2023 Fantasy Football Week 11 Hot Takes: Zach Charbonnet is a League Winner
Another absolutely WILD Sunday of NFL football is in the books. I mean, a double digit underdog won a matchup in the New York Giants. A slumping Trevor Lawrence put up a heroic performance. A third string tight end named Stone Smart scored a 51 yard touchdown. What more can you ask for? Oh wait, the best matchup of the week is still set for tonight with a Super Bowl rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs! Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways for Sunday while we get fired up for that.
Week 11 Hot Takes
Zach Charbonnet Is a League Winner
The exciting rookie was already carving himself out a role in the pass game - a role that he wasn’t giving back. Now it sounds like Kenneth Walker has suffered what was described by Pete Carrol as a “legit injury” to his oblique. Charbonnett took over the full job from that point with 15 carries for 47 but where he really impressed was catching six of six passes. The vast majority of fantasy leagues these days are some sort of PPR format and a pass catching back that takes over the full job is the EXACT kind of player that wins those leagues down the stretch. We were already stashing him where we could but he should be on zero waiver wires after Tuesday.
The Denver Broncos Are A Playoff Team
And I don’t mean this metaphorically as in “they are a playoff caliber club”. I mean they are making the playoffs. Even though they are currently .500 at 5-5. Over the last few weeks Sean Payton has completely turned this squad around and it looks nothing like the team that let up 70 points to the Broncos. We thought maybe it was a fluke when they beat the Chiefs but they have now won four straight including a road win against the Bills and knocking off the Vikings yesterday. Let’s assume the current division leaders win (Dolphins, Chiefs, Ravens, Jaguars). The Bills should make it. That leaves the Broncos to battle the Browns (7-3), Bengals (5-5), and Colts (5-5) who all lost their starting quarterbacks, the Steelers (6-4) who no one believes in, the Texans (6-4) who are admittedly hot, and the two other teams from their own division (Raiders at 5-6 and Chargers at 4-6). If it were up to me, I’d put the Bills, Texans, and Broncos in the tournament as the most fun wildcard options.
Daniel Jones Is Done With The New York Giants
Tommy DeVito is not the answer in New York. But yesterday he was able to do something that Daniel Jones wasn’t able to over the last three seasons. And it’s not even that big of deal, honestly. He threw three touchdown passes. Daniel Jones had his best season as a rookie but since then he’s played in 49 games and thrown only 40 touchdown passes. That’s 0.82 per game.Tommy DeVito has rolled out of his bed at his parent's house and done that in four games. In fact, He’s thrown six touchdown passes in those games and they just beat a division opponent in the Washington Commanders. Teams like the Eagles and Chiefs were solid but did not realize they were an elite QB away from competing for the Super Bowl until they switched away from guys like Carson Wentz and Alex Smith to Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes. The Giants need a change.
Trade/Drop Dalton Schultz
And yes I mean drop if your trade deadline has passed. This player is a ticking time bomb that you want your opponents to add and potentially start against you for the playoff stretch. Yesterday was a huge test for Dalton Schultz and that test didn’t actually involve him. It involved Evan Engram against the Tennessee Titans. Where they held him to 29 yards. We were hoping that, after trading Kevin Byard, the Titans defense would be softer against the tight end and would allow some big games. But that hasn’t been the case. The Titans have been the second best defense against the tight end all season behind only the Browns. The fantasy playoff schedule for Dalton Schultz goes Titans, Browns, Titans. You would be crazy to start that guy in your lineup for those matchups so you’re going to need another tight end.
Brandon Staley Should Be Fired
Coach has been digging his own grave to some degree. And he even got chippy with reporters this week when they brought up the shovel he’s doing it with. Staley refuses to give up defensive playcalling duties even while making questionable decisions directing one of the worst defenses in the league. Between Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Joey Bosa, Dewin James, Khalil Mack, Asante Samuel Jr. etc, this team has star players up and down the roster. Yet they are 4-6. If it’s not the players that are the problem, it’s the coaching. Look at what Mike Tomlin has coached to a 6-4 record then look at this. Staley has got to go.
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.