Fantasy Football: Player takeaways ahead of Week 11

Week 10 was anything but predictable. Sunday had everything, from major upsets to a game ending in a tie!

Here are my takeaways from Week 10.

“Cowboys had a little Lamb”

The Cowboys have been one of the hottest teams in the league this season and it’s largely attributed to their WR1.

No, not Amari Cooper — I'm talking about Ceedee Lamb.

He has been nothing short of amazing this season. He is currently WR8 in points per game and averaging a team-leading 23 percent target share. He is ninth in receiving yards per game and tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns. His dominance continued into Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. I’m surprised the refs didn’t implement the mercy rule after what Lamb did to the Falcons on Sunday.

Everywhere the ball went, Lamb was sure to go. He racked up 6 receptions for 94 yards and tied a season-high two touchdowns during his second-best fantasy game of the season, finishing as WR3. His two touchdowns tied for most in the league as well as being third in receiving yards for Week 10. Even with Michael Gallup back in the lineup, Lamb still commanded the highest target share (24%) on the team.

His Week 11 matchup is particularly juicy as he gets to face the 23rd-ranked passing defense in the Kansas City Chiefs. But honestly, the opponent doesn’t really matter, as Lamb should be considered a locked-in WR1 every week for the rest of the season.

Zeke Eats

FEED THE MAN! Ezekiel Elliott has been quietly feasting all season. He is currently eighth in points per game on the season, ninth in rushing attempts per game (16) and seventh in rushing yards per game (74). He has also been living in the end zone as he’s tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns with seven. Despite the emergence of Tony Pollard, Elliott has had strong command on the backfield in terms of snap share (68% to 33%) and opportunity share (58% to 36%). His rampage only continued into his Week 10 matchup.

He couldn’t stop eating up fantasy points against Atlanta. His 56 scrimmage yards weren’t very satisfying, but they were just appetizers. His main course came from scoring two touchdowns, finishing as the RB8 on the week. His nose for the end zone was refreshing as it was his first game with multiple touchdowns since Week 3. Elliott also benefited from a positive game script since the Cowboys won in a blowout victory.

This performance was just another example of how good Elliott has been all season. I almost feel sorry for the Kansas City Chiefs run defense having to face Elliott in Week 11. Regardless of the matchup, Elliott has proven to be a certified RB1 who should never leave your lineup.

Antonio Win-son

Let's be honest, Antonio Gibson has been less than stellar most of the season, largely due to fighting through nagging injuries. Coming into Week 10, he was 18th in rushing yards per game (55.3), 28th in points per game (12), and 23rd in opportunity share (57.4%). He has essentially been disappointing for your fantasy team and unreliable this season.

However, Gibson rose like a phoenix in Week 10 and reminded us of why we drafted him in the first place.

Gibson was used as a workhorse as he saw a career-high 24 carries and had a total of 78 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns. Although he wasn’t very efficient on the ground, it was encouraging that he was able to score twice against the league's best rushing defense in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even if they each were only one-yarders. He also saw his highest opportunity share since Week 1 (70%) and had his highest fantasy point total of the season (21.8), finishing as RB7. Also, his 64 rushing yards were his highest total since Week 2. It’s exciting to see Gibson have such a big game, but now we have to assess what our expectations for him are going forward.

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He has another difficult matchup in Week 11 against the sixth-ranked Carolina Panthers defense. We should consider him an RB2 based on volume in hopes he finds the end zone. For the rest of the season, he is an RB2 with RB1 upside based on projected workload and red zone touches. Unfortunately, his production is only going to come via volume and touchdowns because he isn’t involved in the passing game, seeing only a 7.5% target share.

That said, Gibson should still be a fixture in your lineup in hopes this utilization trend continues.

Corda-Fail Sadder-son

Apparently, Cordarrelle Patterson is human after all, as he delivered his worst performance of the season on Sunday. Patterson only had four rushes for a season-low 25 yards and one reception for a season-low 14 yards, finishing as RB48. It is important to note that he did leave the game for a bit due to injury. Additionally, the game script played a factor as the Falcons were blown out 43-3 by Dallas.

Despite the terrible fantasy outcome, there is no reason to jump the Patterson ship just yet.

Before Week 10, Patterson was averaging six targets and 58 receiving yards a game as well as 35 rushing yards a game. We know he makes his bread and butter in the receiving game, where he is currently 11th in total receiving touchdowns among running backs and wide receivers. Even after his disappointing performance, he is still RB10 on the season. Additionally, he is tied for sixth among running backs in target share (14.8%) and second in receiving yards per game (52.6). He has even overtaken Mike Davis as the lead back, seeing a higher opportunity share three out of the last four weeks.

All this is to say, Week 10 was a fluke and shouldn’t be a factor for future lineup decisions.

Unfortunately, it looks like Patterson is going to miss his Week 11 matchup against the Patriots and maybe beyond due to his sprained ankle. Once he is considered healthy though, he should go back to being a centerpiece in your lineup.

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