Fantasy Football Week 11 Pickup

Boh Suh, Staff Writer

Week 11 in fantasy football can be defined by one player, Taysom Hill, a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Why? It is because he was qualified as both a tight end and a quarterback. I heard that the ESPN fantasy application was frozen when Hill was announced as a starting quarterback.

When Drew Brees was a starting quarterback for the Saints before he got hurt, not many people talked about Hill. Hill was utilized in various ways in running and receiving. However, after Brees got hurt in week 10, the Saints had to find an alternative, and Hill became the chosen one over Jameis Winston, another quarterback for the Saints. I actually scooped him up as a free agent (and yes, thank you Hill for your amazing performance in Week 11!) before he was announced as a starting quarterback for the Saints.

Even if Winson started, Hill had a tremendous value as a versatile player. When I heard that Hill would start for the Saints, I was not hesitant to bench Rob Gronkowski, a tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is now owned 83.7% of ESPN leagues, so it is not worth to write about picking him up, but if he is available in your league and somehow he is still eligible for a tight end in Week 12, he must be added. Any starting quarterback has a potential to score as much as the best tight end or the second-best tight end this year.

Quarterbacks (QB)

1. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) – Tagovailoa has not been fantasy relevant this season except the one game against the Arizona Cardinals. He does not run much, so fantasy football managers have to rely on his throwing ability. What I like about this matchup against the New York Jets is that this game will be a high scoring game. The Jets will do their best to win a game, and the Dolphins will do their best to keep their playoff chances alive. Tagovailoa did not do well in week 11 against the Denver Broncos, which makes me believe that he is likely to bounce back just like he did after a subpar performance in week 8.

2. Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns) – It is true that Mayfield has struggled in the past three weeks, throwing no touchdowns. The matchup with Jacksonville could not be better for him to turn it around. The Jaguars allow the third most points by QBs this season. In fantasy football, everyone has their day. I believe that this Sunday is that day for Mayfield.

Running Backs (RB)

1. James White (New England Patriots) – Free agent running backs are pretty thin. If somebody is a starting RB, he is owned by over 50% of the league, so there is no point of writing about it. However, if you need a RB, White can be considered this week, especially his receiving ability – six catches and 64 yards in week 11.

2. Salvon Ahmed (Miami Dolphins) – Fellow RB Myles Gaskin is nearing a return, which means Ahmed’s value will go down. Ahmed has done a great job filling in for Gaskin in the past two weeks – 128 rushing yards with a TD and 6 receptions for 36 yards. As long as Gaskin is not back, Ahmed will provide a great value, especially against the struggling Jets.

Wide Receivers

1. Nelson Agholor (Las Vegas Raiders) – Abholor has been great every other game in the past five games. Week 12 is supposed to be non-existent week for him, but come on, it is against the Falcons. It will be a high scoring game.

2. Russell Gage (Atlanta Falcons) – When Julio Jones, a fellow WR for the Falcons was out, Gage ended with 12 targets, the most targets since week 1. It is uncertain whether Jones will be available in week 12, but if he is not, Gage will provide you plenty of points because Matt Ryan will bounce back and throw many times.

Tight End (TE)

1. Robert Tonyan (Green Bay Packers) – Tonyan has been inconsistent lately, but so are the rest of the TEs this season except for Travis Kelce. He is getting consistent looks from Aaron Rodgers, which makes him worth a spot.

2. Dalton Schultz (Dallas Cowboys) – I did not expect to talk about any Cowboys players after Dak Prescott, a QB for the Cowboys got hurt earlier in the season. However, he has received average of seven targets per game in the past three matchups, and that is pretty good for a TE spot.

Defense/Special Team (D/ST)

1. New York Giants D/ST – I would have never expected to recommend the Giants D/ST this season, but it is too tempting against the Bengals. Joe Burrow, their starting QB, is out, and Ryan Finley filled in that absence by going 3 for 10 with one interception. This makes the Giants as a viable option in week 12.

2. Cincinnati Bengals D/ST – Ironically, the Bengals are still recommended because it is against the Giants. Even though I believe that this will be a high scoring game, there will be plenty of time to get points from sacks, interceptions, fumbles, and so on.

Kicker

Hope for the best….