Fantasy Football: 3 Trends to Know Heading Into Week 11

We are over the midway point of the 2024 NFL season, so there is plenty of information and data to sift through when making lineup decisions in fantasy football. Understanding trends around the league can allow us to gain an advantage over our opponents in fantasy football, whether it be in season-long or DFS formats.

Player's usage, adjusted pace, team pass rates, defensive schemes, and other factors all fit the description of trends we should be paying attention to. Taking that into account, let's take a look at a few trends to know entering Week 11.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football Trends to Know for Week 11

Chase Brown Is Matchup Proof As a Full-Time Starter for the Bengals

We've gotten a two-game sample of Chase Brown being the full-time starting back for the Cincinnati Bengals, and the early results are extremely promising. In the last two games with Zack Moss sidelined, Brown is registering an 83.6% snap rate, 68.3% route rate, 17.6% target share, and an 88.9% red-zone rushing share, per NextGenStats.

Additionally, Brown is producing 125.5 scrimmage yards on 27 touches per game across that two-game sample. As a result, Brown has finished as the RB5 or better in back-to-back weeks in half-PPR leagues.

What makes Brown's RB3 output in Week 10 even more impressive is the fact he did that against a Baltimore Ravens team that is giving up the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to RBs, and is ranked third in schedule-adjusted run defense. Even with the Bengals acquiring Khalil Herbert via trade recently, he doesn't seem like anything more than insurance behind Brown as they traded a seventh-round pick for him.

So even with Brown facing a stout Los Angeles Chargers defense in Week 11, he's proven to be matchup proof as the full-time starting back, and his $6,800 salary in DFS makes him an enticing option in the Sunday night game.

George Pickens Is An Elite Option with Russell Wilson

Things looked bleak for George Pickens -- in terms of production -- through the first six weeks of the season when Justin Fields was the starting QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite Pickens leading the Steelers in target share (28.9%), air yards share (47.7%), end-zone target share (60.0%), and yards per route run (2.52) with Fields starting, he never finished any better than WR18 during that span.

However, with Russell Wilson taking over the job in Week 7, Pickens has become a must-start option in fantasy. Wilson has made three starts for the Steelers (Weeks 7, 8, and 10), and Pickens is commanding a 26.6% target share, 41.4% air yards share, 45.5% end-zone target share, and 3.33 yards per route run in that sample.

When it comes to fantasy production, Pickens has been the WR5 or better in two of the three games with Wilson, and his WR43 finish in Week 8 could have been drastically different as he had two TDs called back. Pickens couldn't ask for a much better matchup in Week 11 as the Steelers face a Ravens defense that is permitting the most fantasy points per game, most receiving TDs (16), and seventh-most yards per route run (1.72) to WRs.

Cedric Tillman Has League-Winning Upside with Jameis Winston

There's no doubt that Jameis Winston is an extremely volatile QB, but whenever he's under center, he's going to push the ball down the field often. Winston has started back-to-back games and thrown 11-plus passes in three appearances this season, and Cedric Tillman has emerged as a potential league-winner in the process.

Ever since Winston took over for the Cleveland Browns in Week 7 -- and the team traded Amari Cooper -- Tillman hasn't finished worse than WR17, and he even concluded Week 8 as the WR3 in half-PPR formats. At the same time, Tillman is pacing the Browns in target share (23.7%), air yards share (34.0%), and yards per route run (1.86) while also averaging 7 receptions and 85 receiving yards per game during that span.

Vertical targets aren't an issue for Tillman with Winston heaving the ball as he's logging a whopping 132.1 air yards and 5 downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) per game throughout his last three outings. When drafts were taking place before the season, Tillman was an afterthought and went undrafted in most leagues, so he's been a stellar waiver-wire addition for those lucky enough to snag him.

Up next for Tillman is a New Orleans Saints defense that is coughing up the sixth-most receptions (130) and third-most receiving yards (1,693) to WRs while they recently traded Marshon Lattimore.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.