Week 11 Fantasy WR Rankings: Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs look to bounce back in tough matchups

Billy Heyen

Week 11 Fantasy WR Rankings: Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs look to bounce back in tough matchups image

The Week 11 WR rankings have a similar theme to our QB rankings -- great matchups. It makes sense, of course, but it's still a nice reprieve from the weeks of having to make too many tough decisions. Most of the stud wide receivers have no question marks next to their names this week and qualify as "must-starts." It's only when we get into the WR3 conversation that it gets a little tricky. 

So, let's dip right down into the nitty-gritty of the trickier decisions this week. Maybe it's JuJu Smith-Schuster (@ Browns), who we discussed at length last week. Even in a game that Pittsburgh moved the ball pretty well, it was James Washington leading the way in receiving in Week 10. JuJu isn't a must-start in Week 11, but you probably have to play him on Thursday Night Football -- and the same is true for Odell Beckham Jr. (vs. Steelers) in the same game.

WEEK 11 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Smith-Schuster is right next to two much less exciting names in our initial rankings: Auden Tate and Zach Pascal. SN Fantasy's Matt Lutovsky actually had to choose two of those three in Week 10, and he opted to sit JuJu. Obviously the matchups have changed, but who would've thought that made any sort of sense before the season (JuJu outscored Tate by 0.8 points, for the record). Now, it's intriguing to consider Tate against a bad Oakland pass defense or Pascal if he's still Indy's No. 1 wideout. JuJu probably has a slight upside edge, but maybe he doesn't have the upside he once did without Antonio Brown and with Mason Rudolph throwing him passes.

WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end

There's also the case of whether you should ride the hot hand in the 30s portion of our rankings. Christian Kirk just had a hat trick of touchdowns in Week 10, including two bombs, but now comes up against the 49ers and probably Richard Sherman. That's a 180-degree flip in matchup and might be enough to consider other options over Kirk, even though we realize how hard it is to sit a player coming off three scores (and even harder if he was on your bench last week).

WEEK 11 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP

As we continue down, we have more juxtapositions -- a touchdown threat in DeVante Parker right next to his Week 11 opponent and reception wizard Cole Beasley. There are Jets teammates, Demaryius Thomas and Robby Anderson -- Thomas coming off a good Week 10 but Anderson obviously the better big-play threat. Within a few spots of each other are a great matchup, Alex Erickson (@ Raiders), compared to a terrible matchup for a No. 1 WR, Alshon Jeffery (vs. Patriots). (Update: Jeffery is out.) Because of how easy the top of the rankings are this week, you might spend more time than usual on that final lineup decision.

MORE WEEK 11 DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder

It's also that time of year when the fantasy playoffs draw near. Know your status in the playoff race. If you need a couple of big wins, maybe it's time to bet on upside. If there's a total points crown, chase that with upside, too. But if you just want to avoid totally terrible weeks, you go with the floors of players like Beasley and Thomas. While your fantasy roster won't actually realize that it has good or bad momentum (besides the real-life momentum for the individual players), it will never hurt your own mood to keep putting up good weeks regardless of your place in the standings.

Note: We'll continue to update these rankings all week, so check back for the latest and individual player analysis. 

MORE WEEK 11:
Waiver wire | FAAB planner | Trade valuesSnap counts | Fantasy playoff SOS

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Week 11 Fantasy WR Rankings

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.

RankPlayer
1Michael Thomas, NO @ TB. Tampa Bay allows the most fantasy points to wide receivers. Let's ride.
2DeAndre Hopkins, HOU @ BAL
3Tyreek Hill, KC vs. LAC (in Mexico). The thin air in Mexico City should allow Patrick Mahomes to throw even longer deep balls to Hill. That'll be a sight to behold. 
4Amari Cooper, DAL @ DET
5Julio Jones, ATL @ CAR
6Chris Godwin, TB vs. NO
7Mike Evans, TB vs. NO
8Julian Edelman, NE @ PHI. You shouldn't consider sitting Edelman in standard leagues ever, but if you fall into that trap, an Eagles secondary that's allowed 27.4 fantasy points per game to WRs in 2019 should stop that thinking real fast. 
9Keenan Allen, LAC vs. KC (in Mexico)
10John Brown, BUF @ MIA
11Tyrell Williams, OAK vs. CIN
12DJ Chark, JAX @ IND. Nick Foles' return as the Jacksonville starter shouldn't hurt Chark, although the chemistry with Gardner Minshew was through the roof. This week you have to rely on Chark as usual, but just keep an eye out to see if that offense trends in a different direction. 
13Emmanuel Sanders, SF vs. ARZ
14Courtland Sutton, DEN @ MIN
15Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. CHI. Kupp is the lone Rams receiver you can rely on basically against any matchup (last week notwithstanding). Los Angeles might struggle against Chicago, but Kupp is Jared Goff's must trusted target. 
16Marquise Brown, BAL vs. HOU
17Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. NYJ. The Jets have allowed a tied-for-tops 15 TDs to wide receivers this season, and if anyone on Washington is going to be finding the end zone, it'll be Scary Terry. 
18Jarvis Landry, CLE vs. PIT. The Steelers just made the Rams offense look bad, so we don't feel great about Landry or OBJ. But the Cleveland offense also finally sustained some drives in a win over Buffalo, so it's probably a week to start your two Browns. 
19D.J. Moore, CAR vs. ATL
20Odell Beckham Jr., CLE vs. PIT
21Kenny Golladay, DET vs. DAL. The Cowboys have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to WRs in 2019. Golladay is a tough cover for any team at his size, but if it's Jeff Driskel at QB again, Golladay's upside will definitely be capped in Week 11. 
22Stefon Diggs, MIN vs. DEN. Denver has allowed the third-fewest receptions to WRs this season. It feels like Diggs might actually be helped in this one by the return of Adam Thielen (hamstring) if it happens. That would get Diggs away from a full day of Chris Harris. 
23Jamison Crowder, NYJ @ WAS. More often than not, Crowder looks like Sam Darnold's most-trusted receiver. In a game the Jets should move the ball, Crowder should get numbers.
24Mohamed Sanu, NE @ PHI. Sanu caught 10 passes on 14 targets before the bye and now gets a Philadelphia defense that can't stop anyone through the air. He's a must-start on the border of WR2 and WR3 in fantasy this week.
25Tyler Boyd, CIN @ OAK. Oakland allows the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, and Ryan Finley looked competent enough to make both Boyd and Auden Tate decent Week 11 plays.
26Mike Williams, LAC vs. KC (in Mexico)
27Michael Gallup, DAL @ DET
28Curtis Samuel, CAR vs. ATL. I honestly expected Atlanta's pass defense numbers to be even worse despite them being in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to receivers. The Falcons somehow held Drew Brees in check, but both D.J. Moore and Samuel are still solid plays this week.
29JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT @ CLE. It's hard to sit JuJu on a Thursday night, but Cleveland does have strong cornerbacks and the targets just haven't really been there for Smith-Schuster. 
30Zach Pascal, IND vs. JAX. As long as T.Y. Hilton (calf) remains out, Pascal remains a playable option as the No. 1 WR in Indianapolis. We'd feel a lot better about him if Jacoby Brissett could make it back to send Brian Hoyer to the sideline. 
31Auden Tate, CIN @ OAK
32Calvin Ridley, ATL @ CAR
33Robert Woods, LAR vs. CHI
34Christian Kirk, ARZ @ SF. Kirk just scored three touchdowns, so it'll be really hard to sit him. But a heavy dose of Richard Sherman and the defense allowing the fewest fantasy points to WRs this season should be enough to convince you.
35DeVante Parker, MIA vs. BUF. Parker should be hounded by Tre'Davious White, statistically one of the best couple cornerbacks in football. You can probably do better, although Parker has displayed a nose for the end zone. 
36Cole Beasley, BUF @ MIA. Beasley continues to be a favored target of Josh Allen on third down and even in the red zone. You can rely on a solid floor here against the Dolphins.
37Allen Robinson, CHI @ LAR
38Dede Westbrook, JAX @ IND
39Demaryius Thomas, NYJ @ WAS. Thomas and Robby Anderson are both good plays in this matchup -- Thomas for his floor and Anderson for his big-play upside.
40Robby Anderson, NYJ @ WAS
41Marvin Jones, DET vs. DAL
42Sammy Watkins, KC vs. LAC (in Mexico)
43Kenny Stills, HOU @ BAL
44Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ @ SF
45Ted Ginn Jr., NO @ TB. Because the Buccaneers allow the most fantasy points to WRs, both Ginn and Tre'Quan Smith are in play this week as FLEX options. At least one of them should find the end zone, although Smith probably has the slightly higher floor and slightly lower ceiling than Ginn. 
46Alex Erickson, CIN @ OAK. Erickson disappeared and didn't catch a single pass in Week 10. But in a matchup this fantasy friendly, you can still try him.
47Phillip Dorsett, NE @ PHI. Dorsett's playing time stayed consistent before the bye but all his possible production went to Sanu. He's still a worthwhile flier in Week 11 against a bad Eagles pass defense.
48Tre'Quan Smith, NO @ TB
49Chester Rogers, IND vs. JAX
50Diontae Johnson, PIT @ CLE
51Deebo Samuel, SF vs. ARZ
52Danny Amendola, DET vs. DAL
53Randall Cobb, DAL @ DET
54Mecole Hardman, KC vs. LAC (in Mexico)
55James Washington, PIT @ CLE. Washington followed up a four catch, 69-yard game in Week 9 with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in Week 10. Cleveland is a tricky matchup because of their cornerbacks, but in general, Washington is trending up.
56Hunter Renfrow, OAK vs. CIN. Renfrow has strung together two solid games in a row, and the Bengals aren't stopping anyone. There's a higher than usual chance of a touchdown for the slot receiver this week.
57Nelson Agholor, PHI vs. NE
58Josh Reynolds, LAR vs. CHI. We like Reynolds most of the time with Brandin Cooks out, but not against the Bears. 
59Russell Gage, ATL @ CAR. Especially if Austin Hooper is out, Gage should be heavily involved on shorter-range passes. 
60Taylor Gabriel, CHI @ LAR
61Olabisi Johnson, MIN vs. DEN
62Allen Hurns, MIA vs. BUF
63Chris Conley, JAX @ IND
64Breshad Perriman, TB vs. NO
65Laquon Treadwell, MIN vs. DEN
66Kendrick Bourne, SF vs. ARZ
67Zay Jones, OAK vs. CIN
68Willie Snead, BAL vs. HOU
69DaeSean Hamilton, DEN @ MIN
70Anthony Miller, CHI @ LAR
71Marquise Goodwin, SF vs. ARZ
72Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. LAC (in Mexico)
73J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, PHI vs. NE
74Paul Richardson, WAS vs. NYJ
75Dante Pettis, SF vs. ARZ
76Trey Quinn, WAS vs. NYJ

Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle