Cam Newton isn’t the only one proclaiming that "he's back." Cam’s backfield mate, Christian McCaffrey, has returned to form, as well, and we’re building our Week 11 FanDuel lineup around him. He won’t have to do the heavy lifting alone. There are enough high-upside value sleepers and underpriced studs to complement CMC and push us into the green. We like the value available to justify spending up on a premium backfield, so we’re employing a top-heavy approach for our DFS picks for GPP tournaments this week.
Before we get into this week's lineups, here are the basic rules for FanDuel contests. Scoring is pretty standard, with the only notable settings being four-point passing TDs and half-point PPR.
WEEK 11 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | Yahoo
FanDuel Picks Week 11: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $60,000 budget, no more than four players from one team
QB Russell Wilson, Seahawks vs. Cardinals ($7,300). It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Wilson struggled in his return to action -- a return that came ahead of schedule. There’s certainly some risk associated with Wilson, particularly against a dangerous Cardinals defense, but the potential reward -- a FanDuel score stretching into the mid-20s -- comes with what will likely be low ownership.
RB Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Football Team ($10,000). After handling 18 touches in his Week 9 return from a hamstring injury, McCaffrey increased his workload to 23 in Week 10 and totaled 161 yards. The Panthers might still try to manage him to an extent, but with them lingering around the playoff mix, the temptation to let him loose will be difficult for the organization to resist. Either way, McCaffrey is a sure thing for big points.
WEEK 11 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
RB Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Raiders ($7,600). It feels like Mixon has slid under the radar to a degree, particularly considering that he’s eclipsed 23.0 FanDuel points in three of his past four games. If the Bengals are truly a playoff contender, they’ll avoid a letdown against a Raiders team that appears to be imploding before our eyes. Mixon will be busy on the ground, through the air, and in the red zone.
WR Brandin Cooks, Texans @ Titans ($6,600). The appeal for Cooks can be summed up in one word: Targets. Cooks had 14 of them in Week 9 and has totaled 40 over his past four games. Tyrod Taylor wasn’t good in his return from an extended absence, but if he’s able to knock off some more rust before Sunday, he could help Cooks put together a big performance.
WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers @ Jaguars ($6,000). Don’t fret over Aiyuk’s three-catch, 26-yard output from Monday night. He still handled a 21-percent target share in a game the 49ers attempted 19 passes. He’s played 88, 93, and 90 percent of the team’s snaps over the past three games, respectively. Aiyuk is capable of the same type of electric production as Deebo Samuel, and we’re going to take a chance on him demonstrating that this Sunday.
WR Rashod Bateman, Ravens @ Bears ($5,800). Bateman might be solidly behind Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews in the aerial pecking order, but he’s earned eight targets in each of the past two games and turned in his best performance as a pro last Thursday, finishing with six catches and 80 yards. Defenses will prioritize slowing down Andrews and Brown, so Bateman will have opportunities to make an impact on a weekly basis, including against Chicago on Sunday.
WEEK 11 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
TE Darren Waller, Raiders vs. Bengals ($6,700). Things seem to be crumbling around the Raiders, but we’re going to give the offense -- and Waller, in particular -- a little more benefit of the doubt. The Bengals have been beaten up a bit by tight ends, surrendering the ninth-most FanDuel points to the position, and Waller’s track record still commands respect.
FLEX (RB) AJ Dillon, Packers @ Vikings ($7,000). Dillon may set the record for highest ownership in a FanDuel slate. Hyperbole aside, he’ll certainly represent the epitome of a "chalk play," but that’s fine. Dillon has demonstrated the damage he can inflict when provided with the requisite usage. He turned 22 touches into 24.5 FD points when Aaron Jones missed Week 16 last year. He could punish the Vikings with another full complement of touches this week.
DEF Texans @ Titans ($3,000). This is less about having faith in the Texans and more about picking on the Titans as they navigate life without Derrick Henry. No. 2 receiver Julio Jones (hamstring) is on injured reserve, and even though he’s clearly just a shell of his former self, his absence allows defenses to load up even more on stopping A.J. Brown, the Titans remaining premier weapon.