FUN FACT #1
There’s just no stopping Keenan Allen these days, as he destroys the competition on a weekly basis.
Since Justin Herbert took over as the Chargers’ full-time quarterback, Allen has produced seven games of 100 yards receiving and/or one touchdown.
And the one ‘clunker’ of the bunch still involved Allen collecting eight catches, 11 targets and 62 yards — or 14.2 points in a PPR world.
Which brings us to this …
Barring injury, Allen (three 100-yard games in 2020) should be viewed as lead-pipe cinch for double-digit targets and one touchdown come Sunday.
Here’s why:
****The Jets own bottom-10 rankings with receptions and receiving yards surrendered to opposing wideouts.
****These same opposing receivers have enjoyed a catch-to-target ratio of 72 percent against the Jets. That ticks slightly higher than Allen’s 70-percent clip for the season.
****At SoFi Stadium (the Chargers’ $5 billion home), Allen holds stellar averages of 10 catches, 13 targets, 114 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
FUN FACT #2
There are three guarantees in life: Death, taxes … and Dalvin Cook continually shredding the NFL’s worst division.
Citing four career outings against the NFC East, Cook boasts otherworldly averages of 154 total yards and 0.8 touchdowns.
Here’s another thing to celebrate:
This week, Cook (1,143 total yards, 13 TDs) encounters a Cowboys defense which holds bottom-10 rankings with rushing yards and rushing touchdowns allowed.
FUN FACT #3
From one Cook to another …
If ever there was a week to start Saints tight end Jared Cook in 10- 12- or 14-team leagues, this is it.
Here’s why:
****The Falcons have given up the most receiving touchdowns to tight ends (8).
****Of equal relevance, opposing tight ends are snagging targets/catches at an 83-percent clip.
****Cook has tallied three touchdowns during the Saints’ five-game winning streak.
****Cook collected double-digit targets in his last meeting with Atlanta.
****For 2018-19 with the Bucs, QB Jameis Winston (Drew Brees’ short-term replacement in New Orleans) tossed 16 touchdowns to tight ends.
WEEK 11 PREP WORK
PASSING FANCY: Mahomes, Herbert, Jackson headline the QB rankings
RUN TO GLORY: Jacobs, Conner, Kamara, Cook carry the top PPR backs
CATCH A RISING STAR: Allen, Hill, Adams lead the top 70 PPR wideouts
BIG & BAD: Waller, Henry, Kelce highlight the top 30 PPR tight ends
HARD NUMBERS: Allen, Adams, two Cooks lead the 10 super-fun facts
FUN FACT #4
Was it only four weeks ago when Tyler Lockett crushed the Cardinals for 15 catches, 20 targets, 200 yards and three touchdowns?
In the three-game aftermath, the Seahawks wideout has yet to collect six catches, 70 yards or even double-digit targets in a single outing.
So, how should fantasy players view this week’s repeat clash with Arizona?
****For his career against the Cardinals, Lockett has secured four or fewer catches nine different times.
****Since Week 4, fellow Seattle wideout DK Metcalf has notched four games of 100-plus yards and six touchdowns.
****Lockett has scored multiple touchdowns five times in his decorated career … but never against the same club twice.
FUN FACT #5
Forget about the Ravens’ dispiriting defeat to the Patriots on Sunday night. Despite the torrential rains and stifling winds, quarterback Lamar Jackson still accounted for 304 total yards (55 rushing) and two touchdowns.
In fact, this strong outing marked the fifth time since Week 4 that Jackson has notched multiple TDs.
Which brings us to this …
Heading into Week 11, the Titans defense claims bottom-6 rankings with completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed; and in last January’s playoff game, Jackson amassed 508 total yards (143 rushing) and one touchdown versus Tennessee.
FUN FACT #6
With BATSBY Sports’ rankings for Week 11, we have Clyde-Edwards Helaire rated in the top 10, despite some uneasy trends from the last few weeks.
For example:
****Edwards-Helaire has registered only 26 total touches since Week 7, for a paltry average of 8.9 touches against three so-so defense (Broncos, Jets, Panthers).
This sluggish period also coincides with the arrival of Le’Veon Bell … but it’s worth mentioning that Bell has tallied only 20 touches for 80 yards during this same span.
****QB Patrick Mahomes has attempted 87 passes in the last two weeks (61 completions), on his way to 788 yards passing and nine touchdowns. Unfortunately, Edwards-Helaire and Bell were targeted only 12 times during this pass-happy surge.
****Kansas City has won its last three games by an average of 18.3 points; and yet, the club has been a little stingy about doling out tailback touches.
So, why the positive ranking for Edwards-Helaire, heading into Sunday’s rematch with Las Vegas?
a) Opposing tailbacks are averaging 4.6 yards per carry versus the Raiders.
b) The Raiders rank 27th in total touchdowns allowed to running backs (9 rushing, 2 receiving).
c) The Chiefs are certifiable locks to score more than 15 points on Sunday — the average amount Las Vegas has yielded during its three-game winning streak.
FUN FACT #7
It’s a shame that Christian McCaffrey (sprained shoulder; averaging 35 PPR points per game this season) couldn’t successfully lobby the Panthers coaches to play this weekend.
On paper, the Lions represent the easiest matchup for any ball carrier.
Why is that?
Detroit has surrendered the most rushing AND receiving touchdowns to opposing tailbacks this season — a staggering total of 18 touchdowns (13 receiving, 5 rushing).
What’s more, the Lions are allowing 4.81 yards per carry to opposing backs; and this same position has enjoyed a hearty catch-to-target rate of 70 percent versus Detroit.
In other words, go ahead and bet the proverbial farm on Panthers RB Mike Davis (per-game averages of 102 total yards/1 TD from Weeks 3-6) racking up 140-plus yards or multiple touchdowns.
FUN FACT #8
Is there anything more maddening than guessing which Rams running back (Malcolm Brown or Darrell Henderson) will garner the lion’s share of touches for a particular week?
Since that’s a rhetorical question, we’ll simply skip to the shaky rationale for predicting the randomness for Week 11:
In Brown’s defense …
****He leads all Rams tailbacks in targets and receptions; and as luck would have it, the Bucs (Sunday’s opponent) have allowed the most catches to opposing backs (through 10 games).
****Brown has notched multiple touchdowns three times in the last two seasons (including last week).
****The University of Texas product stands out as the Rams’ goal-line back.
In Henderson’s case …
****Brown has never scored a touchdown in back-to-back games.
****Henderson has collected a minimum of eight touches in every contest since Week 2. During this span, the Memphis product has five touchdowns.
****Rams head coach Sean McVay has become the NFC version of Bill Belichick, meaning he’ll never pass up an opportunity to confuse fantasy owners.
FUN FACT #9
Falcons QB Matt Ryan has been a hot-and-cold fantasy asset for the schizophrenic Falcons, posting four games of three-plus touchdowns or 400-plus yards passing … and five outings of zero or one touchdown.
Ugh.
Fortunately, fantasy fans can expect a little more consistency heading into this weekend’s clash in New Orleans.
Charting his last seven meetings with the Saints, Ryan holds robust averages of 264 yards passing and 2.4 touchdowns.
And last but not least …
FUN FACT #10
Packers wideout Davante Adams (61 catches, 741 yards, 9 TDs) has accounted for five outings of double-digit targets and seven touchdowns since Week 6.
What’s more, for the season, Adams has already posted three games of double-digit catches, 150 yards and one touchdown.
The last person to accomplish such a feat in a single campaign: Calvin Johnson in 2012.