How Week 11 NFL Inactives Affect Fantasy Football: C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow and More

It’s Sunday morning, time to finalize those fantasy football lineups before the slog of the rest of Week 11 kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. We’re here to help make sure that you don’t have those pesky inactives on your roster so that you have to stare at that big zero all day and during your Monday Night Football comeback.

This is a companion piece to our Week 11 Fantasy Football Injury Report, where we also include information on the players who were able to recover and play or are at least trending toward playing.

Note: This article will be updated as needed when the inactives for the late-afternoon games are announced about 90 minutes before kickoff for those games. Much as we are thankful for the service of offensive linemen, defensive players and kickers, this article will focus on fantasy-relevant players. The skill positions: QB, RB, WR and TE. FYI, since the Jets and Patriots already played on Thursday, we’re leaving Garrett Wilson and Rhamondre Stevenson off this article.

Here’s some related content that you might find interesting, as well as our expert rankings and Xfinity Best Projections.

NFL Inactives Impacting Fantasy Football in Week 11

Below are the players who have been ruled out heading into Sunday for Week 11, with some analysis tied to today’s action.

Joe Burrow QB, CIN (toe): The original mid-December timeline has been pushed up, as his 21-day window began this week. He was not expected to play this week, but his potential return is looming. Joe Flacco is keeping the seat warm in a great matchup where the Steelers have given up 300-yard passers to four of the past six QBs they’ve faced.

Jayden Daniels QB, WAS (elbow): Daniels is set to miss his second game in a row, and will be re-evaluated after the Commanders have their Week 12 bye. While he didn’t need surgery, Daniels could be iffy to return in 2025 because the season is circling the drain for Washington.

C.J. Stroud QB, HOU (concussion): The Texans QB will miss his second straight game after not clearing the concussion protocol. What could be working against him for a Week 12 return is the fact that the Texans have a short week, playing Thursday night against the Bills. Davis Mills is starting in his place in the meantime, and was the QB5 in Week 10.

Jaxson Dart QB, NYG (concussion): The breakout rookie suffered a concussion in Week 10, after having been evaluated for them multiple times before. Here’s hoping that he gets some practice sliding to avoid these big hits in the future. With Jameis Winston under center for the Giants, there will be plenty fantasy managers rushing to put him in their lineups. Eating Ws will be optional.

Bucky Irving RB, TB (shoulder/ankle): Irving got hurt in Week 4 and his dynamic skills have been missed ever since. Since then, Rachaad White played a more prominent role, though Sean Tucker started to eat into his touches in Week 10. Still, we’re missing Irving from this backfield, and there’s been no timetable for his return.

Isiah Pacheco RB, KC (knee): Coming off the bye, Pacheco is going to miss his second straight game. Kareem Hunt is the only RB to target here, though we’ll be keeping an eye on Brashard Smith’s usage. With Pat Surtain out, look for Patrick Mahomes to be passing this week.

J.K. Dobbins RB, DEN (foot): Dobbins was placed on the IR after having surgery on his foot, and it likely will cause him to miss the rest of the regular season. Unfortunately, this is yet another injury to end a season for Dobbins. All eyes of the fantasy community will be on RJ Harvey, though he may not be a bell cow back and could be more satellite back, catching passes and occasionally running.

Justice Hill RB, BAL (toe): Those dreaded toe injuries are at it again, and Hill is going on the shelf this week. Keaton Mitchell could be an emergency play in some fantasy lineups, but really fantasy managers would be hoping to see a long run for a score. This is Derrick Henry’s backfield, though the Browns are third in fewest fantasy points allowed to RBs at 16.8. That’s just .1 behind the Rams and Patriots tied for first.

Marvin Harrison Jr. WR, ARI (appendicitis): This was a surprise rule out earlier this past week. The problem for MHJ is that recovery from appendectomy can be a multi-week situation. We’ll have to keep following this. For today, while it might be a signal to start Michael Wilson, the real win may just be for Trey McBride fantasy managers to see their guy see more targets.

Brian Thomas Jr. WR, JAX (ankle): BTJ is missing another game with his ankle injury. Here's hoping he heals up and salvages even part of his season. Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers figure to share targets against the Chargers, who are the toughest defense against WRs.

Terry McLaurin WR, WAS (quadriceps): Is McLaurin paying the price for the long holdout during the preseason? This will be his seventh game missed in 11 tries with the injury that was reaggravated when he returned in Week 8. The hope is that he comes back in Week 13.

Chris Godwin WR, TB (leg): The fibula injury has kept Godwin off the field since Week 5. HC Todd Bowles has mentioned that it might be the end of November, early December before Godwin returns. If you have Emeka Egbuka, fire him up with confidence this week in Buffalo and beyond. Tez Johnson is a flier.

Rashod Bateman WR, BAL (ankle): With just 16 catches for 194 yards and a pair of scores, Bateman is very much in the supporting cast in this passing attack. He’s yet to see more than 7 targets in a game, and that was just once. Zay Flowers is the main WR this week against the Browns, though Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely should see more targets.

Keon Coleman WR, BUF (coach's decision): Coleman is a surprise sit, as there doesn't appear to be an injury designation for him heading into the game. With the other injury below, it's hard to hone in on a WR to start other than Khalil Shakir.

Darius Slayton WR, NYG (hamstring): Welp, the dream of Jameis firing deep bombs to Slayton went up in smoke when the WR was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Wan’Dale Robinson may be the only WR to trust, though Theo Johnson could see some targets against the Packers. Will Jalin Hyatt finally be a deep threat?

Tory Horton WR, SEA (groin/shin): After his 4-48-2 game last week, things were looking up for the rookie Horton. Unfortunately this pair of injuries will keep him out. This may speed up the acclimation and utilization for Rashid Shaheed in the Seattle offense.

Dalton Kincaid TE, BUF (hamstring): With 448 yards in eight games, Kincaid was on a 17-game pace for 952 yards as one of Josh Allen’s prime targets. Unfortunately, it’s really looking like Shakir is the only player to trust in this pass-catching corps from a fantasy perspective.

Sam LaPorta TE, DET (back): The third-year TE was placed on IR on Saturday, knocking him out of four games. And he was coming off a pair of games where he tallied 11 catches for 150 yards and a score. While they play very different games, it’s a curiosity if Jameson Williams could see an uptick in targets. More than likely, the beneficiary will be Jahmyr Gibbs drawing passes out of the backfield.

Brenton Strange TE, JAX (hip): Like Burrow, Strange started his 21-day practice window coming off IR this week, yet will still miss the game. Strange is not one of the more prominent pass catchers for the Jaguars, with targets likely being concentrated on Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers this week.

How Week 11 NFL Inactives Affect Fantasy Football: C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow and More

NFL Inactives Impacting Fantasy Football in Week 11

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