Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (2016): Week 11: C.J. Prosise, Donte Moncrief, Derek Carr & More

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Trying to decide who you should start or sit this week? Let’s take a look at a few potential decisions owners have and try to sort through them:

Quarterbacks
Start – Eli Manning – New York Giants – vs. Chicago
Marcus Mariota would be a good fit here as well, and is a better play, but everyone who owns him is probably already using him.  Manning, on the other hand, isn’t likely to be a unanimous starting option.  That said, just looking at his home/road split should give you a little insight into his upside:

• Home – 323.6 yards/game, 11 TD
• Road – 215.8 yards/game, 4 TD

Taking on a Bears defense, at home, is an ideal spot for him to continue rolling. 

Sit – Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – vs. Houston
When you look at Carr’s overall numbers you would think that he’d be a no-brainer start.  However, looking at the more recent production tells a little bit of a different story:

• October 16 – 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• October 23 – 200 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
• October 30 – 513 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
• November 6 – 184 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

Sure he had one monster game mixed in, but for the most part his numbers have been rather pedestrian.  Does he have the potential to put up a huge game at any given notice?  Absolutely, but there’s a lot of risk as well.  Don’t consider him a must start in single-quarterback formats.

Running Backs
Start – Rob Kelley – Washington Redskins – vs. Green Bay
It’s clear that he’s going to get the bulk of the carries/early down work, having posted back-to-back games with 20+ carries, and that alone should have him firmly on all fantasy radars.  The fact that he’s produced in the role (184 yards) makes him look that much better.  Over the past four weeks the Packers have allowed the seventh most points per game to opposing running backs, further helping his cause.  Don’t shy away from him.

Start – C.J. Prosise – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Philadelphia
Had it not been for the release of Christine Michael this would’ve been a harder sell.  However Michael is gone and you know Thomas Rawls is going to be limited in his first game back in action.  Prosise himself is coming off a big game, combining for 153 yards, and he should be in store for 15+ touches once again (he had 17 rushes and 7 receptions last week).  That puts him firmly as a RB2/FLEX option.

Sit – Terrance West – Baltimore Ravens – at Dallas
You would’ve thought that a matchup against the Browns, and being given 21 carries, would’ve been an opportunity to get on track.  Instead he rushed for just 65 yards (3.1 YPC) and has now averaged under 4.0 YPC in four straight games (and hasn’t scored a TD in the past three).  Throw in that the Cowboys have allowed the fifth fewest points per week to opposing running backs and there’s no way to trust him.

Sit – All Philadelphia Running Backs – at Seattle
The problem here is who is truly going to carry the load?  After we heard that Darren Sproles was going to be the leader of the backfield, the team instead put the ball in the hands of Ryan Mathews last week to much success.  Will it be Sproles?  Will it be Mathews?  Throw Wendell Smallwood into the mix and this situation is far too unstable to trust.

Wide Receivers (Two-Receiver Formats)
Start – Donte Moncrief – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Tennessee
Over the past two weeks the Titans have allowed the second most receiving yards to WR (472) and have allowed the most over the past four weeks (858).  Moncrief has been limited to just 4 games this season, but he has now played two games since returning and has scored in both of them.  It’s fair to assume that he and Andrew Luck will be fully up to speed now, and that makes this a scary combination.  T.Y. Hilton is a no-brainer, but even in shallower formats Moncrief is an option as well.

Sit – Jarvis Landry – Miami Dolphins – at Los Angeles
Landry has seen his usage fall over the past few weeks, picking up just 6 targets in each of the past two games (and six or fewer in three of the past five).  As it is he was never going to be a TD machine (he’s picked up just 1 TD on the season), and he hasn’t seen 10+ targets since September.  With the offense moving towards a run based attack behind Jay Ajayi and a defense that’s allowed the fewest points against opposing WR, this situation is one that’s worth avoiding in shallower formats.

Wide Receivers (Three-Receiver Formats)
Start – Julian Edelman – New England Patriots – at San Francisco
With Rob Gronkowski seemingly out this could be the best time for Edelman to fully emerge.  As it is he is coming off his biggest game of the season (7 receptions for 99 yards), should see a few additional opportunities and draws the defense that has allowed the most points per game to opposing wide receivers over the past four weeks.  You could make the argument that he’s a must play in two-receiver formats, but in three-receiver leagues it’s a no-brainer.

Sit – Ty Montgomery – Green Bay Packers – at Washington
This isn’t even about him not being healthy, but with James Starks back and the rest of the receiving corps stepping up Montgomery has seen his usage decline dramatically.  He’s only gotten 5 targets the past two weeks and with Starks and Christine Michael now in the backfield the carries won’t be there as well.

Tight Ends
Start – Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Kansas City
His usage has been growing, coming off a game that he racked up 7 catches for 84 yards and 1 TD (he’s now scored in three straight games).  With only Mike Evans to battle for targets there’s little question that Brate is going to continue to be a big part of the offense and at a position that’s been fairly unstable that’s enough.

Sit – Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Baltimore
Sure he has 14 targets over the past two weeks, but can we really overlook the 3 targets he had before this stretch?  How about a matchup against the Ravens, who have allowed a grand total of 295 yards and 0 TD to opposing TE this season?

Sources – NFL.com, Yahoo!

*** Pre-Order Rotoprofessor’s 2017 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide for Just $5.50 By Clicking Here!! ***

Make sure to check out all of our Week 11 rankings: