Week 11 has a couple of big-name quarterbacks on bye week who have been weekly staters with Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield getting the week off. To help you decide who to start in their place, or anyone who needs a boost at quarterback this week – I took a deep dive into quarterbacks ranked outside the top 10 who I predict will ball out versus where the experts have them ranked. I also looked into a few quarterbacks who have been fantasy starters this year that I think will fall short of expectations in week 11 to help you avoid potential lineup landmines. LFG!
Baller Quarterbacks for Week 11
Jameis Winston – Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans
Winston and the Browns are coming out of their week 10 bye, heading to The Big Easy to take on the Saints in week 11. The Browns got an extra week of rest and preparation to game plan for a Saints defense that dealt their best defensive back to the Washington Commanders just before the NFL trade deadline. The Saints’ pass defense has turned into one of the worst units in the league after starting the season strong, giving up the fourth most passing yards per game. The Browns dealt their top WR Amari Cooper to the Bills a few weeks ago, but their WR corps is still very talented and should wreak havoc.
In Winston’s first start at quarterback for the injured Deshaun Watson in week 8, he threw for 334 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions against the Baltimore Ravens worst pass defense in the league. Winston hit a skid the following week against a much stronger L.A. Chargers defense that has given up the fewest points of any team in the NFL. On Monday, Jameis Winston was named the starter for the rest of the year by Browns’ Head Coach Kevin Stefanski, which will boost his confidence moving forward.
Jameis Winston spent four seasons as the backup quarterback in New Orleans before being picked up by Cleveland this offseason. Winston had his best stretch in NOLA during the 2021 season when he went 5-2 as a starter throwing for 1170 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just 3 picks. Winston will look to return to that form in his revenge game with the help of his favorite target, wide receiver Cedric Tillman, who has had 13 catches and three touchdowns in two games with Winston at quarterback.
Russell Wilson – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
Wilson and the Steelers will face an enigma of an NFL defense on Sunday against the Ravens. The Ravens are like bookends holding up the rest of the NFL’s defenses in the middle, boasting the league’s top rushing defense on one end, and the NFL’s worst pass defense on the other. Which end of the spectrum do you think the Steelers would be wise to attack with breakout star WR George Pickens and their new big-bodied WR Mike Williams? Exactly.
This game is the best chance that Russell Wilson will have to cement his status as THE GUY for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson has been playing well in his three starts this year averaging 245.6 yards passing and 2 touchdowns per game against three of the better pass defenses in the NFL: Jets(2), Giants(5), and Commanders(6). Wilson gets the juiciest matchup that a quarterback could want this week, so look for all the starting Steelers pass catchers to be fantasy-relevant in this one, and for Wilson to have a potential career day against the Ravens in week 11.
C.J. Stroud – Houston Texans @ Dallas Cowboys
There is nothing like getting your boo back, and that is exactly what Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud gets this week in Arlington, TX with his top target WR Nico Collins returning from injury. Collins has been out since October 6th with a hamstring injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills, but before his exit, he was tops in the NFL in receiving yards per game with 113.4. It’s hard to replace that kind of production and stay one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Then Stroud lost WR Stefon Diggs for the season and the Texans hit rock bottom with a loss to the Jets in week 9.
Stroud played well enough to win in week 10 against a tough Detroit Lions defense and looked much better than he has in weeks, but the Texans fell short. Not this week. The Dallas Cowboys are a team decimated by injuries and plagued by poor decisions in their front office. Heading into week 11 the Cowboys are ranked 26th in total defense, 31st in points allowed per game, and dead last in red zone defense – allowing a touchdown 77.4% of the time. The Texans should score buku points and Stroud has a big day with help from WR Nico Collins and RB Joe Mixon getting yards after the catch.
Faller Quarterbacks Week 11
Sam Darnold – Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans
I’m much too young to feel this darn old. You know, like the Garth Brooks song. Anyone? ANYONE…? Well, San Darnold, or as I like to call him, “Sammy Risk-its”, is surely feeling old as of late. Darnold has regressed quite a ways from his tremendous start to the season. In his last five games, Darnold has thrown 6 interceptions and just 5 touchdowns, making risky throws and losing touch with his quarterback mechanics.
Last week against the 30th-ranked Jaguars pass defense Darnold had zero touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a passer rating of 48.2. This week the Vikings travel to Nashville, TN for a rumble with a Titans team that has been abysmal on offense, but has the number-one passing defense in the league allowing only 156.7 passing yards per game. This game has the makings of a defensive chess match with both offenses struggling and defenses playing well.
Anthony Richardson – Indianapolis Colts @ New York Jets
It’s tempting to plug Richardson back into our lineups after he was benched for a few weeks after tapping himself out of a game because he got tired. Joe Flacco replaced Richardson as the starter for two weeks and sputtered in both games, leading to him being benched, too. The Colts have a top-five offensive line and too many talented receivers to have their passing game struggle this much, but it continues to do so because of poor quarterback play. Richardson has only surpassed 10 completions in a game once this year and has thrown 7 interceptions to just 4 touchdowns on the season.
Things don’t get any easier for Richardson in week 11 as the Colts travel to East Rutherford, NJ to face a Jets passing defense that is ranked second in the league in yards allowed. More impressively – the Jets have only given up seven passing touchdowns in the entire season, tied for second-best in the NFL. Richardson always has a decent rushing floor, but he has not scored a rushing touchdown since week 1. The Jets’ run defense has been pretty bad this year, so look for this game to be a heavy dose of Jonathan Taylor and a ball-control game for the Colts.
Quarterback Conclusion
It’s always an important decision on who to start and who to sit as your fantasy quarterback, but never more so than in the weeks leading up to the fantasy football playoffs. This is when berths are born. Wait… no. This is when managers give birth to playoff berths by making sound decisions. Definitely no. This is when you need to pay the most attention to matchups and trends, hoping you get lucky enough to be born again into the playoffs’ fantasy football afterlife. There. There it is. I think… Maybe not? IDK. Good luck in week 11 and may the luscious lady luck be on your side!
