Fantasy Football Gems/Sleepers: Week 11

Nov 10, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) warms up before game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

One of our newest staff members, Mr. Edwin Camacho, has decided to bring his fantasy gems and sleepers for this week.  Take a look before you click “submit” with your lineup, and make sure you have found the winning edge.

“The following is a Fantasy Gem/Fantasy Sleeper guide for Week 11. Fantasy Gem’s are players who have favorable match ups and are must starts for the week. Some fantasy gems may not be the player who has the highest projected score, instead may be a player expected to exceed the prognosticators’ projections. A fantasy sleeper is just that. A player who may potentially be available on the waiver wire; or who is not expected to be a top scorer but has the potential to  have a break out game.

Quarterback Fantasy Gem- Nick Foles vs. Washington Redskins. Nick Foles has been on a tear this year. He has thrown 10 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions. He has protected ball well so you shouldn’t worry about losing potential points because of careless interceptions, fumbled snaps etc.The sieve that is the Washington Redskins defense has not been able to stop a nosebleed this year so look for Foles to have a great game.

Fantasy Sleeper- Case Keenum vs Oakland Raiders. I can’t lie I think Case Keenum has it all. It’s hard for me to believe that he was picked up undrafted from the University of Houston. I really think they struck gold with that pick up. Keenum has all the tools to be the man in Houston. If you are in a 2 quarterback league or are a Tony Romo owner I would pick up Keenum as soon as possible as a bye week replacement or insurance policy for your usual starter.

Running Back Fantasy Gem-Frank Gore vs New Orleans Saints. Frank Gore has been a perennial fantasy beast. While the wide receiver corp is non existent and Colin Kaepernick’s been inconsistent this year. The one constant though has been Frank Gore. The addition of Rob Ryan as the Saints defensive coordinator caused the Saints to improve defensively this year by leaps and bounds. Despite that, the Saints D still cannot stop the run as evidenced by Chris Ivory’s monster game two weeks ago. Gore is a fantasy gem and must start at running back this week.

Fantasy Sleeper- Ray Rice vs Chicago Bears. As weird as this looks being read, it feels weirder writing it. Ray Rice has had a terrible year. Nobody knows if Ray Rice is hurt, or if you can attribute it to poor offensive line play, but Ray Rice is due for a breakout game and this week is it. Just as surprising, Chicago’s run defense has been second to the Cowboys in terms of fantasy points allowed to running backs. If you finally grew the stones to bench Rice, this is the week to insert him back in the line up.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Gem- Vincent Jackson vs Atlanta Falcons. The Atlanta Falcons have been outright terrible defensively this year and Vincent Jackson will exploit that this week. Not only is he the best offensive weapon on the team, but Schiano intends to get him more looks as he was only targeted 12 times in the past two games. Also, as the season progressed, Glennon & Jackson have developed a better rapport. If you own him, VJax is a must start fantasy gem.

Fantsy Sleeper- Riley Cooper vs Washington Redskins. Riley Cooper has been on a tear the past few weeks at wide receiver. Desean Jackson is obviously the number 1 option in Philly, but with Jeremy Maclin not playing this year with a torn ACL, Riley has stepped up nicely to be that dependable number 2 receiver. He is available on the waiver wire in some leagues and if he is snatch him immediately. He is going to off this week against a porous Redskins pass defense that has been getting torched by everyone.

Nov 7, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed (86) carries the ball during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Tight End Fantasy Gem- Jordan Reed vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Jordan Reed has emerged as one of the top tight ends in the league this year. He has a good rapport with RGIII and in past month, Reed has outscored all fantasy tight ends. He has proven to be one of RGIII’s most reliable receiving targets this year. Also, not to beat a dead horse but, the Eagles defense has been terrible this year ranking in the lower 25% in almost every defensive category. Jordan Reed is a gem this week especially as there aren’t really any favorable tight end match ups.

Fantasy Sleeper- Scott Chandler vs New York Jets. Despite the New York Jets having one of the top ranked defensive units in all of football. Scott Chandler is a nice waiver wire, tight end sleeper. If you are a Jason Witten or Jared Cook owner and need a nice fill-in, Chandler should be a good choice. With Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods out, Chandler is looking to see more than his share of targets this week. I mean, really is anybody going to run that ball against the stout Jets defensive front? If you are in a bind this week at tight end, Chandler is your man.

Kicker Fantasy Gem- Steven Hauschka vs Minnesota Vikings. I don’t think there really is need for an explanation here. Hauschka is the number one fantasy kicker and he is responsible for my very own fantasy loss last week as he put up 20 pts in one of my leagues. 20 points of production from the kicker position is absolutely ridiculous. Look for him to keep it up this week against the miserable Minnesota Vikings. Hauschka will get ample opportunities to put up some points this week If you own him its impossible to bench him at this point.

Fantasy Sleeper-Josh Brown vs. Green Bay Packers. Many of the fantasy football advice columns, tv shows etc have this has a must sit for this week, but I have to go against the grain on this one. Josh Brown has not lived up to his billing this year. The past few weeks though he has started to come alive. The Packers give up yards on the ground to running backs so Andre Brown back in the lineup for the Giants should provide them some scoring opportunities. That coupled with the field goals, will make Josh Brown a good sleeper pick if you need a bye week replacement or nice insurance policy.

Defense/Special Teams Fantasy Gem- Arizona Cardinals @ Jacksonville Jaguars. In a nutshell, you start every defense that play against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are the undisputed, worst team in the NFL. Aside from Maurice Jones Drew, there is no serious threat on offense. Cecil Short’s isn’t 100% and Justin Blackmon is out because he can’t figure when to stop smoking weed. To add to that, Arizona has a very good defense with Peterson & Honey Badger at corners and Darnell Dockett coming off the edge as a rusher this looks to be a train wreck in Jackson.

Fantasy Sleeper- New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers. AS much as it hurt me to give the New York Giants credit, their defense has been playing a lot better of late. In fact, with the exception of a fumbled return, the defense and special teams has carried this Giants team. The Packers are Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley and Randall Cobb-less this week, so they are not as scary as they have been in the past. They are also starting a third string quarterback. The Giants should have this in the bag without issue and should be able to give you some points if you are not in the best DST position.