It should be a crime for the NFL season to be flying by so quickly.
It’s Week 11 already, and fantasy owners are making their final push for the playoffs. Injuries aren’t slowing down for anyone, and while the bye weeks are dwindling, there are still a handful of fantasy starts off this week. Questions need answering, so let’s go.
Q: I have Luck and Foles. Do you think Foles gets consistent this year, or stick with Luck? (Nathan Powell)
AP: There hasn’t been a hotter fantasy quarterback than Foles lately. 10 touchdowns in his last two games, no interceptions, and averaging over 40 fantasy points during that span. However, you are right to hesitate about his consistency. We’ve seen Foles struggle with accuracy and mechanics at times this season (see Dallas game), but there’s no doubt that right now, he is a very strong fantasy option. However, I’d feel much, much safer stick with Luck the rest of the way. The Colts lack of a running game will force Luck to drop back to pass quite a bit, which is volume I like. In Foles’ two straight monster games, he has only averaged 23 pass attempts per game. Luck is going to throw the ball a lot, and he gives you that added bonus with his legs. I’ll stick with the guy who has succeeded for longer, and is strictly the better quarterback.
Q: Andre Ellington, Shane Vereen or Stevan Ridley for RB2 this week?
AP: It’s going to be awesome to see Vereen back, which may make the New England backfield more muddled than usual. Because of that, as well as the matchup, I’m definitely going with Ellington. It’s a bit discouraging to see Ellington only play 31 offensive snaps on Sunday, just one week after exploding for 150 yards and a score. Head coach Bruce Arians doesn’t quite envision Ellington as en every-down back, and appears to have an odd crush on veteran Rashard Mendenhall. Still, Ellington is averaging 7.2 yards per carry this season, and although he has only carried the ball 26 times over his last two, he won’t need a lot of work to shred the worst run defense in football this week in Jacksonville. This unit is allowing 24.58 fantasy points to opposing rushers, as well as a league-leading 153 yards per game on the ground. I think Arizona will want to come out and run the football, as opposing teams are running 33 times per game against the Jags.
Q: Would you trade Andre Brown for C.J. Spiller? (Brian Riedmiller)
AP: This is a very interesting question, and to me, it strictly depends on the circumstances and type of league. In a re-draft league, there is no way I deal Brown for Spiller, as odd as that sounds. The Giants backfield is all Brown’s, as he carried the ball a ridiculous 30 times in his first game back from a fractured leg. You can’t say the same about Spiller, who is in a timeshare with Fred Jackson, and is also continuing to deal with a nagging ankle injury. Brown will be a terrific source of touchdowns this season, as he is an elite short-yardage back. His last nine touchdowns have come from inside the two-yard line, and the Giants love to run the ball when up close. 2013 is basically a lost season for Spiller. However, if you are in a keeper or dynasty league, then it gets interesting. Spiller clearly has more upside in the long term, and as Jackson gets older, Spiller should (I pray) slowly take over the backfield in Buffalo, a team that is currently running the ball a lot. This season, Buffalo is averaging 32.5 rushing attempts per game, which is third-most in football. Under head coach Doug Marrone, they will continue to run.
Q: Would you trade Keenan Allen and Le’Veon Bell for LeSean McCoy? (Scott Soriano)
AP: I didn’t include it, but this person was wise enough to list his current situation at receiver and running back. Because he already has Andre Johnson, Jordy Nelson and Torrey Smith, I would absolutely make this deal. With Case Keenum under center, Johnson is a WR1 in fantasy, Nelson is a high-end WR2 for now, but when Aaron Rodgers returns, he immediately returns to WR1, and Smith is a middle of the road WR2. You have a good core at wide receiver. Meanwhile, his running back position isn’t as appealing, owning just Matt Forte, Bell and Shane Vereen. I would 100 percent make this trade, especially since he gets Minnesota and Chicago in his fantasy playoffs.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
