Making lineup decisions can be the most frustrating or most rewarding part of fantasy football. Here to help you make those decisions are our positional start ’em and sit ’em picks.
Fantasy decisions are more important than ever with playoff spots and positioning on the line, so let’s look at our Week 11 start/sit plays for the QB position.
Which QBs Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (vs. TB)
It should come as no shock to anyone that the 49ers came out of their bye week and quickly put an end to their three-game losing streak.
After three straight games with only one touchdown pass, Brock Purdy bounced back to throw three on top of 296 yards passing. He did this despite having no need to throw all game, as the 49ers’ opponents seemingly forgot their bye week ended, too.
MORE: Week 11 Start/Sit Options — TE | RB | WR
Purdy’s rest-of-season schedule is fantastic, and it starts this week with a Bucs defense allowing 19.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the fourth-most in the league.
With quarterback scoring down across the board, Purdy’s 18.5 PPG is good for QB12 on the season. He’s been a QB1 and remains so in a great matchup against a pass-funnel defense this week.
Which QBs Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (vs. NYJ)
Can you really sit Josh Allen? Probably not. But Allen is coming off his second-worst game of the season, scoring just 16.38 fantasy points despite throwing and rushing for a touchdown.
So, what was his worst game of the season? That was back in Week 1 against these very Jets. In that game, Allen threw for 236 yards and one touchdown, scoring 12.04 fantasy points.
The Jets allow 14.4 ppg to quarterbacks, the eighth-fewest in the league. More problematic is the fact that they completely erase wide receivers. They allow the fewest PPG to WRs overall and 8.3 PPG out wide. That’s bad news for Stefon Diggs, and the Bills don’t have another reliable WR outside of Diggs.
Allen remains an elite QB1 on the season, but it’s clear these are not the same Bills that march up and down the field at will. He’s firmly a QB1 this week, but he’s certainly not in my top five. If you have a guy like Dak Prescott or Kyler Murray behind him, I would strongly consider sitting Allen.
Trending Searches for QB Start/Sit
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, and we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity on!
Should You Start Brock Purdy or Sam Howell?
Debates like these make me wonder what fantasy managers find more challenging. Is it deciding between two quarterbacks with great matchups? Because that’s what we have here with Purdy and Sam Howell.
Howell has been the better fantasy QB this season, but only by about 0.7 PPG. That’s not a significant difference. Howell has seven games of at least 18 fantasy points, including each of his last three. He also brings more of a rushing element.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Despite Howell having a seemingly good matchup, he actually posted his second-worst outing of the season against the Giants the first time these teams met. That gives me some pause, but I do think he will be much better this time around.
The Start/Sit Optimizer has Purdy projected for 17 fantasy points, one more than Howell. These two are also right next to each other in my personal weekly rankings.
I like both quarterbacks this week, but if forced to choose, the slight edge goes to Purdy.
Should You Start Josh Allen or C.J. Stroud?
Going back to my question about what fantasy managers find more challenging, this is the second part of the question. Is it deciding between a clearly superior quarterback with an awful matchup and a lesser but still good quarterback with a great matchup?
Allen is an every-week QB1. He’s a no-doubt starter. You wouldn’t even consider benching him … right?
You often hear the phrase, “Start your studs.” While true, I believe the term is often misinterpreted. You should start your best players. Always. But your best players are the ones who are going to score the most points. If you don’t think a player is going to score a lot of points, does he qualify as a “stud?”
Of course, I have Allen ranked higher in my weekly rankings. He’s Josh Allen. Of course, the Start/Sit Optimizer has Allen projected for more points. But would you be crazy for considering C.J. Stroud over Allen? I don’t think so.
Allen’s worst game of the season came against the Jets in Week 1. He’s human. He’s capable of duds.
Stroud has thrown for 826 yards over his last two games, as well as six touchdowns, plus one rushing. He is playing MVP-level football.
Now, he gets a Cardinals defense allowing the eighth-most PPG to quarterbacks. With Kyler Murray back, this isn’t a team the Texans are likely to run over. We could see a competitive affair that forces Stroud to have to continue scoring points.
It would not shock me at all if Stroud outscored Allen. Does that mean I’d have the beans to start Stroud over Allen? No. But if you wanted to do it, I would not get in your way.
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!
