One Thing We Learned From Every Week 11 Game: Sean Tucker, Christian Watson and More

The signs were there last week that Sean Tucker was going to play a bigger role in the Buccaneers backfield. Rachaad White had 10 carries and Tucker nine, but White played the majority of the snaps with the Buccaneers playing from behind. This week, it was mainly Tucker, and those who started him were rewarded with a breakout game.

Tucker rushed for 106 yards on 19 carries with two TDs and caught two passes for 34 yards with a TD in a 44-32 loss to the Bills. White had 10 carries for 51 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards. Bucky Irving returned to practice this past week and hasn’t played since Week 4 due to a shoulder injury. If Irving is out next week, Tucker is the preferred back to start for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers could also ease Irving back into giving Tucker a role.

The Buccaneers couldn’t win due to an insane performance from Josh Allen. He struggled early in the game with two interceptions before passing for 317 yards with three TDs and rushing for 40 yards with three TDs. Let's dive into who else led the Week 11 slate.

Panthers 30, Falcons 27 (OT)

Where did this come from? Bryce Young failed to reach 200 yards in eight of nine games. The Falcons allowed no more than 259 passing yards in any game this season. Young passed for 448 yards with three TDs to put the Panthers one-half game behind the Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South. It led to a massive game for Tetairoa McMillan, who is the lone relevant passing target for Carolina in fantasy. McMillan caught eight passes for 130 yards with two TDs on 12 targets. While McMillan could be having a better season with improved QB play, he has a high floor each week and has been targeted 89 times in 11 games.

Rams 21, Seahawks 19

Finally, a glimmer of hope for Kenneth Walker. He received a goal-line carry and scored, and had another TD nullified by a penalty. He played 51% of the snaps compared to 43% for Zach Charbonnet. Walker rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries with a TD and caught three passes for 44 yards. Charbonnet had 11 carries for 37 yards and caught two passes for 10 yards.

49ers 41, Cardinals 22

Brock Purdy played for the first time since Week 4 and was good with 200 passing yards and three TDs. He boosts the appeal of George Kittle, who caught all six targets for 67 yards with two TDs and could be the featured piece in the passing game the rest of the way. Ricky Pearsall made his return from a knee injury that kept him out since Week 4. He was targeted three times and caught one pass.

Eagles 16, Lions 9

After A.J. Brown spoke about the Eagles woes on offense, he was predictably fed the football. Brown led the team in targets with 11 and caught seven passes for 49 yards. The Eagles offense struggled again and DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert suffered. Smith had one catch for eight yards, and Goedert had two catches for 24 yards. If they can’t all put up stats next week against the Cowboys, then it’s time to panic.

Dolphins 16, Commanders 13 (OT)

Chris Rodriguez started to take over in the backfield last week before leaving with a shoulder injury. In this game, he played the most snaps and had the most touches. Rodriguez played 45% of the snaps, while Jacory Croskey-Merritt was at 27% and Jeremy McNichols played 25%. Rodriguez had 15 carries for 79 yards and caught a six-yard pass, so it didn’t translate to a great fantasy day. Bill had nine carries for 28 yards with a five-yard catch, and McNichols had four carries for 13 yards and two catches for 16 yards. Rodriguez is the preferred back going forward, but the poor offense and the lack of involvement in the passing game make him an RB3.

Packers 27, Giants 20

It’s impressive to see how good Christian Watson looks coming off a torn ACL. The Packers tend to spread the ball around, but Watson is their best wide receiver. He was second on the team with five targets and caught four passes for 46 yards with two TDs. He’s a WR3 going forward. Josh Jacobs left the game early with a knee injury and initial reports indicate it’s not serious, but he could miss time. Emanuel Wilson should be added in all leagues. He rushed for 40 yards on 11 carries with a TD and caught a nine-yard pass.

Jaguars 35, Chargers 6

Bhayshul Tuten was getting carries early in the game and ran well. Whether it was becoming a split with Travis Etienne remains to be seen. Tuten had 15 carries for 74 yards with a TD and left early with an ankle injury. Etinne rushed for 73 yards on 19 carries with two TDs. The Jaguars were in control the whole way and ran the ball 47 times.

Broncos 22, Chiefs 19

All eyes were on RJ Harvey after J.K. Dobbins was placed on IR with a knee injury. Harvey played 61% of the snaps and Jaleel McLaughlin played 13%, but received a few goal-line carries and converted one into a TD. Harvey had 11 carries for 30 yards and caught all three passes for 20 yards in a tough matchup. McLaughlin had six carries for 19 yards and caught a pass for minus-5 yards. After a bye next week, Harvey gets good matchups against the Commanders and Raiders and will be an RB2.

Steelers 34, Bengals 12

Jaylen Warren had a great matchup against the Bengals and was averaging 6.2 yards per carry with 10 attempts for 62 yards and two catches for five yards. Unfortunately, Warren played one snap after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. Kenneth Gainwell had nine carries for 24 yards and led the team in receiving with seven catches for 81 yards. Gainwell would be in line for a big workload if Warren were to miss time.

Texans 16, Titans 13

Those with Woody Marks were hoping that playing more than 80% of the snaps last week would lead to him getting the majority of the touches in the backfield. The positive is that it happened. The bad news is Marks didn’t do much with them. He had 18 carries for 44 yards, caught one pass for seven yards, and played 66% of the snaps. Nick Chubb had three carries for 17 yards. If this usage continues, playing Marks will pay off. The Texans face the Bills on Thursday and it has been a favorable matchup for running backs.

Bears 19, Vikings 17

Caleb Williams has proven to be a matchup play. Against the worst defenses, he produces. Seven of his 12 TD passes have come against the Cowboys and Bengals. Williams had no TDs against Minnesota and has a difficult schedule ahead with the Steelers, Eagles, Packers, Browns and Packers. It makes it difficult to trust anyone in the passing game. Rome Odunze led the team with six targets and caught two passes for 41 yards.

Ravens 23, Browns 16

Derrick Henry isn’t close to the dominant force he was last season. He’s getting the volume and broke off his longest run of the season on a 59-yard run. Henry rushed for 103 yards on 18 carries with a TD and caught two passes for 19 yards. He was often tackled near the goal line. He has at least 18 carries in five straight games.

WEEK 11 RONIS BONUS

I never received the memo. Sunday was National Backup Running Back Day. Had I known, a huge TD parlay could have hit.

Bijan Robinson can actually convert goal-line carries? Going into Sunday, Tyler Allgeier had 13 carries inside the 10-yard line compared to five for Robinson, who had two rushing TDs. Robinson was given a few goal-line carries early in the game and scored twice. He rushed for 104 yards on 23 carries and caught four passes for 39 yards. Tyler Allgeier couldn’t come away empty-handed and did score on a goal-line carry. Drake London left with a knee injury, and Michael Penix aggravated a knee injury from earlier in the season.
Those with Ja’Marr Chase have to worry about a potential suspension for next week. Jalen Ramsey was ejected from the game after an altercation with Chase. Ramsey said Chase spit on him and Chase denied it. Video shows Chase did spit. Chase had his worst game with Joe Flacco, with three catches for 30 yards on 10 targets.
It was an awful game for J.J. McCarthy. He was all over the place, and it was ugly. He went 16-for-32 for 150 yards with a TD and two INTs. He didn’t even attempt to run and Justin Jefferson had another scoreless game with five catches for 61 yards on nine targets.
Tyrone Tracy was the best back for the Giants, yet Devin Singletary got most of the goal-line carries. Tracy had 19 carries for 88 yards and caught four passes for 51 yards. Singletary had 16 carries for 44 yards with two TDs and caught a three-yard pass.
Jacoby Brissett set an NFL record with 47 completions. He has turned Trey McBride into the best tight end. He has scored six TDs in five games with Brissett. In that span, McBride has 42 receptions for 443 yards on 57 targets. Marvin Harrison Jr. was out due to an appendectomy, and Michael Wilson took advantage with 15 catches for 185 yards on 18 targets. Brissett attempted 57 passes and ran only 14 times.