The Washington Commanders will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Austin Ekeler.
Is Austin Ekeler Playing in Week 11?
Ekeler is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play on Thursday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Commanders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Austin Ekeler in Week 11?
Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) has missed consecutive games, and that has allowed Austin Ekeler to see an uptick in usage. But true to his word this preseason, it’s clear that he has no interest in taking over a bellcow role, even when injuries open up the door for that.
In those two games, Ekeler has been on the field for 58% of his snaps and rushed for a total of 86 yards (3.6 yards per carry). None of that stands out, but with three rushing scores, the impact of playing the lead role in a strong offense is clear.
For the season, Ekeler has produced 20.7% over expectations. It’s clear that he has more gas in the tank than we gave him credit for in drafts this summer, but I’m still going to have a hard time giving him a Flex grade any time Robinson is active.
You’re rostering him with the understanding that he’s never going to be highly ranked but that you can play him in a pinch and avoid the zero floor that home run-hitting receivers come with. Should Robinson miss another game, we are looking at an RB2; if not, he ranks in the low 30s at the position this week.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 11 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Austin Ekeler’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 11
As of Thursday, Ekeler is projected to score 12.1 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 7.8 rushing attempts for 33.8 yards and 0.4 touchdowns. It also includes 3 receptions for 25.7 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Eagles’ Defense
We have not talked much about the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense, but it has been somewhat quietly excellent this season. In Week 10, they were ranked as the best defense in the league by Defense+, marking their fourth top-10 finish in the last five weeks and their third inside the top two in that span.
The Eagles’ numbers are solid across the board, but there are some red flags. In games with Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and Cincinnati, they have ranked in the bottom half for those weeks. Those are the best offenses they have faced this year, while they have dominated against the New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Dallas Cowboys.
This week’s match against the Washington Commanders will be a huge test for this defense. Based on the trends we have seen this season, it would not be a surprise to see them rank in the bottom half of teams in Week 11.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Austin Ekeler’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 6:00 AM ET on Thursday, January 2. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 RB PPR Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. CAR)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. CLE)
4) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. JAX)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. CHI)
6) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. NO)
7) Chase Brown | CIN (at PIT)
8) Aaron Jones | MIN (at DET)
9) De'Von Achane | MIA (at NYJ)
10) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at LAR)
11) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. SEA)
12) Tyjae Spears | TEN (vs. HOU)
13) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
14) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. MIA)
15) Ray Davis | BUF (at NE)
16) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at GB)
17) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. WAS)
18) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. CIN)
19) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at LV)
20) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at ARI)
21) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. KC)
22) Joe Mixon | HOU (at TEN)
23) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at PHI)
24) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. SEA)
25) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. NYG)
26) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at IND)
27) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. CIN)
28) Ameer Abdullah | LV (vs. LAC)
29) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at IND)
30) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. BUF)
31) Michael Carter | ARI (vs. SF)
32) Rachaad White | TB (vs. NO)
33) Miles Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
34) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (at BAL)
35) Jerome Ford | CLE (at BAL)
36) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at LV)
37) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. CAR)
38) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. KC)
39) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. KC)
40) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. BUF)
41) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. CLE)
42) Trey Benson | ARI (vs. SF)
43) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at ATL)
44) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. NYG)
45) Ty Johnson | BUF (at NE)
46) Alexander Mattison | LV (vs. LAC)
47) Cam Akers | MIN (at DET)
48) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at DEN)
49) Devin Singletary | NYG (at PHI)
50) Kareem Hunt | KC (at DEN)
51) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at NYJ)
52) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at GB)
53) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. CIN)
54) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at LAR)
55) Kendre Miller | NO (at TB)
56) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at DAL)
57) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. MIN)
58) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. MIA)
59) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (at ARI)
60) Samaje Perine | KC (at DEN)
61) Jamaal Williams | NO (at TB)
62) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. NO)
63) Julius Chestnut | TEN (vs. HOU)
64) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (vs. MIA)
65) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. CHI)
66) Mike Boone | CAR (at ATL)
67) Tony Pollard | TEN (vs. HOU)
68) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. CHI)
69) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | NO (at TB)
70) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (vs. SF)
71) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at BAL)
72) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
73) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at TEN)
74) Khalil Herbert | CIN (at PIT)
75) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. JAX)
76) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. CLE)
77) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at LV)
78) Carson Steele | KC (at DEN)
79) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at ARI)
80) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at TEN)
81) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at NYJ)
82) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. MIN)
83) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. WAS)
84) Tyler Goodson | IND (vs. JAX)
85) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (at ARI)
86) Alec Ingold | MIA (at NYJ)
87) C.J. Ham | MIN (at DET)
88) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. KC)
89) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA (at NYJ)
90) D'Ernest Johnson | JAX (at IND)
91) Eric Gray | NYG (at PHI)
92) Jermar Jefferson | DET (vs. MIN)
93) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. CLE)
94) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at PHI)
95) Ty Chandler | MIN (at DET)
96) Israel Abanikanda | SF (at ARI)
97) Adam Prentice | NO (at TB)
98) Dylan Laube | LV (vs. LAC)
99) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. BUF)
100) George Holani | SEA (at LAR)
101) James Conner | ARI (vs. SF)
102) James Cook | BUF (at NE)
Trends and Insights: Commanders vs. Eagles
Washington Commanders
Team: Washington has seen three straight games decided by five or fewer points (just two of their first seven games were decided by five or fewer points).
QB: Jayden Daniels ranks sixth in the league in terms of pressure rating when pressured (for reference, Caleb Williams ranks 26th and Bo Nix 28th).
Offense: The Commanders’ 45.8% of drives reach the red zone, the highest rate in the league and more than 10 percentage points ahead of the Eagles (35.7%).
Defense: Washington owns the third-highest pressure rate when not blitzing (38.2%) through 10 weeks.
Fantasy: Terry McLaurin has cleared 95 receiving yards or scored multiple touchdowns in eight straight games.
Betting: Four straight short rest spots involving the Commanders have come in over the total (this season: 42-14 win in Arizona with a 48.5-point over/under).
Philadelphia Eagles
Team: The Eagles are riding their third win streak of at least five games since the beginning of last season (they, of course, dropped five of six games to close last regular season).
QB: Jalen Hurts has seen his average depth of throw increase in each of the past three weeks (Week 10 at Dallas: season-high 10.9 yards).
Offense: Philadelphia ranks sixth in yards per completion this season (they ranked 15th a season ago).
Defense: Through 10 weeks this season, only the Bears and Chargers have a better red zone defense than the Eagles.
Fantasy: On Sunday, for the third time in four games, Hurts ran for multiple scores while completing 70% of his passes. He’s normalized something that is a unique occurrence for all other human beings.
Consider this: the rest of the NFL has three such games this season.
Betting: Six straight Eagle home games played on short rest have gone over the total (average over margin: 18.2 PPG).