Week 11 is upon us. While Thursday Night Football was a bit of a letdown, it was still kind to IDP managers. Isaiah Simmons had his long-awaited coming out party, racking up nine solos, one assist, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one QB hit on 68 percent of the snaps. Carlos Dunlap was excellent against Arizona, notching his second and third sacks in his three games with Seattle. Let’s hope the rest of Week 11 goes as smoothly.
In deeper IDP leagues that do not treat the position as purely a novelty, deciding who to sit and who to start often becomes a challenge. With that in mind, we will take a look at a few players we should both be started and sat in IDP leagues. We will try to avoid the obvious such as starting Devin White or Myles Garrett and instead focus on players who will actually be debated for this weekend’s contests.
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Start em
Alex Singleton (LB – PHI)
Singleton went bonkers in Week 10, racking up a highly impressive nine solo tackles and seven assists. He played 100 percent of the snaps in Week 10, seeing the majority of his snaps at inside linebacker. After a performance like he put together last week, it is near impossible to not at least consider Singleton this week. The matchup is a neutral one on paper as the Cleveland Browns have allowed just the 16th most fantasy points to the linebacker position, but the projected gamescript suggests that Singleton will be bombarded with tackle opportunities courtesy of the Browns rushing attack. He has been picking up his play as of late and has five or more solos in three straight contests. Lock Singleton in as an LB2 with LB1 upside
Cole Holcomb (LB – WAS)
Holcomb played 100 percent of the snaps in Week 10. The former corner saw 10 snaps at his old position but spent most of his time in the box at inside linebacker. The tackle count should be coming, and he has the coverage skills to make an impact if opponents ever need to go pass-heavy. He saw four tackles and two assists in Week 10 and is locked in as a full-time player against a Cincinnati Bengals team surrendering the sixth most fantasy points to the linebacker position. Consider Holcomb an LB3 with LB2 upside for Week 10, and someone more than worth starting for those who have players who have been ineffective or on who are on a bye.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (CB/S – NO)
Gardner-Johnson recorded six solos, two assists, one sack, two tackles for loss, three QB hits, and one pass defended in Week 10. He left the game with an arm injury but has not appeared on the team’s injury report this week, suggesting that he is practicing in full. Listed as a safety by pretty much all league providers, CGJ is logging the bulk of his snaps as a slot corner. He has racked up five or more solos in six of his nine contests. To put his play in context, as pointed out in our hot pickups column earlier this week, he has more solo tackles (42) than his teammate in middle linebacker Demario Davis. CGJ is a high-level talent showing consistency who needs to be started wherever possible against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team relinquishing the 19th most fantasy points to the linebacker position. He can be counted on as a DB2 option and/or a CB1 for Week 11.
Kamren Curl (S – WAS)
Kamren Curl racked up six solos, two assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions. He played 100 percent of the snaps and is locked in as a starter with Landon Collins lost for the season. He has made the most of his new role and now has DB1 level outings in two straight weeks. His Week 11 matchup is tough on paper, but Curl plays the bulk of his snaps in the box as a hybrid linebacker, giving him significant upside against what should be a run-heavy attack from the Cleveland Browns. Start Curl with confidence as a DB2 for Week 11.
Trey Hendrickson (DE – NO)
Hendrickson was virtually blanked in Week 10, recording just one pass defended and one QB hit. Those not digging deeper into the boxscore may have missed the fact that he played his second-highest snap percentage of the season against the 49ers, seeing 69 percent of the snaps, ultimately seeing more snaps than nominal starter Marcus Davenport (62 percent). Hendrickson and Davenport are sharing the field together when Cameron Jordan gets breathers, but the Saints are also being creative by lining Hendrickson as a REO and Davenport as a LEO and a right outside linebacker, allowing all three pass rushers to be in the game together. Hendrickson is a DL2 with DL1 upside in Week 11, thanks to a date with an Atlanta Falcons team surrendering the second most fantasy points to the defensive end position. Lock Hendrickson in as a starter for this weekend.
Romeo Okwara (DE – DET)
Somehow rostered in just 16 percent of Yahoo leagues, Romeo Okwara was strong again in Week 10, recording two solos, two assists, one sack, and one tackle for loss. He is locked into starters snaps with Trey Flowers sidelined, and should continue to ‘beast’ for the Detroit Lions. Romeo is now up to six sacks on the season (tied for 12th in the league) and is keeping his younger brother Julian locked into a bit role because of his inspired play. Romeo is truly on fire as all six of his sacks have come in his last seven contests. He is a must-start as long as he is on this tear, and is going to be an exciting start if the Carolina Panthers end up without Teddy Bridgewater under center for Week 11. Romeo is locked in as an elite DL2 either way, but a P.J. Walker or Will Grier sighting would make Romeo a sneaky DL1 option.
Sit em
Kevin Pierre-Louis (LB – WAS)
Pierre-Louis is another early-season hot pickup who has seen his role dwindle. As you can probably guess from our suggested start above, Cole Holcomb has become an every snap player alongside Jon Bostic, in effect relegating KPL to a bit rotational role. You wouldn’t know it from Yahoo’s weekly projections, but KPL has failed to record more than two solos in all but one contest since his 10 solo tackle explosion in Week 2. He produces next to nothing in the peripheral departments and has seen his snap count dramatically reduced as Holcomb has seen his rise. KPL has been under 50 percent of the snaps in each of the last two weeks, bottoming out with 24 percent of the snaps in Week 10. He has been a rotational body for most of his career and appears to be back in that role with the emergence of Holcomb. Keep KPL benched in the deepest of leagues, while those in shallower formats can make the move to cut him outright.
B.J. Goodson (LB – CLE)
B.J. Goodson remains locked into a near every snap role but has not produced at much more than an LB3 level. He was solid with five solos, two assists, and one pass defended in Week 10. He remains an LB3 option in a neutral matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, but there are simply quite a few more enticing options sitting on waiver wires in most leagues, including two names listed above. He is strong depth in deeper leagues, but his lack of upside and low floor make him someone to sit if you have any other comparable options to your avail either on your roster or on the wire.
Marcus Williams (S – NO)
Marcus Williams had a strong Week 10 that saw him record four solos, five assists, and one pass defended. However, fantasy managers who added him after his strong week should approach with caution. Week 10 was the first time he recorded four or more solos since Week 4, in fact, he was held to two or fewer solos in all but one of those contests. He does have two interceptions on the season, so not all is lost due to his peaks and valleys in the solo department, but he is simply too hard to trust for Week 11. He is a tough player to sit due to the fantastic matchup against an Atlanta Falcons team surrendering the second most fantasy points to the safety position, but consistency is king in IDP land. Leave Williams on the wire or on the bench for Week 11.
Jayron Kearse (S – DET)
Jayron Kearse was excellent in Week 10 racking up a season-high eight solos and one assist. Kearse has played over 90 percent of the snaps in each of the last two weeks but may see his snaps greatly reduced with Tracy Walker rounding back into full health. It should be noted that Waker, the starter, played just 41 percent of the snaps in Week 10 and that Kearse had the benefit of facing Washington. He is worth a look if Waker is sidelined, but this week it is Kearse on the injury report with an ankle issue. If you happened to add him over the last two weeks, the suggestion here is to keep him benched despite a plus matchup against a Carolina Panthers team surrendering the 13th most fantasy points to the safety position.
Terrell Lewis (LB/DE – LAR)
While he made our list as one of the hot pickups of the week, fantasy managers may want to wait at least one more week before plugging Lewis in as a starter. The rookie was fantastic in Week 10, racking up two solos, two sacks, and one tackle for loss against the Seahawks. He played just 46 percent of the snaps however and joined a sack party that saw the Rams get to Russell Wilson six times. Week 10 marked just the second time all season that Lewis played more than 32 percent of the snaps, so while he was too talented not to add after his mini breakout, fantasy managers should still be in wait-and-see mode, as we ascertain whether or not Lewis has earned a weekly role. Keep him stashed, but leave him benched for Week 11 despite having a plus matchup against a Buccaneers team allowing the 14th most fantasy points to the defensive end position.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.
