Week 11 of the 2025 fantasy football season featured Josh Allen eclipsing the 40-point mark, but also disappointing efforts by some of the league’s best fantasy options including Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
Who were the big winners and losers?
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analyses.
Jump to a topic:
Ranking winners | Ranking losers
Biggest injuries and what’s next
Ranking fantasy winners of Week 11
1. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills: He was missing one of his top receivers (Keon Coleman, coach’s decision), threw an ugly first-quarter interception in a desperate attempt to avoid a safety and seemed out of rhythm with those who did play in the game’s early stages, but Allen delivered the goods for fantasy managers nevertheless. He passed for three touchdowns and ran for three others, meaning he now owns both games in NFL history in which a player has done that (also Week 14 of 2024), and he scored 42.68 fantasy points, becoming the first quarterback to ever to score 40-plus in three different games. With the performance, Allen took over the positional fantasy scoring lead for the season (247.34), while his per-game average (24.7) is only two-hundredths of a point beneath his single-season best set in 2020. He continues to prove himself to be the most dynamic quarterback talent in the league, with a pair of dream matchups coming up on his schedule (@PIT, CIN in Weeks 13-14). For Week 12, Allen’s matchup is a tougher one (@HOU), but he’s capable of rising above it and delivering a top-five positional score. — Cockcroft
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers: He and Jonathan Taylor are now ping-ponging the seasonal fantasy points lead, as McCaffrey’s 35.1 points gave him 283.9 for the season, exactly 10 more than second-place Taylor. McCaffrey has done it with an additional game — the big drawback with him in fantasy is that he has a dreaded Week 14 bye — but he has scored 30-plus in three of his past five games in what has been a stunning, bounce-back year. Expect more top-shelf numbers from him in Week 12 against his former team, the Carolina Panthers. — Cockcroft
3. Sean Tucker, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: He scored 34.0 fantasy points and was the star during the middle phases of what was ultimately a 44-32 loss to the Buffalo Bills, scoring 43- and 6-yard rushing touchdowns as well as a 28-yard receiving score that, at the time, gave his team a one-point lead with 13:45 to play. Tucker was the ultimate straight-to-your-lineup pickup of the week, one of only three players to see both his roster and start rates in ESPN leagues increase by at least 15% (Woody Marks, Dalton Schultz), and in a curious coincidence, he joins namesake Tre Tucker as the only players this year to score at least 34 points in a game this season despite being started in fewer than 20% of ESPN leagues (16.2% for Sean this week, 0.2% for Tre in Week 3). Though Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) appears likely to return for Week 12, Tucker’s performance should make him the preferred insurance policy moving forward. That said, whichever of them starts in Week 12 has his work cut out for him facing the Los Angeles Rams’ defense. — Cockcroft
4. Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals: With Marvin Harrison Jr. (appendectomy) down for the Week 11 matchup versus the 49ers, Wilson was expected to play a larger role in the pass game. But I didn’t see Wilson posting a career-high 33.5 points. In a game where the Cards had to chase points, Wilson caught 15 of 18 targets for 185 yards. Big time numbers. And with no timeline set for the return of Harrison, Wilson is set to be the No.1 boundary target again for quarterback Jacoby Brissett in Week 12 against the Jags. Rostered in just 15.2% of ESPN leagues, Wilson should be a priority waiver pick-up. — Bowen
1:02
Why fantasy managers should trust Tetairoa McMillan
Eric Karabell makes the case for Tetairoa McMillan to be a top-20 fantasy wide receiver.
5. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers: McMillian dropped a career-best 33.0 points on the Falcons defense in Week 11, catching 8 of 12 targets for 130 yards with two touchdown grabs. McMillian, who hadn’t found the end zone since Week 6, caught both of his touchdowns versus the Falcons on red zone throws from quarterback Bryce Young. With his frame, and developing route-running traits, the arrow is pointing up on McMillian, who gets the 49ers’ defense next in Week 12. He’ll be a WR2 for me in the ranks. — Bowen
6. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots: Henderson had a career-best 32.3 points in the Thursday night win over the Steelers, finishing with 93 total yards and three touchdowns. With Rhamondre Stevenson still down (toe), Henderson had 19 carries and saw an uptick in receiving usage, catching five passes for 31 yards. Henderson now has two straight games with 28 or more points and at least two touchdowns, plus he continues to showcase his playmaking ability. The eventual return of Stevenson could impact Henderson’s ceiling in the New England backfield rotation. We get that. But if Stevenson remains out in Week 12, Henderson will be in the RB1 mix for the matchup versus the subpar Bengals defense. — Bowen
7. Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals: Jacoby Brissett’s installation as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback has paid big dividends for their receivers, none as great as McBride. The tight end has scored at least 21 fantasy points in four of Brissett’s five starts, and while his 27.5 points in Week 12 were helped by Brissett’s record-setting 47 completions, it’s still worth pointing out that McBride has a stunning 28.2% target share working with his new quarterback. McBride is the No. 1 tight end in fantasy, and he has great matchups the next two weeks (JAX, @TB). — Cockcroft
8. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans: Collins’ 24.2 points in the Week 11 win over the Titans was a season-high, as he caught 9 of 10 targets from backup quarterback Davis Mills, finishing with 92 yards and a touchdown. Collins has 22 or more points in back-to-back games with Mills under center and has seen at least 10 targets in each of his past four. Collins should remain a locked-in WR1 for the Week 12 matchup versus the Buffalo defense. –Bowen
9. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Etienne’s 19.3 points in the blowout win over the Chargers was his second-highest scoring total of the year. Jacksonville controlled the front in this game too, physically moving defenders off the ball, as Etienne rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Etienne has at least 15 points in each of his past three games, with at least one rushing score in two. He’ll remain a quality RB2 for the Week 12 road matchup in Arizona. — Bowen
10. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers: With Brock Purdy back under center for the 49ers, Kittle scored 24.7 points in the Week 11 win over the Cardinals. Kittle caught all six of his targets for 67 yards, adding two touchdown receptions. Kittle has now posted back-to-back games with 23 or more points and at least one touchdown grab in each. He’s heating up. And Kittle gets a positive Week 12 matchup versus the Carolina defense. –Bowen
11. Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: He had a dominating game catching the football against a bad Cincinnati Bengals defense, hauling in seven passes for 81 yards and two scores to finish with 29.5 fantasy points. Gainwell saw additional work later in the contest after Jaylen Warren left with an injury, and the veteran running back stands to see an expanded role next week if that lingers. Don’t expect Gainwell to be much more than a matchups-oriented flex play otherwise, though he’d qualify as one in a Week 12 that sees four teams on bye as well as the Steelers getting a good matchup in the Chicago Bears. — Cockcroft
Ranking fantasy losers of Week 11
1. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: We expected much more from Chase versus Pittsburgh, right? After scoring a season-high 38.1 points in the Week 7 matchup against the Steelers’ defense, Chase was a nonfactor in Week 11, catching just 3 of 10 targets for 30 yards (6.0 points). Given the Bengals’ high-volume throwing offense (Joe Flacco has attempted 40-plus passes in four of five starts), Chase will stick as a WR1 for the Week 12 matchup versus the Patriots, but he was a disappointment Sunday in Pittsburgh. — Bowen
2. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens: The Cleveland Browns have been his kryptonite over the years — before Sunday, four of his 12 worst single-game fantasy point totals as a starter were while facing them — and they once again kept him in check in Week 12. Jackson’s 4.72 points were his fewest in any NFL start in which he played more than 10 offensive snaps, as he rushed for only 10 yards and was intercepted twice. It’s not an outcome we should expect often, and Jackson’s schedule gets substantially friendlier over the next four weeks (NYJ, CIN, PIT, @CIN), keeping him a top-three positional play for each. — Cockcroft
3. Los Angeles Chargers offense: Justin Herbert’s 3.34 fantasy points — his second-worst performance in 90 career NFL starts (1.84, Week 14 of 2023) — put him front-and-center on this side of the ledger as he was started in 71.3% of ESPN leagues. It was an all-around poor performance by the Chargers’ offense as a whole, however, totaling only six points and 135 yards. Ladd McConkey scored only 4.3 points, Kimani Vidal had 3.2, and Quentin Johnston was shut out on three targets. Left tackle Joe Alt’s season-ending injury has taken the Chargers’ offense significantly backward the past two weeks, though at least the team gets a bye week’s rest to regroup, with the chance that rookie running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) could be ready to return shortly thereafter. The team does get an extremely favorable Week 13 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. — Cockcroft
4. Justin Jefferson, WR; Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings: In a very positive Week 11 matchup versus the Bears defense, both Jefferson and Addison underperformed. Yes, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy must be mentioned here, as his poor footwork led to accuracy issues, plus he made some questionable decisions with the ball. Jefferson caught 5 of 9 targets for 61 yards (11.1 points). No splash plays here. Addison, who had a critical drop on a deep throw, caught just two of seven targets for 20 yards, though a scoring grab boosted his total to 10.0 points. This Vikings pass game lacked rhythm, and McCarthy missed too many throws. Jefferson and Addison will look to bounce back in the Week 12 matchup versus the Packers at Lambeau Field. — Bowen
5. Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears: After back-to-back weeks of 25-plus fantasy points, which earned him a start in 53.3% of ESPN leagues , Williams disappointed in a big way, completing only half his passes and scoring 10.32 points. He continues to struggle with accuracy, at one point overthrowing Rome Odunze on what could’ve been an easy second-quarter touchdown, and Williams’ 20.8% off-target rate entering the week was third worst among qualifiers. He’s going to need to improve in that department to be a matchups consideration, though at least he has the matchup in his favor in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. — Cockcroft
Injury impact
Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
What we know: Jacobs left the game in the first half versus the Giants with a knee injury, and he did not return. Before exiting, Jacobs had seven carries for 40 yards (4.0 points).
What’s next: If Jacobs is out for the Week 12 home game versus the Vikings, Emanuel Wilson will be elevated to the lead role in the Green Bay backfield. In relief of Jacobs on Sunday, Wilson had 49 total yards and a touchdown on 12 touches (13.9 points). Wilson is available in over 90% of ESPN leagues. — Bowen
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
What we know: Rodgers injured his left hand late in the first half versus the Bengals, and he did not return. Rodgers finished with 116 yards passing and a touchdown, while adding 8 yards rushing (9.44 points).
What’s next: Veteran Mason Rudolph replaced Rodgers on Sunday, throwing for 127 yards and a touchdown in the win over Cincinnati. If Rodgers is out for the Week 12 matchup at Chicago, Rudolph will have value in deeper 2QB superflex leagues. — Bowen
Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
What we know: Ridley suffered broken fibula in the first half versus the Texans, and he left the game on the cart.
What’s next: With Ridley out for the season, managers can look to Titans wide receivers Van Jefferson and Elic Ayomanor as potential deeper league streaming options. — Bowen
Michael Penix Jr., WR, Atlanta Falcons
What we know: Penix went down with a knee injury in the second half of the game versus the Panthers, and he was later declared out. Penix completed 81.3% of his throws before the injury, finishing with 175 yards passing and 9 yards rushing.
What’s next: Kirk Cousins replaced Penix in the lineup, and could be in line to start the Week 12 game at New Orleans. Cousins would carry limited fantasy values for that matchup. — Bowen
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
What we know: He suffered an ankle injury on a short throw from Mason Rudolph around the midpoint of the third quarter and was unable to return. Warren had disappointed up to that point, scoring only 8.7 fantasy points.
What’s next: Should Warren need to miss additional time, Kenneth Gainwell, who scored 29.5 points on the day, will again see a substantial role (he played 60% of offensive snaps Sunday). Kaleb Johnson would also see an expanded role on rushing plays, though he hasn’t been utilized enough thus far to trust as much more than a stash in fantasy leagues. — Cockcroft