Fantasy Football Week 11: DFS building blocks, values and a fade
Whether you've played Daily Fantasy on Yahoo before or are giving it a try for the first time, this weekly column will take a look at the DFS landscape, revealing whom I like building lineups around, a star to fade, undervalued plays and bargain bin options to help you construct a better team.
[Play in Yahoo's Week 11 Sunday Baller — guaranteed prize pool of $140K]
Lineup building blocks
Travis Etienne ($32) vs. Tennessee Titans
Etienne is coming off his worst fantasy game of the season during a 34-3 blowout but should rebound Sunday during a much different game script. He had scored seven touchdowns over his previous four games, and Jacksonville is nearly TD favorites over Tennessee. The Titans’ run defense remains solid but has taken a step back, and home opponents have averaged 31.7 rush attempts against them this season. Etienne has had a heavy workload this year, but he should be fresh with just nine carries over the last two weeks thanks to a bye and the lopsided 49ers game. Etienne has the second-highest RB snap share over the last month and makes a strong Week 11 DFS building block.
Kyler Murray ($28) @ Houston Texans
Murray didn’t throw a touchdown but was a top-13 fantasy QB anyway during his return from knee surgery. He attempted a healthy six red-zone passes and just missed Marquise Brown on a would-be TD that bounced off his hands in the end zone. He also lost a goal-line score to backup QB Clayton Tune. Murray got 7.8 YPA and impressed with his legs, reaching his fastest top speed in a game since 2021. It certainly appears Murray’s running won’t be affected by the injury.
The Cardinals are an extremely fast-paced offense and suddenly have weapons with Marquise Brown, James Conner, Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. A healthy Murray in this situation (and outside of Kliff Kingsbury’s system) is immediately a borderline top-five fantasy QB. Houston’s run defense continues to improve, so Murray should be busy Sunday in a matchup with this week’s highest total. He’s both undervalued and a DFS building block in Week 11.
Jahmyr Gibbs ($24) vs. Chicago Bears
Gibbs essentially rotated drives with David Montgomery after the latter returned from injury last week, crucially splitting work at the goal line. Montgomery will take work, but Detroit is run-heavy, and the rookie has highly impressed while earning 25 targets over the last four games. Gibbs’ role as a receiver will be key Sunday against a Bears defense allowing the fewest YPC but by far the most receiving yards per game to running backs. The Lions are more than touchdown home favorites with a huge implied team point total, so plenty of carries should be available. Gibbs won’t be this affordable in DFS much longer.
Star to Fade
Josh Allen ($38) vs. New York Jets
The Jets are allowing just 5.4 YPA and 185.2 passing yards per game this season, when just one quarterback has reached 20 fantasy points against them. Allen scored his season-low in fantasy points when these teams met in Week 1, and he owns an 8:8 TD:INT ratio (with six lost fumbles) over eight career games versus the Jets. Opponents are averaging an NFL-high 32.2 rush attempts when facing New York, so expect a heavy dose of James Cook this week. Allen will contribute on the ground and should remain in season-long fantasy lineups, but he’s an easy DFS fade at his salary in this matchup.
Undervalued Options
DJ Moore ($18) @ Detroit Lions
Moore continued to see targets from Tyson Bagent, but his fantasy value fell off a cliff. He was the No. 4 fantasy receiver over the first five weeks with a healthy Justin Fields, averaging 106.2 yards while scoring five touchdowns. Moore has averaged 52.4 receiving yards with zero TDs since Bagent took over in Week 6. Fields is set to return this week (albeit how much his thumb injury affects his throwing remains in question) in a matchup indoors against a Detroit defense that stuffs the run but is allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to WRs. He’s undervalued with a WR25 salary.
Devin Singletary ($20) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Singletary saw 30 carries last week, when he impressed while running for a career-high 150 yards. He should get another chance to lead Houston’s backfield Sunday with Dameon Pierce continuing to miss practice with an ankle injury. Thanks to C.J. Stroud’s breakout, the Texans have the third-highest implied team total this week in a home matchup against a Cardinals defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to running backs. Singletary is a real DFS option if Pierce sits again this week.
Brock Purdy ($28) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Purdy bounced back from a couple of down games with a nice performance last week, when he was fantasy’s No. 6 QB despite attempting just 26 passes. He looked healthier following San Francisco’s bye and currently leads the league in YPA, EPA, QBR and Passer Rating. Purdy is getting 10.7 YPA with a 124.9 passer rating at home this season, where the 49ers are big favorites Sunday. San Francisco’s offense is healthy, and Tampa Bay has become an extreme pass-funnel defense. Purdy has excelled against the blitz, which the Buccaneers do at the league’s second-highest rate. Purdy is undervalued during a DFS week missing a handful of QB stars.
Bargain Bin
Chigoziem Okonkwo ($10) @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee’s offense struggled last week, but Okonkwo finished fifth in TE fantasy usage, just ahead of Trey McBride. Treylon Burks continues to miss practice while in concussion protocol, so Okonkwo should see additional opportunities again. Jacksonville has given up the sixth-most receiving yards to tight ends this season, making Okonkwo a DFS punt option at the minimum.