RADIO
Joe Flacco (QB, BAL)
The Ravens' offense has to be among the most boring in all of football. I mean it. Kamar Aiken, Chris Givens and Marlon Brown are some of the least exciting players in the league. Justin Forsett is a short-yardage collector with one single run of over 25 yards. Tight ends Crockett Gilmore and Maxx Williams are talented, but not particularly eye-opening. Joe Flacco has thrown just one completed pass of over 40 yards to anyone on the active roster. In comparison, the guy whose numbers are most similar to those of Flacco, Ryan Tannehill, has completed eight such passes.
Baltimore's next opponent, St. Louis, has surrendered just one completion of more than 40 yards all season, so it would be unexpected to see Flacco successfully air it out on Sunday. The Rams hadn't allowed an opposing quarterback to score 20 fantasy points until Week 10, so Flacco's overall numbers should actually be pretty low. The Rams' defense has a knack for turnovers, having intercepted Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers (twice) and Teddy Bridgewater already this season.
Flacco was surprisingly solid in Week 10 against the Jaguars without Steve Smith, but the lack of weapons should catch up to the veteran QB soon-- like, this week.
Eric Decker (WR, NYJ)
The Jets, losers of three of their last four, have a tough meeting with the Houston Texans in Week 11. Brandon Marshall should get his no matter what, but Eric Decker is a bit riskier this week. The former Bronco has caught a touchdown in seven of his eight games played this year, so he is due to for a no-show. The Texans have kept opposing receivers out of the end zone for two straight weeks, and they have only allowed two touchdowns to wideouts at home all year (both to the ghost of Andre Johnson).
The Texans' defense has finally become the terrifying unit we all expected it to be prior to the season. J.J. Watt has been amping up the quarterback pressure -- five and a half sacks in the last three games -- and the rest of the defense has followed suit. In fact, Houston has gone 10 consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown of any kind. That's about the total amount of time Arian Foster has been healthy in his career. While that streak is unlikely to hold up for much longer, it speaks volumes about the quality of play from Romeo Crennel's crew.
With Chris Ivory remembering how to run the football in Week 10, I would expect Chan Gailey to lean heavily on the run game against Houston. Ryan Fitzpatrick and his nine functional fingers could struggle to find and hit receivers, so leave Decker on your bench for now.
T.Y. Hilton (WR, IND)
"I know my limitations." That quote from Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck says all you need to know about what to expect from Andrew Luck's replacement on Sunday.
The Colts -- including top wideout T.Y. Hilton -- have struggled all season, even when Luck was under center. Over 20% of Hilton's total receiving yards and 67% of his touchdowns came in a Week 7 loss to the Saints, who just allowed Kirk Cousins to explode for 324 yards and four touchdowns. No, not Tom Brady. Kirk Cousins. Besides that game, Hilton has done a whole lot of nothing. And that was with Luck. Face it, you're not excited about Hasselbeck's ability to get the ball to anyone, especially someone who draws double coverage most of the time. The Colts will likely run Frank Gore into the turf, and Hasselbeck should look for Coby Fleener as a safety net when he does throw.
The Falcons, Indianapolis' Week 11 opponent, haven't surrendered 100 yards to a receiver since DeAndre Hopkins collected 157 yards in Week 4. And even that took 22 targets. If you have another option, stay away from Hilton this week.
Buffalo Bills (DST, BUF)
The Bills' defensive unit finished the 2014 season with the second fewest points allowed in the NFL and the most sacks recorded. This year? They are 17th in points allowed and 28th in sacks. 28th! Out of 32 teams! Just 14 sacks in nine games-- what in the world happened to this dominant front seven? Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams-- none of the four are on pace to match their sack totals from last season. Maybe Rex Ryan isn't the defensive wizard so many claim him to be? My hatred for the man who plagued New York with his incessant talking for six years aside, the Bills' defense is simply not playing up to standards.
Now, they are still talented enough to be a decent start in most weeks, but this is not one of those weeks. Literally any other defense will be a better option. Even the Lions if you have to-- I don't care. Just don't start the Bills. Not against the Brady Bunch.
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