This Sunday slate will be without the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins offensive units who are facing bye weeks, but fantasy football managers still have plenty of high-quality options with favorable matchups for the DFS contests on DraftKings.
Here is a look at some of my DFS picks for Week 11 of NFL action.
Week 11 DFS Locks
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers ($5,800)
The San Francisco 49ers offense looked far more like the unit we became accustomed to through the first five games of the season last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Brock Purdy has thrown for over 250 yards in four of his last five games and was exceptional in Week 10 with 297 passing yards and three scores against a playoff-caliber team.
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If you can remember all the way back to Purdy’s first start of his NFL career back in 2022, he managed to produce three total touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 35-7 blowout victory back on Dec. 11, 2022. Not a whole lot has changed personnel-wise from last year’s contest, which means Purdy could see a similar amount of success against a Bucs defense that has given up some huge performances to opposing quarterbacks this season.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins ($6,600)
Fantasy managers will need to keep an eye on De’Von Achane player, seeing that he has not officially been activated off of injured reserve (IR) at this moment, but he appears to be trending in the right direction for a return to the field in Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The matchup against the Raiders is certainly a favorable one from a fantasy perspective for RBs, with Las Vegas giving up an average of 135 rushing yards and 22.2 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs.
Achane’s impact on the Dolphins’ backfield can’t be understated, given how historically productive he was over a three-game stretch earlier this season. His 460 rushing yards on just 38 carries — for those of you keeping track, that is 12.11 yards per carry — is something you would have trouble finding in high school football, much less on a pro football field.
If he is able to take the field on Sunday, he is a quality option for this DFS slate. If he is inactive for a fifth straight game, then simply replace Achane with Raheem Mostert in your DraftKings lineup.
Deebo Samuel, WR, Detroit Lions ($6,300)
After missing two straight games with a shoulder injury, 49ers WR Deebo Samuel quickly demonstrated his all-purpose capabilities with 59 total yards and a score against the Jags in Week 10. Oddly enough, he posted a similar stat line when they faced the Bucs in December of last season. His 64 total yards and a score against the Tampa Bay defense proved to be problematic for Todd Bowles and the Bucs defense in 2022.
This Bucs secondary gives up the second-most passing yards per game at 266.9 through the first 10 weeks of the season. Samuel is still among the league leaders in yards after the catch (YAC) per reception with 7.7 yards, which could come into play with a Bucs defense that has allowed 1,258 YAC — which ranks 27th in the league — this season. Expect a big game from Samuel against the Bucs secondary.
Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals ($4,400)
The Arizona Cardinals finally got their franchise quarterback under center for the first time in 2023 last week against the Atlanta Falcons, and the biggest fantasy beneficiary was, surprisingly, TE Trey McBride. His eight receptions for 131 yards on nine targets produced over 20 fantasy points in the DraftKings DFS format.
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Sure, this is only a one-game sample size in 2023, but it is certainly a very encouraging first game with Kyler Murray back in a starting role. Few players at the TE position have displayed the type of ceiling we have seen from McBride in two of the last three games.
With a favorable matchup against a Houston Texans defense that is giving up an average of 12.2 fantasy points per game to opposing TEs this season, he is certainly worth paying up at the tight end position this week to see if he can build off of his stellar performance in Week 10.
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST ($3,500)
The last time we saw Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in a starting role, he generated just three points while throwing three interceptions, fumbling once, and taking four sacks.
Sure, this time around, he’ll have a bit more time to prepare, but few defenses try to heat up opposing quarterbacks by blitzing more in the league than the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have a 37.3% blitz rate, which has helped generate 27 sacks this season. Expect the Steelers’ pass rush to get to the rookie quarterback on a couple of occasions in this AFC North showdown.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
