The fantasy football playoffs are closing in and a number of top guys continue to show up on the injury reports. A lot of fantasy owners will make moves the next few weeks that will decide their championships. Are you ready? My NFL Week 11 rankings include injury replacement tips and some guys who should be on your team the rest of the way.
Teams on bye: Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh
Wide Receivers
Could Impress: Denarius Moore. No one has gained more from the Raiders’ adding Carson Palmer than Moore. In the last two games, Palmer has looked Moore’s way 19 times, 11 more than the next closes receiver. Minnesota’s run defense is still tough, so the Raiders will happily pick apart the Vikings terrible secondary. Moore should have a big day.
Could Disappoint: Eric Decker. Eight pass attempts got the Broncos a win last Sunday, but it didn’t do much for fantasy owners. Decker’s lone catch was a big one, but no one should feel comfortable relying on Tim Tebow to find your fantasy receiver.
Keep an eye on: Harry Douglas. Was his 133 yard performance against the Saints an aberration or a sign of things to come? Something tells me it’s the latter but Douglas is the fourth option in the Falcons offense right now, so you might want to monitor his use in the next few weeks.
Injury Replacement: Damien Williams. He’s taken over as the top target for the Titans, putting up a score in the last two weeks. Atlanta will look to slow down Chris Johnson, so expect Tennessee to hit the air on Sunday. Somehow his is still available in nearly 90% of leagues, but that likely won’t last long.
WR Rankings
1. Calvin Johnson DET (vs. Carolina)
2. Greg Jennings GB (vs. Tampa Bay)
3. Larry Fitzgerald AZ (@ San Francisco)
4. Steve Smith CAR (@ Detroit)
5. Wes Welker NE (vs. Kansas City)
6. Hakeem Nicks NYG (vs. Philadelphia)
7. Roddy White ATL (vs. Tennessee)
8. Dez Bryant DAL (@ Washington)
9. Brandon Marshall MIA (vs. Buffalo)
10. Brandon Lloyd STL (vs. Seattle)
11. Jordy Nelson GB (vs. Tampa Bay)
12. Dwayne Bowe KC (@ New England)
13. Vincent Jackson SD (@ Chicago)
14. A.J. Green CIN (@ Baltimore)
15. Steve Johnson BUF (@ Miami)
16. DeSean Jackson PHI (@ New York Giants)
17. Mario Manningham NYG (vs. Philadelphia)
18. Santonio Holmes NYJ (@ Denver) ** Thursday game
19. Anquan Boldin BAL (vs. Cincinnati)
20. Sidney Rice SEA (@ St. Louis)
21. Victor Cruz NYG (vs. Philadelphia)
22. Laurent Robinson DAL (@ Washington)
23. Plaxico Burress NYJ (@ Denver) ** Thursday game
24. Percy Harvin MIN (vs. Oakland)
25. Denarius Moore OAK (@ Minnesota)
26. Mike Williams TB (@ Green Bay)
27. Deion Branch NE (vs. Kansas City)
28. Michael Crabtree SF (vs. Arizona)
29. Damian Williams TEN (@ Atlanta)
30. Earl Bennett CHI (vs. San Diego)
31. Eric Decker DEN (vs. New York Jets) ** Thursday game
32. Greg Little CLE (vs. Jacksonville)
33. Nate Washington TEN (@ Atlanta)
34. Jabar Gaffney WAS (vs. Dallas)
35. Vincent Brown SD (@ Chicago)
36. Steve Breaston KC (@ New England)
37. Torrey Smith BAL (vs. Cincinnati)
38. David Nelson BUF (@ Miami)
39. Harry Douglas ATL (vs. Tennessee)
40. Darrius Heyward-Bey OAK (@ Minnesota)
41. Early Doucet AZ (@ San Francisco)
42. Jon Baldwin KC (@ New England)
43. James Jones GB (vs. Tampa Bay)
44. Doug Baldwin SEA (@ St. Louis)
45. Devin Hester CHI (vs. San Diego)
46. Michael Jenkins MIN (vs. Oakland)
47. Nate Burleson DET (vs. Carolina)
48. Jerome Simpson CIN (@ Baltimore)
49. Steve Smith PHI (@ New York Giants)
50. Titus Young DET (vs. Carolina)
Tight Ends
Could Impress: Fred Davis. He’s the only Redskins player you can count on, and even that has been a stretch the past few weeks. Still, the Cowboys are third worst at defending tight tends and Davis should see plenty of targets.
Could Disappoint: Dustin Keller. Mark Sanchez has simply stopped looking in his direction around the end zone. In Keller’s first three weeks, he put up 36 points. Since then, he’s mustered just 18. He’s got a good matchup against Denver, but he just hasn’t done enough to warrant a start.
Keep an eye on: Anthony Fasano. Matt Moore has returned Fasano to fantasy relevancy, especially in the last two weeks. If he continues to be involved in the offense, he might be worth a flyer down the line.
Injury Replacement: Ed Dickson. I’ve outlined the Ravens’ on-again, off-again love of their young tight end in previous blogs but right now it looks as if Baltimore is looking Dickson’s way again. His 10 catches and two touchdowns last week were both season highs and you should strike while the iron is hot.
TE Rankings
1. Rob Gronkowski NE (vs. Kansas City)
2. Antonio Gates SD (@ Chicago)
3. Jason Witten DAL (@ Washington)
4. Fred Davis WAS (vs. Dallas)
5. Tony Gonzalez ATL (vs. Tennessee)
6. Aaron Hernandez NE (vs. Kansas City)
7. Jermichael Finley GB (vs. Tampa Bay)
8. Vernon Davis SF (vs. Arizona)
9. Jake Ballard NYG (vs. Philadelphia)
10. Brandon Pettigrew DET (vs. Carolina)
11. Greg Olsen CAR (@ Detroit)
12. Kellen Winslow TB (@ Green Bay)
13. Ed Dickson BAL (vs. Cincinnati)
14. Brent Celek PHI (@ New York Giants)
15. Benjamin Watson CLE (vs. Jacksonville)
16. Jermaine Gresham CIN (@ Baltimore)
17. Dustin Keller NYJ (@ Denver) ** Thursday game
18. Visanthe Shiancoe MIN (vs. Oakland)
19. Anthony Fasano MIA (vs. Buffalo)
20. Jared Cook TEN (@ Atlanta)
21. Scott Chandler BUF (@ Miami)
22. Marcedes Lewis JAX (@ Cleveland)
23. Jeremy Shockey CAR (@ Detroit)
24. Tony Scheffler DET (vs. Carolina)
25. Kevin Boss OAK (@ Minnesota)
Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.