Throughout the NFL regular season, we'll meet here on Thursdays to break down the film from a fantasy football perspective. I'm looking for trends and tendencies on both sides of the ball to give fantasy managers a jump when they set their weekly lineups. Schemes matter. So does offensive deployment in weekly matchups. And remember, the game tape always tells us a story.
This week, we'll start with a dual-threat quarterback who played productive football in his first game back from injury, before moving on to a running back getting volume and a wide receiver in a positive matchup. Plus, there are players with question marks and three more to monitor this weekend.
All references to fantasy scoring are for PPR leagues unless otherwise noted.
Players to upgrade in Week 11
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Murray scored 17.26 points in his first game back since suffering an ACL injury late last season. I thought he played pretty good football, too, throwing for 249 yards, while adding 33 yards rushing and a touchdown on a red zone carry. Murray displayed his sudden-movement traits on designed rushes and second-reaction scrambles, and he also had three explosive-play throws. Based on what I saw on the tape, I'll take Murray, and his dual-threat ability, as a fringe QB1 this week against the Texans.