The New England Patriots will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Patriots skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 11 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Drake Maye, QB
Lamar Jackson (eight straight) and Drake Maye (five, an active streak) are the only QBs this season with a 15+ yard run in four straight starts this season. The athletic profile is a game-changer in this game of ours and gives Maye access to a ceiling that many don’t have, but the passing numbers need to be stable if he’s going to break into the top 15.
After consecutive weeks where he finishes as a starter, Maye has just two touchdown passes (and three interceptions) on 72 attempts, not posting a 30-yard completion over that stretch. Maye’s future (for both the Patriots and fantasy managers alike) is bright, but I don’t think we are there yet in terms of consistency, and that has me ranking him as an option in only Superflex situations.
Antonio Gibson, RB
Antonio Gibson has four straight games with no more than five touches and is exactly the type of player I am talking about when I say “trimming the fat.” Gibson works his way onto the field and is the RB2 on this depth chart, but I want players with a reasonable path to a ceiling on my bench; I’m not sold on that being the case here.
Rhamondre Stevenson is averaging a career-low 3.8 yards per carry and has gone a month without a 15-yard touch. I’m not positive that the lead role in this backfield is locked into lineups at this point, making the backup role a risk not worth taking in this below-average offense.
Patriots’ offensive rankings, 2024:
- 27th in red-zone efficiency
- 28th in three-and-out rate
- 29th in average drive distance
- 30th in points per drive
Lineup spots are too valuable to roster Gibson in 2024.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB
Rhamondre Stevenson produced 47% under expectations against the Bears last week, his worst effort since Week 3 against the Jets. He does have five RB1 finishes this season, but his other games have been on the fringe of usability, and that makes him a volatile option that is better Flexed than anything else.
Over his past four games, Stevenson has run 57 times for 156 yards (2.7 yards per carry). Over that stretch, he is not one of the 104 players with a run gaining at least 12 yards. This isn’t an offense I want to bet on if at all possible, but the lead role is Stevenson’s without much concern, and that makes him a low-end starter in most spots.
DeMario Douglas, WR
DeMario Douglas is the type of player that I like when it comes to Drake Maye’s development, but I don’t have him ranked as a viable option right now. He’s seen an on-field target share north of 27% in four of his past six games and has seen 81.9% of his targets come in the slot this season.
However, the elevated floor doesn’t come with enough of a ceiling outcome to make Douglas a worthwhile play in anything but the deepest of leagues.
Hunter Henry, TE
Hunter Henry is on the field plenty (over 84% snap share in four straight games) in an offense that has some upside under Drake Maye. That’s a good place to be when evaluating the upside, especially if you believe this team will be playing from behind.
Of course, there are two sides to that coin. In the Week 10 win over the Bears, Henry turned four targets into 2.4 PPR points, a floor that could ruin your week. He is a featured option on the rare occasion that this offense gets inside the 20-yard line, and that’s enough for him to live in the streaming tier of my ranks.
However, I’m never going to sell you on Henry as a strong play, and I prefer Pat Freiermuth if you’re looking for a need-a-TD-to-be-worth-anything option at the position.
Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots Trends
Los Angeles Rams
Team: Week 11 was when the Rams made their move last season (3-6 through 10 weeks before winning seven of eight to close the season).
QB: Matthew Stafford has now thrown an interception in six straight games, matching the longest streak of his career.
Offense: The Rams have scored more than 20 points in regulation just twice this season and it’s possible those instances came against the top two defenses they’ll face this season (Week 3 vs 49ers and Week 8 vs. Vikings).
Defense: The Rams won the first half in six of seven games to end last regular season but have won just two of nine first halves this season.
Fantasy: Puka Nacua has seen at least seven targets in 18 of his 21 career games, matching the most by any player in the 2000’s for such games through 21 career contests (tied with Anquan Boldin and Allen Robinson).
Betting: The Rams are 7-1 ATS (87.5%) in their past eight road games played on short rest.
New England Patriots
Team: There were 62 points scored in their Week 6 loss against the Texans. In Week 7, New England saw a total of 48 points scored, followed by 47 in Week 8, 37 in Week 9, and a whopping 22 on Sunday in Chicago.
QB: Drake Maye averages 2.1 more yards per pass attempt against man coverage than zone, the third-highest difference in the league (Sam Darnold and Jalen Hurts).
Offense: New England allows pressure when not blitzed at the second-highest rate in the NFL (38.1%, league average: 31.8%).
Defense: The Patriots tied their franchise record with nine sacks on Sunday vs. the Chicago Bears. Seven of those came when New England blitzed, the most sacks by any team when blitzing in a game since 2018.
Fantasy: Lamar Jackson (eight straight) and Drake Maye (five, active streak) are the only QBs this season with a 15-plus yard run in four straight starts this season.
Betting: The Patriots covered their last home game (Week 8 against the Jets), and that’s lovely, but don’t forget that they hadn’t covered a home game in the 369 days prior.
