by I like to say that every set of NFL results is weird in its own way. The chaos is the product. That’s what we expect as fantasy managers. We try to take advantage of entropy when we can. We’re shooting in the slide. And man, there were a lot of fantasy slips in the early week 11 window. Several well-known stars made brick appearances on the eve of Thanksgiving.
Start in Detroit, where Josh Allen was unpredictable early on, finishing with just 197 yards, a touchdown and a lousy seven rushing yards. Has his recent wiretapping problem scared him? Maybe he was afraid of making a mistake. Buffalo still rolled to an easy win — even if Cleveland stole the last-second push against the spread — but it was by far Allen’s worst fantasy game of the year. Those 12.58 points don’t buy much.
In the meantime, Jacoby Brissett thrived — some of it in trash time — en route to 324 yards and three touchdowns. Amari Cooper (8-113-2) finally smashed in a street game, and Donovan Peoples Jones (5-61-1) finally broke the seal on his touchdown tally. It’s good that Cleveland had a temporary hit, because Nick Chublike Allen, had a shockingly poor game (14 carries, 19 yards).
Perhaps you had high hopes that the Ravens would put the wood to the Panthers — Baltimore was a meaty 12-point favorite at home, after all. but Lamar Jackson was limited to one touchdown (at least on the ground) and 240 yards of offense, good for 16.46 Yahoo Fantasy points, and the Ravens tiptoed away with a boring 13-3 win. Jackson hasn’t lost your fantasy game to you, but he certainly hasn’t gained you anything.
He only focused on two main players when throwing down. Mark Andrews (6-63-0) was of course played in all fantasy leagues. Demarkus Robinson (9-128-0) was not. This is the seventh year of Robinson’s ordinary career; This is only the second time he has surpassed 100 yards and only the third time he has surpassed 70 yards. Points one for the genius of despair.
Kenyan Drake did not go bananas in the absence of Gus Edwards. The Drake amassed 10-46 rushing and two short receptions. No touchdowns. No fantasy fame.
I refuse to say much about the Panthers. D’Onta Foreman (11-24-0) had no careers. DJ Moore was used by submarines Baker Mayfield. I never thought I’d be watching so desperately Sam Darnold play again
The Eagles had their lowest-scoring game of the year, though they somehow walked away with a 17-16 win in Indianapolis. The Lions beat out the Giants, however Jared Goff threw for just 165 yards with no touchdowns. Jamal Williams (three spikes) remains Detroit’s power animal and D’Andre Swift scored in garbage time, though the Lions continue to limit his work (eight touches, 32 yards).
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The Lions defense was determined to quit Saquon Barkley and it worked – 15 carries, 22 yards. Barkley also had two catches for 13 yards. Daniel Jones was handy at catching up, throwing for 341 yards, running 50 more, and accounting for two touchdowns. if you needed it Wan’Dale Robinson (9-100-0) or Darius Slayton (5-86-0) plays as desperation, you have an easy win.
Even some reliable kickers were brought down by the weather gods. Graham Gano scored two extra points in the New Jersey wind tunnel. Nick Folk had a hell of a time with the foxboro wind but luckily for new england, Zach Wilson was even worse. The Patriots escaped with a win (and a gift cover) thanks to a last-minute punt return touchdown. No one needs to watch this 10-3 slumberfest again.
Oh luckily we were able to set our clock by a few things. Chris Olav (5-102-1) ran past Rams defenders all day. Jonathan Taylor had a total of 94 yards and a score, and Michael Pittman and Paris Campbell were both respectable. Cole Kmet didn’t come off at Atlanta (3-35-0), however Justin Fields (153 air, 85 ground, two points), David Montgomery (121 total yards, one score) and Darnell Mooney (4-29-1) all appeared. Mooney was freely held for most of the day; he could easily have done more. Hopefully Fields is healthy for Week 12 – he bruised his left shoulder late in the loss to Atlanta.
The Falcons did what they normally do – they kept the ball away from their best playmakers. DrakeLondon only had one catch on three goals, but still it was a two-yard touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson together with two other runners (Tyler Allgeier, Marcus Mariota), not that 10-52-0 is a bad performance. Patterson’s fantasy day was saved by a 103-yard kickoff return. Kyle Pitts had five goals, three catches, 43 yards. Sometimes they are courtyards, sometimes prayer courtyards.
You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need. No matter how disappointing your 1:00 p.m. time window may have been, there’s always a chance your opponent hit more potholes sooner than you did.
But hey – there’s always the 4 p.m. window.
Stay tuned for more booms and busts in week 11…
