Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans

Titans: Run D – 9th Pass D – 24th

Texans: Run D – 2nd Pass D – 10th

Passing:

Just a quick glance at the rankings above and you’re immediately turned onto Deshaun Watson , and rightfully so. The Titans aren’t giving up a world of passing yards, just 235 per game in fact, or even that many passing touchdowns (14), but opposing quarterbacks have been incredibly efficient against them, as evidenced by the 93.8 passer rating. Watson isn’t exactly lighting it up with 300-yard efforts every week, but his 65-percent completion rate and the Texans current seven-game win streak should indicate his ability to thrive in the NFL and lead his team. With the weaponry at his disposal, he should be strong option in both single-game and Monday-Thursday slates this week.

It looks like the stinger that forced Marcus Mariota from game-action last week is all gone and he is expected to be ready for tonight’s game. He showed some improved efficiency in his first two games following the team’s bye week, but being forced out with an injury we were originally led to believe was a recurring elbow problem, indicates that he is not full recovered from the previous issue and we need to remain cautious. His arsenal of weapons continues to remain limited and he is not a recommended starter, no matter how much DFS salary you might save.

Rushing:

The Texans may try to purport the illusion that they want to run the ball with Lamar Miller early, but there is no doubt Bill O’Brien will abandon it once it reveals itself to be ineffective. The Titans are allowing just 100 yards per game on the ground with a 3.9 YPC average and the front seven is healthy and good to go for this game.

The Titans will try to do the same with the ground attack as they keep trying to find the right combination that unlocks both Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry . The Texans run defense is actually stronger than that of the Titans and they also rank No. 1 in the league against running back pass plays. If they clog the middle of the field, as J.J. Watt and Co. usually do, the Titans are going to struggle to move the ball with any kind of consistency.

Receiving:

This is where the excitement should come from both teams. Watson will have all three of DeAndre Hopkins , Demaryius Thomas and Keke Coutee lining up regularly for him and he should have no problem hitting any one of them at any point. Hopkins will be shadowed by Adoree Jackson and that advantage tips to Hopkins for sure. Then you’ve got the always beatable Malcolm Butler against Thomas while Logan Ryan faces Coutee in the slot. Once O’Brien deems Miller unproductive enough on the ground, Watson will go to work with these three, all of whom are playable in DFS and seasonal.

The Titans are going to have to counter somehow and that’s going to hopefully mean Mariota airs it out to Corey Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith . With Taywan Taylor out, they’ll turn to Cameron Batson and Tajae Sharpe as the receivers behind Davis, but neither has proven reliable or consistent. The match-up for Smith seems to be the most-tasty for DFS play as the Texans continue to bleed fantasy points to the tight end position. So long as he doesn’t have to stay on the line and block, you can bet he’ll be a strong red zone target for Mariota.

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys

*Saints: Run D – 3rd Pass D – 28th

*Cowboys: Run D – 7th Pass D – 26th

*rankings are based on DVOA numbers heading into Week 11

Passing:

The Cowboys have been on quite the three-game tear right now and have shut down the passing attacks of the Eagles, the Falcons and the Redskins. Their secondary is playing as well as anyone right now, but are they ready to take on the Saints and Drew Brees ? Over the last four games, he’s got two 300-yard games with 15 touchdowns to just one interception. And the crazy thing is that he’s doing this with a rag-tag group of receivers right now. Yes, he’s got Michael Thomas , but just to show you how precise he is, look at the receiving numbers of his teammates. Personally, I think the Cowboys secondary is overrated and Brees is going to carve them up, even on the road.

Dak Prescott is not a guy who has enough upside to really win you a GPP tournament. That’s not to speak against him because now that the Cowboys are winning and have a more balanced offense, he’s back to being a strong cash game option, thanks to his ability to run one in on his own. But in this match-up, he’s a little tough to take. Yes, the Saints rank 28th against the pass, but their numbers are clearly inflated because teams don’t run on them because they spend most of their time playing catch-up. With this offense, Prescott isn’t going to be chucking the ball all around the field like other quarterbacks, so don’t fool yourself into thinking he’s something he’s not.

Rushing:

Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram are going to be popular choices this week. Yes, the Cowboys rank seventh overall, but they haven’t really been tested all that much since Sean Lee went down and they went on their three-game win streak. Dallas ranks 29th against running back pass plays and the Saints are going to capitalize on the lack of mobility of the Dallas linebackers, save for Leighton Vander Esch . Toss out the numbers and feel confident with both guys.

As for Ezekiel Elliott , he is the type of running back who transcends match-ups. Not that this is a true tough match-up for him. Again, teams fall behind and abandon the run when they face the Saints, so don’t worry about the yards. Look to the fact that they’ve allowed 10 rushing touchdowns and rank 30th against running back pass plays. Zeke is, as always, in play for your lineups.

Receiving:

You can expect Marshon Lattimore to shadow Amari Cooper and that could prove to be the difference-maker in this match-up. The Cowboys are going to try to exploit Cole Beasley vs P.J. Williams and Michael Gallup facing Eli Apple should be interesting, but Cooper has been the difference in this team’s offense and taking him out of the equation is going to be integral to the Saints success.

Pegging which secondary receivers on the Saints to use is going to be a daunting task. Michael Thomas is the No. 1, but beyond him, who the heck do you trust? Austin Carr coming out of the slot seems to be the most promising as we still don’t know Tre’Quan Smith’s health condition here. Is the foot good? If so then he’ll likely match up with Chidobe Awuzie in a potentially tough battle. If not, then expect to see Daniel Arnold or even Keith Kirkwood . Might be a lot of dart throwing, but with the way Brees has been spreading the ball around, any of them could be a decent dart.