RADIO
There are plenty of NFL players that we expected to succeed this season for fantasy football owners. Some of these players responded being productive fantasy producers, and some failed to this point. Additionally, there are some sleepers we expected to see emerge. Again, some of these players hyped as undervalued fantasy assets have lived up to expectations, and some have not.
Below I will take a look at some of these performances so far, as we prepare for Week 11. And then I will talk about some recommended starts and sits for Week 11 of the fantasy football season, based on the matchups these players have.
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A Quick Recap
Let’s start with tight end performers so far in 2016:
Expected Success: Delanie Walker (TEN): 42 receptions, 571 yards, 5 TDs
Expected Success, but failed: Zach Ertz (PHI): 29 receptions, 302 yards
Sleeper Success: Martellus Bennett (NE): 38 receptions, 504 yards, 4 TDs
Sleeper, but failed: Clive Walford (OAK): 21 receptions, 199 yards, 1 TD
There will be weeks where all of your players exceed expectations and help you win your weekly matchup. But, on the other side, there will be times where matchups and game flow completely dismantle your lineup and cost you a win.
Are these players below expected to have success or are they still considered sleepers? Will they succeed?
Remember: These columns do not include your every-week starters. For this week, players like Jordan Reed and Tyler Eifert are not considered. This article goes deeper than that.
Best Start Possible – Julius Thomas @ DET
The Jack Doyle Rule is in full effect this week. Doyle, Dwayne Allen, Richard Rodgers, Zach Miller, Lance Kendricks, Kyle Rudolph and C.J. Fiedorowicz have all scored TDs against the Lions. The only teams not to get a score from the position against them was a Jordan Reed-less Redskins and the Eagles, who just got Zach Ertz back from injury. Otherwise, the Lions have allowed 69 receptions for 765 yards and nine TDs to opposing TDs - IN NINE GAMES. For the math people, that means that opposing TEs average 7.66 receptions for 85 yards and a TD against them, good for at least 14.5 points or close to 22 points in PPR.
Regardless of how terrible Thomas has been at times this season, he is coming off a decent game last week and he is facing the Lions. Start him.
Quality Start – Ladarius Green @ CLE
He is athletic. He is finally getting healthy. He has Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback. These are the reasons you want to at least stash Green heading into a potential blowout victory against the Browns, if not start him this week. Green made his team and season debut last week. He played only 12 snaps, but he caught three passes. While Jesse James has been average this season, he does not have the athleticism that Green possesses, something Big Ben has not had at the TE position for some time. Another reason to consider starting Green is the horrid Browns DEF. Tight ends against the Browns average 12.1 fantasy points. This includes them allowing 34 points to the Patriots TEs; 19 to the Redskins TEs; and 26 to the Cowboys TEs. Green has the potential to feast.
Worst Start Possible – Zach Ertz @ SEA
Unlike Thomas and Green, Ertz does not have much going for him this week. Some may argue that considering he is coming off a game against the Falcons in which he caught six passes for 55 yards. Let’s look at the track record for Ertz this season. Had seven targets in Week 1; misses three weeks; has three straight games with four or less targets; eight targets against the Giants and then seven last week. But, he has ZERO TDs to date. To top that off, the Seahawks, his opponent this week, have allowed only one TD to TEs this season (That went to the wide open Levine Toilolo of the Falcons). So, unless Ertz can get as wide open as Toilolo did, it is hard to expect a start-worthy stat line from him.
Not a Good Start – Eric Ebron v. JAX
This is another player that really could go either way, but it seems as if more is pointing towards a do not start. While he has averaged roughly seven targets per game this season and has had no less than four catches in any game he has played, he has only scored one TD. The Jags have only allowed three TDs to TEs on this season, to go with a total of 40 receptions for 369 yards. The Jags will allow the check down to the position, but that is not Ebron’s game. The check downs will go to his team mates, Theo Riddick or Golden Tate. The middle of the field is where Ebron operates and where he will need to find space if he wishes to be productive against the fourth-ranked pass defense.
Have a player or position question you would like me to talk about? Follow me on Twitter @JSorensen119 and let me know.
