Two players really let us down in last week's Yahoo daily fantasy football cash lineup -- and they were the two we least expected. Drew Brees and David Montgomery flopped despite highly favorable matchups. Golden Tate, Travis Kelce, D.J. Moore, Christian McCaffrey, and the Ravens D/ST came through in big ways, and DeVante Parker and John Brown provided good enough floors for cash, but our QB getting held out of the end zone really hurt. Regardless, we had the right idea, so we'll keep up our process for our Week 11 NFL DFS cash lineup picks.
We're going right back to the well with Brees, who has another fantastic matchup and can't possibly be held without a touchdown again...right? We're also paying up for McCaffrey and picking on the Lions run defense with another top back.
WEEK 11 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
The key to this lineup is George Kittle (knee) once again being out so we can play "free square" Ross Dwelley at the minimum in the best possible TE matchup. If Kittle is active, we'll have to reconfigure several players in this lineup.
WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Week 11 Yahoo NFL DFS Lineup: Picks, Advice for cash games
QB: Drew Brees, Saints @ Buccaneers ($36). There's no way Brees will get held out of the end zone two straight weeks against terrible pass defenses. No chance, no how. Can't happen, won't happen. Scientifically impossible. (Sorry, we're just trying to convince ourselves.) Brees looked bad last week and padded his yardage total in garbage total, but the Bucs are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks, so it's not a bad idea to bet on a bounceback.
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Falcons ($41). You almost have to have McCaffrey in cash lineups. Last week, we saw top backs Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Alvin Kamara flop, but McCaffrey rarely struggles at all. We'll pay up, especially against a bad defense.
RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys @ Lions ($34). Zeke struggled last week against a good defense, and our pick, David Montgomery, struggled last week against the Lions. We'll bet on sharp regressions to the mean for both, as Zeke is too talented to get shut down again and the Lions are too bad at run defense (second-most FPPG allowed to RBs) to shut anyone down again.
WR: DJ Chark, Jaguars@ Colts ($19). There's some risk in playing Chark with Nick Foles back under center for the Jaguars, but the fact he's Jacksonville's No. 1 receiver shouldn't change. He's averaging 7.8 targets per game, and it's worth remembering that Chark caught his first TD of the season from Foles (on the play in which Foles hurt his shoulder). The Colts are slight above average at limiting fantasy receivers, but given Chark's modest price, he should still pay off.
WEEK 11 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
WR: Tyler Boyd, Bengals @ Raiders ($19). Boyd was banged up late in Cincinnati's loss to the Ravens last week, but assuming he plays, he's in a good spot here. With only one touchdown and just two games above 68 yards, Boyd hasn't had many big performances, but he averages 6.3 receptions and 66.4 yards per game, showing his generally solid floor. The Raiders allow the third-most FPPG to WRs, so, like Chark, Boyd should pay off his value price on sheer volume. Any touchdowns or big gains are just a bonus.
WR: Jamison Crowder, Jets @ Redskins ($16). Crowder fills the same role as Boyd -- steady possession receiver in a favorable matchup at a fair salary. The Redskins have been better against the pass lately, but facing some limited pass offenses (one in bad weather) have helped inflate their stats. Crowder has turned in back-to-back 80-plus-yard games against weak pass defenses, so even if his two-game TD streak is snapped, he should see plenty of targets and gain plenty of yards to pay off his price tag.
MORE WEEK 11:
Waiver wire | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts | Fantasy playoff SOS
TE: Ross Dwelley, 49ers vs. Cardinals ($10). This all depends on Kittle (knee) being out. Assuming he is, Dwelley will be a chalky option at the minimum, but with the Cardinals allowing at least one TE touchdown in all but one game this year, there's no reason for him to be faded. Take the savings and pay up elsewhere. Aside from maybe Darren Waller, no other high-priced TE is worth paying up for this week anyway, as even the ones in favorable matchups (Gerald Everett, Jared Cook) tend to be inconsistent.
MORE WEEK 11 DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder
FLEX: Kalen Ballage, Dolphins vs. Bills ($11). Let's focus on the positive: Ballage had 24 touches last week. Now, the bad: He gained just 45 total yards. Moreover, the game script was pretty much ideal for him, as Miami either led or was within a field goal the whole game. If Miami falls behind this week, he could see half those touches, and at his season average of 2.1 yards per carry, that won't yield many points. But $11 for a starting RB with 20-touch upside? We have to take him. At some point, Ballage will fall into the end zone, like he's already done twice this year while serving as the No. 3 back, so this is a value even if it doesn't feel like it. It doesn't hurt that Buffalo is allowing the 10th-most FPPG to backs.
D/ST: Jets @ Redskins ($14). Dwayne Haskins and the Redskins didn't turn it over in Haskins' starting debut last week in Week 9, but Haskins did take four sacks and Washington managed just nine points. Over its past three games, the Redskins have scored 18 total points, allowed 11 sacks, and have turned it over three times. The Jets have 12 sacks and three takeaways over the past three games -- not great, but it's good enough to make them a decent play in a week devoid of obvious values.
