Fantasy Football Week 11: DFS picks and strategy for Yahoo Sunday Baller

The Week 11 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EST and features 11 games. The Colts, Falcons, Patriots and Saints will be on bye in Week 11, while the Thursday Night Football (Bengals-Ravens), Sunday Night Football (Vikings-Broncos) and Monday Night Football (Eagles-Kansas City) participants all play outside the main slate. Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 11, but the biggest is the Sunday Baller, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $140,000 to the top 1,524 finishers, including $15,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 8,200 entries, but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.

Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared toward head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.

[Play in Yahoo's Week 11 Sunday Baller — guaranteed prize pool of $140K]

Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass catchers. Your NFL $175k Sunday Baller lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit.

Suggested Week 11 options include a QB-WR stack from the league's best home offense, a pair of RBs who have heated up in recent weeks and a rookie TE.

QUARTERBACK

Tua Tagovailoa, MIA vs. LV ($32)

Miami has been a completely different team at Hard Rock Stadium compared to elsewhere, as the Dolphins are 4-0 at home with 43.5 PPG compared to 2-3 with 22.2 PPG on the road. As for Tagovailoa himself, he has a 12:3 TD:INT at home and a 7:4 mark on the road. With the Dolphins at home and coach Mike McDaniel likely to have drawn up some more creative offensive plays to take advantage of his team's speed during the Week 10 bye, Tua's likely due for another strong offensive performance in what should be one of Week 11's few warm-weather games. The Dolphins are 0-3 against teams that are currently .500 or better, but the visiting 5-5 Raiders are about as weak as it gets for a .500 team.

Honorable Mentions:

C.J. Stroud, HOU vs. ARI ($33); Jared Goff, DET vs. CHI ($32); Brock Purdy, SF vs. TB ($28)

Against the Grainers:

Dak Prescott, DAL at CAR ($31); Justin Herbert, LAC at GB ($30); Sam Howell, WAS vs. NYG ($27)

RUNNING BACK

Jahmyr Gibbs, DET vs. CHI ($24)

Gibbs took a few weeks to get going, but the rookie first-round pick has hit his stride with over 23 fantasy points in each of the past three weeks. He showed he can be effective even with David Montgomery in the mix last week against the Chargers, as Gibbs turned 14 carries and five targets into 112 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns while Montgomery rushed 12 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. Not only is Gibbs available for $6 less than Montgomery, but Gibbs' more versatile skill set is much better suited for this matchup against a Bears defense that has allowed more receiving yards (615) and receiving TDs (five) to running backs than rushing yards (593) and rushing TDs (four) to the position. Both receiving totals are the highest in the NFL.

Devin Singletary, HOU vs. ARI ($20)

Houston's running game was largely dormant through nine weeks, but it woke up in Week 10 against the Bengals as Singletary took full advantage of Dameon Pierce's second consecutive absence due to an ankle injury. Singletary rushed for a career-high 150 yards and a TD in Cincinnati, and he has a golden opportunity to stay hot at home against the Cardinals. QB C.J. Stroud ($33) has proven adept at leading Houston's offense down the field, which should lead to plenty of scoring opportunities for Singletary against an Arizona defense that has allowed 14 scrimmage TDs to RBs — second most in the NFL. The Cardinals are also one of only four teams with at least 1,100 rushing yards allowed to RBs in 2023. Even if Pierce plays, Singletary has earned the lead role, and there has been no indication that Pierce is getting closer to returning, as he remained a non-participant in practice Wednesday.

Honorable Mentions:

Tony Pollard, DAL at CAR ($22); Brian Robinson, WAS vs. NYG ($21); Aaron Jones, GB vs. LAC ($16)

Against the Grainers:

De'Von Achane, MIA vs. LV ($35); Josh Jacobs, LV at MIA ($25); Najee Harris, PIT at CLE ($18)

WIDE RECEIVER

Brandon Aiyuk, SF vs. TB ($26)

It's tough to figure out which of San Francisco's numerous playmakers will pop on any given week, but this matchup with the shoddy Tampa Bay secondary sets up well for Aiyuk to shine. Aiyuk does most of his damage downfield, and the Buccaneers have struggled to defend wide receivers, as only the Eagles — who play outside the main slate in Week 11 — have allowed more yards per game to WRs than Tampa Bay's 197.4. Aiyuk has at least 55 yards in all but one of his eight appearances this season and has gone over 100 yards three times, so he has both a robust floor and a high ceiling.

Jaylen Waddle, MIA vs. LV ($21)

Given Miami's success at home to date, the Dolphins are likely to put up some points in this one, and most of Miami's production comes from four players: Tyreek Hill, De'Von Achane, Raheem Mostert and Waddle. With Achane (knee) expected to return from IR this week, Vegas' defense will have its hands full trying to cover all this speed, and Waddle makes for the best value in Miami's offense given his affordability relative to the other three playmakers. Waddle's 2023 production has been held back by injuries after he averaged 1,185.5 receiving yards and seven TDs over his first two NFL seasons, but he said the Week 10 bye has given him a chance to heal up, so this could be a buy-low opportunity.

Davante Adams, LV at MIA ($20)

If the Raiders fall behind as expected, they'll have to shift to a pass-heavy game plan, and even if Vegas keeps things close throughout, that likely means a big game from Adams to keep pace with Miami's high-octane offense. Having Aidan O'Connell as your QB isn't ideal, but the wideout probably wouldn't be available for this bargain salary otherwise. Adams has drawn at least 13 targets in two of O'Connell's previous three starts, and even in a down year after consecutive seasons north of 1,500 receiving yards, he's still on pace for 1,120 receiving yards. Miami has allowed the fifth-most TDs to WRs (10), so Adams — who led the league with 14 receiving TDs last season — also has a nice opportunity to build on his underwhelming season total of three TDs.

Honorable Mentions:

Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET vs. CHI ($32); Christian Kirk, JAC vs. TEN ($21); Noah Brown, HOU vs. ARI ($19)

Against the Grainers:

CeeDee Lamb, DAL at CAR ($34); Amari Cooper, CLE vs. PIT ($25); Adam Thielen, CAR vs. DAL ($17)

TIGHT END

Dalton Kincaid, BUF vs. NYJ ($17)

Kincaid was the first player drafted among this year's exceptional crop of rookie tight ends, and Buffalo's 2023 first-round pick has excelled ever since fellow Bills TE Dawson Knox was placed on IR with a wrist injury. In the last four games, Kincaid has caught 28 of 32 targets for 272 yards and two TDs. The Jets have allowed the fewest yards in the league to WRs, so Josh Allen could look Kincaid's way even more frequently rather than trying to force the ball downfield. Defending tight ends in the red zone has been a weak spot for the otherwise stingy Jets defense, as the Jets' six TDs allowed to tight ends are tied with the Saints for the most in the NFL.

Honorable Mentions:

George Kittle, SF vs. TB ($21); Trey McBride, ARI at HOU ($19); Luke Musgrave, GB vs. LAC ($14)

Against the Grainers:

Dalton Schultz, HOU vs. ARI ($19); David Njoku, CLE vs. PIT ($15); Tyler Conklin, NYJ at BUF ($11)

DEFENSE

Washington Commanders vs. NYG ($14)

This recommendation is more about the Commanders' opponent than Washington's defense itself. The Giants have exceeded 17 points only once all season, and they have averaged 11.0 PPG in the last three games, all of which were played mostly or entirely with third-string QB Tommy DeVito under center. To make matters worse for New York, DeVito's dealing with a shoulder injury and RB Saquon Barkley is battling an ankle injury, so the low-wattage Giants offense could be slowed even further.

Honorable Mentions:

Dallas Cowboys at CAR ($22); Buffalo Bills vs. NYJ ($17); San Francisco 49ers vs. TB ($13)

Against the Grainers:

Pittsburgh Steelers, at CLE ($20); New York Jets at BUF ($15); New York Giants at WAS ($12)