Fantasy Focus Football: Must-Start Players & Lineup Locks for Week 11

Date: November 14, 2025
Hosts: Field Yates, Daniel Dopp, Mike Clay
Special Mentions: Stephania Bell (not present), Eric Moody (chat), producer Tyler

Episode Overview

This episode is a high-energy, insight-packed discussion previewing key fantasy football decisions and must-start players for Week 11 of the NFL season. Field, Daniel, and Mike break down Thursday Night Football, analyze player outlooks amid injuries and lineup changes, provide matchup grades, highlight tricky start/sit calls, debate lineup locks, and introduce a new "wild card" feature to their weekly "Starts of the Week" segment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thursday Night Football Recap: Patriots vs. Jets

(03:22 – 09:59)

• Jets Offense Struggles:

  • Breece Hall faced a tough Patriots run defense, finishing with just 8.4 fantasy points. "No running back has reached 59 rushing yards against the Patriots all season because Breece Hall got to 58." - Field Yates (03:55)
  • Mobile QBs like Justin Fields can cap RB upside. Passing game still a mess.

• Patriots Standout:

  • Trayvon Henderson delivered a breakout game: "32.3 fantasy points, hat trick of touchdowns... 19 rushes, five receptions." – Field Yates (04:45)
  • Henderson played 90% of snaps, with Dearness Johnson briefly spelling him.

• Rest-of-Season Outlook:

  • Field sees Henderson as a strong flex or low-end RB2 (ceiling RB25-30) even when Stevenson is back, but projects RB committee.
    "I really do have a part of me that believes Ramondre Stevenson is going to end up playing more snaps... but the good news is Trayvon Henderson's floor has unquestionably grown." – Field Yates (06:28)
  • Mike insists Henderson "needs to be in that 15 touch range. If he's getting ten, people are going to riot." (07:18)
  • They agree to "start him no matter what" next week vs. Bengals. (08:53)

• Stefon Diggs & Drake May Monitor:

  • Diggs continues to be a solid WR1. Drake May's fantasy consistency is noted, with solid floor even if touchdowns go elsewhere.

2. Featured Week 11 Matchups and Lineup Advice

(10:12 – 13:12, 14:09 – 43:57)

Tight End Focus: Cade Otton (Buccaneers)

• Volume Spikes, but Tough Matchup:
  • Career-high targets and usage due to injuries but facing the Bills—who allow the fewest fantasy points to TEs.
    "Only one tight end has reached 8 points against them. That was the legendary and future hall of famer Travis Kelce..." – Mike Clay (12:03)
  • "Probably not a start this week, unless desperate." (12:18)

Cardinals RB Situation

• Messy, Injury-Related:
  • Bam Knight (injury) vs. Amari DiMercado (high YPC but small sample). If Knight is out, DiMercado is flex-worthy. Otherwise, avoid.
  • "6.9 yards per carry for Amari DiMercado on 108 attempts." – Field Yates (15:37)

Jacoby Brissett Streamer Case

• Delivered top-12 QB weeks for a month; faces 49ers, whose defense quarterbacks have succeeded against lately.
• "Three straight QBs have scored at least 21.5 fantasy points on them, five of the last six over 19.6." – Daniel Dopp (21:36)
• Both Mike and Field rank Brissett as a streamable, low-end QB1 for the week.

Rasheed Shaheed (Seattle WR) Outlook

• Limited Week 10 usage due to game script/blowout, but on a typical pace to be heavily involved. Caution: Seattle is a low passing-volume team.
• "Sam Darnold is averaging just 25.3 pass attempts per game." – Mike Clay (28:24)
• Flex at best in deeper leagues.

Matthew Stafford (Rams QB) Outlook

• On fire last three starts (27+ fantasy points each), but faces a tougher Seattle defense.
• "Feels like tempting fate not to play him. ...I have him eighth." – Mike Clay (33:10)
• Daniel: "There's no way I could play someone over him right now." (33:57)

Brock Purdy (49ers QB) Return

• Coming off injury, low recent usage, but in a strong system. The Cardinals are a good, but not elite, fantasy defense vs. QB.
• "I have Purdy as a fringe top-12 option, maybe not someone you need to start unless desperate." – Field Yates (35:57)
• Mike: "I believe he's better than Mac Jones... he's earned the shot." (36:56)

Washington RBs – "Not Startable"

• Ongoing carousel due to health and unclear roles. With no pass-game usage and low team production, "avoid the lot unless desperate." (40:33)

Khalil Shakir (Bills WR)

• Sneaky flex if active—over last three weeks, leads NFL WRs in catches (20) and is WR21 by PPG since Week 8.
  • "This week, with the way that he's been utilized... and with the matchup... he is a usable flex option." – Daniel Dopp (42:28)

3. Starts of the Week & Wild Card Innovation

(43:57 – 50:36)

• Wild Card Rule Introduced:
  • Each host can now "plant their flag" on one player per week, inside the top starter threshold (but not top 5), adding strategy and DFS-style stacking.
  • Tracking segment winners/losers—winner can penalize an opponent’s pick.

Starts of the Week: Key Picks

• Daniel Dopp:

  • QB: Tua Tagovailoa
  • Wild Card WR: Jaylen Waddle (stack with Tua vs. Washington)
  • RB: Woody Marks
  • TE: Theo Johnson

• Field Yates:

  • QB: Joe Flacco
  • Wild Card RB: Javonte Williams
  • WR: Jerry Jeudy
  • TE: Cade Otton

• Mike Clay:

  • QB: Tua Tagovailoa
  • Wild Card WR: (Initially Waddle; replaced by Nico Collins)
  • RB: RJ Harvey
  • TE: Zach Ertz

Notable Bans:

• Field makes Mike switch Waddle (since Daniel already picked him) for Nico Collins, "for variance."
• All agree stacking Tua/Waddle as a top combo play.

4. Injury & Practice Report Updates

(50:36 – 53:11)

• J.K. Dobbins:

  • Trending toward being placed on injured reserve; likely out through at least Week 15.
    "If he’s put on IR tomorrow, you can drop him—he’d be out until Week 16 at the earliest." – Field Yates (51:49)
  • Opens door for RJ Harvey to take RB lead in Denver (but expect a three-back committee).

• Other Key Updates:

  • Khalil Shakir (limited) - watch Friday practice.
  • Sam LaPorta (no practice) - big concern for Lions TEs, watch Brock Wright.
  • Lamar Jackson (back to full) - start confidently.

5. Memorable Quotes and Fun Moments

• On Trayvon Henderson’s Breakout:

  • “This is Christian McCaffrey 2025. That’s what this looks like.” – Mike Clay (05:07)

• On Cade Otton’s Matchup:

  • “Only one tight end has reached eight points against [the Bills]. That was the legendary future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce…” – Mike Clay (12:03)

• On Amari DiMercado's YPC:

  • “He’s averaging 6.9 yards per carry on those 108 attempts.” – Field Yates (15:37)

• On Khalil Shakir’s Volume:

  • “Over the last three weeks, he leads all wide receivers with 20 receptions since week 8.” – Daniel Dopp (41:21)

6. Week 11 Slate & Sunday Night Bet

• Games to Watch:

  • Chiefs vs. Broncos, Seahawks vs. Rams, Eagles vs. Lions.
  • "Eagles are favored by 2.5 at home. It's a toss-up, going to be a great slate." – Field Yates (54:54–55:15)

• Daniel and Mike’s Bet:

  • Friendly sushi "nice guy" bet: winner pays, not the loser, for Eagles–Lions SNF.

Timestamps for Other Notable Segments

• TNF Recap/Impact Players: 03:22 – 09:59
• Start/Sit: Cardinals RBs: 14:27 – 17:57
• Rasheed Shaheed & SEA WRs/Low-Volume Offenses: 26:13 – 29:53
• MATTHEW STAFFORD Deep Dive: 31:12 – 34:45
• Washington RBs Outlook: 38:30 – 40:01
• Khalil Shakir Analysis: 40:57 – 43:46
• Starts of the Week Reveal: 46:19 – 49:02
• J.K. Dobbins/Denver RB Fallout: 50:36 – 53:11
• Eagles–Lions Sushi Bet: 55:03 – 56:18

Podcast Tone & Style

• Friendly, conversational, and humorous—regular tangents on football fashion, inside jokes about "check this out," production quirks, and gentle ribbing.
• Engages with fantasy community via chat and tags (shoutout to Eric Moody).
• Actionable—provides clear must-start, start/sit, and injury-adjusted recommendations grounded in both stats and gut feeling.

Bottom Line: Must-Know Takeaways

• Trayvon Henderson and Stefon Diggs are must-starts; watch for Ramondre Stevenson’s return.
• Brissett, Stafford, and Purdy are all solid streamers/QB1 fringe based on matchup and volume.
• Monitor injuries for quick pivots (Dobbins out = Harvey RB2), avoid muddled committees (Washington RBs).
• Look for high-volume flexes like Khalil Shakir and consider WR/TE matchups carefully (avoid Otton, start Laporta if healthy).
• Don’t overthink benching proven producers on hot streaks even if matchup is tough.
• Try fun stacks using the new wild card slot in fantasy lineups.

This episode arms fantasy managers with sharp Week 11 start/sit calls, advanced matchup notes, injury pivots, and a dash of fun—ensuring you’re ready for a crucial week in the playoff chase!