Oh, the NFC South. Through 10 weeks, the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers have three wins apiece (Atlanta is 3-6; Carolina 3-6-1), but both are within a game of first place in the division because the New Orleans Saints are almost as bad. Sunday, either Atlanta or Carolina will win (barring a tie), meaning they'll still be terrible, but that much closer to first.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 11: Falcons vs. Panthers
Must be nice to be able to be 3-6 and still in contention for a division title.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Falcons are largely healthy Sunday, with with only the team's No. 3 and 4 wide receivers on the injury report, but Harry Douglas and Devin Hester are both expected to be fine for the game. For the Panthers, running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart and wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery were all on the week's report, but all apparently as precautions, as the team spoke optimistically about their chances to play.
The Panthers will host Sunday’s game at 1 p.m. ET. Let’s look at the fantasy situations:
FALCONS
Start 'em: Between his increased usage and a nice matchup, Steven Jackson looks like a perfectly fine RB2 this week. ... Julio Jones hasn't been as dominant as you might have wanted when you drafted him, but he still needs to be in all lineups.
Start 'em?: We haven't seen a game of more than 15 fantasy points for Matt Ryan since Week 4. It's getting harder and harder to start him. ... You're probably using Roddy White if you have him -- he's a strong enough flex play -- but he's no sure thing.
Sit 'em: The Falcons really stick with two pass-catchers for the most part, rendering Harry Douglas, Devin Hester and Levine Toilolo irrelevant for fantasy. ... Matt Bryant had 15 fantasy points last week, sure, but he had three points total in his two games before that. ... The Falcons' defense is coming off of a reasonable game, but overall that's just a terrible unit.
PANTHERS
Start 'em: Who cares that his production in Week 10 was in garbage time, Kelvin Benjamin is a must-start one way or another. ... After a couple of rough games, Greg Olsen bounced back with a big Week 10. He's still a top-flight tight end.
Start 'em?: Take out Week 6 and Cam Newton is averaging barely 12 fantasy points a game. There's more bad than good these days.
Sit 'em: Even if both are healthy, you can't use DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart unless you are well and truly stuck. They just don't get the ball enough. ... We still haven't seen even one fantasy-helpful game from Jerricho Cotchery this season. ... The Carolina offense is not producing enough to give Graham Gano many kicking opportunities. ... The Panthers' defense has eight fantasy points total since Week 2.
SUMMARY
Start in every league: Steven Jackson, Julio Jones, Kelvin Benjamin, Greg Olsen
Start if you're desperate: Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Cam Newton
