It’s Saturday, and our 11th football Sunday is right around the corner. That means we are coming in hot. We know you don’t want any of those boring predictions today; you want the hot takes. These are our bold predictions for Week 11 of the fantasy football season. 

In Week 11, the fantasy QB1 overall will be at least 40 years old. This essentially means that either Joe Flacco or Aaron Rodgers will come out of the shootout between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers as the top fantasy quarterback of the week. Neither defense can stop the pass at all. The Steelers have been historically bad against the pass this season, as far as their franchise is concerned, and the Bengals can’t stop anyone from doing anything they want. There will be a ton of points and fantasy points scored in this game.    

Week 11 Fantasy Football Sleeper: Jameis Winston, New York Giant

New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

You never quite know what you’re going to get from Winston in any given week or on any given play. He is a boom-or-bust option, and we are going to predict a boom week from him. If nothing else, we know he’s going to sling it. There is always the chance that he is a complete disaster; nevertheless, he is the kind of fantasy quarterback who can throw multiple interceptions and still finish as a high-end QB1.   

We are projecting five rookie running backs to finish in the top 12 this week. Granted, TreVeyon Henderson already got us off to a solid start for this prediction on Thursday Night Football. The most likely candidates to join him are Ashton Jeanty, Quinshon Judkins, RJ Harvey, and Woody Marks. It’s going to be a great week for fantasy owners who invested in rookie runners. 

Week 11 Fantasy Football Sleeper: Emari Demercado, Arizona Cardinal

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado (31) celebrates a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

With Trey Benson likely out and Bam Knight questionable, Demercado will be the top fantasy running back in the NFC West this week. Not only will he lead the Cardinals, but he will also outproduce Christian McCaffrey, Kyren Williams, and Kenneth Walker III. If Knight does end up playing, that could make this prediction a bit more tricky.  

We are sticking with the Cardinals here in a home game against a beat-up San Francisco 49ers defense. They will also find success in the passing attack. With Marvin Harrison Jr and Zay Jones both out, fantasy owners will likely be avoiding this passing attack outside of Trey McBride. However, that would be a mistake. It’s hard to predict which wide receiver will break out in this game, but either Michael Wilson or Greg Dortch will finish this game as a WR1.