Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 11: Jayden Daniels, James Cook, Drake London and T.J. Hockenson

Last week’s attempt at finding fantasy stars who would struggle had a few high spots but also some misses along the way:

• Patrick Mahomes threw for 266 yards, but it took him 42 attempts to get there, producing a below-average 6.3 yards per attempt. The raw numbers looked OK, though.
• Brian Robinson Jr. missed this game for Washington. Injury was part of the concern, but I wouldn’t have chosen him if I knew he would ultimately be ruled out.
• Marvin Harrison Jr. caught five passes for 54 yards and scored a touchdown; it was a good fantasy day.
• Sam LaPorta had just three receptions, but they produced 66 yards and a touchdown, giving him a nice fantasy score.

Let’s do it again and highlight one weekly starter at each offensive fantasy position who will struggle to excel in Week 11. I used defensive fantasy stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help identify the toughest matchups. I will reference those numbers often.

Quarterback

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles

This is a risky one: Daniels has shown he can blow up any given week and put up a top-five fantasy performance, with his running and passing each contributing to big fantasy scores. Daniels is QB6, though he is helped by not yet having his bye (he did miss most of one game with injury).

The matchup is the issue here, though, as Philadelphia has allowed the least yards per pass attempt and fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They’re tied for the fifth-least points per game allowed.

Specific to Daniels, Philly has been successful at stopping QBs from running the football: They have allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game to quarterbacks. Their opponents during the first half of the season include Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones, and Trevor Lawrence, so it’s not like they’ve been facing statues.

Daniels will probably put up some numbers, but he’s unlikely to have a huge game and is in danger of missing the top 10. While most owners probably aren’t considering benching him, it’s worth a thought if you have another reliable option.

Running Back

James Cook, Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Cook has been a little hit-or-miss at times, running for at least 70 yards in five of nine games but failing to reach 40 in three others. He scored a touchdown in two of the three low-yardage games and had 48 receiving yards in one of those, so his fantasy performances have been strong.

The Chiefs have allowed the second-fewest yards per rush attempt and the least fantasy points per game to running backs. They have been strong against the RB passing game as well, allowing the eighth-least receiving yards to backs and no touchdowns through the air.

This is a case of the (somewhat) irresistible force meeting the immovable object. I give the advantage to the Chiefs and feel that this will be a game in which Josh Allen dominates the action for Buffalo, both in the passing game and running game. Cook will be in most lineups, but this is one of the toughest matchups he will have all season.

Wide Receiver

Drake London, Atlanta Falcons @ Denver Broncos

I was surprised to find that London is WR4 in both standard and PPR through 10 weeks. Atlanta’s passing game has picked up since a lackluster first month, putting Kirk Cousins and his pass catchers firmly on the fantasy radar.

The schedule has played a part in that change: The Falcons faced the Steelers, Eagles, and Chiefs in the first three weeks and have played the Panthers, Cowboys, and Buccaneers twice since Week 5. Even with London excelling, it’s fair to say that his ceiling is at least partly determined by his opponent.

Denver poses stiffer competition than some of Atlanta’s more recent opponents. The Broncos have allowed the fourth-least yards per pass attempt and the fourth-least fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Star corner Pat Surtain II leads a stout unit that has carried a .500 team.

London will probably be in most lineups because of the numbers he has put up, but it’s worth seeing if you have other options to consider. This could be one of the slowest games of the season for the young receiver.

Tight End

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans

There’s a lot of bad in Tennessee. They traded some veterans before the deadline, and they are facing the possibility of starting over just two years after drafting a quarterback early in the second round. There are a lot of questions to answer this offseason.

The pass defense has been very good, though. The Titans have given up the second-least yards per pass attempt and sixth-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. There are a few stars on this defensive unit.

Hockenson returned two weeks ago after recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered on Christmas Eve last year. He had a modest debut, with three receptions for 27 yards in Week 9; Hockenson then made a statement last week by leading his team in targets (nine), receptions (eight), and receiving yards (72).

He was a fantasy star before his injury, but it’s always risky expecting a guy to pick up where he left off when he returns from a big layoff. With a tough matchup in this one, it might be better to leave Hockenson on your bench against the Titans.