NFL Week 11 fantasy football, betting cheat sheet: TE trouble with Kincaid, LaPorta out

Welcome to the Week 11 NFL fantasy and betting cheat sheet, a one-stop-shop for The Athletic’s game previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often, as we offer regular updates on Thursday and Friday to assist with fantasy lineups and betting decisions. We’ll come back with a special Sunday cheat sheet that morning as well.

Player rankings referenced in this article are current as of Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy football player rankings” section.

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Last updated: 5 p.m. ET, Nov. 15

Injury news | Weather report
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Survivor Pools | Fantasy football player rankings

Injury news

Updated through 5 p.m. ET, Nov. 15

Sunday 1 p.m.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers (quadriceps) — Expected to play
Jacobs was limited at practice Thursday but is expected to play. Rookie MarShawn Lloyd remains on injured reserve and was also limited during Thursday’s practice, then missed Friday’s practice with appendicitis.

Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins (wrist) — Expected to play
Hill is expected to play despite having a torn wrist ligament. He is not in top form, but Hill still had 11.7 PPR points in Week 10, playing through his injury.

Aaron Jones, RB, Vikings (ribs) — Expected to play
According to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, Jones is off the injury report and expected to play. In Week 10, backup Cam Akers had 13 carries but didn’t do much with them, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry.

Davante Adams, WR, Jets (illness / wrist) — Questionable
Adams hasn’t practiced this week as he recovers from an illness and a wrist injury. But Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reported that interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said Adams is expected to play. In Weeks 7-10, Adams has been the Jets’ most-targeted receiver (39), but Garrett Wilson has the higher PPR total (82.7 vs. Adams’ 58.84). No other New York wide receiver has been in the ballpark of fantasy relevance since Adams joined the Jets.

Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts (back) — Expected to play
After Joe Flacco’s Week 10 performance — when he threw a pick-six, two additional interceptions, and fumbled the ball — Anthony Richardson will again start for the Colts. Pittman did not play in Week 10 due to a lingering back injury but was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and is expected to play. The Colts play a very beatable Jets team in Week 11, and Pittman was Richardson’s top target before the QB’s benching with 34 targets. Richardson’s other top targets include Alec Pierce (21 ), Josh Downs (18), and Adonai Mitchell (17).

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars (shoulder) — Out
Lawrence will not play in Week 11 but could return after the bye, according to The Athletic’s Rebecca Tauber. With Lawrence out, Jacksonville’s skill position players, including WR Brian Thomas Jr. (questionable), RBs Tank Bigsby (questionable), and Travis Etienne Jr., take a hit, considering Mac Jones’ Week 10 performance. Jones scored one touchdown, threw two interceptions, fumbled once, and finished with only 111 passing yards against the Vikings.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars (ankle) — Out
Bigsby is out in Week 11, and Travis Etienne Jr. could have a get-right game. The Jags had problems running in Week 10 with Jones under center, but Etienne averaged 4.0 yards per carry.

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars (chest) — Expected to play
Gabe Davis, WR, Jaguars (shoulder) — Expected to play
Thomas and Davis were limited participants in Thursday’s practice but are expected to play this week. I wouldn’t depend on any receivers for the Jags with Jones throwing the ball.

Najee Harris, RB, Steelers (ankle) — Expected to play
Jaylen Warren, RB, Steelers (back) — Questionable
Harris didn’t practice Wednesday but returned Thursday, while Warren missed practice later in the week and remains questionable. Warren has been trending in the right direction, with 12, 9, and 14 carries in Weeks 7, 8, and 10, respectively. In the Steelers’ last two games, he’s averaged 4.9 yards per carry compared to 3.3 prior to that. But if Warren cannot play, Harris likely sees more work in the backfield.

Sam LaPorta, TE, Lions (shoulder) — Out
LaPorta has been ruled out for Week 11. Brock Wright is next on the depth chart, followed by Shane Zylstra. LaPorta has been a fantasy letdown this year, considering his ADP, but in Week 10, he scored 15.6 PPR points on 66 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Keon Coleman, WR, Bills (wrist) — Out
Amari Cooper, WR, Bills (wrist) — Questionable
Coleman has been ruled out ahead of Week 11, and Cooper remains questionable, which means Khalil Shakir should see more targets. Shakir is averaging 12.59 PPR points per game for the year and has more targets (54) than anyone on the team outside of Dalton Kincaid (59). In Week 10, Shakir had 58 yards receiving on six receptions. His best game came against the Seahawks in Week 8 when he had over 100 yards receiving and 19.9 PPR points.

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Bills (knee) — Out
Kincaid has been ruled out after suffering a knee injury in Week 10 during a win over the Colts. Dawson Knox is now a great Week 11 TE streaming option.

Darnell Mooney, WR, Falcons (Achilles) — Expected to play
Mooney hit the injury report on Thursday with an Achilles injury but is expected to play. In Weeks 7-10, Mooney had the most targets (32) and yards per reception (16.6) for Atlanta.

George Kittle, TE, 49ers (hamstring) — Questionable
Jauan Jennings, WR, 49ers (ankle) — Questionable
Despite not practicing Wednesday and being limited Thursday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said there “isn’t much concern” about Kittle’s status for Week 11, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Jennings was present for Friday’s practice but remains questionable. Ricky Pearsall has averaged 11.37 PPR points since returning from injury and had 17.3 in Week 10, so if either Kittle or Jennings cannot play, Pearsall is a good flex option — and in many leagues a good flex option regardless.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers (Achilles) — Questionable
At this point, it’s not surprising that McCaffrey is on the injury report. He has practiced in a limited fashion this week but remains questionable. If McCaffrey doesn’t play this week, you know the drill — Jordan Mason.

Noah Fant, TE, Seahawks (groin) — Out
Fant has been ruled out ahead of Week 11. A fourth-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, AJ Barner is next on the depth chart, and maybe Seattle will see what they have in him. So far this year, he’s caught all eight of his targets and has a TD reception under his belt.

Harrison Butker, K, Chiefs (knee) — Injured reserve
Butker is heading to the IR after a successful meniscus trim, but Kansas City hopes he’ll be back for the end of the season and the playoffs. The Chiefs are expected to sign Spencer Shrader off the Jets’ practice squad as Butker’s replacement.

Sunday Night Football

Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals (quadriceps) — Expected to play
Higgins has only played in five games this year and hasn’t seen the field since Week 8, but he’s off the injury report, and head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that Higgins is expected to play in Week 11. Joe Burrow is putting up MVP numbers this year, and Higgins averaged 5.8 receptions, 68.2 receiving yards, and 16.22 PPR points per game before his injury, so when he returns, Higgins is a great WR2/flex option.

Monday Night Football

Nico Collins, WR, Texans (hamstring) — Expected to play
According to DJ Bien-Aime at ESPN.com, Collins is practicing this week with the expectation that he’ll play against Dallas on Monday Night Football. Collins is a no-brainer every-week fantasy starter when healthy, and with Stefon Diggs out, Tank Dell is a viable flex option each week.

Weather report

Outdoor games only

The weather is nearly a non-factor in Week 11, according to Rotowire.

Check out Jake Ciely’s “NFL weather” guide to see how wind, precipitation and temperature impact games.

Featured games

Game-specific previews and live updates are available on the day of the game.

Sunday afternoon

Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) vs. Buffalo Bills (8-2)

• Venue: Highmark Stadium — Orchard Park, N.Y.
• Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

The Chiefs are undefeated, but their wins haven’t always been pretty. Luck was on their side in Week 10 when they beat the Broncos by blocking a field goal in the game’s final seconds. But the Bills > the Broncos and are favored heading into Week 11 despite having two losses to Kansas City’s zero.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has been fallible this season. He ranks 34th in air yards per attempt (which hasn’t helped Xavier Worthy) and has thrown nine interceptions to 12 touchdowns. But he’s an accurate passer with the fifth-ranked completion percentage (69.5%) in the league, finds ways to win, and his chemistry with Travis Kelce is back in full force. Kelce has been targeted 40 times in the last three weeks, compared to DeAndre Hopkins’ 17 targets and Worthy’s 14.

The Chiefs’ running game is truly lagging, though. Kareem Hunt has been a welcome addition during Isiah Pacheco’s injury, but he’s averaging only 3.8 yards per carry (luckily, the Bills defense allows 4.9 yards per carry on average).

Steve Spagnuolo’s defense has kept the Chiefs in games all season. They rank fourth in yards allowed per game, third in rushing yards allowed per game, and second in yards allowed per rush, so cap expectations for James Cook and Ray Davis.

Given the Chiefs’ strong rush defense, Bills QB Josh Allen may pass a lot. If Amari Cooper returns from injury (and he almost did in Week 10), he’s Allen’s No. 1 target. With Cooper out in Week 10, Khalil Shakir had nine targets, followed by Curtis Samuel at eight and Dalton Kincaid with five. As noted above, Kincaid is out this week, so Dawson Knox should have an expanded role.

Read the full preview (coming Sunday).

Sunday night

Cincinnati Bengals (4-6) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)

• Venue: SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, Calif.
• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC, Peacock
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

The odds are tight, but the Chargers are narrowly favored at home when they host the Bengals in Week 11. Jim Harbaugh has given the Chargers life in his first season as head coach, building an internet-viral connection with Justin Herbert. While Harbaugh relies on and favors the run, Herbert averaged 31.8 passing attempts in Weeks 4-9 compared to 20.5 in Weeks 1-3. His passer rating is 103.2, and his yards per attempt skyrocketed from 5.5 in Week 1 to 10.4 in Week 9 and 9.1 in Week 10.

Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston are the top two receivers in Los Angeles, averaging 12.24 and 11.60 fantasy points, respectively. McConkey is a good flex play averaging 4.11 receptions on six targets per game, and in Week 8, he had a 29.1 PPR day, so the ceiling is there. In Johnston’s return from injury in Week 9, he had over 100 receiving yards but only had 24 in Week 10. Johnston is a boom-or-bust player, while McConkey offers more consistency.

An early waiver wire stud, J.K. Dobbins now has to compete with Gus Edwards for touches following Edwards’ return from injury. In Week 10, Dobbins had 15 carries to Edwards’ 10, but Edwards was the more efficient runner with 5.5 yards per carry, while Dobbins had only 3.3 yards per rush. Both RBs may be flex-playable in a pinch, but Dobbins’ value suffers with Edwards back.

The Bengals are also loaded with talent, and their record does not represent their capacity to win. QB Joe Burrow has been excellent this season, throwing for the most yards in the league (2,672) with a league-leading (three-way tie) 24 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He also has the second-highest passer rating (108.1) behind only Lamar Jackson’s MVP-race rating of 123.2. As seen in Week 10, when Ja’Marr Chase finished with 55.4 PPR points, Burrow and Chase have chemistry with a capital “C.”

Read the full preview (coming Sunday).

Monday night

Houston Texans (6-4) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-6)

• Venue: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN, ABC
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

C.J. Stroud has struggled since Nico Collins got injured, but Houston’s contest against Dallas is the perfect opportunity for the Texans to get their groove back. Heavily favored, Houston and Stroud should take down the ailing Cowboys with ease, with or without Collins (though, please come back, Nico — fantasy teams need you).

Without Collins, Stroud has not exceeded 13 fantasy points in any game and had a 5.3-point performance in Week 7. Prior to losing Collins, Stroud averaged 16.8 points per game. But Dallas is absolutely flailing right now and surrendering 362.9 yards per game, 152.1 of them rushing (31st). The Cowboys are also ranked last in opponent net yards per pass attempt, which gives Stroud the opportunity for redemption and to rebuild confidence in Week 11.

While Tank Dell has seen a lot of targets (26) in Collins’ (and, in the last two weeks, Stefon Diggs’) absence, he is not a WR1 and can benefit from a defensive focus on Collins. Dell’s sweet spot may come with Collins in (diverting coverage) and Diggs out (relinquishing air yards and red zone targets). As always, Joe Mixon is an every-week fantasy RB1 and Ciely’s RB2 this week.

It’s hard to muster excitement for Dallas in this one. The only viable fantasy starts on this team are Rico Dowdle (Ceily’s RB27) and CeeDee Lamb (WR28 — 28!), with Cooper Rush under center. In Dak Prescott’s absence, Dowdle had 8.6 PPR points, Lamb had 8.4, and kicker Brandon Aubrey was third on the team with 7.0. What else is there to say? Literally, nothing.

Read the full preview (coming Monday).

Week 11 best bets

Austin Mock scours his weekly projections to spot the top values on the board.

Cleveland Browns +1 (-110) at New Orleans Saints

Derek Carr played pretty well against the Atlanta Falcons last week, but the Falcons are one of the league’s worst teams at generating pressure. And if you give Derek Carr time to throw, he will make you pay. Luckily for the Browns this week, their defensive line, led by Myles Garrett, should be able to speed up Carr’s internal clock and make him uncomfortable. My model currently makes the Browns the slightest of favorites this week, so I’ll grab them getting a point here.

• Worst price to bet: Browns +1 (-110)

— Mock

See all of Mock’s best bets for Week 11.

Week 11 survivor pool picks and mailbag

A weekly guide to staying alive from Renee Miller and Adam Gretz. Odds from BetMGM as of Thursday.

Green Bay Packers over Chicago Bears

There are certainly bigger favorites in the NFL this week, including Detroit (who is off-limits to us since they were already a most popular pick) and Houston. The Texans are certainly very tempting at Dallas, but they still have Tennessee and Jacksonville coming up in back-to-back weeks, so I would hold on to them for one of those two games and go with the Packers this week if that is an option for you.

Not only are the Packers simply a better team than the Bears, but this has become one of the most one-sided rivalries in the league. The Packers have won eight in a row against Chicago, 15 out of 16 and 25 out of 29 going back to the start of the 2010 season. What reason is there to believe that the trend will change this week?

The Bears offense has somehow regressed from where it was a year ago, has not scored a touchdown in two weeks and now has to face a team that has completely owned them for the past 15 years. Not only that, the Packers are coming in off of a bye week and have had an extra week to prepare. At some point, you have to think that Jordan Love will have a breakout game soon. Why not this week?

The Bears look like a team going through the motions, and Caleb Williams looks like a young quarterback quickly running out of confidence.

— Gretz

Get this week’s top survivor pool tips.

Jake Ciely’s Week 11 fantasy football player rankings

Find out Jake’s top QB, RB, WR and TE for the week!

• There is no perfect widget out there, sadly, still. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).
• ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated by everyone consistently, so take with a grain of salt).
• Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.

Get Ciely’s full Week 11 analysis. Plus sleepers and projections.

(Photo of Sam LaPorta: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)