NFL Week 11 DFS Picks: Best DraftKings, FanDuel main slate optimal lineups, sleepers, and values

Unfortunately, one of the best matchups of the week is reserved for a showdown slate on Thursday night. We won't be able to attack Eagles vs. Commanders, but that doesn't mean we can't have a great Sunday and put together some strong lineups for the Sunday main slate.

In DFS, it all comes down to finding edges over your opponents or the field. There are plenty of ways to attack this slate and find edges over other players, but we are given a finite salary, so we have to get a bit creative. But without further ado, here are the Sporting News' optimal lineups and best picks for Week 8 DFS slates on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

DraftKings DFS Picks Week 11: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments

Sunday Main Slate, $50,000 salary

QB: Russell Wilson, Steelers vs. Ravens ($5,900)

Ahead of a Week 7 matchup with the Jets, Mike Tomlin was heavily criticized for making the decision to replace Justin Fields with Russell Wilson at quarterback. That decision has paid off, with Wilson leading the Steelers to three straight wins, throwing for six touchdowns and rushing for another in the process. This is the perfect spot for Russ to keep cooking and put some moon balls into the laps of his receivers. Baltimore ranks 28th in yards per pass play and 31st in EPA per dropback. Every single one of the Ravens' opponents has attacked them through the air, and the Steelers will likely be doing the same.

WEEK 11 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers

RB: Nick Chubb, Browns at Saints ($6,000)

Since returning from a multi-ligament knee injury, Nick Chubb has struggled to find his footing. Despite Chubb's lacking production, the Cleveland coaching staff has not lost faith in their star running back. Chubb has handled 75 percent of the backfield's carries in his three games. The Browns' matchup with the Saints should provide a game script where Chubb sees plenty of carries. Considering the Saints' defense ranks 31st in yards per carry and EPA per rush, Chubb has a strong chance to be highly productive with those carries. 

RB: Jaylen Warren, Steelers vs. Ravens ($5,300)

Najee Harris suffered an ankle injury in Week 10 and missed practice to open Week 11, so there's a real chance that he will miss this divisional clash. If Harris is sidelined, we're looking at a bell cow back with pass-catching chops who's priced at $5,300 in Jaylen Warren. That is what we like to call a "free square" in a DFS lineup. The Ravens have been highly effective at containing opposing rushing attacks, but Warren has a path to succeeding through receiving work. Multiple running backs (Rachaad White and Chase Brown) have hit double-digit fantasy points from receiving production alone. If Warren is the lone back for the Steelers, he could do some real damage through the air.

WR: George Pickens, Steelers vs. Ravens ($7,000)

Strictly looking at his usage metrics, George Pickens has been an alpha wide receiver all year long. The arrival of Wilson has allowed him to look like an alpha in the box scores as well. With Wilson under center, Pickens has been targeted on 26 percent of his routes and accounted for 41 percent of the air yards. He's turned these looks into 19 DK points per game since Wilson took over. The Ravens are the epitome of a pass funnel, ranking first in defensive pass rate over expectation. Wilson will be throwing often, and Pickens will be his primary target. Expect them to connect on a moon ball or two.

WR: Khalil Shakir, Bills vs. Chiefs ($6,300)

Without Amari Cooper or Keon Coleman on the field last week, we were treated to a 24-percent target share for Khalil Shakir. Coleman is already ruled out for Week 11, and the status of both Amari Cooper and Dalton Kincaid are in question with injuries. Regardless of the health of the Bills' pass catchers, this is a great matchup for Shakir. The Chiefs run two-high looks at the third-highest rate in the league. Two-high looks typically favor slot/underneath receivers like Shakir. Unsurprisingly, Kansas City's defensive approach has led to them allowing the 2nd-most fantasy points per game to slot receivers. Shakir should be fed targets in this matchup, and he's a strong play on a full-PPR site.

WEEK 11 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Stock Watch | Trade Advice | Start 'Em, Sit 'Em | Sleepers | Busts | Usage Report | Weather

WR: Jameson Williams, Lions vs. Jaguars ($5,800)

Throughout his career, Jameson Williams' bread and butter has been striking for explosive touchdowns on deep targets. He's in a spot to do just that on Sunday. The Jacksonville secondary has struggled all around this season, but they have been especially susceptible to the deep ball. This season, they have allowed the most receptions and yards on targets 20-plus yards downfield. Williams is the perfect candidate to add to those totals. This game will likely get out of hand rather quickly, but the hope is that Williams can be a part of the inevitable scoring frenzy from Detroit.

TE: T.J. Hockenson, Vikings at Titans ($4,700)

Just two weeks after making his return, T.J. Hockenson is already thriving in the Vikings' offense. He posted an 8/72/0 stat line on nine targets last week. More importantly, his route participation jumped to 67 percent. We could see him back to an 85-100 percent route rate as early as this week. With Hockenson returning to his full-time role, he has no business being priced as the TE8. This is the perfect time to get Hockenson into lineups before his price creeps up.

FLEX: Travis Kelce, Chiefs at Bills ($6,300)

We're back in the situation where Travis Kelce is essentially a wide receiver who also happens to have tight end eligibility. All of his usage metrics compete with the high-end receivers.

Not only does his usage put him in the realm of the elite receivers, but his production does as well. Kelce is averaging 22.5 PPG in the last three weeks and would have finished as a top-12 WR in each of those games. He will continue to hold a high-volume role, and he is one of the few TEs who is a reasonable option in the Flex slot of this lineup.

WEEK 11 DFS STRATEGY
Sleepers and Values | Best DFS Stacks | TNF Optimal Lineups

D/ST: Cleveland Browns, at Saints ($2,600)

Marquez Valdes-Scantling may have connected with Derek Carr on a few bombs last week, but we're still going to pick on this depleted offense. In their current state, the Saints are absolutely an offense to target in fantasy, regardless of format.

FanDuel DFS Picks Week 11: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments

Sunday Main Slate, $60,000 salary cap

QB: Justin Herbert, Chargers vs. Bengals ($7,300)

The FanDuel main slate includes Sunday Night Football, and we'll be including several pieces from this matchup. Justin Herbert has been on a tear recently, scoring at least 19 points in three straight games. Herbert has been making plays through the air, but he's also averaging 4.8 PPG on the ground during this stretch. The Bengals' offense could put the Chargers in a spot where they have to adopt a pass-heavy mentality, which would quite obviously benefit Herbert. As long as the Chargers don't establish the run too heavily, Herbert can find success against a defense that ranks 26th in EPA per dropback.

RB: Jonathan Taylor, Colts at Jets ($8,400)

From a fantasy perspective, Jonathan Taylor is likely the only player in the Colts offense who benefits from the return of Anthony Richardson. In five games with Richardson, Taylor averaged 5.15 yards per carry, held an 11.3-percent explosive rush rate, and averaged 17.4 half-PPR points per game. All three of these numbers are significantly higher than what we saw with Flacco under center. Having two rushing threats in the backfield diverts the defense's attention and allows Taylor to be more efficient with his touches. The Jets' defense ranks in the bottom half of the league in nearly every relevant rushing efficiency metric and has frankly been in shambles since the firing of Robert Saleh. Everything is set up for Taylor to have a big day.

RB: Nick Chubb, Browns at Saints ($6,200)

Nick Chubb is carrying over from the DraftKings lineup. It's a no-brainer considering he's only $200 more expensive, and the half-PPR format caters to Chubb's skill set. Don't be shocked if we see vintage Chubb against the New Orleans defense.

WR: George Pickens, Steelers vs. Ravens ($7,500)

George Pickens is also carrying over from the DraftKings lineup. Russell Wilson's salary prevented us from rolling with a full Pittsburgh stack, but the matchup is too juicy to leave Pickens out of the lineup. Wilson has made the Steelers' offense a threat to score 28-plus points in any given week; if the Steelers push for 30 points this week, that production will primarily come through the air.

WR: Tee Higgins, Bengals at Chargers ($7,100)

Tee Higgins will be functioning as the bring-back for our Chargers stack. Higgins returned to practice this week, and it's looking like he'll be able to suit up for Sunday Night Football. When Higgins has been on the field this season, he's been a force to be reckoned with. He's been the per-game WR10 and out-targeted Ja'Marr Chase in their last four games together. Higgins' 0.27 TPRR would be a career high by a wide margin. He's always been an explosive playmaker who is now being targeted at an incredibly high rate. This combo makes him a tantalizing option in the league's most pass-heavy offense.

WR: Courtland Sutton, Broncos vs. Falcons ($6,800)

After a goose egg in Week 7, Courtland Sutton has scored at least 16 FD points in three straight games. He has maintained his role as Bo Nix's go-to receiver, amassing 20 targets over these three games. The biggest factor that has led to Sutton's recent success has been his skyrocketing catch rate. In the last three games, 70 percent of his targets have turned into receptions. In the seven weeks prior, that number was 46 percent. Sutton will continue to be a high-volume receiver; as long as Nix can deliver accurate passes, he'll succeed in fantasy. He also has a real chance to reach his ceiling against the Falcons, who rank bottom-10 in EPA per dropback and yards per pass play.

TE: Evan Engram, Jaguars at Detroit ($5,900)

Last week was absolutely miserable for the Jaguars' offense. Mac Jones led them to 143 yards of offense, the 4th-worst mark of any team this season. It really wasn't terribly shocking that Brian Flores had Jones in a blender. While it was ugly for the offense overall, we can still hang our hat on a 36-percent target share for Evan Engram. This was the second week in a row where he's accounted for at least 30 percent of the targets in Jacksonville. With Christian Kirk out for the year, 10 targets is within the range of outcomes for Engram every week. At $5,900, we're willing to assume the risk of Jones for a tight end with at least somewhat projectable volume.

FLEX: Ladd McConkey, Chargers vs. Bengals ($6,300)

We're finally getting to the stacking partner for Justin Herbert. It's none other than rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey. The former Georgia Bulldog has already established himself as Justin Herbert's No. 1 target, leading the team in target rate and air yards share. As previously mentioned, the Bengals' secondary has struggled throughout the year and has been particularly susceptible to explosive plays. As long as Joe Burrow can keep his foot on the gas and force the Chargers to throw, McConkey could be in line for 6-8 targets and rip off a big play against a bottom-tier defense.

D/ST: Cleveland Browns, at Saints ($4,100)

The Cleveland defense is the last piece that is carrying over from the DK lineup. MVS pulled a rabbit out of his hat last week, but it's easy to see through the smoke and understand what this offense really is: a unit devoid of talent and legitimate weapons. They will struggle to get anything going this week.