Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 11: Quarterbacks

Welcome to Week 11 of the fantasy football season. The playoffs are right around the corner and the bye weeks are almost over, so it’s time for owners to lock in their top starters and ride them the rest of the way. However, we still have four bye teams that need to be accounted for.

This week’s bye-week teams are the Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and San Diego Chargers. Fantasy owners will be missing Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers, but on the bright side, we won’t have to watch Bryce Petty this week.

So let’s dive into the top recommended starting options at QB for Week 11, along with three players you should leave on your bench (or the waiver wire).

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (@ Indianapolis Colts)

Mariota is one of the hottest QBs in the league, throwing 17 touchdowns to just three interceptions in his past six games and leading the Titans to .500. He shouldn’t slow down when the Titans face the Colts and their defense, which is dead last in the league with 287.9 passing yards allowed per game. Mariota is a legitimate fantasy QB1 and an every-week starter for the rest of the year.

Kirk Cousins, Washington (vs. Green Bay Packers)

Cousins doesn’t have an exciting fantasy ceiling, but his floor is safely established as long as he avoids turnovers (just one interception in his last three games). Facing a Packers defense that’s been decimated by injuries and just got carved up by Mariota last week, Cousins should produce enough to put himself on the QB2 map.

Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Detroit Lions)

Despite being one of the worst QBs in football this season, Bortles continues racking the garbage time stats, putting up 265 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. The 2-7 Jags have a legitimate shot at losing out, but desperate fantasy owners can probably count on Bortles filling up the stat sheet against Detroit’s 18th-ranked pass defense. Just wait until the game is out of hand in the third quarter before Bortles does anything.

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles (@ Seattle Seahawks)

The Seahawks’ defense at home is a tough matchup for any QB, and Wentz should be downgraded in fantasy rankings this week. He’s hit the rookie wall in recent weeks, throwing just two touchdowns to four interceptions in his last four games. Meanwhile, Philly has committed to a run-first, ball-control approach that puts a dent in Wentz’s fantasy ceiling. He doesn’t have enough upside to justify starting him in 10- and 12-team leagues.

Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings (vs. Arizona Cardinals)

The Vikings’ offense has gone in the tank, but Bradford is putting up surprisingly decent numbers, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns against Washington last week. That was his first 300-yard game of the season, and in all likelihood it will be his last. Going up against the Cardinals’ second-ranked pass defense makes Bradford an easy pass in fantasy this week.

Brock Osweiler, Houston Texans (vs. Oakland Raiders)

Just ... no. Not even against the Raiders’ sieve-like pass defense (31st in passing yards allowed per game). Osweiler hasn’t reached 200 yards since Week 6, as he’s gone into a shell with checkdowns galore. He threw the ball 27 times last week and managed only 99 passing yards. Whatever fantasy stock Osweiler had early in the season is long gone now.