, who is on a roll and playing at home. Darnold and a banged-up Stafford don't really factor in.

For logan_jellson15, it's a choice between a pair of NFC South tailbacks. "Start Ronald Jones or Brian Hill?"

Jones has been on a nice roll and established himself as the No. 1 back in Tampa. But the Saints are a bottom-four PPR matchup for running backs. The Panthers are top four. Hill gets the nod.

An interesting one from dhilly97 (again). "PPR league. Kareem Hunt or Derrius Guice?"

Gotta love these kinds of decisions at running back—said no one ever. Both of these backs face huge questions about workload in Week 11. But Hunt quietly had 11 touches for 74 yards (and over 14 PPR fantasy points) last week against the Bills. That's a sneaky-good stat line if you're in a pinch.

We have a three-parter from firstgen. "[Nick] Chubb or Ekeler? [Courtland] Sutton or [Allen] Robinson? [Chris] Godwin or [Mike] Evans?

Chubb's leading the AFC with 919 rushing yards and is a lock for 15-plus touches. The same can't be said for Ekeler. The Bears are a mess offensively, but Robinson still has a better situation under center than Sutton. Godwin vs. Evans is a legitimate coin flip—especially with Marshon Lattimore unlikely to play Sunday.

dhernandez is looking for flex help. ".5 PPR. Gallup, Brian Hill or [Philip] Lindsay."

This one boils down to the two running backs—touches equal opportunity. Lindsay's easily the more proven talent, but he also has a far worse matchup against a Vikings run defense that just shut down Ezekiel Elliott. Man, I hope Hill plays well this week. Otherwise, there are going to be a lot of folks mad at yours truly.

It's three out of four options in a standard scoring league for jeremyhunt. "[Todd] Gurley, Kirk, Tevin Coleman, Robert Woods."

As big a letdown as Gurley's been in 2019, I'm that much more inclined to favor running backs in situations where the wide receivers don't have the benefit of PPR. The last time Kirk faced the 49ers, he had all of two catches for eight yards. Start Woods in the third spot against the Bears on Sunday night.

timcarico is choosing between two rookie wide receivers. "[Terry] McLaurin or Deebo Samuel for flex."

With Dwayne Haskins being named Washington's starter, some of the luster has worn off McLaurin—so much so that if Emmanuel Sanders can't give it a go Sunday, Samuel might be the play here against a shaky Arizona secondary coming off his first career 100-yard game.

Finally, fabianb is looking for a Week 11 starter at quarterback. "[Derek] Carr or [Jameis] Winston?"

From an NFL perspective, Carr has been light-years better than Winston in 2019—he's been both more accurate and far less prone to committing turnovers. But in NFL.com default fantasy scoring, Winston's seven spots higher than Carr for the year. Winston's gonna have to air it out to keep up with the Saints on Sunday.

Have other fantasy football start/sit questions? Post them here, on the Bleacher Report app or on Twitter @IDPSharks, and I'll do my best to help.

Gary Davenport was the Fantasy Sports Writers Association 2017 Football Writer of the Year.