It would seem everyone is talking about the top-to-bottom strength of the AFC North and the NFC West. There’s good reason for it. In the NFC West, you have three teams at 6-3 and the only one who isn’t is the defending NFC champion. In the AFC North, you have the last unbeaten team (Pittsburgh) and two teams at 6-3.
What’s the common thread? Both divisions were fortunate enough to land the NFC East this season, which is almost a guarantee to add three or four wins to your total.
The NFC East is epically bad. The Eagles are 3-5-1 and have a clear-cut lead in the division – the Giants are 3-7 and the Cowboys and Washington are both 2-7. This division has created a competitive imbalance in the league because those lucky enough to land them have feasted.
The East is even worse than their dismal records indicate. When you consider eight of their combined 10 wins have come against each other, the pathetic nature of their team becomes painfully apparent. They are a combined 2-18-1 outside the division, including 0-7-1 against the AFC North.
In a season where there is a lot of competition for playoff spots, the NFC West and AFC North could each put three teams into the postseason and the main reason is simple – they’ve all got Dallas, New York, Philadelphia and Washington on their schedules.
Here is the Week 11 Fantasy Football Market Report:
Fantasy Football Risers
Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals
He has emerged as a legitimate weekly fantasy play because of his consistency. He has been targeted eight or more times in five of his last seven games and, over the last four, has caught 24 passes for 389 yards. He has become a co-No. 1 guy with Tyler Boyd and has left A.J. Green in the dust.
Zack Moss, RB Bills
He hasn’t blown up exactly – he only has one game with 10 or more carries – but he has taken the carry share away from Devin Singletary. Moss has more than twice as many rushing attempts than Singletary in the last two games (16 to 6) and has scored three touchdowns in the last three games. He is far from a dominant player, but, as injuries mount up, having him on your roster is a plus because of his time-share upside.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers
In the first five games of his career, he had more than three receptions just once and 45 or more yards just once. In his last three games, he has caught 21 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, picking up the slack for the loss of George Kittle and making a name for himself as a star of the future in one of the deepest draft classes in history.
Kalen Ballage, RB, Chargers
The Chargers wanted Austin Ekeler to be their main man in the post-Melvin Gordon era. They tried giving the job to Joshua Kelly, but he has failed. Just Jackson hasn’t been much better. In two games with the Chargers, Ballage has been the main back in the offense, rushing 33 times for 137 yards and a touchdown. This isn’t the most attractive fantasy spot, but any time you have a guy rushing 15 or more times, you have fantasy value.
Marvin Jones, WR, Lions
In the three games since Kenny Golladay went down, Jones has become a bigger threat, catching four touchdowns in the last three games. He doesn’t consistently catch enough passes to make him an every-week play, but as long as he keeps scoring touchdowns, those with him on their team won’t be complaining.
Fantasy Football Fallers
Baker Mayfield, QB, Browns
It’s hard to believe the Browns are 6-3 with the type of season Mayfield has had. He had one five-touchdown game against the Bengals, but has just 10 TDs in the other eight games and has thrown for less than 190 yards in six of nine. He has the ability to be better, but things just aren’t rolling his way and the Browns have morphed into a run-first, run-second team. Mayfield has thrown 25 of fewer passes in five games, including three of the last four. He’s made himself almost unplayable.
Cam Akers, RB, Rams
He was supposed to be at the front of the line to replace Todd Gurley and has been mired in third place in a three-man backfield. He has yet to score a touchdown and hasn’t had more than 10 carries since Week 1. Owners are still waiting on him, but it seems clear that when the Rams get in the Red Zone, Akers is a spectator watching Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown score fantasy points.
David Carr, QB, Raiders
The Raiders clearly want Josh Jacobs to be the focal point of the offense. In his last seven games, he has thrown more than two touchdowns just once, brings nothing as a scrambler and, over the last three games, he has thrown for just 430 yards and three touchdowns. He was in a position to be a fantasy starter because of his consistent yardage numbers in the first two months of the season, but has fallen off the table by design in Jon Gruden’s offense.
Leonard Fournette, RB, Buccaneers
When the Jaguars cut Fournette, it seemed a little surprising that the Bucs signed him because they already had Ronald Jones. It seemed like an indictment of Jones, but Fournette hasn’t been given the opportunity to shine. He has more than 12 carries just once and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 2. At the same time, Jones has had more than 12 carries seven times and has four 100-yard games along the way. Fournette, who has had some injury issues, has become a fantasy player with a big name, but not much to back it up.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles
Earlier in the season, Zach Ertz made this list. Now it’s Goedert’s turn. After catching eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, he has missed four games and, in the four games he has played, he has caught 10 passes for 85 yards and no touchdowns. He seems to have caught the same terminal disease Ertz caught before he went down to injury. Without Ertz, the thinking was Goedert could blow up. That hasn’t come close to happening.