Week 11 is almost over, and the fantasy playoffs are closing in. But first, the Buffalo Bills must go toe-to-toe with the undefeated New England Patriots before we can close the door on Week 11. With plenty of fantasy players set for primetime, you must make sure your lineup is in tip-top shape to help seal the deal on a victory. We breakdown all of the top fantasy players for you right here.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Bills:
In each of his last two games since returning from a knee injury, Taylor has helped Buffalo go 2-0, but he hasn't been as much of a force for fantasy owners. He's thrown for just a single touchdown and fewer than 200 yards in each game. The Bills are a run-first team, so Taylor hasn't had the number of opportunities he needs in order to put up solid fantasy numbers. You can bet though, that he'll have to be hard at work on Monday night in order to keep his team on pace with the Patriots. We have Taylor ranked as our QB12 for Week 11.
LeSean McCoy dealt with injuries that kept him limited for the first half of the season, but it's evident that he's back to full strength following two straight 100 rushing yard games. When he wasn't fully healthy back in Week 2, McCoy still managed to hang 116 yards from scrimmage on the Patriots, although it was Karlos Williams who did the scoring. New England's run defense has been stout this season, but Buffalo has one of the best ground games in the NFL averaging 142.3 rush yards per game. McCoy should see around 20 touches, which could mean big things for his fantasy owners.
In the two games that Tyrod Taylor has been back, Watkins has collected 11 receptions on 15 targets for 182 yards and a touchdown. Of course 168 of those yards came in a single game, which was really his only good outing of the season. But it's still a good sign that Watkins is seeing more targets now that he's healthy. He can be used as a low-end WR2 on Monday night against the Patriots.
The rookie running back has scored a touchdown in each of his first six games in the NFL. The only thing holding him back now is LeSean McCoy's health; Williams has just 16 carries in his last two games combined. But he's proved that he can produce in the stat sheets with limited touches, so even with McCoy as the starter, Williams brings flex value to the table each week. He's ranked as our RB23 for the week.
Clay is seeming like the forgotton man in the Buffalo passing game, as he has just nine catches for 84 yards in his last three games combined. There are better options this week at the tight end position, although he could see added opportunities in a game where the Bills may be throwing more to keep pace with the Patriots.
Patriots:
If there's one thing we know Tom Brady and the Patriots can do, it's adapt. New England will have to adapt without playmakers Dion Lewis (tore his ACL in Week 9) and Julian Edelman (broke a bone in his foot in Week 10). Brady torched Buffalo back in Week 2 with 466 pass yards and three touchdowns and attempted 59 passes in the game. He likely won't throw as much on Monday night but is still a must-start as fantasy's highest scoring quarterback.
The Bills apparently have a "plan to take [Gronkowski] out of the game" on Monday night. Buffalo said something similar in Week 2 and Gronk went off for 113 yards and a touchdown. So yeah, Bills, we'll believe it when we see it.
With Julian Edelman out, the next men up are Danny Amendola in the slot and Brandon LaFell outside, who's seen no fewer than six targets since his return four weeks ago. Amendola has a ton of value in PPR leagues and can be used as a flex in standard formats. LaFell is more of a high-risk, high-reward option, but could see an uptick in targets as well with Edelman out. He has the best touchdown potential of the group as well.
The only New England back we can comfortably recommend in fantasy remains LeGarrette Blount. There's a chance James White sees more opportunities this week, but there's really no telling with the Patriots. But you can count on Blount seeing his usual 15-20 carries on Monday night, and he's always a threat to punch in a short goal-line touchdown.
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