A new week of fantasy football is upon us, and Freedman is here with his best running backs for Fantasy Football Week 11:

It's Week 11.

Just four weeks left in the typical fantasy regular season.

Are you 0-10? So what?! There's still time for you to go on a run so that you don't finish with the worst record in your league. You still have the opportunity to lose with dignity.

Are you 5-5? Great. With just four more wins, you'll almost certainly make the fantasy playoffs.

Are you 10-0. Perfect … but stay humble. Stay focused. Don't let up. In many leagues, you still have time to swing an opportunistic trade with a desperate team that can make your squad better.

Four weeks left.

Let's make the most of them.

As of Tuesday evening, here's an early look at my (preliminary) favorite Week 10 fantasy plays—the guys who (in some combination) …

  • Might be high in my fantasy rankings relative to the industry consensus.
  • Need to be started in most season-long leagues.
  • Must be added if they are on waivers.
  • Possess underappreciated upside.
  • Have advantageous matchups.
  • Should be considered in daily fantasy.
  • Make for desirable dynasty acquisition targets.
  • Are on teams with player-friendly betting odds.
  • Stand out in our Fantasy Life Player Prop Tool.

Some customary notes.

Updates: After I submit this piece, any changing opinions I have will be reflected in my rankings and NFL player projections (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription), which I will update throughout the week.

Scoring & Ordering: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated. Players are ordered within position roughly (but probably not precisely) according to my rankings.

Abbreviations: Check out the end of the piece for abbreviations I might use.

Bye Week: This week, the Cardinals, Buccaneers, Giants, and Panthers are on bye.

Sports Betting Data: Odds are as of 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 11, and based on the consensus lines in our Fantasy Life Odds Page.

Freedman's Favorites: Although we publish this piece as four separate articles broken out by position, I think of it as one cohesive whole and write it as such. With that in mind, please be sure to check out the rest of my favorite Week 11 fantasy football plays in the other positional previews.

Best RBs for Fantasy Football Week 11

De'Von Achane (Dolphins) vs. Raiders

  • Dolphins: -7.5
  • O/U: 44
  • TT: 25.75

The situation and matchup are ideal for De'Von Achane: The Dolphins are big home favorites, and the Raiders are traveling West to East three time zones for an early game. Additionally, the Raiders are No. 29 in defensive rush DVOA (3.9%) and without DT Christian Wilkins (foot, IR).

With QB Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins have outperformed at home, going 18-11 ATS (18.6% ROI) and 21-8 ML (18.6% ROI).

In his five games this year with Tagovailoa, Achane has looked like the league's best back.

  • Week 1: 100 yards, 1 TD | 10 carries, 7 targets
  • Week 2: 165 yards, 1 TD | 22 carries, 7 targets
  • Week 8: 147 yards, 1 TD | 10 carries, 8 targets
  • Week 9: 121 yards, 2 TDs | 12 carries, 8 targets
  • Week 10: 52 yards, 0 TDs | 12 carries, 5 targets

Well, in four of his games with Tagovailoa, Achane has looked like the league's best back … and then there was the recent letdown on Monday Night Football, which I'm inclined to view as the outlier.

In Week 10, one of my favorite bets was Achane anytime TD. Naturally, it didn't hit. Even so, I'm likely to be on his TD prop again this week whenever the sportsbooks post his odds.

Achane has a TD in four of five games this year with Tagoavailoa, and I have him projected for 0.80 TDs this week and -210.8 odds to score, which comes out to a 67.8% implied probability (per our Fantasy Life Odds Calculator). Few RBs are likelier than Achane to find the end zone.

Use our Fantasy Life Prop Finder to find the best odds available for almost any player-focused bet, and subscribe to our free Betting Life Newsletter for daily guidance, best bets, and more.

Joe Mixon (Texans) vs. Cowboys

  • Texans: -7.5
  • O/U: 42.5
  • TT: 25

Let's remove the Week 2 game Joe Mixon exited early with an ankle injury. In his six remaining games, he has 764 yards and eight TDs on 142 carries and 19 targets. 

If we remove the Week 6 game in which he returned from injury and was eased back into action (42% snap rate), we have five remaining games in which Mixon has participated in over half the offensive plays. In these games, Mixon has had 24, 28, 29, 31, and 33 opportunities.

Even with the expected return of No. 1 WR Nico Collins (hamstring), the Texans still figure to funnel the offense through the backfield as heavy road favorites, so Mixon should be in line for another outsized workload, especially if No. 2 RB Dameon Pierce (groin) misses yet another game.

The Cowboys are No. 32 in defensive rush EPA (0.078) and could be without LB DeMarvion Overshown (knee), who exited last week early.

Audric Estime (Broncos) vs. Falcons

  • Broncos: -2.5
  • O/U: 44
  • TT: 23.25

Last week was the best one yet of Audric Estime's young career, as the 21-year-old rookie hit personal highs with a 45% snap rate, 64% carry share, and 21% route rate (per our industry-leading Fantasy Life Utilization Report). He leveraged this usage into only 53 scoreless yards, but all indications are that he's now the backfield leader as the team's primary early-down and short-yardage between-the-tackles grinder.

When the Broncos fall behind, Estime is at risk of being scripted out of the offense. For the season, he has zero targets on 11 routes. 

But this week the Broncos as home favorites should have enough neutral and leading game scripts to provide Estime with a reasonable chance to have double-digit opportunities for the second week in a row.

The Falcons are No. 28 in defensive rush SR (45.2%), EDGE Lorenzo Carter (concussion, IR) and DT Ruke Orhorhoro (ankle, IR) are out, and DT Ta'Quon Graham (pectoral) might miss Week 11.

Where available, Estime should be a waiver priority.

The Checkdown

Alvin Kamara (Saints -1.5, TT: 23) vs. Browns: Kamara ranks No. 1 in our Fantasy Life Utilization Score (9.5), and he could enjoy unrivaled usage without RBs Kendre Miller (hamstring, IR) and Jamaal Williams (groin) and WRs Chris Olave (concussion), Rashid Shaheed (knee, IR), Bub Means (ankle, IR), and Cedrick Wilson (shoulder). Since QB Derek Carr returned in Week 9 from his oblique injury to stabilize the offense, Kamara has 324 yards on 46 carries and 15 targets in two games, and those numbers would look even better if not for a dropped 56-yard TD catch last week. (Sheesh.) For the Browns, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck, IR) is out and LB Jordan Hicks (elbow, triceps) has played only 32 snaps (in Week 7) since exiting Week 4 early.

Kareem Hunt (Chiefs +2.5, TT: 21.5) at Bills: No. 1 RB Isiah Pacheco (leg) is "very close" to returning, but I doubt we see him in Week 11 given that he's yet to practice. Since establishing himself as the starter in Week 5, Hunt has 480 yards and five TDs on 111 carries and 15 targets in five games, and he has an NFL-high 13 goal-line carries. With QB Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are 10-0-1 ATS (87.9% ROI) and 9-2 ML (104% ROI) as road underdogs. The Bills are No. 2 in most fantasy points allowed to RBs (25.2) and largest fantasy boost allowed to RBs (+5.0) and without LBs Matt Milano (biceps, IR) and Baylon Spector (calf, IR).

James Cook (Bills -2.5, TT: 24) vs. Chiefs: In two games against the Chiefs last year, Cook had 223 yards and a TD on 28 carries and 10 targets, and he has produced as a home favorite since becoming the lead back last season (1,324 yards, six TDs in 14 games). He could see a heavier-than-usual workload if WRs Amari Cooper (wrist) and Keon Coleman (wrist) and TE Dalton Kincaid (knee) are out.

David Montgomery (Lions -12.5, TT: 29.75) vs. Jaguars: Last year, Montgomery scored 15 TDs in 17 games (including playoffs). This year, he has nine in nine (including a passing TD). If I were a betting man (and I am), I'd be inclined to wager that Montgomery scores against the Jaguars, who are No. 3 in largest fantasy boost allowed to RBs (+4.2).

Austin Ekeler (Commanders +3.5, TT: 22.5) at Eagles: No. 1 RB Brian Robinson (hamstring) last played in Week 8, and he seemed to regress last week by not practicing on Friday after practicing limitedly on Wednesday and Thursday. In his three Commanders starts without Robinson, Ekeler has 202 yards and three TDs with 14-plus opportunities in each game.

Abbreviations

  • Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
  • Against the Spread (ATS)
  • Over/Under (O/U)
  • Team Total (TT)
  • Moneyline (ML)
  • Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
  • Expected Points Added (EPA)
  • Success Rate (SR)
  • Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
  • Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
  • AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
  • Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
  • Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
  • Short Down and Distance (SDD)
  • Long Down and Distance (LDD)