Welcome to the Week 11 NFL Fantasy and Betting Cheat Sheet, a one-stop shop for The Athletics‘s game previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often as we provide regular updates to help you with fantasy lineups and betting decisions.

The player rankings referenced in this article are current as of 8:00 AM ET on November 17. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy Football Player Rankings” section.

The latest NFL news and headlines

Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, November 17

Injury news
Week 11 flex flyers | Fantasy Football Player Rankings
Recommended games | Next week’s waiver thread

Injury news

Updated through November 17 ET, November 17

Sunday night football

Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals (quadriceps) — Active
Higgins has only played five games this year and hasn’t seen the field since Week 8, but he’s officially active this week. Joe Burrow is putting up MVP numbers this year and Higgins was averaging 5.8 receptions, 68.2 receiving yards and 16.22 PPR points per game before his injury, so Higgins is a great WR2/flex option.

Monday night football

Nico Collins, WR, Texans (hamstring) — Expect to play
According to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com, Collins is practicing this week with the expectation of playing against Dallas on Monday Night Football. Collins, when healthy, is a fantasy starter every week, and with Stefon Diggs out, Tank Dell is a viable flex option every week.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys (back) — Doubtful
Lamb was added to the injury report on Saturday and is now questionable for Week 11. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that head coach Mike McCarthy said Lamb’s status for Monday is “not of major concern.” Prescott is on IR and underwent surgery for a partial avulsion of his right hamstring, according to the Dallas Morning News. With Cooper Rush or Trey Lance under center, Dallas receivers outside of Lamb are very difficult to trust, although newly acquired Jonathan Mingo has been impressive in practice.

Jake Ciely’s Week 11 fantasy football player rankings

Discover Jake’s best QB, RB, WR and TE of the week!

• Unfortunately, there is still no perfect widget. I know many are viewing this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open it in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try two-finger scrolling).
• ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which is not consistently updated by everyone, so take it with a grain of salt).
• Updated regularly, so check to see if the lineups are locking.

Get Ciely’s full analysis of Week 11. Plus sleepers and projections.

Featured games

Game-specific previews and live updates will be available on the day of the game.

Sunday evening

Cincinnati Bengals (4-6) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)

• Location: SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, California.
• Time: 8:20 PM ET
• TV: NBC, Peacock
• Streaming: Fubo (free trial)

The odds are tight, but the Chargers are narrowly favored at home when they host the Bengals in Week 11. Jim Harbaugh has given the Chargers life in his first season as head coach, building an internet-viral connection with Justin Herbert. While Harbaugh relies on and favors the run, Herbert averaged 31.8 pass attempts in Weeks 4-9, compared to 20.5 in Weeks 1-3. His passer rating is 103.2, and his yards per attempt jumped from 5.5 in Week 1 to 10.4 in Week 9 and 9.1 in Week 10.

Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston are the top two receivers in Los Angeles, averaging 12.24 and 11.60 fantasy points, respectively. McConkey is a good flex player, averaging 4.11 receptions on six targets per game, and in Week 8 he had a 29.1 PPR day, so the ceiling is there. When Johnston returned from injury in Week 9, he had over 100 receiving yards, but only 24 in Week 10. Johnston is a boom-or-bust player, while McConkey offers more consistency.

JK Dobbins, an early waiver wire stud, will now have to compete with Gus Edwards for touches following Edwards’ return from injury. In Week 10, Dobbins had 15 carries to Edwards’ 10, but Edwards was the more efficient runner with 5.5 yards per carry while Dobbins had just 3.3 yards per rush. Both RBs can be flexible plays in a pinch, but Dobbins’ value suffers under Edwards’ back.

The Bengals are also loaded with talent, and their record does not represent their ability to win. QB Joe Burrow has been excellent this season, throwing for the most yards in the league (2,672) with a league lead (tied at three) with 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also has the second-highest passer rating (108.1), behind only Lamar Jackson’s MVP running back rating of 123.2. As seen in Week 10, when Ja’Marr Chase finished with 55.4 PPR points, Burrow and Chase have good chemistry with a capital “C.”

Read the full preview.

Monday evening

Houston Texans (6-4) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-6)

• Location: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
• Time: 8:15 PM ET
• TV: ESPN, ABC
• Streaming: Fubo (free trial)

CJ Stroud has struggled since Nico Collins was injured, but Houston’s game against Dallas is the perfect opportunity for the Texans to get their rhythm back. Houston and Stroud are heavy favorites and should easily beat the ailing Cowboys, especially with Collins expected to return in Week 11.

Without Collins, Stroud hasn’t surpassed 13 fantasy points in any game and had a 5.3-point performance in Week 7. Before losing Collins, Stroud was averaging 16.8 points per game. Dallas is absolutely flailing right now, surrendering 362.9 yards per game, including 152.1 rushing (31st). The Cowboys also rank last in net yards per opponent pass attempt, giving Stroud a chance for redemption and to rebuild confidence in Week 11.

While Tank Dell has seen a lot of targets (26) in the absence of Collins (and, in the last two weeks, Stefon Diggs), he is not a WR1 and could benefit from a defensive focus on Collins. Dell’s sweet spot could come with Collins in (diverting coverage) and Diggs out (giving up air yards and targets in the red zone). As always, Joe Mixon is a weekly fantasy RB1 and this week Ciely’s RB2.

It’s hard to generate excitement for Dallas in this movie. The only viable fantasy starters on this team are Rico Dowdle (Ciely’s RB28) and CeeDee Lamb (WR30 – 30!) when he plays, with Cooper Rush under center. In Dak Prescott’s absence, Dowdle had 8.6 PPR points, Lamb had 8.4 and kicker Brandon Aubrey was third on the team with 7.0. What more is there to say? Literally, nothing.

Read the full preview (next Monday).

Flex kites

Scott Engel’s weekly guide to last-minute free agent additions.

Gus Edwards, RB. LAC (48 percent): Keep an eye on the status of Edwards’ ankle injury, but he’s back in action and could see some goals on the goal line. Cincinnati has allowed nine rushing TDs to opposing RBs, which rank 25th in the NFL, and Los Angeles could lean on its RBs to control the clock against the Bengals.

– Angel

Discover all of Engel’s recommendations for week 11.

Next week’s waiver thread

John Laghezza uses a patented, data-driven, formulaic approach leading the way next week’s exemptions.

Suboptimal RB options are the new norm when you smell the first waiver run this year. That said, it’s par for the course at this stage of the season when it’s more about identifying the ‘next men’. With RB commissions as the new standard, you’ll struggle to find immediate production.

If I had to pick my favorite payout combination for now versus later, with a roster spot of just 25 percent, I’d go back to the well (again) to stash Bills backup Ray Davis. I still think Buffalo’s rookie fourth-round pick out of Kentucky is the best case for a stash: a self-contained fantasy floor with a league lead in the event of a serious injury to James Cook.

For managers with immediate needs who were left empty-handed with their starting RB, check the availability of Tennessee backup Tyjae Spears. At just 40 percent on Yahoo, Spears returned from injury to handle 43 percent of the Titans’ RB opportunities. He is adept as a pass catcher and could see a bigger role in negative play scripts as a perennial underdog.

— Laghezza

Read all of Laghezza’s recommendations.

(Photo by Tee Higgins: Matt Kelley/Getty Images)