Key Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights for Fantasy Football Week 11 Include Cordarrelle Patterson, Isiah Pacheco, Allen Robinson

Every week, I share some of my favored players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions. These choices are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the 2022 fantasy football season.

We feature players that you should lean to in tough calls, and guys who may exceed expectations this week are also highlighted, so you can feel even more confident about starting them. Skill position analysis here is based on my PPR rankings. When considering each player for your lineup, check my rankings to see exactly where they are positioned when compared to your other possible lineup choices.

Scott Engel was the No. 2 overall fantasy football accuracy ranker on fantasypros.com in Week 9.

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Running Backs – Fantasy Football Week 11

Cordarrelle Patterson

Patterson has five rushing TDs in six games this season and he is aiming for his fourth game in a row at home with a rushing TD. He also played for the Bears in 2019 and 2020, so we also have the fun angle of him playing against a former team.

After rushing for 18 yards on five carries in his last outing, many fantasy players are understandably hesitant to start Patterson in Week 11. He is highly TD dependent and did not get into the end zone last week. He played on 38 percent of the snaps, which was second on the Falcons to Tyler Allgeier at RB.

You should go back to Patterson as an RB2 of flex fill-in in Week 11, though. The Bears have allowed an NFC-high 12 rushing TDs to RBs, so you can expect some TD opportunities for Atlanta’s main goal-line ball carrier.

D'Onta Foreman

He has put the lingering memories of an Achilles injury behind him. Foreman is flourishing with an opportunity to be a primary ball carrier for the Panthers at the beginning of the post-McCaffrey era. He rushed for 130 yards and a TD last week. Foreman has 115+ rushing yards in three of his past four games.

There is some speculation that the Carolina offense may sputter more with Baker Mayfield back at the helm, but the Panthers should continue to lean heavily on Foreman and the running game. Baltimore is fifth in rushing yards allowed to RBs, but Foreman can work hard for a decent yardage total and he should still be considered for RB2/flex usage.

Isiah Pacheco

The Kansas City rookie had his best game of the season so far in Week 10, rushing for 82 yards on 16 carries. Pacheco played on a season-high 56 percent of the snaps. Meanwhile, preseason lead RB favorite Clyde Edwards-Helaire played on just six percent of the snaps.

#Chiefs

This is a good tape for rookie RB Isiah Pacheco.

Plays with a downhill burst. Can stack moves together. There’s a sense of urgency to his game.

Four rushes of 9+ yards vs. the JAX defense. pic.twitter.com/1O0HkrWe0h

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) November 17, 2022

Many fantasy leaguers are skeptical about Pacheco’s potential to build on last week’s outing, as the Chiefs’ backfield has been seemingly unpredictable this season. Pacheco does add a spark to the Kansas City ground game though, and the Chargers have allowed the third-most rushing yards to RBs this season.

This can be a week where Pacheco proves his Week 10 outing was no fluke, so take a chance on him if you need a streaming option outside of the top 25 RBs.

Jonathan Taylor

Taylor had 163 scrimmage yards (147 rushing) and a rushing TD last week. He has 9 games of 150+ scrimmage yards and rushing TD since 2020, tied for the most in the NFL with Derrick Henry during that span. He is aiming for his third game in a row with 75+ rushing yards. He has 75+ scrimmage yards in nine of his past 10 games at home.

Under Jeff Saturday, the Colts got back to what they can do best on offense, which is running the ball. However, Taylor may get scripted out of a healthy rushing workload if the Eagles jump out to a quick and large lead. If that happens, we may see more encouraging signs of Taylor getting significant work as a pass-catcher with Nyheim Hines gone.

This could be an important week to monitor how productive Taylor can be as a receiver out of the backfield when the Colts are in catch-up mode.

Wide Receivers – Fantasy Football Week 11

Allen Robinson

Robinson had four receptions for 44 yards last week. He does not have 70 receiving yards in a game this season. He only has one TD reception in his past seven games. However, Robinson now has a chance to play a more prominent role in the Rams’ passing game with Cooper Kupp out.

Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek will also have their shots to fill the receiving void left by Kupp, though, and it’s hard to have a lot of confidence that Robinson can take advantage of possible increased opportunities. You can start him as a fantasy WR3 in a week where several key WRs are unavailable, but temper any expectations for newfound upside.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman are both out for the Chiefs, which has stirred a lot of fantasy hype on Kadarius Toney, which is natural and I am not against it at all, but Valdes-Scantling should also figure into the passing mix for Kansas City in Week 11.

Valdes-Scantling caught his first TD pass in a Chiefs uniform in Week 10. He has averaged 17 yards per reception this season. More big-play possibilities are in the picture for “MVS” in Week 11, and he is worthy of streaming consideration with additional potential targets.

Garrett Wilson

The ascending Jets rookie WR led the team with eight catches for 92 yards in Week 9, his third game with 90+ receiving yards this season, the most among rookies. Wilson had six catches for career-high 115 yards in the Week 8 meeting with New England. He ranks second among rookies with 42 catches and 521 receiving yards this season.

Garrett Wilson had the Patriots defense LOST with this route 👀 pic.twitter.com/MTHTFJvPFB

— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) October 31, 2022

The Patriots have been very tough on opposing WRs, ranking second-best in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to the position. But New York wants to exact revenge for the Week 8 loss to New England, and getting the ball to Wilson will be a big key to a potential victory.

We can’t always assume the defense will win the matchup, and Wilson should not be reserved in a game of major significance for the Jets.

Nico Collins

Collins led the Texans with a season-high five catches for 49 receiving yards and notched his first TD of the season last week. He has 50+ receiving yards in two of his past three home games. Collins is healthy now and has an opportunity to contribute more in a needy Houston passing game.

Washington ranks 27th in receiving yardage allowed to WRs, so Collins should get consideration as a deeper streaming option in Week 11.

Quarterbacks And Tight Ends

Daniel Jones

The Giants QB had 2 TD passes vs. 0 INTs for a career-high 153.3 rating in Week 10. He is aiming for his third game in a row at home with 2+ TD passes and a 110+ rating. The Lions have allowed the most FFPG to QBs and the second-most rushing yards to the position, so Jones is a preferred streaming option for Week 11.

Taylor Heinicke

Heinicke has scored 14-plus fantasy points in three of his past four games. For those digging deeper for a decent fill-in play, Heinicke can provide adequate production, and his receivers can give him a bit of upside. Houston will also be without CB Derek Stingley, making the matchup a bit more appealing.

Cole Kmet

It is time to let go of any lingering doubts about Kmet’s slow start to the season. He is also not on the injury report for Week 11. He had 74 yards and his second straight game with 2 TDs in Week 10. Kmet leads NFC TEs with 5 TDs and he is aiming for his fourth game in a row with a TD catch. The Falcons have the worst pass defense in the NFL and Kmet is a must-start in Week 11.

Juwan Johnson

The Saints TE led the team with five receptions and had his fourth TD of the season last week. All four of his TD catches have been registered in Johnson’s last four games played.

Johnson has not reached the 45-yard mark in a game yet this season and he is obviously TD-dependent. But it does make sense to take a shot on a guy who has been consistently finding the end zone when searching for an option at the thinnest position in fantasy football.

Scott Engel's fantasy and betting analysis is also featured at The Game Day.

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