Fantasy Football News: Ja'Marr Chase Blow Up, Jauan Jennings' Stock Rising

Batten down the hatches, lads and lasses! We are destined for the unpredictable waters of fantasy football news. With the tumult of Week 10 left in our wake, it doesn’t get any easier as we embark on a “Whiplash!”-worthy 40 knots. Hold on tight; the captain has been known to hit the bottle for a nip when football is involved.

As we embark, you’ll notice information coming at you from all sides, so keep your head on a swivel lest you take a gull-sized statistic to the side of the head. There will be player values on each side of the vessel and no rest for the weary if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or nauseous.

With that said, engage in trade talks with other ships on the water. Keep in mind, however, that they can be either friend or foe. Trading is encouraged, so if someone isn’t pulling their weight, flip them to a passer-by for a crewmember that improves the quality of the team. We’ll be passing through the Great Straights of Waivers. Toss overboard anyone not serving a purpose and fish a key player from the depths as we coast toward the playoffs. As always, witty banter will be provided to create sea-worthy anthems.

Don your patches and pull up your arrrrrrrgyle. Let’s go around the league.

Fantasy Football News & Notes for Week 11

Fantasy Football News

The Sea Was Angry, My Friends

As if insulted by Baltimore and Cincinnati whipping out their Moby Dicks for the second faceoff in a month, fantasy football made us all pay dearly. No sooner had the Ravens emerged with a 35-34 victory, Week 10 put the clamps on scoring straight away. With the Thursday night game coming to a 69-point total (nice), the week got tight with the wallet. There were just 501 points to go around for the remaining 28 teams. The grand total of 570 bested the previous week-long low by a whopping 64 points, per statmuse.

This was compounded by missed kicks from Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo and San Francisco’s Jake Moody (three missed field goals each) and a block of Wil Lutz for Denver that allowed the Chiefs to remain perfect. At least Moody was able to shrug off his blues in the form of a game-winner at the end. Many of the league’s notable players were just “average” in Week 10, while others disappeared completely.

It made for yet another entry into the annals of a frustrating 2024 fantasy football season. Suffice it to say, if you did not have a piece of the Thursday night pie, you probably lost this week. Here’s hoping you didn’t have to walk that plank.

Chasing the Treasure

Ja’Marr Chase to the #Bengals, probably pic.twitter.com/1jh3k6WG9m

— Samwise (@BuyAndSellYou) November 12, 2024

While we’re on the subject of “Thursday Night Football,” the duel between Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson was one for the ages. Each team’s quarterback accounted for over 30 fantasy points, with Burrow’s 33.7 outpacing Jackson’s 32.9 by a fraction. Not one to sit idly by, all-world wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase racked up an unnerving 55.4 Point Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points, leaving his peers as mere fish food. Even more mind-numbing, that total ranks just behind a 55.6-point performance, also by Chase during the 2021 season.

The Bengals like to gamble and are very old-fashioned when it comes to players honoring their contracts. It’s not entirely shocking that they refuse to pay Chase with what amounts to two remaining years under contract. Sometimes, the gamble works, like in the case of Tee Higgins. The Clemson product wanted top dollar, but the Bengals believed he couldn’t stay on the field to command it. He will likely end up elsewhere, but it will save Cincinnati a lot of money.

In Chase’s case, the gamble did not work and also killed the bottom line. Chase wanted to be the highest-paid wide receiver. Now ranking at the top of all three triple-crown categories, he holds the key to negotiations, and Cincinnati will not be able to resist his siren’s song.

Get Them a New Jersey

New York teams are feeling the crunch, and one needn’t look further than their embattled “leaders.” Daniel Jones introduced our friends in Germany to the Amber Heard effect as he left a steaming pile behind on the pillow that is Munich. After the game, Giants head coach Brian Daboll (whose seat is a lit powder keg) would not commit to a starting quarterback in Week 11. The attempted murder of Daboll by serial coach-killers the Carolina Panthers comes a week after they put Dennis Allen in Davy Jones’ locker.

Elsewhere in the Garden State, the Jets are searching high and low for justification for bringing a washed-up Aaron Rodgers in and handing him the helm of the ship. Clearly, “A-Rod” has completely lost interest, and New York has lost interest in him, even as the team continues to ignore dynamic rusher/receiver Breece Hall, confounding fantasy football managers everywhere.

Jones should be wearing a team’s backup jersey, while Rodgers would look smashing in a cardigan at his next retreat.

Pass the Time With a Sea Shanty or Two

We’ll not move along this journey in silence, ye scallywags. Hoist the sails, move the sandbags and sip your ale while exchanging stories of the week gone by!

Embed from Getty Images

Some sense of normalcy returned in the guise of Christian McCaffrey suiting up for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Many fantasy football managers expected a superhuman performance in his return, but his 19-touch, 107-yard effort was a great start and reminded us what we must look forward to if he stays healthy.
The Buffalo Bills were down badly with injuries to their receiving corps. I was banging the drum for a Khalil Shakir cannonball into the fantasy points lagoon. It never came. So, who got the ball? Dalton Kincaid? Mack Hollins? Curtis Samuel? The answer is that everyone got a tiny sliver of the pie a la “Hungry Hippos” as Josh Allen tossed two picks as he (50) and James Cook (80) rumbled for a combined 130 yards and a touchdown apiece.
“Dem Boys” are officially an afterthought. With Dak Prescott‘s season officially done, Cooper Rush got his short-lived opportunity before handing over the reins to Trey Lance to finish the game. The two quarterbacks amassed a putrid 49 yards passing, part of the Cowboys’ 146 total offensive output on the day.
The Steelers/Commanders and Chiefs/Broncos games were both exciting contests that went down to the wire. The margin of error to beat the defending champion Chiefs is minuscule, and Lutz’s potential game-winning field goal was blocked. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson hit Mike Williams (of all people) to take a one-point edge against Washington. The game ended in controversy when Zach Ertz appeared to secure a first down before replay upheld the call on the field of being short of the marker. You be the judge.

What to Watch for Around the NFL in Week 11

Four teams of landlubbers get a hiatus in the coming week. Out of your lineups go players from Arizona, Tampa Bay, the New York Giants and Carolina. But avast, mateys! No one travels over the seas this week.

Afternoon Delight?

Only three games on this weeks afternoon slate, but this looks far better than the one we just experienced. pic.twitter.com/kEZKseHD39

— Tom Strachan (@NFL_TStrack) November 11, 2024

We will once more be treated to a three-game late afternoon slate, which was a debacle on Sunday. Last week, Baltimore and Cincinnati treated us to another thrilling “one-for-the-ages” affair to kick off the week. With whistles whetted, fans settled in for a 1 p.m. ET slate featuring some high drama (and let’s face it, even those in New York and North Carolina were asleep at 9:30). Then, the 4 p.m. games hit.

If you learned anything from Week 10, it’s that sometimes it’s OK to overdo it on breakfast beers and rum because you’ll have ample time to snooze before “Sunday Night Football.” The Cardinals made quick work of the J-E-T-S, the Eagles took apart the Cowboys and the Chargers won a ho-hum affair against Tennessee. In short, it was almost enough to throw oneself overboard. Speaking of, the Dolphins and Rams seemed to get the national TV memo in time for Monday night’s glorious 23-15 thrill-a-minute.

This week promises some better games in the late slate, although no one wants the Chiefs or the Bills to win their game because we’ll never hear the end of it.

Jauanna Say That to My Face?

San Francisco’s Jauan Jennings posted seven catches on 11 targets for 93 yards in San Francisco’s victory on Sunday. Kyle Shanahan remarked after the game that it was Jennings’ first time playing the “X” wide receiver position and that he’ll be doing so for the rest of the year in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk.

All in all, Shanahan seemed excited about Jennings’ return after a two-week absence and the bye. The former Tennessee Volunteer has a significant opportunity to duplicate or improve his performance against the Seahawks this week. Seattle currently allows the ninth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Unlocking Jennings, along with the return of McCaffrey, will help San Francisco (5-4) keep pace or perhaps overtake the Arizona Cardinals (6-4) in the NFC West race.

Obligatory Vikings Mention

A fantasy football news article with a nautical theme wouldn’t be complete without Norsemen, right? No other quarterback is as exposed to skeptics as Sam Darnold. Only a week ago, a few brave souls were willing to admit that the Minnesota signal-caller was inching ever closer to the MVP discussion. With this year’s performances, it would have been a longshot, but he is certainly the most valuable asset to a team that thought the season was lost when their future quarterback went down. He was sure to keep Justin Jefferson fantasy relevant, which many managers can thank him for, too.

Darnold was always good for an interception, very nearly a weekly reoccurrence, but then he was exposed to the Mac Jones scurvy by none other than its namesake and he fired off three picks against a subpar Jacksonville defense. The Vikings eeked out a 12-7 victory against a bottom-feeder and the team escaped Florida with an abundance of citrus to fight off the accursed disease.

Fantasy Quick Hits

Raheem Mostert has had 19, 11, 9, and 10 rush attempts in his last four games played.

So I took his OVER on 7.5 rush attempts.

What do I get?

Zero rush attempts with 8 and a half minutes to go in the fourth.

— Hutchinson Brown (@hutchinsonb_ff) November 12, 2024

Dolphins’ Raheem Mostert appeared to be in the brig for the majority of their game, registering no rushes and two catches. A punishment for previous fumbles? He has only nine in his career.
Along the same lines, Tank Bigsby (two rushes, no catches) and Jordan Mason (one rush, no catches) also put a hurt on fantasy managers this week, losing all volume behind Travis Etienne and McCaffrey, respectively.
Kareem Hunt‘s rushing efficiency has gone from 3.6 Yards Per carry (YPC) in October to 3.4 in November. In case you missed it, neither of those averages bode well for a running back pushing 30.
As I promised last week, Trey Benson got even more attention from Arizona this week, including two drives where Conner did not see the field. He now has standalone value after rushing 10 times for 62 yards and catching both his targets.
So, too, does Jaylen Warren, who outgained starter Najee Harris 66-53 on the ground while catching two passes.
Don’t be fooled into picking up Tampa Bay receivers. Baker Mayfield seems content to throw to the running backs and Cade Otton.
The Bears looked bad on Sunday against the Patriots. The result? Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was sent packing. In a very “you had one job” situation, Waldron was supposed to acclimate No. 1 pick Caleb Williams to the NFL.
Bye weeks include the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down

That’ll do it for the fantasy football news this week, marauders! Swab down the deck and report to the galley for dried beans and salted beef like Grandma used to make.

Keep your spyglass on the waiver wire and build a righteous crew! Sometimes, the best move is no move at all. You’ve got to have trust in your hearties. If your trade deadline looms, then heave ho! Put your back into the stretch run, sharpen your boot and bludgeon your eye! Remember, all you have to do is make landfall for the playoffs, and then all bets are off. Anybody can get hot at any time and pillage the rest while claiming their booty.

As always, trust your gut! I’ll be back for another “Whiplash!” ride delivering all the fantasy football news next week. If you need last-minute help, I’ll see you on Twitter/X from 10 a.m. ET until the games start to answer your start/sit questions. You can also find me here at In-Between Media (IBT) again on Friday with prop bets for Sunday’s games!

Check out all of our Week 11 fantasy football content:

Thanks for checking out my Week 11 fantasy football news and notes! Track me down on Twitter/X @BuyAndSellYou for more redraft and dynasty fantasy football content.

*Photo Credit: Sergio Estrada – USA TODAY Sports*

Samwise

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Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 11 News & Notes (2024)