Thursday Night Football had its moments. The game did not live up to the preseason expectations from this Week 11 contest, but it was not without some excitement on both sides of the ball. From Derrick Henry throwing a jump touchdown pass to Christian Watson having another multi-touchdown game, the offense did not disappoint fantasy managers. On the IDP side of things, we had Quay Walker, Krys Barnes, and Preston Smith finding a way to keep Henry in check, limiting him to just 3.1 yards per carry. We saw some solid IDP production from the Packers secondary, but they were unable to keep rookie receiver Treylon Burks in check. Looking ahead to this weekend, we will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others who are better left on benches despite promising upside. Let’s dig in.
Start em
Justin Houston (DE/LB – BAL)
Justin Houston has been as hot as any pass rusher in the NFL. Through just six games, Houston sits tied for fourth in the league with 8.5 sacks. Even more impressive? Houston has 6.5 sacks in his last three contests. It was hard to recommend Houston at the start of his recent tear as he notched back-to-back two sacks games but played less than 35 percent of the snaps in both. Happily, Houston climbed up to 65 percent of the snaps before the bye, notching another 2.5 sacks. If Houston sees north of 50 percent of the snaps, he is an easy play as a DL2 or even a DL1 option (at least until he cools down). Treat him as a DL2 with DL1 upside for a plus Week 11 matchup against a Carolina Panthers team relinquishing the seventh most fantasy points per game to the outside linebacker position.
Damar Hamlin (S – BUF)
Damar Hamlin was excellent in Week 10, posting eight solos, three assists, and one tackle for loss. He has been filling in admirably for Micah Hyde, providing DB1 value on the season. The DB4 overall and in fantasy points per game, Hamlin is still not among the 12 most-started defensive backs at Yahoo or Sleeper. The sample size is large enough that Hamlin needs to be treated as a DB1 week-in-and-week-out. Fire him up as just that for a plus Week 11 matchup against a Cleveland Browns team surrendering the 12th most fantasy points per game to the safety position.
Tyrel Dodson (LB – BUF)
Dodson looks to be in line to make the start this week in place of the injured Tremaine Edmunds. Edmunds is dealing with groin and heel injuries and missed the first two practices of the week. Dodson played nearly every snap after Edmunds went down last week and filled in for him earlier this year, posting seven solos, four assists, one sack, and one tackle for loss in a Week 5 start. Treat him as an LB3 with LB2 upside for a neutral Week 11 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Josh Uche (DE/LB – NE)
Josh Uche went bonkers back in Week 9, racking up five solos, one assist, three sacks, and three tackles for loss. Yes, the production came against an Indianapolis Colts team that was starting Sam Ehlinger and moved on from its coach mid-game, but Uche’s breakout was a long time coming. A toolsy edge rusher who just was not seeing a consistent enough role to be trusted as a weekly option, his Week 9 performance should have bought him some more runway. Uche has four sacks in his last two games and should be viewed as a DL3 option for a plus matchup against a New York Jets team allowing the 11th most fantasy points per game to the outside linebacker position.
Darrick Forrest (S – WAS)
Forrest played every snap in Week 10 despite Kamren Curl and Bobby McCain doing the same. The Commanders opted to utilize McCain in more slot coverage, which allowed them to play both Curl and Forrest at the same time. Forrest responded by posting three solos, three assists, one interception, one pass defended, and one fumble recovery. McCain is more suited for high-level slot play than practice squader Danny Johnson, so this is a package that the Commanders may lean on going forward. Forrest is not without some risk for Week 11 but was still seeing roughly 60 percent of the snaps in the previous few weeks, making him someone for those in a bye-week crunch to lean on. Treat him as a low-floor DB3 option for a neutral Week 11 matchup against a Houston Texans team allowing the 19th most fantasy points per game to the position.
Sit em
Nick Scott (S – LAR)
Nick Scott went off in Week 10, racking up eight solos and one assist. The production, however, seems like an aberration and is not something to chase, regardless of your bye-week situation. This was his best fantasy output of the season and marked only the second time in nine games that he saw more than four solos. He is worth a deep league roster spot due to his every snap role but is not someone you want plugged into your lineups, even in the most desperate of situations. Keep him glued to the pine for a tough Week 11 matchup against a New Orleans team limiting the position to the third-fewest fantasy points per game.
Cody Barton (LB – SEA)
Cody Barton played 80 percent of snaps in Week 10, notching eight solos, one assist, one interception, and one pass defended. Barton is worth a speculative add in light of the dramatic snap increase but should be left on benches while we ascertain whether his snap count was the start of a trend or was simply a gameplan-based aberration. Barton lost his full time role back in Week 3 and has seen north of 65 percent of the snaps in just two of the seven games since. He can be productive when given the requisite snaps, however, if we can’t trust the snap count, he becomes a hard player to trust outside of 16+ team leagues. Keep him benched for Week 11 despite the strong performance against the Buccaneers.
Myjai Sanders (DE – ARI)
Myjai went off in Week 10, racking up five solos, one sack, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one pass defended. However, Myjai was able to rack up all of those counting stats despite playing just 35 percent of the snaps. The snap percentage was his highest of the season, with the 29 percent he saw the week before being his previous high watermark. He is worth a stash, especially in deeper, sack-heavy formats, but should be left on benches until he earns a more consistent role.
Jason Pinnock (S – NYG)
Pinnock went off in Week 10, recording three solos, one assist, 1.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss. However, this was the first time all season that Pinnock saw more than one defensive snap, so he is not someone to trust for Week 11. Yes, it is perfectly possible that Pinnock has earned himself a role going forward, but until we see it, Pinnock belongs on waiver wire in all but the deepest of 11 vs 11 IDP leagues. Look elsewhere for Week 11 cover.
Jaylon Smith (LB – NYG)
Jaylon burst back onto the IDP scene with a strong debut for the New York Giants but has disappointed ever since. He has supplanted Tae Crowder as the snap leader of the Giants linebacker corps but is not providing enough production to be viewed as anything more than an LB4 option. He has played less than 66 percent of the snaps in five of his six contests and quite simply is a shell of the sideline-to-sideline talent he was before injuries sapped his explosion. He is worth a look if you find yourself with multiple linebackers on bye, but for the rest of us, Jaylon should be left on benches until he starts producing at a consistent level.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.