We were on a bye last week along with the Ravens, Texans, Vikings, and Broncos, but we are back and ready to help you make the playoff push.

News/Injuries-

Cooper Kupp (Rams) tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

Dez Bryant (Saints) will miss the season with a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in his first practice. His season is over before it began and the Saints signed Brandon Marshall to replace him.

A.J. Green (Bengals) is looking like he will miss more time than originally expected with his toe injury and will not return until December.

Week 11 Waiver Wire-

Marcus Mariota: We aren’t exactly sure why Mariota is on waivers in so many leagues, but he is owned in only 9.5% of leagues according to NFL.com. The Titans are finally looking to catch their stride as they have blown out the last two teams they have played with Mariota at the helm. Mariota has put up at least 20 points non-P.P.R. in his last two games and has had at least 2 passing touchdowns as well in each game. Mariota and the Titans have been explosive with their offense since their bye week and it is looking like a great time to grab him off waivers if you need a QB.

Rashaad Penny: It finally happened…the 27th overall pick finally got the ball in the backfield over 10 times, and his production did not disappoint. Penny had a dominant day as he broke 100 yards for the first time in his career and out-touched the fill-in starting running back Mike Davis on Sunday against the Rams. Starting running back Chris Carson is sidelined with a hip injury and is hazy on when he will return to full strength. So, this should open up a lot of work for Davis and Penny on the team, which is second in the league in rushing attempts. We believe Penny is a smart pickup off of waivers as his production looks to increase in the Seattle offense.

Josh Reynolds: Tough break for the Los Angeles Rams as slot receiver Cooper Kupp had a season-ending ACL tear this past Sunday against the Seahawks. Kupp hasn’t been entirely healthy all year, and in his absence two weeks ago against the Packers when Kupp was just inactive and not injured, the Rams went to 2nd-year man Josh Reynolds. Reynolds had 3 catches for 42 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his game against the Packers before Kupp’s return. Now that Kupp is done for good, this opens up the floor for Reynolds and if he can have the success that Kupp had in the slot receiver spot, this guy is going to be a must-have off of waivers.

Jonnu Smith: Like we said with Mariota, the Titans have caught their stride. Although Mariota has blossomed the most in the Titans success, tight-end Smith has also done quite well the past two games too. Smith has had a touchdown in each of his past two games and has picked up his season high in receptions and yards with 3 receptions for 45 yards last game. Smith has been one of Mariota’s favorite red zone targets for the past two weeks and hasn’t made any huge headlines yet. So, this is a great time to quietly grab Smith off waivers before others hear of him.

Start/Sit-

QB-

Start- Marcus Mariota(Titans) and Josh Rosen(Cardinals)

Mariota faces the Colts and has really improved over the last two weeks. We said he is a great pickup off of waivers and should play well this week. Rosen has not played great in his rookie year but with his new offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich, the offense has improved. Rosen plays the Raiders who have been abysmal this year.

Sit- Ben Roethlisberger(Steelers) and Andrew Luck(Colts)

Roethlisberger and Luck both have played well in recent weeks, but we anticipate they will struggle against top-tier defenses. Luck faces the Titans whose defense just shut down the Patriots. Roethlisberger has to go down to Jacksonville after lighting up the Panthers. Roethlisberger has struggled on the road in recent years and against Jacksonville.

RB-

Start- Alex Collins(Ravens) and Dion Lewis(Titans)

These are two backs that do share the backfield for the most part, but they have also broken away lately.  Collins has an extremely favorable matchup as the Saints’ backfield left Cincinnati in the dust. Even though Collins isn’t Alvin Kamara or Mark Ingram, we think he will make up their yardage points with touchdowns this week as he should be used near the end zone heavily. As for Lewis, he has lost a few touchdowns to Derrick Henry, but the Colts struggle against pass-catching backs like Lewis. Look for Lewis to have a great week against Indianapolis.

Sit- Jordan Howard(Bears) and Lamar Miller(Texans)

Howard had caught fire for three weeks and then faced the Lions, and the fire went out. If he can’t produce results against the Lions with Tarik Cohen missing part of that game with a head injury, we are doubtful he will do anything against a tough Minnesota defense. Also,  Miller is another guy who has lost his fire and is going against a tough defense against the run with the Redskins. Miller’s 21 rushing yards against a poor Broncos’ running defense is also a good reason we think he should be left on your bench this week.

WR-

Start- Larry Fitzgerald(Cardinals) and Robert Woods(Rams)

The Cardinals play the Raiders this week. For the same reasons that we said to start Rosen, we are saying start his hall of fame wide receiver. Fitzgerald is also playing at home this week where he has played much better later in his career. Woods should see an increase in targets with Kupp out for the season. Woods also plays the Chiefs in a game with the highest over/under in NFL history.

Sit- Golden Tate(Eagles) and Tyler Boyd(Bengals)

Tate was not highly utilized in his first week with the Eagles. While he may get a slight increase in targets it will not be high because of the plethora of weapons the Eagles have. Boyd is the number one target with Green out but that is not necessarily a good thing. Without Green the entire offense struggles and against a good Ravens defense we think Cincinnati’s struggles will continue.
TE-

Start- Jared Cook(Raiders) and O.J. Howard(Buccaneers)

The raiders will probably struggle against Arizona, but the targets have to go somewhere. Cook is the best option for Carr. If they are losing by a lot, they will have to throw the ball. Howard struggled last week, but he plays the Giants who have struggled against tight ends. Something has to give, and we think that it will be Giants defense.

Sit- Evan Engram(Giants) and Vance McDonald(Steelers)

Engram is playing Tampa Bay, the worst pass defense in the NFL. As much as you may want to start him, his production has just not been there because he failed to dominate the 49ers on Monday Night Football in a favorable matchup. As for McDonald who found the end zone last week along with James as both tight-ends scored for the Steelers. However, the Jaguars are a team that Roethlisberger struggles with; so, the production for McDonald will probably not be there as Roethlisberger will likely have a tough time getting him the football.