In the Perfect team for Week 11 I take a look at some plays to consider in your GPP lineups over at FanDuel. At this point it is pretty safe to say that any one optimal lineup or a lineup consisting of complete chalk is not going to have what it takes to take down a tournament of any size. It is time to go outside the box for some high upside potential at a reduced cost.
I played Mettenberger in lineup last week and it paid off reasonably well. Lots of analysts were all over him and Hunter as an under the radar stack. While 12 points isn’t a lot, it’s a cheap 12 points and allowed me to get Dez and Nelson in the same lineup. The Steelers have been very generous to the pass, and what is even better is they have been generous to down-field passing, which is what the Titans and Mettenberger want to do. It maybe insane to write this but I think everyone is finally off the Mettenberger and Hunter stack after last week. Which makes me want to jump on board when everyone else has jumped off.
I think Mettenberger is sitting on a pretty productive week and if nothing else, he’s in-line to be reasonably productive for half the budget. For an example of why I like going cheap at QB when possible: Ben Roethlisberger just laid a pretty big egg after two massive weeks—-it’s possible for QB’s to just have really crappy days and they almost need to score 30 points to justify their high price tag. Had the Broncos taken Peyton Manning out a play or two earlier, maybe he only ends up with 22 points instead of 29—then was he worth the 9,000+ price tag he comes with?
I’ve used McKinnon a lot for my perfect team lineups and he hasn’t quite lived up to the big play upside I’ve been pimping for him…but with that being said, he’s a lead back for 5,500—much like with Mettenberger, if he can even squeak out 12-14 points, you’re living large off of that value.
The Chicago Bears defense looks like it has completely checked out and should be a golden opportunity for McKinnon to get his first touchdown. I also expect him to be a big factor in the passing game this week as well.
Mark Ingram just looks like a monster right now and he gets the struggling Cincinnati Bengals coming to town. The Bengals have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL currently, I’m smelling a big game for Ingram. Keep an eye on the injury report for the rest of the New Orleans backfield.
Jones appears to be back on track after a rough couple weeks with that injury. He had a big game vs the Buccaneers, without even getting a TD, I think he’s looking to set up for a huge week vs the struggling Carolina Panthers. One of the big issue with the Falcons is they haven’t been able to protect Matt Ryan well, so take advantage of opportunities when the Falcons play teams with a poor pass rush when you can.
Randall Cobb has recorded at least one touchdown in every game this season, and the Packers WR’s seem to be trading off huge weeks. Jordy Nelson just had his and now I’d bet it’s time for Cobb to get a big week.
One of the nice things about Cobb is, he’s essentially the goal line threat for the Packers. They go to him a lot on a variety of different looks, so he’s never too far away from getting a TD. With Philadelphia coming into town, you can expect a high scoring shootout and you’ll want a Packer in your line up.
I might be willing to change this later in the week as I learn more about other options, but I currently really like Hopkins. I know, you might be scared off by the fact that there will be no Arian Foster and a new QB in Ryan Mallet, but I actually think these are good things.
The Texans, until now, simply haven’t had the volume or quality of targets for Deandre Hopkins to truly explode, and he’s been great all things considered. Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t very accurate and had only a mildly passable deep ball, Ryan Mallet comes in with a reputation as a guy who can really chuck it long. So even if he’s not the most accurate passer ever, it won’t matter as it’s nothing Deandre Hopkins isn’t use to (and honestly, Deandre Hopkins catch-radius is one of the sickest things you will see—just throw it close to him and he’ll probably come up with it).
Cleveland’s pass D has improved, but their rush hasn’t and I think that’s the most important part of this. Give the QB time to get a good throw off and I feel confident that Hopkins can come away with a catch.
At home vs Seattle is a really intriguing matchup for Kelce. Seattle has been shredded by the TE all season as their linebacker corps aren’t what they used to be and even better, the Seahawks aren’t the same on the road as they are at home. I could see Kelce being the focal point of the offense this week. Make sure to monitor Anthony Fasano and if he is a go or not. if he sits Kelce will get a huge bump. Don’t sleep on Mychal Rivera, being the best receiving option on a team that’s always down has its perks. I’ll be going back and forth on these two all week—but I think both are good options.
K: Adam Vinatieri—4,900:
Colts vs Pats. Expect points. Lots of them.
DST: Houston Texans—–5,100:
DST is tricky this week. I don’t love a lot of these matchups. Cleveland’s offensive line has really fallen apart when C Alex Mack went down with a season ending injury, so I think the chances are good this is a sack-fest for JJ Watt and the Texans. The Texans D isn’t great at actual football, but the amount of sacks they get make them a viable fantasy options. I would feel similarly to the Minnesota Vikings DST as well for the same reason.
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