Week 11 NFL Preview

Derek+Carr+looks+to+continue+his+early+season+success+when+the+Raiders+face+the+Texans+on+Monday+Night+Football.

Photo by John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Carr looks to continue his early season success when the Raiders face the Texans on Monday Night Football.

Every week Andrew, Obaid, Jacob, and Nithin will be previewing four primetime NFL games and giving predictions. Then they will pick their fantasy football sleepers for the game, players who aren’t widely owned but can potentially make a big impact. They will also be predicting the winners of every game under the Pick’em section, and they will keep a record for correct predictions over the weeks.

Cam newton looks to take apart a horrific Saints defense in this weeks addition of Thursday Night Football.
Photo by Fox Sports
Cam newton looks to take apart a horrific Saints defense in this weeks addition of Thursday Night Football.

Panthers (3-6) vs Saints (4-5): Today, 7:25 PM on NFLN, TWTR, NBC, Bank of America Stadium

Saints lost in devastating fashion last week to the Broncos after an extra point for the win was blocked and returned for 2 points. The Panthers come off a close loss to the Chiefs last week. After losing in the Super Bowl last year the Panthers just haven’t looked the same. It seemed like the Panthers would be near unbeatable with Kelvin Benjamin coming back but the offense just hasn’t been able to put it together. Perhaps the most surprising is their defensive struggles this year. The Saints beat the Panthers this year already, however, they were home. The Saints, especially Drew Brees plays a lot better at home than away. I think they will struggle this game against the Panthers since they are away. The Panthers still have the potential to be great and I think they’ll win this week and turn their season around.

Panthers 27 -Saints 23


Sleeper: Ted Ginn Jr. (owned in 8.9% of ESPN leagues). Ginn has huge big play ability with his speed. The Saints secondary isn’t the greatest and are very susceptible to big plays. This is a perfect matchup for Ginn.

 

Seahawks (6-2-1) vs Eagles (5-4) : Sunday, November 20, 3:25 PM on CBS, CenturyLink Field

The Seahawks are riding a two game win streak in large part due to a resurgence of their offense.  Russell Wilson has caught fire, averaging 315 yards per game and a 129 passer rating in that span.  He’s done this by using a multitude of receivers.  Against the Bills, Wilson top two receivers were Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin; against the Patriots his top two receivers were C.J. Prosise and Tyler Lockett.  By going to a variety of receivers, Wilson is able to keep the defense guessing.  As for the Eagles, Ryan Matthews led the team to a big win over the Atlanta Falcons.  Matthews ran for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns in his best game of the season.  In addition to Matthews, the Eagles defense stepped up against one of the best offenses in the NFL.  The Falcons came into the game averaging 34 points per game.  The Eagles held them to 15, shutting down their run game and forcing Matt Ryan to take chances.  In the end, both teams have great defense, so whomever’s offense can put up points will win.  Carson Wentz needs to get back on track, otherwise the Seahawks defense will take advantage of his inexperience.  I see the Seahawks extending their win streak to three games in a close battle.

Seahawks 23 – Eagles 17

Fantasy owners, if your tight end is on a bye look for Zach Ertz as a possible replacement for this week's matchup.
Photo by Brian Garfinkel
Fantasy owners, if your tight end is on a bye look for Zach Ertz as a possible replacement for this week’s matchup.

Fantasy Sleeper: Zach Ertz (owned in 57.9 percent of ESPN leagues)

After an injury early in the year, Zach Ertz has started to settle in.  Over the last two games Ertz has caught 14 passes for 152 on 15 targets.  With the Seahawks great secondary, expect very few chances on the outside for those Eagles receivers, and many more down the middle of the field to Ertz.

Last week Kirk Cousins threw for over 250 yards and 2 TDs against a very good Vikings secondary. Cousins will look to continue his play against an inferior Packers defense.
Photo by Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Last week Kirk Cousins threw for over 250 yards and 2 TDs against a very good Vikings secondary. Cousins will look to continue his play against an inferior Packers defense.

Redskins (5-3) vs Packers (4-5) : Sunday, November 20, 7:30 PM on NBC FedEx Field

This Sunday night matchup features the struggling Green Bay Packers and the surging Washington Redskins. This is great matchup for the Redskins as they’re currently ranked fourth in the league with 407.8 total offensive yards per game. A large reason for this is because of their offensive pass game, led by Kirk Cousins. Through week 10, they’re ranked third in the league in passing yards per game with 294.6. This is a good matchup for them because they’re facing a mediocre Packers pass defense which gives up on average 254.7 passing yards per game, sixteenth in the league. If the Packers want to win this game, they’re going to need a big game from quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown 22 touchdown passes this season, third best in the league. In the end, I see the Redskins prevailing because their pass game will be too much for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers won’t get enough support.

Redskins 31 – Packers 20

Fantasy Sleeper: Jamison Crowder (owned in 61.7% of ESPN leagues)

Apart from one week this season, Jamison Crowder has put up at least 9 fantasy points every game. Facing an average pass defense this week, look for Crowder to continue that success. If you’re in need of a receiver and he’s available on the waivers, definitely consider Crowder.

 

Raiders (7-2) vs Texans (6-3) : Monday, November 21, 7:30 PM on ESPN, Estadio Azteca

The Oakland Raiders face off against the Houston Texas in what will be a matchup of two solid teams. The Raiders have been a pleasant surprise, off to a 7-2 start behind Quarterback Derek Carr. Carr has been superb, throwing 17 Touchdowns and 3 interceptions on the year. Meanwhile, opposing QB Brock Osweiler has been a major disappointment after garnering a major contract from the Texans in the offseason. Osweiler has thrown a measly 11 TDs, and 9 interception. The Texans’ defense has had to carry the offense, even without star JJ Watt. Yet, against a good Raiders team, Osweiler’s lackluster play will cost them.

Raiders 27 – Texans 21

With Deandre Hopkins constantly seeing tight coverage, don't be surprised if Will Fuller breaks through the Raiders secondary for long yardage gains.
Photo by ESPN
With Deandre Hopkins constantly seeing tight coverage, don’t be surprised if Will Fuller breaks through the Raiders secondary for long yardage gains.

Fantasy Sleeper: Will Fuller (owned in 53.6% of ESPN Leagues)

After starting off the season on fire, Fuller tailed off as teams limited his big play ability. Then, Fuller injured himself to make matters worse. However, the speedy WR expects to play against the Raiders, and if he does he is a threat for big plays. With attention being given to star WR Deandre Hopkins, and coming back with a low profile off an injury, Fuller could break out several times in the game.

 

Pick’em picks:

Overall record:

Obaid: 47-34-2

Andrew: 45-36-2

Jacob: 41-40-2

Nithin: 40-41-2

 

Last week’s record:

Obaid: 5-9

Andrew: 8-6

Jacob: 6-8

Nithin: 8-6


Panthers vs Saints:

Obaid: carolina-panthers-logo-small

Andrew:carolina-panthers-logo-small

Jacob:carolina-panthers-logo-small

Nithin:carolina-panthers-logo-small

 

Browns vs Steelers:

Obaid: tiny

Andrew:tiny

Jacob:tiny

Nithin:tiny

 

Cowboys vs Ravens:

Obaid: logo_mobile

Andrew:logo_mobile

Jacob:logo_mobile

Nithin:logo_mobile

 

Lions vs Jaguars:

Obaid: detroit-lions-logo-small

Andrew:detroit-lions-logo-small

Jacob:detroit-lions-logo-small

Nithin:detroit-lions-logo-small

 

Colts vs Titans:

Obaid: indianapolis-colts

Andrew: titans-logo-128x128

Jacob:indianapolis-colts

Nithin:titans-logo-128x128

 

Bengals vs Bills:

Obaid: cincinnati-bengals-logo-small

Andrew: buffalo-bills-logo-small

Jacob:cincinnati-bengals-logo-small

Nithin:buffalo-bills-logo-small

 

Chiefs vs Buccaneers:

Obaid: kansas-city-chiefs-logo-small

Andrew:kansas-city-chiefs-logo-small

Jacob:kansas-city-chiefs-logo-small

Nithin:kansas-city-chiefs-logo-small

 

Giants vs Bears:

Obaid: logo-new-york-giants

Andrew:logo-new-york-giants

Jacob:logo-new-york-giants

Nithin:logo-new-york-giants

 

Vikings vs Cardinals:

Obaid: cardinals_50t

Andrew:cardinals_50t

Jacob:cardinals_50t

Nithin:cardinals_50t

 

Rams vs Dolphins

Obaid: miami-dolphins-new-logo-2013

Andrew: aa2cnrx

Jacob:miami-dolphins-new-logo-2013

Nithin:miami-dolphins-new-logo-2013

 

49ers vs Patriots:

Obaid: new-england-patriots-logo-small

Andrew:new-england-patriots-logo-small

Jacob:new-england-patriots-logo-small

Nithin:new-england-patriots-logo-small

 

Seahawks vs Eagles:

Obaid: seattle-seahawks-logo-small

Andrew:seattle-seahawks-logo-small

Jacob:seattle-seahawks-logo-small

Nithin:seattle-seahawks-logo-small

 

Redskins vs Packers:

Obaid: green-bay-packers-logo-small

Andrew: washington-redskins-logo-small-1

Jacob:green-bay-packers-logo-small

Nithin:green-bay-packers-logo-small

 

Raiders vs Texans:

Obaid: oakland-raiders-logo-small

Andrew:oakland-raiders-logo-small

Jacob:oakland-raiders-logo-small

Nithin:oakland-raiders-logo-small