INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 10: Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos celebrates a touchdown catch during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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Week 11 of the fantasy football season is here, which means it’s time to look at some crucial start or sit decisions. Rather than picking obvious names, the goal here is to at least make a strong case that’s on the other end of what the consensus is.
In order to find some players that most aren’t talking about, though, we’ll need to set a list of ground rules. The only running backs and wide receivers who are eligible for our best start of the week need to be ranked outside the Top 20.
For the best sit, they must be ranked inside the Top 20. As for quarterbacks, tight ends, and defenses, that will drop down to the Top 10.
The baseline rankings will be coming from Fantasy Pros Week 11 expert consensus rankings (PPR). When referencing fantasy points allowed, these are talking about 0.5 PPR scoring, but the concept is still worth noting in these breakdowns.
Breakout Wide Receiver: Courtland Sutton (WR27 – Start)
It’s been a tough past few weeks for Courtland Sutton, but given his matchup, he seems like the better play compared to our sit of the week. With Sutton, he had a hot start to the year with four of his first five games going over 17 points.
The talent is there, and Bo Nix is willing to throw the ball, Sutton just hasn’t been as involved recently. While the matchup on paper is tough with the Chiefs allowing the 30th most points to wide receivers this year, the game script could make up for that.
With the Denver Broncos listed as 3.5 point underdogs with a 44.5 point over/under (per FanDuel), this could be a solid bounceback game for Sutton.
Sit Wide Receiver: A.J. Brown (WR16 – Sit)
Unlike Sutton, A.J. Brown is getting most of his value for what he did last year. When you remove the name, Brown scoring 11.2 PPG makes him worthy of a sit selection.
Although Brown has had two games with over 15 points, they’ve come in Week 3 and Week 7. Brown hasn’t been consistent at all this year, and the Philadelphia Eagles have proven they don’t need to throw the ball in order to win football games.
The Lions are a strong matchup, having allowed the 8th most fantasy points, but the lack of consistency should make you hesitant to throw Brown into your starting lineup.
Breakout Running Back: Woody Marks (RB23 – Start)
The start selection for this week was easy with Woody Marks coming off a 16.1 point game. With Marks, it’s always been a question of whether he’s going to receive a large workload.
In games with over 11 carries, Marks has yet to score less than 15 points. When you factor in that Marks takes on the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed the 3rd most points to running backs this year, the choice should be easy.
Sit Running Back: Travis Etienne (RB17 – Sit)
It was tough to find a running back to sit, but it’s hard to feel great about Travis Etienne. With Etienne, he’s just a bit too hit or miss, as from weeks five through eight, he had less than 10 PPG every week.
In the last two weeks, Etienne has scored over 15 points in both, but his YPC mark was down under 3.9 YPC both weeks. With the Los Angeles Chargers being a slightly below average matchup (19th most points allowed to running backs), Etienne is a player that you could bench if you have Marks on your bench.
Breakout Quarterback: Caleb Williams (QB11 – Start)
Almost regardless of matchup, Caleb Williams should be starting for you if he’s on your fantasy football team. Williams is averaging 20.2 PPG on the year, and he’s been on a tear in the last two weeks, scoring more than 25 points in both.
The only real argument you could make for benching Williams right now is the matchup. With the Minnesota Vikings allowing the 16th most points to quarterbacks this year, that logic doesn’t apply this week.
Sit Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes (QB7 – Sit)
It’s tough to say you should sit Patrick Mahomes, but among all the options, he’s the one you can feel least confident about. Mahomes has been great this year, averaging 22.9 PPG, but there are two concerns.
Last week, Mahomes had a rough game with just 10.5 points, and while that’s not a massive concern, it’s worth noting. Then, for the matchup, the Denver Broncos have allowed the 31st most points to quarterbacks this year.
With the Kansas City Chiefs being favorites as well, like we mentioned before, it’s enough to possibly sit Mahomes if you have a better option.
Breakout Tight End: Harold Fannin Jr (TE13 – Start)
Harold Fannin Jr may not be a superstar, but he should be viewed as a top 10 tight end on the week. Fannin has scored 15 points in two of his last four games, but what’s more impressive is the targets.
In that span, Fannin has had three games with at least seven targets, which is exactly what you want to see out of a tight end. Although the Baltimore Ravens have allowed just the 23rd most points to tight ends this year, Fannin should be in your lineup.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 27: Kyle Pitts #8 of the Atlanta Falcons runs for extra yardage after a reception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium on October 27, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
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Sit Tight End: Kyle Pitts (TE10 – Sit)
Kyle Pitts is really close to Fannin, but the rookie has the hot hand right now. Fannin has put up very similar numbers in his last four games, but less than eight points in his last two.
With Pitts seeing his targets drop each of the last few four weeks, that should be a little bit worrisome. Although Pitts has a strong matchup against the Carolina Panthers (7th most points allowed), Fannin still gets a slight edge.
Breakout D/ST: San Francisco 49ers (D/ST – Start)
In order to find a sleeper defense, the goal is to find the best matchup possible. Despite only averaging 2.7 PPG on the year, the San Francisco 49ers have a phenomenal matchup.
In Week 11, the 49ers take on the Arizona Cardinals, which has worked well for opposing defenses all year. To be exact, the Cardinals have allowed the 4th most points to opposing D/ST in 2025.
Sit D/ST: Denver Broncos D/ST (D/ST8 – Sit)
On the flip side, the Denver Broncos have a very tough task in Week 11, going up against the Kansas City Chiefs. So far this year, the Chiefs have allowed the 30th most points on the year.
While the Broncos are averaging 8.6 PPG on the year, Week 11 is a good time to see if you can add another defense to your fantasy football team. When deciding whether to start or sit a defense, the matchup is the most important piece.