The Week 11 NFL slate will give us some quality games to watch, with plenty of good matchups in the trenches to monitor. Fantasy football generally focuses on skilled position players, but their ability to perform relies on good play from their offensive line. Defensive lines are designed to cause havoc in opposing backfields, whether it’s pressure off the edge, disrupting up the middle, or pressuring quarterbacks into poor decisions.
Some of the strongest offensive line units in the league this season can be found in Philadelphia, Detroit, Kansas City, and Minnesota, while units like the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders all rank bottom three in sack percentage at 10.6 percent or greater. Defensive lines that tend to disrupt consistently include the Browns, New York Jets, Chiefs, and Dolphins. All four of these units have tough matchups in Week 11, so there’s a lot to unpack from a fantasy football context.
NFL fantasy analyst Matt MacKay is here to share his latest offensive and defensive line rankings and matchups to help fantasy managers gain an edge over league mates, while also determining which players have the highest upside in Week 11 lineups. Maximizing fantasy points is everything at this point of the season, with only four weeks left until the fantasy playoffs begin. Let’s get right into which rankings and matchups to lean into or fade during a week with Atlanta, Indianapolis, New England, and New Orleans all on Bye.
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Offensive Line Rankings & Matchups
1. Detroit Lions
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Kansas City Chiefs
Key Week 11 Matchups
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Week 11 slate starts with an AFC North heavyweight bout with the Cincinnati Bengals traveling on a short week to face Baltimore. The Ravens blew a 14-point lead against Cleveland in Week 10 at home, so their third consecutive home game gives Lamar Jackson (QB – Ravens) and company more opportunities for redemption. Joe Burrow (QB – Bengals) was only sacked once in a Week 2 matchup between these teams, but he did throw an untimely interception in the red zone that prevented the Bengals from gaining the lead.
We saw Nelson Agholor (WR – Ravens), Mark Andrews (TE – Ravens), and Gus Edwards (RB – Ravens) all score touchdowns in the first matchup, but this is focusing on how the Bengals skilled players will perform against a stout Ravens defensive front. Baltimore is the worst fantasy quarterback matchup, a bottom-seven fantasy wideout matchup, and a bottom-ten matchup for tight ends. Only running backs are marginally better, drawing the 13th-toughest matchup in fantasy, so we could see Joe Mixon (RB – Bengals) continue building on his recent streak of finding the end zone, returning RB2 value.
Tee Higgins (WR – Bengals) popped in Week 2 but his status remains in doubt due to a hamstring injury. Last week, the Browns were led by Jerome Ford (RB – Browns) and Amari Cooper (WR – Browns), who each tallied at least 98 yards, so Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase (WR – Bengals) should return top-24 value, while Tyler Boyd’s (WR – Bengals) also a low-end WR2 after logging 8-117 on 12 targets against a stingy Houston pass defense in Week 10.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson’s (QB – Browns) season-ending shoulder surgery means we’re back to P.J. Walker (QB – Browns) under center for the Browns. This specific matchup, however, focuses on the Steelers’ offensive line going up against Myles Garrett (DE – Browns) and Cleveland’s elite defensive line unit. Za’Darius Smith (DE – Browns) and Dalvin Tomlinson (DT – Browns) compliment Garrett along the Browns’ defensive front, which is why they are top-five in pressure rate, quarterback knockdowns, and top-eight in total sacks (30) recorded.
The Steelers’ run-centric identity on offense is gaining steam with Jaylen Warren (RB – Steelers) beginning to usurp Najee Harris (RB – Steelers) as we saw in Week 10. While both are still fantasy assets for the time being, Warren’s outlook against the Browns, who are a bottom-seven fantasy matchup, may drop him into low-end RB2 territory in Week 11.
Cleveland allowed two different Ravens running backs to score touchdowns in Week 10, but no one managed more than 41 rushing yards. Kenny Pickett (QB – Steelers) makes minimal mistakes and delivers clutch throws, but Pittsburgh’s offense will attempt to establish the run with its two-headed backfield. This game feels like its going under the 34.5 point total line, so don’t expect more than 10-12 fantasy points from Warren or Harris, making them fringe RB2s without an RB1 ceiling.
Miami Dolphins vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Miami’s offense is preparing for the return of De’Von Achane (RB – Dolphins), who singlehandedly upgrades the potency of the West Coast scheme deployed by head coach Mike McDaniel. Miami’s offensive line is still dealing with key injuries to its interior though, while Maxx Crosby’s (DE – Raiders) relentless pressure off the edge for Las Vegas could wind up disrupting Tua Tagovailoa’s (QB – Dolphins) reads in the pocket.
Expect McDaniel to dial up more quick one or two-read looks for his quarterback to avoid pressure, while turning toward a heavy dose of Achane and Mostert out of the backfield. The Raiders’ run defense is a top-eight fantasy running back matchup this season, while holding opposing wideouts to modest production, ranking as the sixth-toughest fantasy wide receiver matchup.
Achane and Mostert can co-exist behind a good run-blocking offensive line that benefits from zone-blocking schemes, taking Crosby out of the equation and getting both of its running backs, plus a smattering of Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB – Dolphins), to establish a run-centric game plan that could launch all three into RB1 territory in Week 11.
Defensive Line Rankings & Matchups
1. New York Jets
2. Cleveland Browns
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Miami Dolphins
Key Week 11 Matchups
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Francisco’s defensive numbers up front aren’t nearly as impressive as expected entering this season. Nick Bosa’s (DE – 49ers) huge contract extension has yet to pay dividends, but trading for his former college teammate, Chase Young (DE – 49ers), has seemingly aided the 49ers’ pass rush with a dominant 34-3 win against Jacksonville in Week 10.
Tampa Bay’s offensive line is an underrated unit, led by Tristan Wirfs (OT – Buccaneers), which excels at pass blocking, allowing only 16 sacks through nine games played. Baker Mayfield (QB – Buccaneers) uses his pocket mobility to escape a lot of pressures, which helps these numbers, while screens and dump offs to Rachaad White (RB – Buccaneers) have been an effective formula across the Buccaneers’ last few matchups.
San Francisco is a bottom-12 fantasy running back matchup this season, but they’ve been vulnerable against opposing passing attacks. Mike Evans (WR – Buccaneers) has been the biggest factor in the Bucs’ passing attack, ranking WR9 in fantasy points per game, racking up double-digit points in four straight games, so he’s a strong WR2, while White gets bumped down into low-end RB2 value in Week 11.
New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 1 saw the New York Jets pull off a miraculous overtime win via punt return to spoil Josh Allen (QB – Bills) and Buffalo’s high expectations. Fast forward to Week 11 and the Bills are still dealing with adversity, losing three of their last four games outright, firing OC Ken Dorsey, and watching Allen continue to make poor decisions, leading to momentum-swinging turnovers.
The Jets’ pass defense is the definition of elite. The run defense is where their vulnerabilities reside, so expect James Cook (RB – Bills), Allen, and even Latavius Murray (RB – Bills) to start handling more volume in an attempt to balance Buffalo’s one-dimensional offense. They won’t have much of a choice, as Allen threw three interceptions against the Jets in Week 1, while also losing a fumble.
Allen only threw for one touchdown and under 250 yards, while James Cook finished with 12 carries for 46 yards back in Week 1. Expect Cook to build off of a strong outing against Denver in Week 10, where he averaged 9.08 yards per carry on 12 attempts, while hauling in both targets for an additional 11 yards.
Stefon Diggs (WR – Bills) and Gabe Davis (WR – Bills) will suffer, as the Jets’ pass rush up front is exceptional, but Dalton Kincaid (TE – Bills) should remain locked into lineups, as the Jets are nearly a top-12 fantasy tight end matchup this season. Kincaid’s the only trustworthy passing option in Buffalo’s offense outside of Diggs, who will be a priority for Sauce Gardner (CB – Jets) and company on the road in Week 11. Invest in the Bills’ rushing attack, meaning Cook should produce high-end RB2 to low-end RB1 numbers in a top-12 fantasy matchup against the porous New York run defense.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The game of the week is the last matchup on the Week 11 slate, featuring a Super Bowl rematch at Arrowhead between the Chiefs and Eagles. Both teams are well-rested coming out of their Bye Week and each defensive line unit ranks inside the top-five across the league.
Whether it’s Chris Jones (DT – Chiefs) and Jalen Carter (DT – Eagles), or Haason Reddick (DE – Eagles) and George Karlaftis (DE – Chiefs) on the edges, Philadelphia and Kansas City have game-changing playmakers along their defensive fronts. Each team’s offensive line units are equally talented, with the Eagles holding a marginal edge over the Chiefs. It’ll be intriguing to watch how Kansas City dials up its game plan against the Eagles, who are a disruptive group up front in the run and passing game, while their weakness all season has tended to be defending the pass.
Mahomes hasn’t had elite numbers in most games this season, but expect him to take to the air early and often, targeting Travis Kelce (TE – Chiefs) and Rashee Rice (WR – Chiefs) as his favorite options in the Chiefs’ passing attack. Rice should be viewed as a low-end WR2 with high-end WR2 upside, while Kelce’s poor outing in Week 9 against Miami should turn into the normal double-digit production we expect, especially playing a defense allowing the 11th-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2023.
Isiah Pacheco (RB – Chiefs) gets downgraded to RB3 territory, but we could see Jerick McKinnon (RB – Chiefs) get more usage as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Mahomes’ mobility gets him out of trouble in the pocket, so expect the Eagles’ defensive line to attempt containing him and all Chiefs’ running backs with their elite run defense on the road in Week 11.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
