Fantasy Football 2014 Week 11 Start/Sit: Who To Play And Who To Bench This Week

Trying to figure out who to start and who to sit for Week 11 of the 2014 NFL fantasy football season? Check out our tip sheet to find out which players will lead you to victory this week and which players should be avoided.

Who to start for Week 11

QB: Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers) -- RGIII has been a fantasy afterthought for nearly two years now, but there’s no time like the present to resurrect his value. A Week 10 bye allowed Griffin to continue recovery from the ankle injury he sustained earlier this year and to prepare for his Week 11 matchup with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers’ pass rush has been mostly nonexistent this season, and they have the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Griffin is a great waiver add for owners dealing with QB bye weeks. Start him.

RB: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints (vs. Cincinnati Bengals) -- Ingram was an absolute fantasy monster over the past three weeks, racking up at least 100 yards in every contest and scoring three touchdowns to boot. In Week 11, he faces a struggling Bengals defense that was torched by opposing running backs over the past four weeks. Ingram should see plenty of action against Cincinnati. Start him.

RB: Shane Vereen, New England Patriots (vs. Indianapolis Colts) -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s running-back-by-committee approach drives fantasy owners crazy on a weekly basis, but Vereen is in line for a solid Week 11 performance against the Colts. A premier pass-catching running back, Vereen should see plenty of touches in a game that features two of the NFL’s top passing offenses. Moreover, the Colts have allowed four running backs to snag at least five receptions and 50 yards in games this season, Yahoo Sports’ Brad Evans notes. Start him.

WR: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Washington Redskins) -- A 2014 first-round draft choice, Evans has been the lone bright spot in Tampa Bay’s otherwise-dismal season. He’s caught at least seven passes for at least 120 yards in each of his last two games. More importantly, he’s found the end zone three times over that same span. Look for Evans to continue his success against a mediocre Redskins secondary in Week 11. Start him.

WR: Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints (vs. Cincinnati Bengals) -- Cooks must be the Superdome’s biggest fan. In four home games this season, the Saints rookie has averaged seven catches for 78.5 yards per contest. In addition, he’s caught touchdown passes in two of the past three weeks. The Bengals defense has actually surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season, but they’ve struggled in recent weeks and the Saints love to throw the ball. Start him.

WR: DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers) -- The speedy Jackson has dominated opponents over the past two weeks, catching 10 passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. With RGIII helming the Redskins offense and a Week 11 matchup against a Bucs defense that has surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season, Jackson could be in for a huge week. Start him.

TE: Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts (vs. New England Patriots) -- Quality, not quantity, is the best measure of Allen’s fantasy football success in 2014. The Colts tight end has caught seven touchdowns this season, including three in the past three weeks. Week 11’s Colts-Patriots game should turn into a shootout, and Allen is Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck’s favorite red zone target. Start him.

Defense/Special Teams: Denver Broncos (vs. St. Louis Rams) -- It almost isn’t fair for a team that has Peyton Manning at quarterback to have a strong defense, but that’s exactly what the Broncos have displayed this season. That doesn’t bode well for the Rams, who benched quarterback Austin Davis in favor of journeyman Shaun Hill ahead of Week 11. The Broncos’ strong pass rush and the Rams’ propensity for turnovers make Denver’s defense a must-play. Start them.

Who to sit for Week 11

QB: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. New Orleans Saints) -- For Dalton, Week 10’s game against the Cleveland Browns was a performance to forget. The Red Rifle completed just 10-of-33 passes for an abysmal 83 yards and three interceptions. In Week 11, he enters the unfriendly confines of the Superdome, where the Saints are difficult on opposing quarterbacks. Sit him.

RB: Joique Bell, Detroit Lions (vs. Arizona Cardinals) -- Bell isn’t the NFL’s most dynamic runner under the best of circumstances, and the Lions have a brutal Week 11 matchup against the Cardinals. Arizona has surrendered the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and Bell has rushed for more than 50 yards just twice this year. Sit him.

RB: Rashad Jennings/Andre Williams, New York Giants (vs. San Francisco 49ers) -- Fantasy owners have been waiting since Week 5 for PPR monster Jennings to come back from injury and it appears that Week 11’s game against the 49ers will finally mark his return. But Jennings still isn’t at 100 percent, and even the loss of stalwart linebacker Patrick Willis to a toe injury won’t change the fact that San Francisco is great against the run. And fantasy owners should have long ago learned to avoid Williams, who averages just 2.9 yards per carry this season. Sit them both.

WR: Larry Fitzgerald/Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Detroit Lions) -- The Cardinals’ dynamic duo is in for a rough Week 11 against a juggernaut Lions defense that has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Worse yet, the Cardinals lost starting quarterback Carson Palmer for the season with a torn ACL in Week 10, and backup Drew Stanton is shaky at best. Fitzgerald has been inconsistent this season and Floyd hasn’t surpassed 50 yards receiving in a game since Week 3. Sit them both.

WR: Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers (vs. New York Giants) -- Crabtree complained about his role in the 49ers offense during the week and he seems to have fallen out of favor with San Francisco’s coaching staff. He has just 16 catches over his past five games and hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 6. The Giants’ secondary is banged up, but they’ve been surprisingly stingy against the pass this season. Sit him.

WR: Wes Welker, Denver Broncos (vs. St. Louis Rams) -- Once an elite fantasy wide receiver, Welker has gotten lost among Denver’s myriad offensive weapons this season. In his last three games, Welker has averaged just three catches and 20 yards per contest. He’s also a complete nonfactor in the red zone, with just one touchdown catch in 2014. Sit him.

TE: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Green Bay Packers) -- Considered a prime candidate for a breakout year before the season start, Ertz is now an afterthought in the Eagles offense -- he caught just one pass in each of his last two games. In a more troubling development, he was outplayed in Week 10 by aging Eagles tight end Brent Celek, who caught five passes for 116 yards against the Carolina Panthers. Right now, Ertz can’t be trusted to produce quality fantasy numbers. Sit him.

Defense/Special Teams: Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Green Bay Packers) -- It’s hard to sit a defense/special teams that has produced six touchdowns and four 20-point fantasy performances this season, but the Eagles’ Week 11 matchup with the Packers is far from ideal. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on fire right now -- he threw six touchdown passes in the first two quarters of the Packers’ Week 10 destruction of the Chicago Bears. Philadelphia will remain a valuable fantasy option, but not this week. Sit them.

Looking for more advice about which players to use this week? Check out our pickups of the week here and a closer look at Week 11’s best-and-worst defenses here.