Fantasy Football 2017: Start or sit for Week 11

With Week 11 of the regular season set to kick off tonight, who are the players fantasy football owners should want to start and sit?

It’s “do or die time” for a lot of owners as we head down the stretch of the fantasy football regular season. Some owners will have to win two out of the next three games to secure a spot in the fantasy playoffs while others will have to run the table. Starting or sitting the wrong player this week could end some owners chances of making the postseason. So who are the players owners should be aware and wary of in this crucial week?

Here are some players you should consider starting or sitting for Week 11.

Note: Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers all have a bye this week.

Quarterbacks

Start

Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns – Hold on, hold on before you exit out of the article give me a chance to explain myself. Yes, Bortles has a bad reputation as a real life quarterback. I’ll give you that. However, as a fantasy football quarterback, he hasn’t been terrible. He has gone three straight games with 16.3+ points and faces a defense who has given up multiple touchdown passes in five out of their last six games. I believe the odds are in Bortles favor to go four-straight games with 16+ fantasy points.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Miami Dolphins – I’m really pushing my luck here aren’t I? Just like with Blake Bortles above, Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn’t been a great real life quarterback but as far as fantasy football goes, he’s a decent option in Week 11. He faces the Dolphins who just gave up to 35.7 fantasy points to Cam Newton on a Monday Night Football and he gets back wide receiver Mike Evans. I realize Fitzpatrick isn’t Cam Newton and there’s no way he will score 35.7 fantasy points. But do I think he can score half that? You better believe it.

Sit

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – This is simply a bad week for Mariota. He has to travel on a short week and the team he faces ranks second in passing defense. Don’t be too upset if you’re a Mariota owner. After this week, he has a great stretch of matchups (Colts, Texans, Cardinals, 49ers). If you can trade for Mariota, I would.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears – Stafford has been on point over the last three weeks and since Week 8, he ranks as the seventh-best fantasy quarterback in points per game. Yet, I’m not a fan of him this week. The Bears defense has not been kind to quarterbacks and since Week 2, only one quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) has scored more than 14.1 fantasy points while facing the Bears.