Week 11 Rankings (2018): Top 25 Quarterbacks

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

We have another week with six teams on bye, though outside of Tom Brady (and he hasn’t been nearly as good as expected these season) the absences will hardly be felt by fantasy owners in terms of quarterbacks.  The bigger issue is trying to maneuver around difficult matchups, with some of the “better” options facing some stiff competition.  Which quarterbacks should be used?  Who should be avoided?  Let’s take a look at how it breaks down:

1. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – at Los Angeles Rams
2. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – vs. Philadelphia
3. Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – at New Orleans
4. Jared Groff – Los Angeles Rams – vs. Kansas City
5. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Dallas
6. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – at Detroit
7. Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – at Washington
8. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – at Seattle
9. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Green Bay
10. Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – vs. Denver
11. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Jacksonville
12. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Tennessee
13. Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears – vs. Minnesota
14. Ryan Fitzpatrick – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at New York Giants
15. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – vs. Carolina
16. Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans – at Indianapolis
17. Eli Manning – New York Giants – vs. Tampa Bay
18. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago
19. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – at Atlanta
20. Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Pittsburgh
21. Case Keenum – Denver Broncos – at Los Angeles Chargers
22. Josh Rosen – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Oakland
23. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Cincinnati
24. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – at Baltimore
25. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – at Arizona

Thoughts:

• After throwing for 255 yards and 1 TD in his first game back, Carson Wentz has now thrown for at least 275 yards and 2 TD in six straight.  We all know that there’s questions regarding the running game, and with the addition of Golden Tate there’s no question that Wentz and company are going to continue throwing early and often.  The matchup with the Saints, in New Orleans, could easily devolve into a shootout and therefore it’s easy to consider Wentz among the best options in the league for Week 11.
• Over the past three weeks Cam Newton has thrown the ball 29 times or less, and while he’s been finding the end zone (2 TD in each game) he hasn’t thrown for more than 250 yards in a game.  In fact he’s thrown for more than 275 yards just once this season (335 back in Week 2), though he’s continually saved his value with his legs.  That’s something that the Lions haven’t been susceptible to this season, so while Newton should be considered a QB1 he’s not a no-brainer Top 5 option.
• Since Week 3 Matt Ryan has thrown for at least 330 yards in six of seven games (the one time he fell short he was at 285 yards) and has 19 TD vs. 1 INT.  While the Cowboys defense hasn’t been bad, they were just torched by Wentz for 360 yards and 2 TD, so there’s little reason for concern.  The Falcons have proven they can throw the ball against anyone, and this shouldn’t be any different.
• Over the past five weeks Philip Rivers has averaged 25 pass attempts per game, so it’s no surprise that he’s been at 228 yards or fewer in three of his past four.  Of course all of those games have come on the road, but this week’s game comes at home where he’s averaged 35.75 passing attempts and 329.75 yards per game.  Denver is a middle of the pack defense, but one fantasy owners shouldn’t shy away from.
• Aaron Rodgers is always going to be worth using, but he’s thrown for 289 yards or fewer in three straight weeks and draws a tough Seattle defense.  Is it impossible to envision him blowing up?  Absolutely not, but he’s more of a mid-to-low end QB1 as opposed to a Top 5 option.
• Everyone wants to get excited about Ryan Fitzpatrick, but with 4 INT and a lost fumble it’s extremely possible that Tampa Bay has him on a short leash in Week 11 (especially with Jameis Winston waiting in the wings).  Given the matchup he has value if he’s starting, just make sure to monitor the news to see how things play out.
• Over his past four games Kirk Cousins has thrown for less than 250 yards three times (the exception being a matchup with the Saints).  Playing on the road against a tough Chicago defense, does anyone want to force Cousins into the lineup if they can avoid it?

** PRE-ORDER ROTOPROFESSOR’S 2019 FANTASY BASEBALL DRAFT GUIDE **
Order Rotoprofessor’s 2018 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide for just $7.75!!  Click here for the details, but don’t miss out on the best bargain in fantasy baseball preparation.