Fantasy Football

Bold NFL Predictions for Week 11

By Will Holtz

Posted on November 17, 2022

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Bold NFL Predictions for Week 11

Week 10 was a whiff for this article. I mean, from injuries to some bad beats, it was rough out there for the bold predictions. Let’s recap some of the hits and misses before we dive into Week 11. Starting with the misses, D’Andre Swift was disappointing yet again, Courtland Sutton was not able to find the endzone, and the Buccaneers were not able to win by 14-plus points. As for the hits, Jonathan Taylor is, indeed, still Jonathan Taylor and the Cardinals did find their groove (even with Kyler Murray out). I made the prediction that Ezekiel Elliott would score a touchdown but that’s kind of a big ask for a player that got ruled out a couple of hours before game time. With that crummy week out of the way, it’s time to get serious and deliver a perfect slate of bold predictions for Week 11.

Justin Herbert gets his weapons back and outduels Patrick Mahomes

It’s been a long time since Justin Herbert has had his top two targets on the field simultaneously. The last time Keenan Allen and Mike Williams shared the field and were both at full strength was the 2nd quarter of Week 1 against Las Vegas. Since then, it’s been a complete train wreck of a receiving core. Allen briefly came back against Seattle in Week 7, but was not healthy and hasn’t played since. Williams sprained his ankle in that same game and has yet to return. Herbert has been dealt a bad hand and fantasy managers have suffered the consequences. However, things might be looking up for the Chargers and their star quarterback. Both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday and could advance throughout the week. They are both far from a guarantee to take the field against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, but if they do, I’m expecting fireworks in their return. So, within this prediction, I’m also predicting that Allen and Williams play in this crucial AFC West matchup for the desperate Chargers. If they play, I’m predicting that Justin Herbert throws three touchdowns to go along with 300-plus passing yards in a huge win against the Chiefs. This is a really good offense when they’re healthy and folks could be reminded of that this week.

Joe Mixon picks up where he left off

The last time we saw Joe Mixon on the football field, he ran for 153 yards and found the endzone five times. With a week of rest under his belt and a plus matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think we’re in for another monster game from the one-time Pro Bowler. The last time these two teams met, the Cincinnati offense looked horrible and they couldn’t stay on the field to save their lives, or in this case, save the running game. This time around, I’m expecting something a little different. The Bengals should have the lead for most of the game and I don’t expect Joe Burrow to throw four interceptions. This should give Joe Mixon more opportunities to get into a rhythm early and not look back. Do I expect him to score five times? No, probably not. However, I do think we can expect close to 200 total yards and at least one touchdown. This Pittsburgh defense is better than the Carolina defense he dominated against in Week 9, but he has the talent to produce against any defense with the right game script. Cincinnati likes to feed him the ball. Through ten weeks, Mixon is fourth among running backs in touches per game with 21. That is elite-level usage and I don’t expect that to come down anytime soon. This is a prime spot for Mixon to touch the ball a ton and he should be able to do something big with those opportunities.

Brian Robinson Jr. finishes inside the top 12 for the week

In a surprise to all of us, Washington punched Philadelphia in the mouth and delivered the Eagles their first loss of the season last week. What was even more surprising to me was the way they beat them. They made a point to get the ground attack going and they did just that, totaling 152 rushing yards as a team. At the helm of that attack was rookie Brian Robinson Jr. who contributed 82 of those yards and continues to be an absolute joy to watch. Something tells me that the Commanders coaching staff feels the same way I do, considering he was given 26 rushing attempts on Monday Night Football. They like him a lot, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. This week, he gets to face off against a really bad Houston defense. Through ten weeks, the Texans have given up the most rushing yards per game and the fourth most rushing touchdowns per game. This is the Brian Robinson Jr. breakout week, and I’m not missing the opportunity to call it out. Antonio Gibson has eaten into some of his opportunities, but I don’t think it’s enough to slow down the Robinson freight train that’s coming this week. This Commanders team is feeling good and they have found a gameplan that works: Give the ball to the running back and give him some room. I’m expecting Robinson to have his first 100-yard game of his career against a weak Texans defense.

Courtland Sutton finally finds the endzone

Okay, I’m carrying this one over from last week into this week. This is bound to happen right? I mean, Jerry Jeudy probably won’t play this week and Las Vegas have been bad against the pass this season. On top of that, the last time Courtland Sutton scored a touchdown was against this same Raiders defense in Week 4. The stars are aligning on this one and it’s now or never for Sutton. If he can’t score this week, I don’t think he’ll score another touchdown for the rest of the season. There have been so many weeks where this Broncos passing game should have gotten into a rhythm and they haven’t, so it’s my fault for continuing to believe that this team will figure it out, but here I am. This season is a wash for Russell Wilson and company, but it’s not too late for Courtland Sutton. This is the week in which he finally shows the world that he’s still a good football player. I can’t say the same for Wilson or anyone else associated with this offense, but I’m still confident in the former SMU receiver. Who knows, this team will probably burn me once again but I would be mad at myself if I stopped going to bat for him the week he finally puts it all together. So, once again, I’m at the plate for Courtland Sutton. Not the Denver passing game or the Denver offense as a whole. No, just for Sutton. Now, with that out of the way, I’ll step off my soapbox and continue with the rest of the bold predictions. Prove me right, Courtland Sutton.

Allen Robinson finds his footing with Cooper Kupp out

Oh boy, I’m stepping out on a limb with this one. How bad has Allen Robinson been, huh? It’s hard for me to believe that this is the same guy who racked up 1,250 yards and six touchdowns just two seasons ago with the combination of Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback. With Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball and Cooper Kupp drawing double-teams, I was all-in on Robinson having a huge season for the Rams. I couldn’t have been more wrong. However, maybe the problem has been the lack of opportunities with Kupp being a complete target hog. If that’s the case, then maybe we see the Allen Robinson of old with the Cooper Kupp being placed on the IR. Robinson was extrodianarliy mediocre in last week’s loss to Arizona, but that was with John Wolford throwing him the ball. Stafford is supposed to be back this week, meaning this will be the first week where Robinson can be the WR1 for his new quarterback. This is something we haven’t seen before and it remains to be seen whether it will actually happen at all, but I still have hope. I haven’t given up on the talent that Robinson has. With more targets and a better quarterback at the helm, who knows what could happen? If I know one thing, its that his production can’t get much worse than what it has been. Things should get better for the one-time Pro Bowler over the next few weeks and it should start in Week 11.

George Kittle finishes as the TE1 for the week

This is just simple cherry-picking on my part. Kittle is almost guaranteed to produce this week, so the only bold part of this prediction is that he finishes as the absolute TE1. Breaking it down into the simplest of terms, this is a really talented tight end playing against a defense that allows the second-most fantasy points to the position. It can’t get much better than that. The addition of Christian McCaffrey hasn’t helped Kittle’s production considering the amount of mouths Jimmy Garoppolo has to feed, but the 49ers offensive gameplan should be a no-brainer this week. They should be able to see how vulnerable this Cardinals defense is in the middle and how productive even mediocre tight ends have been against them. Even if he isn’t the main focus on offense and plays second or third fiddle to the other weapons, he should still be able to make the most of his opportunities. He’s an athletic playmaker with the ability to make linebackers miss in the open field. I think he’ll be put in situations like that this week and fantasy managers will reap the rewards. I’m predicting that Kittle totals over 75 receiving yards and gets into the endzone at least once.