Jameis Winston Returns To Our Lives For Week 11 Fantasy Football

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Vanicream ...

The New York Giants have been saving Jameis Winston for a rainy day and that day has finally come.

With Jaxson Dart unlikely to play due to a concussion, the team is planning to start Winston vs. the Packers on Sunday. Having just fired Brian Daboll, the team is smart enough to realize that trotting out Russell Wilson is not the way to pacify the fanbase right now.

It’s understandable to be excited about having Winston back in our lives, but before we start fantasizing about eating Ws, we need to acknowledge that this is a brutal spot.

The Packers are one of the stingiest pass defenses in the league (they give up the least amount of yards per pass attempt—5.9—in the entire league) and there is very little talent left on this offense.

In our early Week 11 ranks, Winston opens up as QB25, meaning you’d need to be beyond desperate to start him.

If you are trying to find a silver lining here, this provides a decent bump for the pass catchers. Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson should all see a nice target boost with Winston and can be started in most 12-team leagues.

Ultimately, this move is less about Winston giving the team a better chance to win than Wilson (the line didn’t move after this announcement) and more about locking up a small win with the fans.

The Vanicream TRUST-O-METER: JT and Gibbs Bounce Back

Remember the Trust-O-Meter last week? After Jonathan Taylor and Jahmyr Gibbs busted in Week 9, it turns out that the “9” on the Trust-O-Meter and a “10” on the UPSIDE-O-METER may have undersold their bounceback potential.

In Week 10, Taylor led the slate with a monster 244-yard, three-TD performance, while Gibbs posted three touchdowns of his own in addition to 172 yards from scrimmage. If there’s any sign to trust Vanicream, Week 10 is perfect proof.

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Editors’ Picks

Week 11 kicks off tonight. It’s time to get right (or stay right). Start by making sure you catch up on some of the latest and greatest content that you may have missed on FantasyLife.com.

10 Things To Know

Ian Hartitz watched all 34 of J.J. McCarthy’s passes to Justin Jefferson to try and find out what has gone wrong. Could things be looking up for fantasy football?

Buy Low On Michael Pittman?

After a Week 10 dud, is Michael Pittman coming back down to Earth, or was it a blip on the radar that presents an opportunity? Chris Allen breaks down Pittman and more buy-lows for Week 11.

Your Week 11 Bye Week Guide

Fortunately, nobody has to face off with Jonathan Taylor this week. Unfortunately, some managers are left without their RB1 this week. Danny Cross outlines the best bye week fill-ins for Weeks 11 and 12.

Week 11 Rankings: We’re On To Cincinnati

Sure, Bill Belichick may not have anything to do with the Week 11 slate, but his viral “we’re on to Cincinnati” sound bite sure does.

The Bengals-Steelers game is setting up as a printing press for fantasy football managers in Week 11, as there are upgrades all over the game throughout Dwain’s Week 11 rankings …

» Joe Flacco (CIN) is a top-12 QB for Week 11 fantasy football.

Flacco has averaged 24.4 fantasy points in his four starts with the Bengals, which ranks second behind only Jaxson Dart (25.2). Over that span, the veteran signal caller has averaged 314 yards and 2.75 touchdowns through the air, which ranks first and second, respectively.

This week, he faces a Steelers defense that has allowed the most passing yards per game (316) over the last four contests. Pittsburgh has boosted opposing passing attacks by 59.4 yards per game, tying the Bears for the most.

Projection Model (using my PPR projections):

Xfinity Best (ceiling): 21.6
Median: 17.7
Floor: 14.2

Flacco is a low-end QB1 with high-end QB1 upside against Pittsburgh.

» Chase Brown (CIN) could handle a massive workload in Week 11.

In Week 9, Samaje Perine suffered a high ankle sprain and is considered week-to-week. In that game, Brown played a near-every-down role with a 95% snap share. He finished the day with a 93 Utilization Score and 19.2 fantasy points.

Pittsburgh hasn't been an easy out for RBs. They are the seventh-toughest defense, holding opposing RB units to a -3.2 fantasy boost. They are also the third-most man-heavy defense, which caused me to slightly doc Brown's targets in the projection model. Brown has an 18% target share against zone versus 10% against man in 2025.

Still, despite the matchup challenges, Brown is in for a massive uptick in opportunities overall, which opens the door for fantasy points.

Projection Model:

Xfinity Best (ceiling): 24.0
Median: 15.3
Floor: 11.2

Brown is a low-end RB1 assuming Perine is out for Week 11. If Perine surprises with a return to the lineup, Brown would fall to borderline RB2 territory.

In addition to Flacco and Brown, a Bengals WR gets a noticeable upgrade, while Jaylen Warren and Aaron Rodgers see significant upgrades on the other side of this game. Dwain breaks it all down in his Week 11 Rankings Risers and Fallers. ⬇️

DWAIN’S FULL LIST OF WEEK 11 RISERS AND FALLERS

(Boldly) Predicting Week 11: Tre Tucker Repeats Week 3

Back in Week 3, a man named Tre Tucker went nuclear, catching three touchdown passes and putting up 145 receiving yards on eight catches against the Washington Commanders. His 40.9 fantasy points still stand as the highest tally of the season at the position.

Since that time, the Las Vegas Raiders' third-year man has been a consistent part of the Vegas offense but has little to show for it. The speedster has seen 26 targets and four carries over six games, with a measly average of 3.5 catches for 40.7 receiving yards per game with no scores. The drought has brought his season-long average down to 11.9 PPG (WR35), which doesn't help much since he hasn't finished inside the position's top 24 since Week 6.

Still, Tucker has a shot at a bigger role and more lucrative work in the coming weeks. First, the team traded top receiver Jakobi Meyers last week, leaving Tucker as the No. 1 option on the outside. Second, tight end Brock Bowers returned with a bang two weeks ago, helping Geno Smith produce his second-highest passing total of the season.

The Raiders are struggling badly to run the ball, coming in with PFF's third-worst rushing grade and seventh-worst run-blocking grade. Even with talented first-rounder Ashton Jeanty handling the carries, the team's 87.4 rushing yards per game ranks fourth-worst in the league. They've only cracked 100 yards on the ground in three of nine games.

The Dallas Cowboys have been the cure for what is ailing passing offenses all season, and they have been particularly generous to wide receivers. Dallas has allowed an astronomical 1.8 passing TDs to WRs per game—no other team is above 1.3. They've allowed the highest fantasy point boost (+8.2) to the position and the second-most fantasy points.

The Raiders' defense has let things get out of hand three times this year, giving up 31 points to the Chiefs, 40 to the Colts, and 41 to the Commanders. The Cowboys' offense is more than capable of putting the Raiders' offense into comeback mode early, meaning plenty of opportunities for Tucker to take advantage.

🔥 Bold prediction: Tre Tucker scores twice en route to a top-six fantasy finish. 🔥

MORE BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 11

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

👀 Breaking down every single matchup on the Week 11 slate. Let’s ride.

🤫 A must-acquire running back … make your trade ASAP!

🚑️ Awful news for the Cardinals. Michael Wilson is a decent add if you need a WR.

🤢 Should you drop A.J. Brown in fantasy? One notable individual thinks so.

✈️ Wen F1? Not this week?

📆 Early 2026 NFL Draft rankings? I like seeing all of the QB/RB/WRs on there.

💪 Gronk officially retires as a Patriot. What, you didn’t want to be a Buc?