Fantasy Football Week 11: Start/Sit Advice For Jaguars-Titans ‘Thursday Night Football’

How excited are you for Week 11’s “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans?

Probably not very much, unless your fantasy football team is starting one of the players from these AFC South division rivals.

Still, here’s some fantasy start/sit advice for the teams squaring off Thursday.

Tennessee Titans
Quarterback: Marcus Mariota struggled in Week 10 against an elite Carolina Panthers defense and the Titans offense scored just 10 points. It was to be expected with a rookie QB in a difficult matchup, but that probably won’t be the case Thursday because the Jaguars’ pass defense isn’t very good. The unit ranks 24th in passing yards against per game with 17 touchdowns allowed and only five interceptions. Mariota shouldn’t be started in one-QB leagues, but he’s a good play in two-QB formats.

Running Backs: Unless you have no other options, it wouldn’t be wise to start any Titans running backs. Antonio Andrews gained just seven yards on 11 carries and Dexter McCluster earned 25 yards on three carries in Sunday’s loss to Carolina. Neither player can be trusted, especially against a good Jaguars run defense that ranks sixth in yards allowed per game. That’s pretty impressive considering Jacksonville has trailed in a lot of games, which is when opponents usually go to a run-heavy offense to run out the clock.

Wide Receivers: Dorial Green-Beckham is worth a start, but only as a flex play in deeper leagues. Kendall Wright has been ruled out with an injury, so DGB probably will be the No. 1 receiver for the Titans. Green-Beckham is averaging 15.1 yards per catch, so it would benefit Mariota to target his tall, strong receiver more often.

There are no other Titans receivers worth starting.

Tight End: Delanie Walker is a good start this week. He’s tallied 50-plus receiving yards in five straight games and has 56 targets on the season. Walker’s also averaging more than five receptions per game, so there’s a good chance he hits the 10-point mark in PPR leagues. As mentioned above, the Jaguars don’t defend the pass well.

Defense: The Titans rank fifth in sacks, fourth in passing yards allowed per game and fifth in total yards given up per game. Don’t be afraid to start them this week against a Jaguars quarterback in Blake Bortles who’s thrown eight interceptions in his last five games.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback: Bortles actually has been one of the highest-scoring fantasy quarterbacks this season. He’s thrown for more than 295 yards in four of the last six games with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions overall. The Titans, as noted above, have an excellent pass defense and put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. That said, you still need to start Bortles in two-QB leagues. He’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in six of nine games.

Running Back: T.J. Yeldon is the only Jacksonville running back you should start, as he’s the only one with more than 50 rushing yards on the season. The former University of Alabama star has totaled 240 yards and a touchdown with a 4.6 yards per carry average in the last three games, and he should be able to maintain that success versus a Titans run defense that gives up 112.3 rushing yards per game.

Wide Receiver: Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are smart starts this week. Robinson has caught at least five passes for 50-plus yards in five straight games, while Hurns has scored a touchdown seven straight games. This is one of the more underrated receiving duos in the league, and Bortles looks their way often as both average more than seven targets per game.

Tight End: Marcedes Lewis has been a non-factor all season with two or fewer receptions in eight of nine games, while Julius Thomas has battled injuries. Thomas is back, but he has only one touchdown and one game with more than 25 receiving yards. Don’t start either player.

Defense: Jacksonville is the opposite of Tennessee in that it has a poor pass defense and a good run defense. However, the Jaguars give up the third-most points per game at 28.3, so it’s probably best to stay away from them in fantasy unless remarkable improvement is shown.

Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images