Stars of Week 11
QB: Ben Roethlisberger: 29-45, 367 yards, 4 TDs
RB: Bobby Rainey: 30 carries, 163 yards, 2 TDs
WR: Calvin Johnson: 6 catches, 179 yards, 2 TDs
TE: Garrett Graham: 7 catches, 136 yards, 1 TD
So Megatron finds his way on this list yet again, taking top honors for a week that had several quality WR performances. Roethlisberger, a QB who falls into the “better-real-life-QB-than-fantasy-QB” category, generously rewarded those owners who started him this week. We’ll take a closer look at Bobby Rainey and Garrett Graham below.
Week 11 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Matthew McGloin: 18-32, 197 yards, 3 TDs
Analysis: McGloin got the start for the Raiders in place of Terrell Pryor, who sat because of a knee injury. Whether Pryor will regain his starting spot remains to be seen. McGloin played well against a tough Texans defense, but does that make him a fantasy factor for the remaining stretch? Doubtful in all but very deep leagues, as McGloin’s skills are ordinary (by NFL standards), even if his resiliency is a notch above that. Chalk this up to a solid start, but the ceiling for this season is a low end QB2.
- Bobby Rainey: 30 carries, 163 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: So Doug Martin gets injured, and Mike James steps in and produces. Now James is hurt and, in a mild surprise Bobby Rainey inherits the starting RB duties over Brian Leonard. And boy does Rainey run with the opportunity – pun intended – 163 yards and 2 TDs! Sure, the Falcons do not possess a strong defense, but nevertheless this type of performance demands every fantasy owners’ attention. Rainey has the opportunity to be “the guy” for the rest of the year, and with the information we have as of now, Rainey deserves your waiver claim, especially if you need another RB. Don’t expect a repeat of these numbers again, but Rainey should be quite useful for the playoff push and beyond.
- Rashad Jennings: 22 carries, 150 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Rashad Jennings is another RB who has taken advantage of his team’s injury situation. With McFadden out, Jennings has quietly put together three strong weeks in a row for the Raiders, and at minimum, has forced his way into a timeshare even after McFadden’s eventual return. The date of McFadden’s return remains unclear, but in the meantime, Jennings should be viewed as a high-end flex, or in the case of favorable matchups, a lower-end RB2. Upon McFadden’s return, certainly Jennings will drop a bit, but he should still maintain value in deep leagues.
- Chris Ogbonnaya: 8 carries, 69 yards, 0 TDs (6 catches, 30 yards, 0 TDs)
Analysis: For those in deeper leagues, specifically leagues where some form of PPR is included in the scoring, Chris Ogbonnaya should have your attention. Ogbonnaya’s contribution thus far this season has primarily been limited to catching passes out of the backfield, but with no clear long-term RB starter identified, the Browns may (should) give Ogbonnaya a chance to show his talents. He led the Browns in rushing against the Bengals on Sunday, and those in need of an RB in deeper leagues should give Ogbonnaya a look.
- Michael Floyd (6 catches, 193 yards, 1 TD)
Analysis: Floyd has had a solid sophomore season for the Cardinals, and his performance against the Jaguars reminded us of the talent level he possesses. Additionally promising with respect to Sunday’s performance was Floyd’s 11 targets on the day. So how should Floyd be viewed for the remainder of the season? While he’s shown promise, Floyd remains inconsistent, and he should be viewed in the WR3/flex range for this season. Floyd’s best seasons are still yet to come, but be prepared for good games followed by quiet games. More consistency will come in time, but not this season.
- Garrett Graham: 7 catches, 136 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Rough day for the Texans on Sunday, but Graham had himself a game against the Raiders. Graham has had a chance to strut his stuff while Owen Daniels has been out. Graham’s performance in the absence of Daniels has been serviceable, but nothing to turn the fantasy world on fire. But more performances like this past Sunday, and owners will take notice. Rumors persist that Daniels will return in December, but in the mean time, if you need a TE, Graham should be added if available.
Strategy Discussion - Going With Your Gut
This season has been as unpredictable as any in recent memory in terms of player performances. We have very few sure-fire, weekly starters when it comes to lineup decisions. Sit Tom Brady for Case Keenum? What would have been a preposterous question at the beginning of the season became a legitimate question as this season went on. Even this week, who says that Keenum, facing the Jaguars, can’t outperform Brady, facing the Broncos? We have roughly 4 QBs, 6 RBs and 8 WRs who are unquestioned weekly starters, and the rest are open to discussion from week to week.
With such unpredictability, don’t be afraid to go with your gut feeling on whom to start/sit in any given week. Now, that doesn’t mean to throw logic out the window. Consider matchups, past history together with recent performance, your league’s scoring system, etc. when making decisions. However, if there was ever a season to take calculated chances on some lesser known players who have been performing, this would be it. Just don’t go overboard.
Week 12 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Drew Brees, Saints (at ATL)
2. Matthew Stafford, Lions (TB)
3. Peyton Manning, Broncos (at NE)
4. Cam Newton, Panthers (at MIA)
5. Tom Brady, Patriots (DEN)
6. Andrew Luck, Colts (at ARI)
7. Tony Romo, Cowboys (at NYG)
8. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers (at WAS)
9. Mike Glennon, Buccaneers (at DET)
10. Robert Griffin III, Redskins (SF)
11. Case Keenum, Texans (JAC)
12. Eli Manning, Giants (DAL)
13. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (at CLE)
14. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at KC)
15. Carson Palmer, Cardinals (IND)
16. Alex Smith, Chiefs (SD)
17. Matt Ryan, Falcons (NO)
18. Joe Flacco, Ravens (NYJ)
19. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Titans (at OAK)
20. Scott Tolzien, Packers (MIN)
Running Backs
1. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (SD)
2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at GB)
3. Eddie Lacy, Packers (MIN)
4. Matt Forte, Bears (at STL)
5. Reggie Bush, Lions (TB)
6. Zac Stacy, Rams (CHI)
7. Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (at NE)
8. Frank Gore, 49ers (at WAS)
9. Andre Brown, Giants (DAL)
10. Alfred Morris, Redskins (SF)
11. Rashad Jennings, Raiders (TEN)
12. Ben Tate, Texans (JAC)
13. Le\'Veon Bell, Steelers (at CLE)
14. Chris Johnson, Titans (at OAK)
15. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys (at NYG)
16. Stevan Ridley, Patriots (DEN)
17. Bobby Rainey, Buccaneers (at DET)
18. Pierre Thomas, Saints (at ATL)
19. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (at HOU)
20. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (at KC)
21. Chris Ivory, Jets (at BAL)
22. Andre Ellington, Cardinals (IND)
23. Ray Rice, Ravens (NYJ)
24. Donald Brown, Colts (at ARI)
25. Chris Ogbonnaya, Browns (PIT)
26. Shane Vereen, Patriots (DEN)
27. Steven Jackson, Falcons (NO)
28. Darren Sproles, Saints (at ATL)
29. Lamar Miller, Dolphins (CAR)
30. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (at MIA)
Wide Receivers
1. Calvin Johnson, Lions (TB)
2. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (at NE)
3. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (at NYG)
4. Andre Johnson, Texans (JAC)
5. Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers (at DT)
6. Brandon Marshall, Bears (at STL)
7. Victor Cruz, Giants (DAL)
8. Josh Gordon, Browns (PIT)
9. Jordy Nelson, Packers (MIN)
10. Wes Welker, Broncos (at NE)
11. Pierre Garcon, Redskins (SF)
12. T.Y. Hilton, Colts (at ARI)
13. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (IND)
14. Torrey Smith, Ravens (NYJ)
15. Marques Colston, Saints (at ATL)
16. Eric Decker, Broncos (at NE)
17. Harry Douglas, Falcons (NO)
18. Alshon Jeffery, Bears (at STL)
19. Antonio Brown, Steelers (at CLE)
20. Jarrett Boykin, Packers (at WAS)
21. Steve Smith, Panthers (at MIA)
22. Danny Amendola, Patriots (DEN)
23. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (DAL)
24. Anquan Boldin, 49ers (at WAS)
25. Cecil Shorts, Jaguars (at HOU)
26. Keenan Allen, Chargers (at KC)
27. Rueben Randle, Giants (DAL)
28. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (SD)
29. Michael Floyd, Cardinals (IND)
30. Kendall Wright, Titans (at OAK)
Tight Ends
1. Jimmy Graham, Saints (at ATL)
2. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots (DEN)
3. Julius Thomas, Broncos (at NE)
4. Vernon Davis, 49ers (at WAS)
5. Coby Fleener, Colts (at ARI)
6. Antonio Gates, Chargers (at KC)
7. Jason Witten, Cowboys (at NYG)
8. Jordan Cameron, Browns (PIT)
9. Greg Olsen, Panthers (at MIA)
10. Jordan Reed, Redskins (SF)
11. Delanie Walker, Titans (at OAK)
12. Charles Clay, Dolphins (CAR)
13. Martellus Bennett, Bears (at STL)
14. Garrett Graham, Texans (JAC)
15. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons (NO)
Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports writer for RealGM. He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @NeemaHodjat.