NFL Week 11 Optimal FLEX Play: DeVonta Smith will return against the Commanders

Another week is in the books for the 2024 NFL season, but it still looks like we’re looking for more answers heading into Week 11. Guys like Nico Collins and Isiah Pacheco look set to return soon right in time for a fantasy playoff run, but It’s getting harder and harder to find the right guy to put in your FLEX spot, especially when you have players like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Tylan Wallace finishing week 10 as a top five fantasy receiver. You know who didn’t? Josh Downs (WR20), who was in this column last week, but was still solid. Tank Dell (WR41) and Jalen Tolbert (WR64) didn’t help us either, my bad. Jaylen Warren (RB25) was decent and Raheem Mostert (RB41) barely touched the ball. You know the drill, let’s get back and attack.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles vs. Commanders

Smith had a slump in Week 10, catching just 2-of-3 targets for 14 yards, and AJ Brown did most of the damage on the Cowboys before the Eagles put the game out of reach for good. The Commanders will provide more resistance to the Eagles, and in a game where the Over/Under is 48.5 (second highest for Week 11), Smith will have more opportunities. The Commanders are coming off a game in which they surrendered three passing touchdowns, and in Smith’s two games before the Cowboys, he had at least 85 receiving yards and a touchdown in each. Look for this game to go back and forth.

Noah Brown, WR, Commanders at Eagles

You saw what I just said above, right? Get yours Thursday night football guys in your fantasy lineups. While Brown isn’t as sexy of a name as DeVonta Smith, he and Austin Ekeler are the only guys in the Commanders’ offense I’d consider a true FLEX play. Brown played a season-high 89% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 10. Also, he has earned at least six goals in four of his last five games. He serves as the Commanders’ WR2 and will have a chance to pick up some production whether Washington falls behind Philly or the game ends up being a field goal. Consider Brown somewhere between a must-start and long-shot FLEX play in Week 11.

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Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns at Saints

Tillman is a guy you can’t leave on the bench right now, especially against this Saints defense. Since Week 7, he has been the WR2 in fantasy based on points per game. game. Plus, the Saints are coming off a game in which they allowed Drake London and Darnell Mooney to combine for 13-193-0. The week before, Xavier Legette scored 13.3 fantasy points against the Saints, and Ladd McConkey had his best day as a pro (6-111-2) against them in Week 8. Tillman is averaging 10.6 goals per game. game in its last three games and will now face a depleted Saints secondary that just traded away Marshon Lattimore. You should be fine with this one.

Jauan Jennings, WR, 49ers vs. Seahawks

It was great to see Ricky Pearsall have his first solid game (4-73-1 on six targets) in the NFL, but Jennings is the 49ers’ receiver (after Deebo Samuel) you want in your lineup right now. In Week 10, he played 91% of the snaps (compared to 78% and 64% for Samuel and Pearsall, respectively) and turned it into 7-93-0 on 11 targets. This is his second big game of the season and looks to be settling into his role after the Brandon Aiyuk injury. The Seahawks’ defense he’ll face in Week 11 is a bottom 10 unit in fantasy points allowed per possession. match. Jennings is a reliable player for the 49ers and will be in your fantasy lineup as well.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks at 49ers

In the same game, Week 9’s WR1, Smith-Njigba stiffened after going 7-180-2 against the Rams. Regardless of when DK Metcalf returns, JSN should be a strong play. With the Seahawks as 6.5-point underdogs, Geno Smith, the NFL’s leader in passing attempts per game (38), should throw the football a lot. In Week 6 against the 49ers, JSN caught 5-of-9 targets for 53 yards. If Metcalf misses again, JSN will be in for another tough day at work. It was a shaky start for the second-year receiver, but if he has another solid week, he can be relied upon for the rest of the season.

Quentin Johnston or Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers vs. Bengals

The Bengals’ defense is up for grabs, but they’re not as bad from a fantasy perspective as you might think. They are 15th in fantasy points per. plays allowed to receivers, while Johnston has been WR17 over his last two games and has scored in each. However, McConkey is the Chargers’ leading receiver (37-492-4) and has averaged 75.6 receiving yards in his last three games. While the Chargers will certainly look to run the ball first, the Bengals’ style of play should force the issue and force the Chargers to attack through the air if necessary. With an Over/Under of 47, it looks like it will go that way.