Fantasy Football Start and Bench Advice: Week 11

Published: 11/12/2008 1:24 am by Smitty in Start Bench Advice

Smitty is a contributor to Fantasy Football Xtreme

Below is our Start and Bench Advice for Week 11 of the 2008 Fantasy Football season. Our "Who To Start & Who To Bench" advice is loaded with fantasy football player projections, fantasy analysis and straight up bold predictions.

Also, be sure to check out all of our updated Week 11 Player Projections, which are updated right up until kickoff. For previous Start Bench Advice, click here.

Trading Struggling Studs In Order To Make A Run?

Before we jump to our recommended starts and sits of the week, we thought we would touch on a few trade strategies moving forward. The first will be for you redraft leaguers, the second topic of conversation is for all you dynasty leaguers out there.

Redraft Leagues

If you’re team is struggling to get it done, but you still have a shot at making your playoffs, start thinking about trading away studs like LaDainian Tomlinson, Brandon Jacobs, Drew Brees and even Adrian Peterson. While I usually never recommend that fantasy owners trade away super-studs, in some cases you have to divide talent to get more line-up coverage. If you have a good squad and you have a shot at making your playoffs, this advice does not apply to you… but if you have just a flat-out mediocre line-up surrounding 1-2 studs, and you have a shot at making the playoffs in your league, try unloading your gun(s) for some sleeper-type talent. Need examples?

If you own a team like Tony Romo, Adrian Peterson, Steve Slaton, Marques Colston, Lee Evans, Dwayne Bowe, you don’t need to divide up your talent…. that kind of squad is good enough and that is why you have a shot at making the playoffs. We have a similar looking team headed by Tony Romo, Adrian Peterson, Larry Johnson, Marques Colston and Chad Johnson… injuries and suspensions have held us back in that league, but trading some of those guys away will not help our situation… teams like that need to allow those struggling/suspended studs to bounce-back.

However, if you own a team that just has one stud, like Adrian Peterson, or maybe you have a Drew Brees and a whole lot of mediocre talent surrounding him, take Brees and trade him for a Braylon Edwards and Tim Hightower… or go get a Ben Roethlisberger and a struggling Larry Johnson.

Here is a list of players to target in 2-for-1 type deals. The following fantasy athletes have the ability to extremely outperform their current trade values.

Maurice Jones-Drew
Tim Hightower
Ben Roethlisberger
Joseph Addai
Marion Barber
Marshawn Lynch
Steven Jackson (know that he is injured!)
Larry Johnson
Braylon Edwards
Santonio Holmes

Out of all those players listed, Marshawn Lynch and Marion Barber have the most "elite" upside and might give you the most bang for your buck if you end up trading away an LT or an AP. If you need a home run and your team is dead in the water, Marion Barber and Braylon Edwards isn’t a bad deal for LaDanian Tomlinson.

Dynasty Leagues

If you’re in a dynasty league and your team is not likely to make your league’s playoffs, start targeting players like Rashard Mendenhall, Ray Rice, a struggling Braylon Edwards and struggling Chad Johnson. Just because your 2008 is falling apart, don’t miss out on the great buys right now! I know how easy it is to ignore leagues you’re losing in, but your 2009 success can have everything to do with what you’re doing right now! Find out what teams want to win now and feed them a Thomas Jones or a Hines Ward before it’s too late and go better your future!

Studs Of The Week – Week 11

Michael Turner (vs. DEN) – The stud is facing the league’s 27th worst rushing defense, a unit that has surrendered 11 scores on the ground so far this season. This could be one of those double-digit + 100-yard outings.
Frank Gore (vs. STL) – If the 49ers runner was ever going to have a double-digit outing with well over 120 total yards, this would be the outing. No team has given up more rushing touchdowns than the Rams (15)… and they rank 30th against the run, surrendering 161 yards per game. That’s money right there!
Marshawn Lynch (vs. CLE) – If you want a top 5-8RB at the cost of a RB2, you better attack before he faces the league’s 26th worst rushing defense on Monday night. He will never be cheaper than he is right now. Let me repeat that because it’s worth saying twice — He will never be cheaper than he is right now!

Sleeper Starts For Week 11

Reggie Bush (@KC) – The Chiefs are the worst defense in the league against the run – If Bush plays, he should have a monster day. If Bush sits Week 11, which is possible, Deuce McAllister will be an excellent start.
DeAngelo Williams (vs. DET) – If you had Williams on your bench last week, you probably spent much of Sunday night pulling your hair out. Well, don’t sit him this week out of anger because he faces the second worst rushing defense in the league.
Ricky Williams (vs. OAK) – If you own the Dolphins back-up runner, and you need a high-risk/high-reward type start this week, consider using him. Oakland is 4th to last against the run.
Jerious Norwood (vs. DEN) – The speedster always does well when the Falcons face a horrible rushing defense. Again, as stated above, Denver is 27th against the run.

Possible Duds For Week 11

Brandon Jacobs (vs. BAL) – This might be the week to shop the 264-pound runner, as his value is extremely high and his schedule is extremely rough moving forward. Make sure you get enough if you do trade the stud, but you might want to test those trade waters before he faces the Ravens this week. The Ravens are No. 1 against the run.
Ryan Grant (vs. CHI) – The Bears are 3rd against the run – The Packers could struggle to run the football in this contest. Explore other options if you can.
Earnest Graham (vs. MIN) – A RBBC doesn’t help this running back situation in Tampa – Facing Minnesota’s rushing defense in Week 11 just made it worse, as that defensive unit ranks 3rd in the entire league against the run.