NFL

5 Daily Fantasy Football Matchups to Exploit in Week 11

Which defenses should we pick on in daily fantasy football in Week 11?

As you look around at the Week 11 daily fantasy slate, you shall see a barren wasteland of despair. Many of our pillars of triumph are not in play, leaving thousands desperate to find salvation in the arms of another champion.

The often-targeted New Orleans Saints' defense is on a bye, resting up after a vicious thrashing at the hands of Kirk Cousins in Week 10.

The ever-stackable Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. lay in rest, as well, waiting an additional week to pounce on their next unsuspecting victim.

Even the Cleveland Browns' rushing defense evades us. How ever will we find running backs with this dependable confidant off the table?

Fret not, my fearless comrades. Thankfully, a few selfless beacons of hope shine bright in this dark hour. While the trusted and recycled bedrocks of the past may be out of play, that does not mean we are without hope. We can get through this together.

The best way to identify these alternative options is through looking at numberFire's Net Expected Points (NEP). NEP is our in-house stat that tracks the efficiency of both teams and players with the team totals being adjusted based on strength of schedule.

If you're new to the site, here's how NEP works. Prior to every play, there is an expected number of points that a team will score on their current drive. A positive play (such as a three-yard rush on 3rd and 2) will increase that, resulting in positive NEP. A negative play (such as a three-yard rush on 3rd and 4) will decrease that, resulting in negative NEP. Once you add up the fluctuation in expected points on each play, you've got yourself a measure of efficiency with NEP.

By looking at the team and individual NEP totals, we can identify which matchups are ripe for exploitation each week. Even though some of our most-targeted options are on bye, there are still some juicy pieces in Week 11. Let's take a deeper look at five of them for your use in daily fantasy football.