Welcome to our 2025 Plays & Fades for Week 11!
Salt-N-Pepa once told us to push it … push it real good.
So, with Week 11 here and the playoffs around the corner, playoff pushes are alive and well in fantasy football.
You know what that means. Trade deadlines. Waiver wires. Absolute diligence in making sure your team is equipped for the postseason.
You can be on top of all of those things, and none of it will matter if your lineup isn’t on point.
Hopefully, that’s where I’ll come in.
Without further ado, here we are …
* Stats courtesy of the good folks over at PFF, Fantasy Points Data Suite, FantasyData.com, Player Profiles, The Fantasy Footballers, and FTN Fantasy. Fantasy point references will be made from Half-PPR scoring*
Quarterbacks
Play: Joe Flacco @ Pittsburgh
- Joe Flacco as a Top 10-ranked fantasy quarterback with a matchup that has an expected over/under of 49.0 points. Sign me up.
- Flacco has racked up Top-8 finishes each of the past three weeks, including a QB4 finish in Week 7 against Pittsburgh where he threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns.
Play: Jacoby “Jabroni Brisket” Brissett vs. San Francisco
- It’s not just that Kyler Murray was bad, it’s that Brissett has actually been good and unlocked Marvin Harrison Jr. since taking over.
- This is another high over/under game (48.5) against a defense that has been friendly to pass games.
Play: J.J. McCarthy vs. Chicago
- Easily my riskiest call this week. But, if you’re sensing a theme, it’s another high over/under game with Minnesota playing as home underdogs.
- The thing that makes McCarthy enticing is his sneaky rushing upside. He’s been a borderline QB1 the past two weeks since his return and he’s playing a pass defense that is the sixth-friendliest against the passing game. A breakout might be on the horizon. But as a low-teens ranked QB, him outperforming his current ranking in superflex formats isn’t a stretch.
Fade: Dak Prescott @ Las Vegas
- A highly ranked quarterback plays a middle of the road defense in a 50.5 over/under game. Feels too good to be true right?
- Not so fast. If Dallas gets it rolling, they’ll take the ball out of Prescott’s hands and limit his weekly upside. This is more of an “Vegas is bad” rather than a “Prescott is overrated” take.
Fade: Baker Mayfield @ Buffalo
- The fourth-most difficult pass defense welcomes Baker Mayfield in this weekend.
- I don’t know what the game time temps will be in Buffalo this Sunday, but if Louisiana is dipping into the 30s in November I imagine Buffalo being much worse.
- I’m personally interested in how Baker responds to a defense that has gotten better as the year has gone on. If the weather is cold, more on my play for the week in Tampa in a few sections.
Fade: Jared Goff @ Philadelphia
- Last week, he fired his way into a QB2 finish. However, he’s had twice as many QB20+ finishes this year (4) than he has had QB1 finishes (2).
- I’m not sure there’s been a more boom or bust quarterback this season than Goff.
Running Back
Play: Jaylen Warren vs. Cincinnati
- Not much to say here. We know the deal with Cincy’s defense by now.
- Warren is starting to get a stranglehold on the Pittsburgh backfield. He’s had over 70 percent of the team’s rush attempts in each of the last four games and has averaged 4.9 yards per carry in the process.
Play: Sean Tucker @ Buffalo
- For as stingy as the Buffalo pass defense is, the run defense is equally giving.
- Tucker seems to be emerging and pushing closer to a 40 percent snap share on a weekly basis. I think there’s some goalline work to be had this week and with a guy who is in the RB40 range, sneaky touchdown upside makes him a worthwhile flex consideration.
Play: Ashton Jeanty vs. Dallas
- We’re settling into a nice pocket of usage for Jeanty. Since his RB1 finish in Week 4, he’s played 77 percent of snaps and paced himself for an 1142-yard season with 51 receptions with this pace in usage.
- Dallas is a forgiving defense to play against and Jeanty has solidly been a borderline RB1 for most of the season.
Fade: Breece Hall @ New England
- It’s well-documented that I’m a Breece Hall skeptic. I called for him to be a fade last week and he finished as RB6.
- But, he’s got a matchup with arguably the best team in football? That’s weird to say. But, there’s a strong chance the Jets fall behind and Hall’s usage is limited.
Fade: Kenneth Walker @ L.A. Rams
- The good is that K9 plays on the team that runs it more than anyone else in the NFL.
- The bad of it is that he hasn’t played more than 57 percent of snaps in any game this season and has been under 50 percent for a majority of the season.
- This feels like a shootout where receivers will shine, so ultimately, it’s a stay away for me.
Fade: Derrick Henry @ Cleveland
- Still, he’s on pace for 280 carries this season but only 212 fantasy points in half PPR scoring. It’s a sign that the decline may have finally hit The King, and a stingy Cleveland defense isn’t likely to help matters this week.
Wide Receiver
Play: Tre Tucker vs. Dallas
- Vegas has cleared the deck for Brock Bowers to be the man, but the No. 2 target is now Tre Tucker, who’s begging for work against a gettable Dallas defense.
- Tucker’s snap share has hovered around 90 percent all season. He’s a boom-or-bust guy. But, he had some touchdowns called back last week and has real upside as a mid-30s ranked receiver this week.
Play: Adonai Mitchell @ New England
- This doesn’t happen if Garrett Wilson is healthy. However, he’s scheduled to miss the next 3-4 weeks, so someone has to catch passes.
- In an expected negative game script, there’s too much talent for Mitchell not to be seen as an upside buy ranked at WR87 this week. This is free money.
Play: Jordan Addison vs. Chicago
- We’ve already discussed the soft Chicago defense. We know McCarthy likes to target Addison. Addison had 11 targets last week but produced only three catches.
- It feels relatively safe to say that if Addison has another 8+ target game that won’t happen again. At WR26, I like the flex play this week.
Fade: Deebo Samuel @ Miami (In Spain)
- There’s something about about a quarterback drop off that doesn’t sit right with me, and if you can’t get that joke then I don’t know what to tell you …
- But, Samuel hasn’t posted a WR2 or 1 week since Week 5 and has finished 71st, 47th and 28th the past three weeks.
- Miami is the fifth worst matchup for wide receives. If I can’t trust a quarterback or the production it’s a guy I have to fade.
Fade: Amon-Ra St. Brown @ Philadelphia
- This feels like playing with a bomb. ARSB is the model of consistency at the receiver position in fantasy.
- That said, we know what Philly can be in big games defensively. I expect them to dial it up and make Detroit beat them on the ground this week.
Fade: Parker Washington @ L.A. Chargers
- Washington has had 7+ targets in each of the last three weeks. However, the Chargers have a knack for bringing out the worst in teams and possess a formidable pass rush that can force turnovers.
- Receivers who need to find the end zone to be fantasy assets don’t impress me much … shout out Shania Twain.
Tight End
Play: Colston Loveland @ Minnesota
- Last week, when he was ranked as a top-12 tight end, I advised you to proceed with caution on Loveland. I was somewhat right.
- He still caught four balls for 55 yards. There’s a real downfield element to his game that makes him enticing for fantasy football. That’s the type of dude I think I’d like to bet on.
Play: Hunter Henry vs. N.Y. Jets
- As a top 10 matchup for tight ends, the Jets represent a good opportunity for Henry.
- He’s two weeks removed from a four catch game against the Falcons. It’s a solid matchup where I expect New England to go up big in the first half and, therefore, offer some touchdown upside for Henry.
Play: Trey McBride vs. San Francisco
- Sometimes, you don’t overthink it.
- McBride isn’t the TE1 in rankings and has the targets and the trust of his quarterback to finish the week that way. You’re starting him no matter what, anyway. Go ahead and spend the extra money to get him in DFS as well.
Fade: George Kittle @ Arizona
- Kittle is coming off of his best game of the season.
- Going 9-for-9 and getting a touchdown again this week is a highly unlikely scenario. Arizona has been solid, not great against tight ends. Let’s bet smart here. Kittle probably won’t finish where he’s being ranked this week.
Fade: Harold Fannin Jr. vs. Baltimore
- It’s a difficult matchup and Fannin has been a bit up-and-down all season.
- The Ravens have gotten it right and this game is trending towards being a slugfest this week. Fade pass catchers.
Fade: Cade Otton @ Buffalo
- He’s heavily targeted, but not heavily productive right now. Playing the toughest fantasy matchup for tight ends won’t help the matter.
- Otton is in the middle of his annual four-week, injury-dependent heater.
D/ST
Play: Dallas vs. Las Vegas
- This Dallas defense is bad and gives up a ton of points.
- However, I expect Dallas to be up big. And if Geno is chucking, Geno is throwing picks. It’s a good opportunity to snake some big fantasy points from a team that isn’t heavily rostered defensively.
Play: L.A. Chargers vs. Jacksonville
- The Chargers are solid across the board defensively and are playing a team that isn’t at its best right now.
- They have a good pass rush, and they rank as the third most effective defense against receivers—good spot to play them this week.
Play: Minnesota vs. Chicago
- Minnesota has been good enough this season.
- If they get into a shootout, the likelihood of turnovers increases.
Fade: L.A. Rams vs. Seattle
- Shootout. Lots of points. Efficient quarterbacks.
- Avoid both units.
Fade: Detroit @ Philadelphia
- A team that plays really well against running backs, but that might be because they have to be kept up with offensively.
- The Eagles have that in their bag, and I’m expecting points in this game.
Fade: Washington @ Miami (In Spain)
- Dan Quinn is now the defensive play-caller for the Commanders but until we see the same kind of dominance he had calling plays in Dallas you cannot trust this team against a suddenly Dolphins’ potent offense!
Thank you for checking out my 2025 Plays & Fades for Week 11. I hope you found it helpful and enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Best of luck in Week 11, and let’s get those wins!
Rhett Manuel is a FantasyPros ECR ranker, writer, and podcaster for FANTASY IN FRAMES, specializing in Redraft and Dynasty Fantasy Football. Follow him on Twitter/X at @RManuelSports. You can find more of his work here at FANTASY IN FRAMES by clicking here.
