NFL

7 Deep Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 11

Which under-the-radar plays could end up having a big game during the Week 11 slate?

Every now and again, you need a nice sleeper pick to get you through a week. And while plugging in whomever you have on the bench, despite a bad matchup, might be the easiest way to go, targeting players in a good spot - whether it pans out or not - can help swing a week.

If you're perusing this column, you likely play in a deep league, so you probably take this fantasy football thing pretty seriously. I do, too. I'm glad we have something in common.

But if the 10-team leagues are more your speed, you can try my not-so-deep recommendations, too.

Here are seven widely available players who could produce in Week 11.

Week 11 All-Deep-Sleeper Team

Quarterback: Teddy Bridgewater (Started in 0.2% of ESPN leagues | Owned in 7.0% of ESPN leagues)

Bridgewater used to be a pretty optimistic fantasy pick, given his ostensible running ability. However, Bridgewater's fantasy point totals have been quite a water slide. He started at the top, scoring 23.4 fantasy points against the Falcons in Week 4, plummeted downward, posting a combined 9.6 in his next two games, and then sprang upward a bit, averaging 15.3 in his two most recent games.

He might end up crashing back down into the water, but against the Bears, it's more likely that he'll be able to hit his recent average at least. The Bears give up the most points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks in the league, and they also rank 29th in pass defense according to our Net Expected Points (NEP) metrics.

Bridgewater has shown his 20-plus point potential already, and he hasn't been entirely awful in his last two games. A bye week leading into the exploitable Bears defense could show us the best Bridgewater we have seen to date.

Running Back: Charles Sims (6.0% | 26.3%)

I have recommended Sims before, even though I did so before he ended up playing. He did play in Week 10 but played backup to Bobby Rainey. Rainey ran for just 14 yards, though, and Sims will likely end up being in a timeshare for his best-case scenario.

The Bucs also have a pretty tough matchup against Washington, who rank 10th in run defense according to our metrics. Despite both of these concerns, Sims checks in as our 20th-ranked running back on the week even with just roughly 10 touches projected. That's solid enough in shallow leagues, but that is definitely enticing in a deep league.

Running Back: Jonathan Stewart (18.9% | 32.3%)

Stewart's ownership level has increased pretty significantly once waivers processed, but he's still pretty available. He is trending upward on the depth chart in Carolina, and the matchup against the Atlanta Falcons is as exciting as can be for a fantasy running back. The Falcons allow the most points to fantasy backs and rank 28th in run defense in the league, according to our metrics.

Stewart has averaged 12.0 carries per game in his last four contests. With this matchup and the consistent carry totals, it's hard to see him fail to produce at least some modest fantasy points for your squad.

Wide Receiver: Jarvis Landry (3.3% | 9.0%)

Landry is far from a deep-threat, having a long reception on the year of just 21 yards. But Ryan Tannehill doesn't really throw deep and is nursing a shoulder injury. Against the Bills, who own the fourth-best passing defense in the league, Landry still makes for a good play considering Buffalo ranks just 19th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers.

Lamar Miller is also banged up, so the Dolphins might have to rely on the pass - considering the Bills also rank sixth against the run, according to our metrics. Landry has 16 targets over the past two weeks, so he might be peppered with enough targets on Thursday night to give your squad a nice start entering the weekend.

Wide Receiver: Davante Adams (1.2% | 7.2%)

At some point, I should enact a clause that forbids me from suggesting Adams in this deep sleeper column, but the thought of neglecting to mention the tertiary option on the sixth-best passing offense in the NFL in a matchup featuring the 29th-ranked defense against fantasy receivers and a 55.5-point over/under scares me.

Nearly the same exact conditions applied to Adams last week, but he hauled in just 1 catch for 10 yards in the Packers' demolition of the Bears. For as exploitable as the Eagles are on defense through the air, their offense isn't spiraling downward quite like the Bears'. Prior to his quiet Week 10, Adams had either a touchdown or six receptions in four straight games. I'm willing to bank on Adams yet again in the promising matchup.

Tight End: Eric Ebron (0.5% | 4.0%)

Ebron has missed three consecutive games for the Lions, but the rookie tight end seems poised to return from a hamstring injury in Week 11. Just in time. The Lions square off against the Cardinals, who have been one of the most enticing tight end matchups in fantasy football for nearly two full seasons.

The injury has kept his ownership down, and to be honest, so has his production. Ebron has yet to catch more than three passes in a single game, but if you're digging deep and playing the odds, then Ebron could be the sneaky tight end play of the week in deep leagues in this matchup against the 25th-ranked defense against fantasy tight ends.

Flex: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (0.7% | 1.7%)

In general, tight end is the most volatile fantasy position to try to peg, and rookies are almost always tough to trust. So why not go with back-to-back rookie tight end picks?

ASJ has a touchdown in two of his past three games, but in the game in between his bookended touchdowns, he had just one grab for three yards against the Browns. It's scary to recommend two Buccaneers, but Washington has allowed a tight end touchdown in two consecutive games and just allowed a combined 9 catches, 96 yards, and a touchdown to the tight end duo of Chase Ford and Rhett Ellison last week.