Well we’re in week 11 now, which means that your next few matchups could be the difference in your FF team making the playoffs or not. And though I’m not an expert, or all that knowledgeable, about fantasy football, I would like to gloat for a moment. One of my teams has a remarkable, astounding, league-leading 8-2 record. My other team is underachieving at 5-5, but that’s still respectable.

Well lets get into the stats and opinions and have a quick fantasy football update for week 11 (don’t worry, I don’t play using the same strategy that the Philadelphia Eagles used in the offseason. Too soon?).

(All information gathered from espn.com and nfl.com, but not necessarily in that order)

Teams that have a bye this week:

-Houston Texans

-Indianapolis Colts

-New Orleans Saints

-Pittsburgh Steelers

(Make sure you remember to substitute for players who have a bye. I’ve made this mistake a few times myself. Usually it’s an awesome thing to be like me, but not in this case)

Key Injuries:

Below I’ve noted some key injuries that I noticed coming across the wires this week. If I missed any feel free to let me know. We’re all in this together, unless you happen to be an opponent of mine.

-Matt Cassel (QB, Kansas City Chiefs): Out against the Patriots

-Matt Schaub (QB, Houston Texans): More than likely done for the year

-Michael Vick (QB, Philadelphia Eagles): Did not practice Thursday

-Knowshon Moreno (RB, Denver Broncos): Done for the year

-Jeremy Maclin (WR, Philadelphia Eagles): Did not practice Thursday

What position do I expect to have a good week?

Tight end. At the top you have Witten, Gronkowski, and Hernandez. But I expect a lot of production this week, mainly because of mismatches with opposing linebacking corps. This week you could see a few extra points in this slot (pending on who you have of course). Not only that, but I expect more dinking and dunking this week. I also like Greg Olsen and Jermichael Finley this week.

What defenses do I feel bad for?

-Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Green Bay Packers)

-Washington Redskins (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

-Arizona Cardinals (vs. San Francisco 49ers)

-San Diego Chargers (vs. Chicago Bears)

-Kansas City Chiefs (vs. New England Patriots)

Top 3 Weekly Projections by Position (from nfl.com) and what I disagree with:

Disclaimer: If I am wrong, and you for some reason changed your lineup, it happens. I mean, get over it. No, I mean, I apologize. Really, I do.

Quarterbacks

-Aaron Rodgers (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

-Tom Brady (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)

-Cam Newton (vs. Detroit Lions) – moderately disagree

Running Backs

-Frank Gore (vs. Arizona Cardinals) – watch for injury

-Ray Rice (vs. Cincinnati Bengals) – strongly disagree

-Lesean McCoy (vs. New York Giants) – moderately disagree

Wide Receivers

-Calvin Johnson (vs. Carolina Panthers)

-Steve Smith (vs. Detroit Panthers)

-Greg Jennings (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Defenses

-San Francisco 49ers (vs. Arizona Cardinals)

-Detroit Lions (vs. Carolina Panthers) – watch for the points they allow

-Green Bay Packers (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

* * *

EJ is a contributor to Roaring Black & Teal. Make sure to follow him on Twitter. These are just things he has noticed about Fantasy Football in Week 11. If you want something more added feel free to comment. Thanks for reading.

Jacksonville Jaguars

VS

Carolina Panthers

September 25th @ 1:00pm

Bank of America Stadium

Sunday will be the day most Jags fans have been anticipating since April. The Jaguars first round draft pick, Blaine Gabbert, will take the field for his debut NFL career start. NFL fans across the nation will be watching to see which of the rookie quarterbacks will take home the “W” for their team. At Missouri, Blaine Gabbert has an 18-8 record as the starting QB, with 6,822 yards & 40 TDs.  Cam Newton has had successful start in Carolina after being the #1 overall draft pick in April. In his first two games Newton is 52 for 83 with 3 touchdowns & four interceptions. However the Panthers are still (0-2). The Jaguars have no lost back to back road games to start the season since 2006.

This will be the 5^th meeting between the Panthers & Jaguars, with Jacksonville taking the win in their last meeting. Only 9 players remain on the Jaguars roster since the last meeting during the 2007 season. Head coach Jack Del Rio spent the 2002 season with the Panthers as the defensive coordinator before taking the head coaching job in Jacksonville. The Panthers QB coach, Mike Shula, spent the 2007-2010 season in Jacksonville at the same position.

Since this is Gabbert’s first NFL start, running back Maurice Jones Drew plans to be the main target for the Jaguars offense on Sunday. In MJD’s last five road games, he has averaged 113.6 yards. Jones Drew has been unsuccessful in scoring a rushing touchdown on the road since the 2009 season versus the New York Jets. He hopes to turn that around in week 3 versus the Panthers rush defense that tends to suffer against top NFL running backs.  

MJD is not the only player looking to have a big game on Sunday; Rashean Mathis recorded 20 of his 30 career interceptions while on the road.  The Jaguars defense is currently ranked 5^th in the NFL & they have only allowed 287.5 total yards per game this season. The Jaguars have allowed 3.2 yards on 45 carries in the first two games.

With all the hype surrounding Cam Newton, it seems other Carolina players have been put on the back burner. WR Steve Smith has recorded 334 receiving yards, 45 catches for 686 yards with 5 TDs in his past eight home games versus an AFC opponent. Carolina RB Jonathan Stewart has 124.8 rushing yards in his last five home games.

I’m anticipating Sunday’s game just to see a new era in Jaguars football. In an interview this week Blaine Gabbert was questioned about how he feels about starting in Sunday’s game.

“I’m just focused on winning,” he said. “I’m excited, I’m anxious to go out there & start my first NFL game. Not many 21 year olds can say they have done that. I’m ready to go.”

Now that’s the winning attitude I want to hear! All the studying the playbook on his iPad while sitting in the La-Z-Boy is about the pay off for Gabbert.