Fantasy Football Wide Receiver & Tight End Start/Sit Week 11: Noah Brown, Jake Ferguson, Jayden Reed

The importance of knowing who to start and who to sit can make or break a fantasy week and your matchup. People like to say, “Start your studs,” and typically speaking, that is the way to go, especially early in the season, but sometimes a player's matchup gives them more value in a certain week. On the flip side, a player can also have a poor matchup that could give you a reason to bench them. 

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Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Week 11 Starts

Noah Brown, Houston Texans vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals' pass defense is middle of the pack this season, yet they allow a ton of points, ranking 30th in the league. Regardless of the matchup, though, Brown has vaulted himself into serious consideration for a start in your flex spots. Over the past two weeks, Brown has seen 14 targets, catching 13 of them and topping 150 yards in both games. He has also seen at least five targets in four straight games and should be in lineups this week.

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Reed is not going to be a popular choice in shallower leagues, and he probably should be avoided in 10-team leagues. Still, he has been productive lately, scoring a TD in two of his past four games and racking up over 80 receiving yards in two of his past three. The biggest reason for starting him this week, though, is his matchup against a Chargers defense that ranks 32nd against the pass and 28th against the WR position in fantasy. 

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Week 11 Sits

Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers vs Dallas Cowboys 

Mingo has caught more than four passes just once all season, and although he saw an uptick in targets last week, it was because D.J. Chark was sidelined with an elbow injury. Mingo has also topped 50 yards in a game just once this season, and he is not going to change that this weekend for two main reasons. Firstly, Chark is expected back. Second, the Panthers' pass catchers have a really tough matchup against the Cowboys, a defense that ranks second in the NFL against the pass and second in fantasy against WRs. 

Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks

Matthew Stafford should be back this week; however, that’s still not enough for me to trust in Atwell. Since Cooper Kupp was activated from IR, Atwell has been a non-factor in fantasy football, so even in a pretty good matchup this week against a bottom-third pass defense in Seattle, Atwell should remain on your benches. He hasn’t topped four catches or 31 yards in a game since Kupp was activated, so this feels very much like a Kupp and Puka Nacua week. 

Fantasy Football Tight End Week 11 Starts

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans

He has become a legitimate weapon since Zach Ertz was placed on IR, and he set a season-high in yards last week with 131. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his season-best performance came in the first game back for Kyler Murray. Moving forward, McBride has a great chance of being a top TE every week. His matchup vs the Texans is also one to pay attention to; the Texans rank 26th in fantasy against the TE position and 24th against the pass in the NFL. 

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys @ Carolina Panthers 

Ferguson has become the second-favorite target of Dak Prescott, and that is a good enough reason to be starting him this week, even in a matchup vs. the Panthers, who rank fifth in fantasy against TEs. Ferguson has a TD in three straight games and is benefiting from the Cowboys being pass-heavy due to an inefficient run game. He should be started in all league sizes unless you have a top-five TE already on your roster. 

Fantasy Football Tight End Week 11 Sits

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers

Otton had been on a roll lately before a dud performance in Week 10. Considering he was a huge disappointment last week, it is hard to have confidence in starting him in Week 11, especially against a 49ers defense that ranks fifth in the NFL in points allowed and third in fantasy football against TEs. It is worth noting that the 49ers have struggled against WRs, ranking 25th in fantasy, so Chris Godwin and Mike Evans should dominate the targets. 

Pat Freiermuth/Connor Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

Whether “Muth” returns this week or not, you should not be starting a Steelers TE this weekend. The Browns are the number-one ranked defense against the TE position this season, and they also rank first against the pass and in total yards allowed. The Browns held Mark Andrews to just two catches last week, and he is a top-three TE in the league, so people, please sit your Steelers.