Bye Weeks: Cleveland, New Orleans, NY Giants, Pittsburgh
Mike Evans in Week 11: The Eagles are
giving up the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers.
Grab a Helmet
Mike
Evans @ PHI: Only Antonio
Brown has been more heavily targeted the last three weeks (48
v. 41) and that probably comes as no surprise when you consider
the state of the Bucs receiving corps. Vincent
Jackson and Louis
Murphy have been out that entire stretch, the former with a
balky knee and the latter with a torn ACL. As a result, Jameis Winston’s
other possible options in the Tampa passing game are a trio of guys
named Donteea
Dye, Russell
Shepard, and Adam
Humphries. I’m pretty good with names usually, but I’ve gotta
be honest here: Until I just looked them up, I’d never heard of
a single one of them. Maybe the memory’s starting to go or maybe
I’ve just been distracted with work or maybe…no, you know what?
It’s them, not me. Stick with Mike Evans until somebody else worthy
of Jameis Winston’s attention comes along.
Jordan
Matthews v. TB: If Chip Kelly had a guy like Evans manning
the flanks, he’d probably have a whole lot more job security than
he currently seems to have. Since cutting ties with Jeremy
Maclin this past summer (and DeSean
Jackson the summer before that), Kelly’s been desperately searching
for a go-to guy in the passing game. Matthews was supposed to be
it, but has been plagued by drops in his sophomore campaign and,
outside of two really good performances (Week 1 and Week 9), hasn’t
come close to meeting expectations. Could the switch to Mark Sanchez
light a fire under him? It just might if Matthews’ rookie stats
are any sort of precedent. In seven 2014 games with Nick Foles at
the helm, the former Commodore averaged 5.6 points. In nine more
with the Sanchise under center, he averaged almost double that (10.7).
That’s called actionable intelligence, folks. Sammy Watkins @ NE (Monday): I’ve already gone on record
as saying Watkins will never flourish playing for Rex Ryan and this
isn’t me backtracking on that statement. He won’t flourish
because Ryan’s receivers never do. In six seasons and change
as a head coach, his WR1 has never finished ranked higher than 21st
overall at the position (Braylon Edwards in 2010). Watkins has some
serious ground to make up if he wants to finish that high because
he’s currently sitting at 50th overall, the very last guy
on page 1 of the FFToday WR rankings. So why bother recommending
him if I’m so down on his prospects in general? Even seemingly
wasted talents get a chance to shine every once in a while. New
England won’t go easy on Coach Blowhard’s boys and that
could mean plenty of catch-up catch duty for the usually disappointing
Watkins Monday night.
Grab Some Wood
DeAndre Hopkins v. NYJ: Week
11 doesn’t seem like an opportune time to be sitting down
the fourth best WR, especially when he’s garnered no fewer
than 11 targets in every single game so far. I mean, 11 targets
is 11 targets, right? Even if he only catches half of them, the
guy’s probably going to be able to grind out some workmanlike
numbers and maybe even tally an all-important six-pointer. Here’s
what really worries me about Hopkins this week, though. First,
he’s going to be working with T.J. Yates instead of Brian
Hoyer. Second, he’s packing his bags for a trip to Revis
Island. I’ve doubted Hopkins before this season and he’s
proven me wrong every step of the way, but…I gotta think
the skepticism is justified this time around. If you can afford
to rest one of your most reliable scorers, please consider it.
Hopkins may struggle Sunday.
Anquan Boldin or Torrey Smith @ SEA:
The last time Boldin suited up for a game was back in Week 7 against
these very same Seahawks, when he managed just 39 yards on three
catches. Smith suited up that Thursday night, as well, but you
wouldn’t have known it by scanning the box score the next
morning. He caught precisely zero balls and has only managed to
corral four since (for a paltry 63 total yards). Boldin, of course,
isn’t a lock to play yet as he’s still recovering
from that dicey hammy, so he’s best avoided in Week 11.
Oddly, Smith’s value probably plummets if his teammate misses
the game since Seattle will have really nobody else to worry about.
Not that they’d have been overly concerned with the one-dimensional
speed merchant San Fran spent $40 million on this past offseason.
Remember when this franchise was the gold standard?
James Jones @ MIN: This franchise
probably still is, but a sudden and shocking three-game skid has
definitely triggered a lot of head-scratching in Northern Wisconsin.
Is it the play-calling? Is it the offensive line? Do they miss
Jordy Nelson more than we thought? Is something wrong with Aaron
Rodgers? I don’t have answers to any of these questions
but I do feel partially responsible. No sooner had I recommended
Jones for a Week 8 start (the last time we talked) than the Pack
started playing like a bottom feeder and Jones, specifically,
went completely MIA. He’s only caught three passes the last
three weeks and doesn’t appear to be getting any separation
from opposing DBs. The Green and Gold won’t stay in this
slump forever (they’re too talented), so this one could
backfire. Nevertheless, it’s crunch time for us and that
means risky propositions are best avoided. Sit Jones.
