FantasyNFL

Do Not, Under Any Circumstances, Start These 11 Fantasy Football Players This Week

by Dan Fogarty | 5:14 pm, November 16th, 2012

The end of bye weeks is nigh! Week 11 is the last time you’ll have to worry about the most annoying thing about fantasy. Allow RotoExperts’ Scott Engel to tell you which players to avoid, and make it into the home stretch intact.

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1.1. Rashard Mendenhall

He is finally expected to return this week, and should start against the Ravens. But Mendenhall may be eased back into the RB mix against Baltimore, who may stack their fronts against the run with Byron Leftwich at QB. Keep Mendenhall reserved for another week and monitor how he performs this time out.

2.2. Nick Foles

You should only use him if you are absolutely desperate for QB help. Foles does get a seemingly friendly matchup against the Redskins, but he does face the same adversity Michael Vick does, which means shaky pass protection and a defense that forces him to constantly try to keep up with the opposition. Not quality conditions for a rookie QB.

3.3. Andy Dalton

Try to stay away from him if you can. Some owners will not have better chocies, and this may seem a bit crazy after he played so well against the Giants (and now he faces the Chiefs) but Dalton has been very inconsistent and I simply have a gut feeling he won’t take advantage of the good matchup.

4.4. Cecil Shorts

With Maurice Jones-Drew still out, Shorts is now the only weapon of note the Jags have in their “arsenal.” The Texans know this well, and will take away the only true playmaker Jacksonville has right now.

5.5. Brandon Lloyd

The matchup against the Colts looks appealing. But Lloyd has been mediocre for most of the season and now is the not the time to suddenly hope for a bounce-back game at a critical point of the regular season. You’ve seen enough of Lloyd by now to know you can't rely on him.

6.6. James Starks

He has taken the starting job back from Alex Green. That simply means he will be slightly less disappointing. The Packers lost their only useful Fantasy RB when Cedric Benson went down, and you should avoid any Green Bay RBs if you want your season to continue to have some meaning.

7.7. Pierre Garcon

There has been some talk that Garcon could finally return from a foot injury this week. Yet published reports indicate he could still be playing through pain, and no one knows just how effective he may be. Play it safe and go with an alternative who's definitely healthy.

8.8. Pierre Thomas

Darren Sproles is expected to return this week, and Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory are starting to get more touches as rushers. Thomas will get only limited opportunities to reach his usual mediocre totals.

9.9. Joe Flacco

He has been much better at home than on the road, where he has three TD passes and four interceptions in four starts. Plus, the Steelers have played very good pass defense this year and should keep the score down defensively, even if they sputter on offense.

10.10. Michael Crabtree

He has started to look better recently, but the Bears are going to muscle him off his routes and not let him get loose for any significant gains. Crabtree is a WR3 at best, so it’s no big deal to bench him.

11.11. T.Y. Hilton

You may be expecting another Hilton sighting against the vulnerable Patriots secondary. Andrew Luck, however, spreads the ball around a lot and has other targets he prefers. You can probably find a safer option, try not to go with Hilton based on the matchup.

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