Fantasy football lineup advice: Week 11 boom or bust
Fantasy Football – Wide Receiver
Boom: D.J. Moore, CAR vs. ATL
Moore has emerged as quarterback Kyle Allen’s unquestioned number one target, seeing 10 targets per game over his last four. He broke the 20-point threshold for the first time this season last week versus Green Bay, and while he still has only one touchdown on the year, he’s getting top-tier wide receiver volume, suggesting positive regression in the scoring department is coming. The biggest takeaway here is that he’s become an every-week startable asset.
This upcoming matchup with the Falcons is pure gold. They managed to throw Drew Brees off his game in Week 10, but this was more of an outlier performance. Atlanta still averages nearly 40 FPPG against them from enemy wideouts, bottom-eight in the league. This is a great spot for Carolina’s pass-catchers, beginning with their main guy. Moore is high-end WR2 this week with WR1 upside.
Boom: Mohamed Sanu, NE @ PHI
A trade from to the AFC-leading Patriots has done well for Sanu and his rest-of-season outlook. In just his second game in Foxborough prior to their bye, Sanu turned a team-leading 14 targets into 10 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. With Josh Gordon gone, he’s slid into the No. 2 role behind Julian Edelman. On this offense, that’s plenty for a receiver to sustain WR2 value. As Sanu continues to build a rapport with Tom Brady, he could become even more of factor.
Another week, another example of me blasting the Eagles’ coverage issues. It’s no secret at this point – Philly’s secondary is a glaring weak spot that teams have exposed time and time again. Their 142 receptions allowed to wideouts this season is third-most in the NFL and their 39.2 FPPG surrendered is ninth-most. The Patriots should turn to the air quite a bit in this game in order to avoid the Eagles’ fortified run D. Plug Sanu into your lineups and don’t think twice about it.
Honorable Mention: Courtland Sutton (DEN @ MIN), Jamison Crowder (NYJ @ WSH)
Bust: Robert Woods, LAR vs. CHI
Woods has been hit-or-miss for fantasy purposes all season, receding into just a shell of the wideout that finished as the overall WR9 in 2018. Jared Goff’s regressing play has been the main culprit, as he hasn’t done nearly enough to sustain three fantasy-worthy WRs like he did a season ago. Woods performed admirably against the Steelers last week (seven receptions for 95 yards), but that was more due to Cooper Kupp’s disappearing act. Don’t expect this trend to continue, as Woods has been under 10 fantasy points in five of nine games to this point.
The Bears are a brutal matchup for him, as they’ve yielded only 29.5 FPPG to the position this season (seventh-fewest in the league). The Rams are still without Brandin Cooks (concussion), but they’ll be without two of their top offensive lineman as well. This could cause some protection issues for Goff, who won’t be able get to Woods the ball downfield in an already-tough spot. Better weeks are ahead, but this may be a rough one.
Bust: DeVante Parker, MIA vs. BUF
Parker is the clear-cut top option for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but that’s not saying an awful lot on the Dolphins. Although, the 26-year-old has seen double-digit looks in two of his last four games with six being his lowest total. There’s now more opportunity available for Parker with impressive rookie wideout Preston Williams (torn ACL) done for the season. Even with Williams on the field, Parker has been consistently average, scoring between 11.9 and 17 fantasy points in each game since Week 4.
Up next for Miami is a divisional contest against the Bills. Last time these two teams met, Parker went on to catch five balls for 55 yards and a score – one of his best games of the season – but I’m willing to bet things will be different this time around. Now, he’ll draw a shadow date with TreDavious White, one of the league’s premier cover corners. As a team, Buffalo has surrendered the fifth-fewest receiving yards in the NFL. Parker actually has a generous second-half schedule ahead that should bode well for him, but the Bills are a matchup to steer clear of.
Dishonorable Mention: Stefon Diggs (MIN vs. DEN), Kenny Golladay (DET vs. DAL)
Sleeper: Diontae Johnson, PIT @ CLE
Amidst JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s struggles, Johnson has taken on a larger role in the passing game, drawing at least six targets in five of his last seven games. His production remains extremely volatile, but he draws a beatable Browns’ secondary this week that’ll likely turn most of their attention to Smith-Schuster and James Washington. He’s a fine dart-throw as his growing chemistry with Mason Rudolph has been evident.