Week 11 could be a difficult one at quarterback for fantasy football owners. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Seattle’s Russell Wilson, two of the best, are in their bye weeks.
That means you could be scrambling for a quarterback. In this week’s edition of fantasy football sleepers, we offer Oakland’s Derek Carr and New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as suggestions to start. Also, some free advice: don’t be tempted and start Washington’s Dwayne Haskins. Yes, interim coach Bill Callahan named him the starter for the rest of the season, but Haskins is raw and won’t put up a lot of fantasy points.
Here are nine fantasy football sleepers for Week 11:
9. Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets
Darnold had a solid game, throwing 230 yards and a touchdown in last week’s victory against the Giants. He’s got a favorable matchup this week against the Redskins. In fact, matchups with the Raiders, Bengals and Dolphins follow that. Darnold could be more than a one-week starter.
8. J.D. McKissic, RB, Detroit Lions
After Ty Johnson left Sunday’s game with a concussion, the Lions gave McKissic 10 carries and he gained just 36 yards against a strong Chicago defense. Keep a close eye on Johnson on the injury report. If he’s going to be out against Dallas this week, McKissic could be worth a start because he’ll get a lot of touches.
7. Brian Hill, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Devonta Freeman (foot) left last week’s game with the Saints and the Falcons responded by giving Hill 20 carries. Hill produced 61 yards and a receiving touchdown. Keep an eye on Freeman’s health status. If he’s going to be out, Hill will be a good play against a Carolina defense that’s not great against the run.
6. Andy Isabella, WR, Cardinals
After a stellar career at UMass, the rookie got off to a very slow start. He didn’t even record his first catch until Week 7. But he has produced receiving totals of 88 and 78 yards the last two games. He has big-play potential and it appears as if the Cardinals are making him a bigger part of the offense.
5. Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
It may seem foolish to start any Cincinnati player because the Bengals have turned to rookie quarterback Ryan Finley. But Eifert is the exception this week against the Raiders. According to FantasyData.com, Oakland allows the third-most fantasy points to tight ends in the league.
4. Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets
Crowder has come on strong the last two weeks with 13 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. He and quarterback Sam Darnold have developed strong chemistry. Plus, Crowder has a favorable matchup this week against Washington.
3. James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that Washington has nice chemistry with quarterback Mason Rudolph because the two were teammates at Oklahoma State. In his last two games, Washington has 10 catches and a touchdown. He also has a favorable matchup Thursday night against Cleveland.
2. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel had the first 100-yard receiving day of his career Sunday. That was in part due to the fact he filled in after Emmanuel Sanders left the game with a rib injury. But Samuel showed enough that he should get more playing time going forward. Plus, he’s got a favorable matchup against Arizona.
1. Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders
Carr, who leads the league in completion percentage (70.8), has been putting up solid numbers the last seven weeks. He’s thrown multiple touchdowns in five of his last seven games. He also has the most favorable matchup a quarterback can have this week – the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
