Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 11: Chargers vs. Dolphins

The Chargers get to face a Dolphins team that has been struggling on both sides of the ball, which bodes well for the San Diego team. For the Miami team, not so much.

by Daniel Kelley

Nov 17, 2013, 12:53 PM UTC

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODA

The San Diego Chargers have lost two one-score games in a row, and have five losses on the season by a total of 30 points. Their four wins have been by 40 total points. It's been a hard-luck team that might be getting a good break Sunday, as it has a 4 p.m. ET road game against a Miami Dolphins team that is in as bad a collective state as any in football. Fantasy owners should be able to reap the benefits of the matchup, as well:

Chargers

Start in every league: Philip Rivers, Danny Woodhead, Ryan Mathews, Keenan Allen, Nick Novak

Start if you're desperate: Eddie Royal, Antonio Gates, Defense/special teams

Bench: Vincent Brown

The Dolphins have actually offered decent production against opposing quarterbacks on the season, and Rivers hasn't topped 18 fantasy points in five games, after 20-plus three times in the first four weeks. On the other hand, part of the reason the Dolphins have fared well against QBs is that they've faced guys like Brandon Weeden, Thaddeus Lewis, and Mike Glennon, and Rivers still hasn't scored in the single-digits all year. ... Woodhead has caught the same number of passes this season as Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker, to name two names (h/t Kyle Soppe on Twitter), and the Dolphins are straight miserable against running backs. ... Speaking of miserable against running backs, Mathews owners should be licking their chops; there have been injury concerns, but assuming he's out there, he's a must-use. ... After starting the season slow, Allen has been one of the game's top wide receivers since Week 4 or 5. He has more yards, targets, and long receptions than any wide receiver on the team. ... Novak is tied for 12th among kickers, and will likely be higher this week.

If Royal gets a touchdown, he’ll have value. If he doesn’t, odds are against it. But he’s scored seven touchdowns across four different games; it’s not crazy to expect another one. ... Gates scored double-digit points in Weeks 2, 3, and 4, but hasn’t topped seven fantasy points since. His numbers have tailed off as Allen’s have improved. ... The Chargers’ defense is second-worst in fantasy points on the season, but the struggles of Miami’s offensive line might make them startable anyway.

Brown has been disappointing so far, the team’s sixth-best option on offensive. The skill is there, but the production hasn’t been.

Dolphins

Start in every league: ...

Start if you're desperate: Rishard Matthews, Charles Clay

Bench: Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Caleb Sturgis, Defense/special teams

As much of a mess as the Dolphins' team is right now, it's hard to imagine using any of their players confidently. That said, the Dolphins were throwing to Brandon Gibson regularly; it can't be a coincidence that Matthews' performance spiked as soon as Gibson went out. This is a team that likes its third receiver. ... Clay scored three receiving touchdowns in three games earlier in the season, and hasn't scored since, with only 80 yards in his last three games. But he was a popular target earlier in the season, and not much else has worked on offense.

Tannehill, Miller, and Thomas are all victims -- to varying degrees -- of the misery that has become the Dolphins’ offensive line, basically destroying any middling value the quarterback and running backs had. ... Wallace and Hartline have both been getting plenty of targets, but the production hasn’t been there, and neither has scored since Week 3. There’s just nothing to get excited about. ... Sturgis has missed five field goals in his last five games. ... Facing a lot of strong offensive options, and with 20-plus points allowed in every game since Week 1, the Dolphins’ defense is a big negative.