The fantasy football quarterback scene has only gotten more complicated ahead of Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season.
Although only two teams are on bye — the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints — several managers will be without their go-to options. The Colts being on bye removes Daniel Jones from fantasy football lineups, but he only headlines the laundry list of inactives.
The Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels tops the weekly injury list, with Jaxson Dart, C.J. Stroud and Kyler Murray also out of commission.
Brock Purdy has been a staple of the injury report, but he is finally returning in Week 12. His return allows him to return to fantasy lineups, while simultaneously removing Mac Jones.
As chaos continues to ensue, managers had a lot to contemplate early in Week 11. Those who are struggling with absences and potentially missed out on adding fantasy football legend Jameis Winston still have a few viable options to rely on in Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season.
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy should not be a streaming option, but he is only owned in slightly more than half of fantasy football leagues. Thus, the budding star should be available for many managers scrambling for a last-minute starting option.
McCarthy receives a lot of criticism, but he has been a successful fantasy football quarterback in his first full year in the league. The passing numbers might not be there, but the 22-year-old's efficiency and ground game have led to 19 or more fantasy points in two of his first four starts.
Coming off a solid Week 10 performance against the Baltimore Ravens, in which he recorded a career-high 248 passing yards, McCarthy now draws a matchup with the Chicago Bears, who got lit up by Jaxson Dart in Week 11 before he left with a concussion. McCarthy is not as much of a dual threat as Dart is, but the Bears have struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks out of the pocket all season.
McCarthy enters Week 11 averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game on the year against a Bears defense allowing 20.7 fantasy football points per game to quarterbacks.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
If there will ever be a time Geno Smith will be usable in fantasy football, it will come in Week 11. Smith leads the Raiders against the Dallas Cowboys, who have been the worst defense against quarterbacks all season.
The Cowboys are coming off a bye, but they were lit up by Jacoby Brissett in Week 10, who threw for 261 passing yards and two touchdowns against them. Dallas' defense also made Bryce Young, Russell Wilson and Jordan Love look like fantasy football stars earlier in the year.
The Cowboys' struggling defense should get healthier after the bye, but it will not matter. Jalen Hurts is the only quarterback to face Dallas this season and not record either 225 passing yards or three touchdowns.
Two weeks after a four-touchdown performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Smith should be able to be a top-15 fantasy quarterback in Week 11, even if he adds to his growing interception count.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins might just be back. There is no doubting their rough start to the year, but the ‘Fins enter Week 12 after going 2-1 in their last three games. Tua Tagovailoa‘s numbers have not exactly lifted with their recent success, but Week 12 could mark his official coming-out party.
Coming off a big win over the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins are presented with an excellent opportunity to build their first win streak of the year against the reeling Washington Commanders. The Commanders enter the matchup on a five-game skid and have been the second-worst defense against quarterbacks all season.
Washington has already been allowing the most passing yards in the league, an issue that has only worsened with recent injuries to top cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos.
The Commanders' defensive game plan might shift without Lattimore and Amos, but they have relied on a heavy dosage of man coverage all season. Tagovailoa has struggled against zone this season, but his 115.3 passer rating against man-to-man is the seventh-best in the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers might be difficult to trust after he flopped in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He has been up and down all season, but should be in for a rebound performance at home in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite the flop against the Chargers, Rodgers is still thriving against zone defense. The 41-year-0ld owns the ninth-best passer rating against zone on the year and the 11th-best completion percentage. Los Angeles was a tougher matchup on the road, but Rodgers should bounce back against a Bengals defense that allows the seventh-most passing yards and the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Rodgers will also benefit from the Bengals' ruling out star edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson, giving him more time in the pocket. Pittsburgh will look to return to its roots on the ground, but few players in NFL history have been better at rebounding from poor games than Rodgers.
Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Flacco should not be on as many waiver wires as he currently is. All the talk within the Cincinnati Bengals' organization ahead of Week 11 surrounded Joe Burrow's return to practice, but it will still be Flacco for at least another game.
Since he joined the Bengals, Flacco has been averaging 345 passing yards, 3.0 touchdowns and 0.7 interceptions per game. His 27.7 fantasy football points per game ranked third in the league from Week 7 to Week 9, only behind Justin Herbert and Bo Nix.
Flacco not only returns from a bye against a Steelers defense that is struggling to defend the pass, but it is also a team he has already dominated. The veteran made his Bengals debut against Pittsburgh in Week 7, in which he notched 342 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers.
Any fantasy football manager in a pinch should look for Flacco as a desperation streaming quarterback in Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season.
