The fantasy football world continues to be unpredictable.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tossed only one touchdown and two interceptions as opposed to the six touchdowns he threw in each of the previous two weeks.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued his hot streak by throwing six touchdowns in the first half against the Chicago Bears.
Bears running back Matt Forte only gained 54 yards in his 17 rushing attempts against the Green Bay Packers bottom-five rushing defense.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo returned from injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, and he tossed for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns.
However, the Arizona Cardinals lost quarterback Carson Palmer to a torn ACL the day after he signed a contract extension.
With these developments, some fantasy advice is always helpful, bringing the Week 11 edition of the MTSU Sidelines: Start ‘Ems and Sit ‘Ems.
Quarterbacks:
Start ‘Em of the Week: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: The fourth-year quarterback may have laid a huge egg against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, but the former Auburn standout should have a comeback performance in Week eleven against the worst passing defense in the NFL of the Atlanta Falcons.
Their NFC South rival has allowed an average of 281 yards per game to rank dead last in the NFL. Atlanta has only intercepted 7 passes this season, which bodes well for Newton, who threw three interceptions to the Eagles as opposed to his two touchdowns.
This will be Newton’s first game against the Falcons this season, and Newton has certainly stepped up his play against the Falcons, sweeping them in their two-game series last season. Start Newton with confidence this week.
Start ‘Ems: Robert Griffin III (WAS), Andy Dalton (CIN), Teddy Bridgewater (MIN)
Sit ‘Em of the Week: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks rode Marshawn Lynch in a 38-17 win over the New York Giants with very little help from quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw two interceptions and no touchdowns.
Wilson has only thrown one touchdown in the past three weeks, which does not bode well as he faces off against the top-ranked passing defense, in terms of yardage, of the Kansas City Chiefs, who are only allowing an average of 205 yards per game.
Sit ‘Ems: Drew Stanton (ARI), Brian Hoyer (CLE), Alex Smith (KC)
Sleeper of the Week: Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders: Rookie quarterback Derek Carr has yet to lead his Oakland Raiders to a victory this season.
However, his opponent this week is the San Diego Chargers, who were dominated 37-0 in their last game against the Dolphins. While the Chargers have had a bye week to recover, the Raiders and Carr are hungry for that first win of the season.
Running Backs:
Start ‘Em of the Week: LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles: Matt Forte might not have been able to shred the Packers’ defense, but LeSean McCoy should be a different story this week.
McCoy is much more athletic than Forte and can be used more as an outside runner and pass catcher, which is not good for the Packers who have moved outside linebacker Clay Matthews inside to stop the run.
McCoy will score more than the one touchdown that he has thus far in the season, and should see his below-average 3.8 yards per carry see a boost.
Start ‘Ems: Mark Ingram (NO), Branden Oliver (SD), Ahmad Bradshaw (IND)
Sit ‘Em of the Week: Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs: While McCoy has struggled this season, Jamaal Charles has been enjoying success, rushing for six touchdowns and catching two more.
This week he faces off against the fourth-best rushing defense of the Seattle Seahawks, who have allowed only 79.8 yards per run and four rushing touchdowns on the year.
While the Chiefs benefit from playing this game in Arrowhead, Charles may still be shut down in a similar fashion to how he started out the first couple of games this season.
Sit ‘Ems: Joique Bell (DET) Andre Ellington (ARI), Andre Williams (NYG)
Sleeper of the Week: LeGarrette Blount, Pittsburgh Steelers: Although Le’Veon Bell will see the majority of carries, Blount should see a few snaps and goal line carries against his former team.
Both backs should find great success against a porous Tennessee Titans defense, especially so if the Steelers offense gets in another rhythm.
Wide Receivers:
Start ‘Em of the Week: Julian Edelman, New England Patriots: Tom Brady should have a great game against a Colts defense that is allowing the sixth-most passing yards per game.
Brady is looking like Brady again, spreading the ball around with great consistency. Although Brady’s main target is star tight end Rob Gronkowski, he has been incorporating all of his receivers, much like Brady did in Week nine against the Denver Broncos.
The Colts will, in all likelihood, be double-teaming and focusing on Gronkowski, which will give Edelman more opportunities to make plays to add to his 556 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Start ‘Ems: Martavis Bryant (PIT), Golden Tate (DET), Cordarrelle Patterson (MIN)
Sit ‘Em of the Week: Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Even against the worst passing defense of the Atlanta Falcons, Vincent Jackson was not able to find the end zone.
Rookie Mike Evans is clearly the favorite of the two receivers for the Bucs’ quarterbacks, as he leads the team in receptions and touchdowns.
Now they face off against a Washington Redskins defense that’s only allowing 223 passing yards per game. If anyone will be involved in this game, it will be Mike Evans, not the veteran receiver.
Sit ‘Ems: Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG), Sammy Watkins (BUF), DeAndre Hopkins (HOU)
Sleeper of the Week: Jerricho Cotchery, Carolina Panthers: If Cam Newton is going to shred the Falcons’ defense, he will have to throw to someone other than Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen.
Cotchery may be an old receiver, but he’s still capable of making a few plays. Expect a touchdown this week.
Tight Ends:
Start ‘Em of the Week: Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers: The New York Giants defense is far from good, which will lead to success for the Pro Bowl tight end.
The Giants are allowing 260 yards per game through the air, along with 14 passing touchdowns. The Giants’ 4-3 defense is not fit to hold down an extreme athlete like Vernon Davis, even if he has struggled to get involved in the offense this season.
Start ‘Ems: Jordan Reed (WAS), Heath Miller (PIT)
Sit ‘Em of the Week: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs’ young tight end is on fire this season with 438 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
This week he has a challenge with a tough Seattle Seahawks defense. Don’t expect too much from the young tight end this week.
Sit ‘Ems: Larry Donnell (NYG), Martellus Bennett (CHI)
Sleeper of the Week: Tim Wright, New England Patriots: With the Patriots likely airing it out against the Colts, Brady will be using most of his weapons.
Time for Tim Wright to add some catches to his total of 17 on the season, with three of those going for touchdowns.
Defense/Special Teams:
Start ‘Em of the Week: Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST: The Steelers’ defense is a middle-of-the-pack group in defending the running and passing game, which is more than enough to stop a Titans offense that only scored seven points last week against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers should be able to generate enough pressure against the Tennessee Titans’ weak offensive line to disrupt rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger.
Start ‘Ems: San Diego Chargers D/ST
Sit ‘Em of the Week: Cincinnati Bengals D/ST: After getting dominated last week by the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals’ defense squares up with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints’ high-powered offense.
While the Saints did lose in overtime last week to the San Francisco 49ers, they are still capable of making big plays against less-than-stellar defenses.
Sit ‘Ems: New England Patriots D/ST, Indianapolis Colts D/ST
Sleeper of the Week: Oakland Raiders D/ST: If the Raiders can catch the Chargers on another bad day like the Dolphins did in Week nine, they could have their first win of the season, and a solid defensive outing.
You can follow Kenneth Goit on Twitter at @KennethGoit
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