Corner Lockdown - Week 11 Nov 15, 2012 | More
More articles from Steve Rudy, Jr.

Around the League

Welcome back to fantasy relevance Greg Olsen. Olsen has certainly had a rough season thus far, but came to life in Week 10. He had nine catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He received a team-high 10 targets and was the first option in the red zone for quarterback Cam Newton on multiple occasions. This is now two solid weeks in a row for Olsen where he has led the team in targets. He should be in your starting lineup this Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Those who started Felix Jones last week were very happy with his performance filling in for the injured DeMarco Murray. Jones carried the ball 16 times for 71 yards and had three receptions for 22 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown. Murray didn’t practice Wednesday morning and it’s looking like he will miss another game, so start Jones with confidence. He has a pretty good match up against Cleveland and should see right around 20 touches once again. Look for a showing similar to that of Jones’ Week 10 output.

Antonio Gates isn’t the fantasy force that he used to be, but he appears to be getting back on track and contributing at the tight end position. In his last four games, Gates has 15 receptions and four touchdowns. He’s finally starting to get back some of those red zone targets that used to be his week-in and week-out and looks to be healthy enough to compete. He’s nowhere near a Top 5 option anymore, but the tight end position has been very scarce this season and Gates has been hot over the last month. If you own him continue to start him, especially in Week 11 against Denver, a team that is allowing the most fantasy points to tight ends on the season.

Shark Sleepers

LaRod Stephens-Howling, RB, Arizona

Stephens-Howling is the lead back for Arizona and has averaged 18 touches per game over the past three games. He hasn’t been overly impressive, but he does have a touchdown in two of those games and a 100-yard performance. The Cardinals are playing Atlanta this weekend, and this is very favorable for Stephens-Howling as the Falcons are ranked 25th against the run. Start him if you have him or need to fill in a roster spot because of byes.

Danario Alexander, WR, San Diego

It looks like Alexander has now taken over the starting wide receiver spot over Robert Meachem in San Diego with his big outing in Week 10. Alexander had five catches for 134 yards and an 80-yard score. He has gained the confidence of Philip Rivers and is finally healthy after battling knee and hamstring problems over the last two years. He does have a tough matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but the passing game for the Chargers has been clicking as of late and should be good for fantasy purposes.

Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis

Bradford had a solid game last week against arguably the best defense in the NFL, San Francisco. He threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and could have been even better, but an overtime completion of more than 50 yards to Danny Amendola was called back due to a penalty. Nevertheless, Bradford has been consistent over the last five games and should have a good game against at home against a struggling New York Jets team. Take a shot with him if you need quarterback help in Week 11.

Lock of the Week

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Oakland

Heyward-Bey has been on a roll over the past four games, averaging close to 70 yards a game and scoring two touchdowns. He’s coming off a five-catch, 82-yard, one-touchdown performance against a tough Baltimore defense and is starting to become the favorite target for Carson Palmer. Oakland is going up against the worst pass defense in the league in New Orleans, so Heyward-Bey should have a big day. Expect at least 80 yards and a score in Week 11 for the young Raider wideout.