It's officially the home stretch of the fantasy football regular season, at least in my book. We have just a few weeks left until the fantasy playoffs start (depending on how your league is set up). This week's Sunday night game between the Patriots and Colts is one that's packed with fantasy potential with both high-powered offenses fresh off a bye.
For those of you vying for a fantasy playoff spot in your league, every point and every win counts at this point so you need every bit of information you can find to help you make the best roster decisions for your team. And for those of you who might be out of the playoff hunt, why not give our weekly Perfect Challenge a shot for the chance to win a million bucks right here.
Hopefully a few of the words below can help you out somewhere along the line. You know, that's how I look at life. If I can help just one fantasy team per week get a win, then I'm really making a difference in the world.
OK, enough philosophical ranting about life and making differences and all that. Here's the Week 11 Sunday night fantasy preview in all its glory. Get to it!
Patriots:
<strong>Tom Brady, QB</strong>
Brady and the Pats' are fresh off a bye and will be looking to keep their hot streak going. In New England's last five games Brady has thrown for 320.2 yards per game and has 18 touchdown passes with just one interception. Lock him in as your QB1 on Sunday with no worries in what has the potential to be a shootout in Indianapolis.
<strong>Rob Gronkowski, TE</strong>
Gronk caught fire along with Brady before the Pats' bye with four touchdown receptions in his last two games. He's got three 100-yard games and eight touchdowns on the season and is tied with Julius Thomas for the most fantasy points among tight ends heading into Week 11. He's a no-brainer start the rest of the way for fantasy rosters across the universe.
<strong>Brandon LaFell, WR</strong>
This season, LaFell has surprisingly cracked the top-25 in overall fantasy points among wide receivers and has put up 514 yards and five touchdowns in nine games. He has four touchdowns in his last four games and as emerged as the Patriots deep threat -- something they were lacking at the start of the season. LaFell is a good bet to put up WR1 numbers on Sunday night against the Colts in what is likely to be a high-scoring game for both teams.
<strong>Shane Vereen, RB</strong>
Vereen is a dangerous weapon in the Pats' short yardage passing game and remains a flex option for fantasy teams this week against the Colts. He may not put up the rushing stats but he has three receiving touchdowns in his last three games and is especially valuable in PPR leagues. Just be wary of New England's unpredictable reputation when it comes to their running backs.
<strong>Julian Edelman, WR</strong>
After not doing much of anything for a few weeks, Edelman was a big part of the Pats passing game in Week 9 against the Broncos posting 89 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. His usage has been rather inconsistent this season but with Brady on fire as he has been in recent weeks Edelman should be a candidate for WR3 numbers against the Colts even with Gronkowski and LaFell cutting into his production.
Colts:
<strong>Andrew Luck, QB</strong>
He's only the top scoring player in all of fantasy. What else do you want from me, people? Even if T.Y. Hilton is on Revis Island Sunday night, there's no doubt that Luck will find ways to get the ball to his other pass-catchers. Expect nothing less than greatness from this guy for the rest of the season.
<strong>Ahmad Bradshaw, RB</strong>
Bradshaw is a candidate for RB1 numbers against the Pats' Sunday night especially in PPR leagues. He's surprised many this year with his six receiving touchdowns which leads all NFL running backs. Bradshaw is a top-10 fantasy back with his 714 yards from scrimmage and eight total trips to the end zone. He's scored in three of his last four games and is one of Luck's favorite targets in the red zone. Fire him up against New England on Sunday night.
<strong>Trent Richardson, RB</strong>
Richardson has had some good games and some bad ones this season but overall, his production has been fairly consistent. Still, he has just two touchdowns on the season and Bradshaw is the clear No. 1 back in Indy even though the duo pretty evenly splits offensive snaps. If you play in a standard 10-team league you can probably find a higher upside running back to use in Week 11, but Richardson brings low-end flex value to the table in deeper leagues.
<strong>T.Y. Hilton, WR</strong>
Hilton has been the main beneficiary of Andrew Luck's ridiculous season with four 100-yard games (one was a 200-yarder) this season and touchdowns in three of his last four. Now that the touchdowns have started flowing for Hilton, there aren't many better options for WR1 production down the stretch, especially if you look at Indy's upcoming schedule. Take my word for it, it's juicy. There's a good chance Hilton is on Revis Island on Sunday night so fantasy owners will have to temper expectations for the Colt's No. 1 pass-catcher but he should still be able to post good numbers in what should be a shootout.
<strong>Reggie Wayne, WR</strong>
The veteran wideout is a high-end flex play on Sunday night against the Patriots. With Luck throwing touchdowns the way he has been this season, it wouldn't be out of the question to see Wayne post some season-high numbers especially if Hilton is being smothered by Darrelle Revis in this one. In the Colts' last game Wayne put up 70 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets and should see his fair share of work once again.
<strong>Dwayne Allen, TE</strong>
WHY is Allen still available in nearly 35 percent of NFL.com leagues!? The guy has seven touchdowns through nine games and has scored in three straight. I guess you guys don't like tight end touchdown machines. Anyway, Allen is a great daily league play with his scoring potential in the red zone and is ranked as our No. 4 tight end this week against the Patriots. Pick him up, start him up!
Matt Franciscovich is an associate fantasy editor at NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @m_franciscovich.