2015 Fantasy Football: Week 11 Buy/Sell
BUY – Michael Floyd – WR – Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL thanks to Michael Floyd and Chris Johnson stepping up and having surprising seasons to compliment Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald. Floyd now has five touchdowns this season, all of them coming in the last four games. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, had 10 catches for 130 yards in the same game where Floyd had seven catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns, all of which was against the Seahawks. There are plenty of passes to go around in Arizona, and Floyd seems to be Palmer’s favorite target in the red zone. After starting the season with just eight catches in the first five games, Floyd has had 19 catches in the last four games, catching a touchdown in each game. While this could just be a hot streak for Floyd, he’s shown that he can be a reliable option at wide receiver moving forward.
SELL – Kirk Cousins – QB – Washington Redskins
You like that?! You like that?! Cousins has been brilliant in two of Washington’s past three games, both coming at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints, where he threw for 641 yards and seven touchdowns in those two games with just one turnover (fumble) in the process. The game in-between those two performances came on the road against the Patriots, where he threw for just 217 yards, one touchdown and was also intercepted once. Cousins and the Redskins travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers, which is a recipe for disaster for the former Spartan. After the first six games of the season, Cousins threw six touchdowns (one in each game), and threw eight interceptions. Cousins might have another matchup or two where he could be used as a reliable fill-in, but I’m not buying his production over the last three weeks as an emerging fantasy starting quarterback. In other words, no Kirk Cousins, I DON’T like that.
BUY – Charcandrick West – RB – Kanasas City Chiefs
Charcandrick West had to step in and immediately take the reigns when Jamaal Charles went down with a torn ACL and he has been fantastic in the meantime. In three games as the starting running back in Kansas City, West is averaging 22 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown, and he’s also chipped in with three catches for 45.3 yards and has one score through the air. Since week seven, West is second in the NFL among running backs in fantasy points per game, regardless of the format you play. West’s ownership is up to 92.5%, so he’s likely not available to pick up, but he is still just $4,500 dollars in DraftKings if you play DFS, which makes him a must play based on price this week against the Chargers porous rush defense.
SELL – Zach Miller – TE – Chicago Bears
Zach Miller had the same amount of catches in week 10 against the Rams as he had total in the previous eight games this season. Miller also only had 35 receiving yards coming into week nine, where he only added 23 to get his total to 57 yards on the season. Week 10 against the Rams, Miller had five catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns, which doubled his yards and touchdowns on the year in just one game. There’s a chance that Miller and Cutler are developing chemistry in this Bears offense, but it doesn’t seem likely. Although he had two touchdowns and 107 receiving yards, Miller had an 87 yard touchdown in the first quarter, skewing the numbers a little bit. It’s good news that Cutler appears to be looking his way more often, especially in the red zone, but I believe there are much better options at tight end. I would only look at Miller in deeper formats if you’re really desperate at tight end.
BUY – Danny Amendola – WR – New England Patriots
Julian Edelman went down with a broken foot in the first half last week in the Patriots game against the Giants, leaving Danny Amendola as their primary option at wide receiver. Amendola responded with ten catches for 79 yards in the Patriots come from behind win over the Giants. Amendola was the most added player on the waiver wire this week, rightfully so, as he will likely become a wide receiver two or flex option moving forward. Amendola eclipsed 40 yards just twice this season before week 10 against the Giants, making him an unreliable fantasy option before Edelman’s injury. However, with Edelman out for the rest of the regular season, Amendola can be used with confidence moving forward. However, see how he fares in his first week on Monday night against the Bills, just to see if he does in fact become Brady’s new go-to target other than Gronk.
BUY – Jordan Reed – TE – Washington Redskins
Much of Jordan Reed’s success has come in the last three games, where he has five receiving touchdowns in those games. Through nine Redskins games, Reed has been streaky. The first three games, Reed had 19 catches for 241 yards and one touchdown, but he was injured in week four against the Eagles. The next three games, Reed had just five catches for 37 yards, all coming against the Eagles before his injury. In the three games he’s played in since returning from his concussion, Reed has had 17 catches for 119 yards and five touchdowns. It comes to no surprise that Cousins has had much more success over the last three weeks with Reed back in the Redskins lineup, so look for the touchdowns and the success to keep coming.
Sell – Johnny Manziel – QB – Cleveland Browns
It’s officially the Johnny football era in Cleveland, as the Browns have turned to the former Heisman trophy winner to be their starting quarterback moving forward. Manziel there for a career high 372 yards last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, adding a touchdown to Gary Barnidge. However, Manziel threw an interception and lost a fumble in the process. The only game this season where Manziel threw for more than one touchdown came in week two against the 2-8 Titans, as both touchdowns came on deep passes to Travis Benjamin. Manziel only threw for 172 yards in that game, and he has been unable to get much going through the air this season filling in for Josh McCown when he was injured. Manziel went for 372 yards in week 10, which is over double the amount of his season high he threw for in week one against the Jets. If Manziel can have more games like he did against the Steelers, Manziel could be worth an add if you need help at quarterback in deeper leagues. He’ll have the bye week this week to see additional work as the number one quarterback before the Browns host the Ravens in week 12.