So I have VERY vivid memories of Joe Thesimann’s leg injury at the hands of Lawrence Taylor, back in 1985. That was a birthday MNF game in the year when the Bears were all that. I cannot be sadder for Alex Smith as he suffered a similar injury, 33 years to the date with Joe Theismann in attendance. That just blows my mind. Fortunately medicine has come a long way and Smith likely won’t suffer the long term effects Anesthesia did, but he very well took his last snap. I hate to be a downer, but perspective is important while we play a game. Best wishes to Alex and his family.
Teams on Bye: Los Angeles Rams; Kansas City
QUARTERBACKS
Baker Mayfield, CLE: okay kid, you’ve got some snap, crackle and pop to your game. Since week 7, he’s thrown 11 TDs to 2 INTs. In addition to keeping the turnovers down, he also adds a bit with his legs. He frankly, plays a game not unlike his older backup Tyrod Taylor. He’s not going to throw for 300 yards, but 225-25 with a couple of TDs and 0 INTs is a nice game this time of year. He’s got a prime matchup against the Bengals this week.
Ownership: Yahoo 42%; NFL 18% & ESPN 38%.
Andy Dalton, CIN: I make this selection with a bit of reluctance, although predicting a shootout in the battle for Ohio isn’t that hard. I bump a bit on Dalton’s streaky 2018 campaign is all. But if you look around QBs under 50% ownership who look good are rather thin. Lamar Jackson and Colt McCoy represent real gambles until we see more.But in the end, Dalton has some decent weapons (even with AJ Green) and familiarity with his opponent.
Ownership: Yahoo 52%; NFL 26% & ESPN 47%
RUNNING BACKS
Josh Adams, PHI: I’m guilty of chasing the RB position in Philly this year, but that’s because there is gold in them thar hills. And it appears the rookie Golden Domer has emerged. Look, Philly is a mess but this past week he was the shiniest object. He appears set to be the guy. The Eagles need to get some consistency somewhere and for week 12 at least, it has to be in Adams.
Ownership: Yahoo 33%; NFL 12% & ESPN 30%.
Gus Edwards, BAL: I’ll bite. While Jackson and his QB/RB hybrid play this past weekend gets the attention, hey we found a bell cow running back in Baltimore of all places. Stranger things have happened, so even though he appears linked to Jackson’s success he still looks like a solid pick up to play against a poor Oakland defense.
Ownership: Yahoo 1%; NFL 1% & ESPN 1%.
Theo Riddick, DET: I’m making this sneaky call here. The Bears play D like few do in the league right now. They’re #1 against the run and have a more than capable secondary. This thanksgiving game is going to likely be filled with Stafford checking down to Riddick, as they dare not run directly against Chicago. True, that still puts him in space against the likes of Roquan Smith, but you take what you can get against this unit. In a PPR league, he should rack up points on completions alone.
Ownership: Yahoo 33%; NFL 8% & ESPN 33%.
WIDE Receivers
Tre’Quan Smith, NOS: sorry NFL fans who don’t live in New Orleans, but the best team plays there. The Rams have that flash and dash. But I really think the Saints are just lying in the weeds and are going to grab the #1 seed in the NFC when the dust settles. And this guy is part of that push. It’s a short week yes, but it’s against the Falcons and it doesn’t get better than that. He is widely available and expect this week to be the last one you can say that.
Ownership: Yahoo 27%; NFL 14% & ESPN 27%.
Danny Amendola, MIA: since Parker went down he’s the 19th ranked receiver (weeks 8-10) in fantasy. What more do you want this time of year? Hey – here’s a solid WR2 for you to start who’s on the wire in week 12. What more do I have to sell you on? Oh yeah, he will actually play this week, having made the list last week while on a bye (sorry about that!)
Ownership: Yahoo 44%; NFL 24% & ESPN 44%.
DJ Moore, CAR: he’s the #2 WR in Carolina in terms of receptions/targets but Devin Funchess seems to be in some type of free fall and of late they look to Moore and Samuel to a lesser extent. Seattle is a decent matchup and we should see Moore play a part in righting the ship from Riverboat Ron’s unnecessary gamble.
Ownership: Yahoo 40%; NFL 12% & ESPN 32%.
TIGHT ENDS
Jonnu Smith, TEN: 3 straight games of double digit fantasy points. Smith looks like he’s emerging as one of the few consistent players in Tennessee. It seems that because Mariota is so inconsistent, he’s relying on the check down to Smith more and more. And this year continues to be brutal at this position, so the timing couldn’t be better. They play Houston this week who is a touch soft against TEs. That, and when the old Oilers come back to town just about anything goes.
Ownership: Yahoo 4%; NFL 5% & ESPN 7%.
TEAM DEFENSE
San Francisco: not my usual choice, a road defense, but the Buccaneers are simply giving up points left and right these days to fantasy defensive units. Despite their poor record, I don’t think the 49ers are that bad, and still appear to be playing each game out. Two of their last 3 games saw them score double digit points, and the are coming off a bye week.
Ownership: Yahoo 9%; NFL 3% & ESPN 8%.
Week 11 Ranks:
QB – Dak Prescott, DAL: 18th
QB – Blake Bortles, JAX: 27th
RB – Mike Davis, SEA: 32nd
RB – Rashaad Penny, SEA: 39th
RB – Jaylen Samuels, PIT: 50+
WR – Anthony Miller, CHI: 36th
WR – Danny Amendola, MIA: 50+
WR – John Ross, CIN: 35th
TE – Ricky Seals-Jones, ARI: 45h
Team Defense – Arizona Cardinals: 20th
