Week 10 was a rough week in the Sauce department. I served y’all a lot of poorly tasting sauce but that’ll happen when you go looking for the boldest flavors. Fantasy Football can be a fickle mistress to its players. Here’s hoping you were on the positive end of the Ezekiel Elliott explosion.
Let’s take a look back at how we did in week 10.
Hot Sauce Results
Trevor Siemian, DEN – 258 yards passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs – Mild Sauce
Devontae Booker, DEN – 26 touches for 86 total yards, 0 TDs – Mild Sauce
Terrance West, BAL – 22 touches for 77 total yards, 0 TDs – Mild Sauce
Mike Wallace, BAL – 4 catches for 59 yards, 0 TDs – Burned
J.J. Nelson, ARI – 2 catches for 29 yards, 0 TDs – Burned
Weak Sauce Results
Kirk Cousins, WAS – 262 yards passing, 2 TDs – Burned
LeGarrette Blount, NE – 21 carries for 69 yards, 0 TDs – On Fire
Jeremy Hill, CIN – 15 carries for 46 yards, 1 TD – Mild Sauce
Antonio Brown, PIT – 14 catches for 154 yards, 1 TD – Burned
Michael Thomas, NO – 4 catches, 40 yards, 2 lost fumbles – On Fire
Our Standing After 10 Weeks
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Week 11 Hot Sauce
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions[get_helmet team=”jax” face=”l” align=”right” size=”sm”]
Blake Bortles has had some really bad games this year. Let us not forget, though, that he was really good in 2015.
The Detroit Lions are not a good team against the pass. The Lions have allowed 260 passing yards per game and a 20:4 touchdown to interception ratio.
This week is a matchup Bortles and the Jacksonville passing game should be able to exploit.
Flavorful Forecast: 290 yards passing, three touchdowns.
LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots @ San Francisco 49ers
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I may have had LeGarrette Blount pegged last week against Seattle, but this week against the San Francisco 49ers will be full speed ahead for the plodding back out of the University of Oregon.
Blount is averaging 20 carries a game and has 12 rushing touchdowns. Against San Francisco’s last-ranked rushing defense, he will add to that touchdown total.
Flavorful Forecast: 23 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints
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After posting multi-touchdown games in weeks six and eight, Jonathan Stewart has had a couple of duds the last couple of weeks. Granted, they were against Los Angeles and Kansas City, two of the best teams against the run in the NFL in 2016.
Carolina will need to establish the run against the New Orleans Saints to keep Drew Brees and the explosive Saints passing attack off the field. The Saints allow 4.1 yards per carry and have allowed 12 rushing touchdowns; tied for third most in the NFL.
Carolina has been suspect against the pass in 2016, so anything they can do to slow the game down, they should do. This should mean a heavy workload for Stewart.
Flavorful Forecast: 18 carries for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers
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It was a horrible game for Michael Thomas, the rookie from Ohio State University. His first really bad game this season. Two lost fumbles and only 40 yards receiving. It was against one of the best pass defenses in the NFL; the Denver Broncos.
In week 11, Thomas and the Saints face one of the worst passing defenses, the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers have given up the 10th most yards in the NFL and have allowed nearly two passing touchdowns a game. Thomas will put his career back on track in week 11 and bounce back with a solid outing against their division rival.
Flavorful Forecast: Six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears @ New York Giants
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Alshon Jeffrey is out for the next four games under suspension for PED usage. Next-man-up is Cameron Meredith. Meredith had a sold couple of games in week five and six where he went over 100 yards and caught 20 passes.
With Alshon Jeffrey set to be a free agent, I’d expect Chicago to begin looking at Meredith to see if he can take over the top wide receiving duties.
The New York Giants are better against the run than they are the pass, so the Bears will have to throw to keep up with New York in week 11.
Flavorful Forecast: Eight catches for 100 yards and 1 touchdown.
Week 11 Weak Sauce
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders vs Houston Texans
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We’ve done this dance with Derek Carr before, and we’re going there again. Houston ranks second in the league in pass defense allowing less than 200 yards passing per game. They have only allowed eight passing touchdowns in nine games in 2016.
Don’t expect much this week. Oakland itself may have a tough time against that Houston defense.
Flavorless Forecast: 175 passing yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions.
Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Rams
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Jay Ajayi has been on a role the last four games. He’s totaled 640 yards and four touchdowns in that four game span. This week against the Los Angeles Rams, I’m expecting him to have a little more difficulty.
The Rams, for all their inadequacies, are pretty good against the run in 2016. They have the defensive line to match up with the best running teams.
Los Angeles has limited teams to 3.9 yards per carry and have only allowed six rushing touchdowns in 2016. Ajayi has had some good games, but this is one where I think he struggles. You’re going to start him, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t hit the fantasy site’s projected output.
Flavorless Forecast: 18 touches, 70 yards, zero touchdowns.
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers
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Mark Ingram and the New Orleans Saints are going to have a tough time running the ball this week. Last week against the Denver Broncos, Ingram had some success, averaging 4.55 yards per carry on 11 carries.
This week, against the second best rushing defense in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers, it’s going to be much more difficult for Ingram and the Saints to run the ball. The Panthers average less than 100 yards rushing allowed per game on the season. They hold teams to 3.4 yards per carry and have only given up five rushing touchdowns on the season.
Ingram is set for a down day. Start him at your own risk.
Flavorless Forecast: 15 touches 45 yards and zero touchdowns.
Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers @ Washington
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Good ole Jordy Nelson. He’s been up and down for much of the year, but the last three weeks he’s posted 94+ yards and a touchdown in each game.
Washington is in the middle of the pack in yards allowed in 2016, but they’ve only allowed 10 passing touchdowns in 2016. Their defensive backs are headlined by star cornerback Josh Norman.
Green Bay will have to spread it around to stay away from Norman, which will mean fewer opportunities for Nelson.
Flavorless Forecast: Four catches for 40 yards and zero touchdowns.
Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks
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Philadelphia is going to get walloped in this game. Seattle’s defense is good against the pass and the rush. The Seahawks have allowed the 11th fewest passing yards in the NFL and are tied with the Arizona Cardinals for the fewest passing touchdowns allowed with six.
The Eagles aren’t good enough on offense to hang with Seattle’s defense.
It’s going to be a long day for “Captain Check-down” Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles offense. If Jordan Matthews draws any part of Richard Sherman, he’ll have a hard time getting open.
Flavorless Forecast: Three catches 25 yards, zero touchdowns.
Week 11 Waiver Wire Options
Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars – See above.
Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers – Since coming back into the starting lineup Colin Kaepernick has actually been pretty good.
In the last two games he’s posted a passer rating of 89 or above. He lost in a shootout against the New Orleans Saints and held his own against a very tough Arizona Cardinals defense. Kaepernick, with the right matchup, could be a very good play in deep leagues.
Jeremy Langford, RB, Chicago Bears – Jordan Howard going down with an apparent achilles injury leaves Langford as the best option for the Chicago Bears. If you are desperate at running back, Langford has the position to be a bell-cow for as long as Howard is out.
Wendell Smallwood, RB, Philadelphia Eagles – Oddly enough, Wendell Smallwood logged 13 carries for the newly run-heavy Philadelphia Eagles. If this formula holds, Smallwood is a good back to own if Ryan Mathews falls out of favor again. The Eagles ran the ball 38 times against the Atlanta Falcons. Expect them to continue to lean on the run to take the pressure off of Carson Wentz.
Cameron Meredith, WR, Chicago Bears – See Above.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs – With Jeremy Maclin out in week 10, Hill saw 13 targets, catching 10 passes for 89 yards. More of a draw for me in PPR leagues, Hill will continue to have opportunities even when Maclin comes back.
Eli Rogers, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers – Rogers has become the second WR option in the last couple of weeks for Ben Roethlisberger. In the last two weeks he’s totaled 10+ standard fantasy football points. Not great by any means, but it’ll do.
Quinton Patton, WR, San Francisco 49ers – Patton has seen seven or more targets in three of the last four games, including nine targets each of the last two games. He has benefited most from Kaepernick’s return to the starting lineup in San Francisco.
Martellus Bennett, TE, New England Patriots – Rob Gronkowski will likely be out in week 11 with a punctured lung as the Patriots face the hapless 49ers, making Marty B a really good play if you need a tight end for a week.
Streams of the Week
Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions – See Above
Dallas Cowboys Defense vs Baltimore Ravens – Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has thrown as many touchdowns (9) as he has interceptions. That isn’t good.
The Ravens are the ninth worst team at scoring points. They only average 20 points per game, even after scoring 28 against the Cleveland Browns in week 10. They’ve only scored 14 offensive touchdowns in nine games. For Comparison, the Atlanta Falcons, who lead the league in scoring offense, have scored 33 touchdowns in 10 games.
New York Giants Defense @ Chicago Bears – Your other option is the New York Giants, who are traveling to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. The Bears average 15.7 points per game, which is the second worst in the NFL. They still have Jay Cutler throwing the ball and will be without their best pass catcher in Alshon Jeffrey.
Jeffrey was just suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy with PEDs.
The Bears will likely be without their best running back, Jordan Howard, which makes this a really good matchup for the New York Giants, who are already good against the run.
