ClutchPoints
It’s that time of the week to take a close look at the fantasy football quarterback position and the always challenging wide receiver outlook. But some people are stuck on last week. That’s because they have DeVonta Smith, Ladd McConkey, or other concerning Week 11 fantasy football bad beats.
Smith turned in a huge dud with one catch for eight yards. He also had his lowest target share in four weeks with five looks. Still, the Eagles beat the Lions.
As for McConkey, he came up missing in a blowout loss to the Jaguars. One week after a 100-yard effort, he had three grabs for a measly 13 yards.
It’s not like Smith is expected to have a big game against the Cowboys. But he could finish in WR1 territory. That’s especially true if the Cowboys focus on A.J. Brown, which seems like a likely strategy.
It’s not a big reveal, but Smith’s struggles had more to do with the overall offense than his lack of effort or production. Smith said the unit is falling short, according to a post on X by John Clark.
“I think we are all frustrated that the offense isn’t playing to the standard that we have.”
—DeVonta Smith on reports that there are coaches and people in the Eagles organization that are frustrated with Jalen Hurts. Podcast with DeVonta on the Eagles offense and promoting @OralB”
The game against the Cowboys is exactly what the Eagles need. They can basically wrap up the division title with a win. So there’s plenty of motivation.
Plus, they can end the narrative that Dak Prescott is unbeatable at home against NFC East opponents. He hasn’t lost in that situation since 2017. If the Eagles are going to change it, Smith will likely need to go for a line that looks something like: 7 catches, 85 yards, and a touchdown.
If the injured offensive line gives Hurts enough time to throw, Smith should be able to approximate those numbers.
The Chargers as a team melted down against the Jaguars. They lost 35-6 in a game where nothing went right.
But here are McConkey’s yardage totals in the five weeks before that game: 100, 67, 88, 56, and 107. No problems there. Also, McConkey totaled three touchdowns.
The week off couldn’t have come at a much better time for McConkey and the offense. They get the lowly Raiders coming out of the bye, and that should be just what the doctor ordered for McConkey.
Another thing that should help McConkey is that Justin Herbert can’t possibly play worse than the 10-of-18, 81-yard “performance” against the Jaguars. Embarrassment should drive Herbert toward his usual level of stats.
It has been a rough year for Brown. He has only three touchdowns, and two came in one game. He has three strandout efforts, and a bunch of bad...
