Week 10 was a messy week in terms of scoring, and the Sleeper Page felt the brunt of that. Ricky Pearsall came home after a nifty touchdown in Tampa Bay, but the rest of the sheet was filled with rocks. That’s life. We are ready for week 11.
Everyone listed below is, as usual, included in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues at time of going to press.
QB Russell Wilson vs. Ravens (43%)
Normally we think of a game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh as the ultimate rock battle, with the first team to 17 points being the likely winner. That’s not the format this year. Lamar Jackson is playing the best football of his career — a big statement considering he’s already won two MVP awards — and Baltimore’s secondary has been a sieve all season (22 touchdown passes allowed, 294.9 passing yards per competition). The Ravens could also be without safety Kyle Hamilton, a key piece.
Wilson has held steady as a fantasy pick since joining the lineup, finishing as QB3, QB24, and QB9. He has yet to get past 30 pass attempts, but with a game total of 48.5, Pittsburgh will likely be more aggressive than usual.
RB Audric Estimé vs. Falcons (46%)
Maybe we should give Estimé more props for last week’s 14-53-0 line in Kansas City – after all, the Chiefs are a nightmare to play this year. The Falcons’ front seven is also an asset, but is not in Kansas City’s league. The Broncos are at home and a mild favorite, so the game script will likely favor Estimé. And even if he doesn’t get any work in the passing game — he has yet to catch an NFL pass after catching 17 his senior year at Notre Dame — Estimé probably already has 13-15 touches in his back pocket. The goal-line work will likely be his as well.
WR Jerry Jeudy at Saints (49%)
It’s surprising that his selection is so low considering Jeudy has 19 goals and a credible 12-152-0 line since Jameis Winston took over as the starting quarterback in Cleveland. The Saints’ secondary is the 11th easiest place for opposing wideouts to score, and of course it lost Marshon Lattimore to a trade two weeks ago. Cedric Tillman looks like the first read for Winston, but Winston certainly prefers to target wideouts down the field rather than the safe checkdown. Jeudy can easily return value this week as a WR3.
WR Kayshon Boutte vs. Rams (2%)
His role continues to expand, with nine catches and 18 goals in the past three games. And that streak came against three tough matchups in a row. Boutte now focuses on a Rams secondary that has given up the eighth-most points to opposing wide receivers. New England certainly trusts Boutte; he has played 96% and 97% of snaps over the last two weeks. The Patriots were able to beat Chicago with a tight game plan, but they will likely have to be more pass-friendly if they want to hang with the Rams.
TE Taysom Hill vs. Browns (51%)
Hill has crossed the line to be included in this column, but he’s playing so well that we’ll color outside the lines and push him into the mix. Hill always carries a good portion of goal-line value into every game, noting that he lost an 88-yard touchdown on a penalty last week. Alvin Kamara is clearly the key player in the New Orleans offense, but there is room for someone else to rack up 5-8 carries, and that could be Hill. Add in a handful of catches and maybe some goal-line work and Hill has a plausible case for a tight spot in the top 10. With Trey McBride and Cade Otton unavailable this week (perhaps Dalton Kincaid as well), Hill could be a reasonable fill.
TE Will Dissly vs. Bengals (8%)
He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet, and goal-line parity is what we look at most of the time in tight ends. But Dissly does have 24 catches in his last five games and the Chargers appear to be souring on Hayden Hurst, who dropped his lone look in Week 10. Dissly might be a pick you keep for a while as the next five LAC opponents have had a hard time marking the tight end. Justin Herbert is playing at a high level, but the volume hasn’t been there for weeks; perhaps Cincinnati’s offense can force the Chargers out of their comfort zone in Week 11.
