Week 11 Fantasy Busts: Are top waiver pickups Samaje Perine, Dede Westbrook worth starting?

Tony Fortier-Bensen

Week 11 Fantasy Busts: Are top waiver pickups Samaje Perine, Dede Westbrook worth starting? image

Just like last week, our Week 11 fantasy bust picks feature several players in new roles. Another Rob Kelley injury gives Samaje Perine another chance to make a name for himself, and former Redskins back Alfred Morris gets another shot to lead the Cowboys run game with Ezekiel Elliott continuing his suspension. Robert Woods is overtaking Sammy Watkins as the Rams top receiver, and Dede Westbrook is finally getting into the Jaguars offense now that Allen Hurns is hurt. Throw in LeGarrette Blount in his second game running alongside Jay Ajayi and Josh Doctson trying to co-exist with the surging Jamison Crowder, and you have a lot of players who will come up often in start-sit chats. 

We hit the majority of our bust picks last week, going two-for-three for running backs (Thomas Rawls, Rob Kelley), wide receivers (Danny Amendola, T.Y. Hilton), and tight ends (Charles Clay, Hunter Henry), while nailing all of our D/STs (Redskins, Bills, Texans). We'll look to continue our success on calling players' failures in an effort to help you avoid them.

Go here for our Week 11 sleeper picks.

WEEK 11 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Week 11 fantasy football busts: Running backs

Samaje Perine, Redskins @ Saints (Tony Fortier-Bensen). The Saints held LeSean McCoy and Doug Martin to under 50 rushing yards the past two weeks, and Perine has yet to gain solid footing the multiple times he was a starting RB this year.

Alfred Morris, Cowboys vs. Eagles (Vinnie Iyer). Philadelphia has little trouble stopping power runners and the game flow should suggest more of Rod Smith on passing situations.

LeGarrette Blount, Eagles @ Cowboys (Matt Lutovsky). No one is really sure how the carries will be divvied up between Blount and Jay Ajayi, but the general assumption seems to be that Ajayi will get the majority. The doesn't mean Blount can't have value, but the risk is too great here.

Full Week 11 RB rankings

WEEK 11 DFS: 
Yahoo GPP lineup | Y! cash lineup | DK cash | FD cash | Values
Stacks | DFS lineup builder

Week 11 fantasy football busts: Quarterbacks

Eli Manning, Giants vs. Chiefs (Fortier-Bensen). Normally, you check to see who the Chiefs play and pick up their QB, but not this time. Andy Reid is 16-2 off the bye, and the Giants are just a mess.

Matthew Stafford, Lions @ Bears (Iyer). Stafford has been very hot of late, but this is a tough spot on the road. You should go with your other QB option if he has a plus matchup.

Marcus Mariota, Titans @ Steelers (Lutovsky). Mariota broke out of his rushing slump last week, but he still has just four total TDs and three games with fewer than nine rushing yards over the past four weeks. That's not going to cut it against the Steelers second-ranked pass defense on the road.

Full Week 11 QB rankings

Week 11 fantasy football busts: Wide receivers

Josh Doctson, Redskins @ Saints (Fortier-Bensen).  Doctson has struggled with Richard Sherman and Xavier Rhodes, and his struggles will continue with Marshon Lattimore defending him.

Robert Woods, Rams @ Vikings (Iyer). What? He's had two monster games with big scoring plays back-to-back weeks, but he wasn't facing the shutdown stylings of one Xavier Rhodes in those games.

Dede Westbrook, Jaguars @ Browns (Lutovsky). We liked Westbrook when we thought he was gonna play last week -- in a tougher matchup and Allen Hurns healthy, no less -- but his slow recovery from a core muscle injury can no longer be overlooked. The Browns biggest problems in the passing game are against TEs and WR1s, so this sets up as more of a Marqise Lee-Marcedes Lewis game. Give Westbrook one more week.

Full Week 11 WR rankings

Week 11 fantasy football busts: Tight ends

Coby Fleener, Saints vs. Redskins (Fortier-Bensen). Not only do the Saints apparently not throw the ball anymore, but they also certainly aren’t throwing it to Fleener, ranked 40th in targets among TEs. He hasn’t caught more than two passes since Week 2, and despite the really strong matchup (Redskins ranked fourth in average FPPG to TEs), he won’t do much this game either.

Eric Ebron, Lions @ Bears (Iyer). He isn't facing the Browns this week and can go back to waiver-wire fodder.

Hunter Henry, Chargers vs. Bills (Lutovsky). This one is personal (but isn't everything in fantasy?). In the four games I've started Henry, he has three catches for 18 yards. In the five I've benched him, he has 21 catches for 301 yards and two TDs, scoring at least 7.3 points each time. Doesn't seem possible, right? Well, I'm benching him this week, but the streak stops now! After four targets and 18 yards the past two games, I can't imagine why anyone would want to use him...unless they know I'm benching him.

Full Week 11 TE rankings

Week 11 fantasy football busts: Defenses

Buffalo Bills @ Chargers (Fortier-Bensen).  Since Marcell Dareus was traded two games ago, the Bills defense has given up the 81 points while recording just one sack and one takeaway. Buffalo has also given up the seven RB touchdowns. Not saying Dareus was the only reason for this collapse, but not saying he isn't either. That 0 and -2 D/ST fantasy points the past two weeks is too ugly to trust this week.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Falcons (Iyer). It's prime time and they're at home, but they are not the defense they usually are anymore against an offense that's starting to find more of a groove.

Full Week 11 D/ST rankings

Chicago Bears vs. Lions (Lutovsky). Chicago's defensive roll was surprisingly halted by the Packers last week, and the Lions, outside of a complete debacle against the Saints, haven't given up many D/ST fantasy points this season. Chicago will get some sacks and maybe keep the score in the teens, but the ceiling is fairly limited here.

Tony Fortier-Bensen