The Shadow Knows Week 11 2018

THE SHADOW KNOWS: Week 11

Do you remember way back in the olden days of September when the Jacksonville Jaguars were good? When Jalen Ramsey was considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL?

It seems like a million years ago. It was actually Week 2, when the Jaguars rolled the defending AFC champion Patriots and very much looked the part of a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Fast forward to Week 11, and the Jaguars are 3-6. The team has lost five straight games after falling in Indianapolis last week. And Ramsey is feuding with fans and flapping his gums about Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who Ramsey will face in Week 11 when the Steelers come to town for a rematch of last year's Divisional Round.

"Big Ben, I think he’s decent at best," Ramsey said, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "It’s not Big Ben, it’s [Antonio Brown]. Big Ben slings the ball a lot of the time. He just slings it, and his receivers go get it. He has a strong arm, but he ain’t all that. I played him twice last year, and he really disappointed me. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame and all that."

Roethlisberger, for his part, was a bit more diplomatic.

"I’m not going to fear anybody, no matter who they are," Roethlisberger said. "But you respect [Ramsey], for sure."

Frankly, Ramsey would be well-served to spend less time talking and more time in the playbook after he blew a coverage last week that resulted in a 53-yard touchdown for Colts tight end Eric Ebron. Never mind that in that playoff game last year, Brown caught seven passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown should be fine in Week 11, but there is some cause for concern with his partner in crime. After missing Jacksonville's last two games, cornerback AJ Bouye is back on the practice field and expected to be a go Sunday against the Steelers.

To say he had a good game against Juju Smith-Schuster last year is an understatement. It's admittedly a small sample size, but it was also a small stat line for Smith-Schuster is that contest—he had three catches for five yards.

Yikes.

Here's a look at some of the other big CB vs. WR matchups as Week 11 nears. As always, the lower the panic level, the less, you know, panic. Scale of 1 to 5.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants (Mike Evans vs. Janoris Jenkins)

As Andrew Gould wrote for Fantasy Pros, Evans has been in something of a funk of late—at least by his standards. "Evans has fallen shy of expectations two weeks in a row," he said, "amassing four combined catches for 67 yards against Carolina and Washington. He was previously averaging 6.6 catches for 110 yards per game. It's an alarming floor for a WR1, especially since Janoris Jenkins and the Giants relatively held DeAndre Hopkins (6-86) and Michael Thomas (4-47) in check this season. Nobody is saying to sit Evans, but there's enough doubt to place him outside the week's top-12 wideouts."

"Jackrabbit" Jenkins got off to a miserable start to the season and was the subject of trade rumors, but of late his play (and the play of the Giants defense overall) has picked up of late. Still, Jenkins isn't the force in coverage he was even a few years ago, and you know the Buccaneers are going to take to the air early and often.

Panic Level: 1 (If Evans has another off day, it won't be because of Jenkins)

Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons (Byron Jones vs. Julio Jones)

No relation—I think.

Per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, Byron Jones is well aware he's one of the highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL this year—but he's trying to ignore the hype. "It's impossible to ignore it because your friends send it. Your mom, she doesn't even know what it is, but she's sending it," Jones said of the PFF grades that are often posted on social media. "I just call them and say, 'Hey, I appreciate it. I thank you. But I still got [seven] games left.' I'm trying to just focus on finishing the season as strong as I can."

Jones has played as well as any cornerback in the NFL this year, and he's coming off a game against the Eagles in which Alshon Jeffery had a relatively modest four catches for 48 yards. Assuming that Jones and Jones is a thing on Sunday it could mean a big day for Calvin Ridley—opponents have been avoiding Jones and targeting Chidobe Awuzie with more than a little success in 2018.

Panic Level: 2 (Jones is going to get his targets, but Jones is really good. My head hurts for some reason.)

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints (Alshon Jeffery vs. Marshon Lattimore)

Jeffery hasn't done a lot the past two games, but those were admittedly in bad fantasy matchups. Per Tony Holm of Fantasy Sharks, that makes this week's trip to the Big Easy a do-or-die game for Jeffery and the Eagles in more than one way.

"After consecutive four-catch games against the top two defenses vs. wide receivers," Holm said, "Jeffery has a golden opportunity against 32nd-ranked New Orleans in Week 11. If he doesn’t shine this week, he may not be worth starting the rest of the season."

New Orleans has indeed been very kind to wide receivers this season, but that's had less to do with Lattimore's coverage than the shortcomings of players around him like Eli Apple and PJ Williams. Jeffery is easily Carson Wentz's No. 1 target in the passing game, which likely means drawing Lattimore in coverage. That isn't going to make it any easier for Jeffery to bust out of his mini-slump, although it could open things up a little for. Golden Tate and Nelson Agholor.

Panic Level: 3 (Lattimore's gotten better as the season has worn on. Game's at the Superdome.)

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (Chris Harris vs. Keenan Allen)

Keenan Allen and Chris Harris have seen a lot of one another in recent years—with Harris doing a pretty good job of keeping Allen in check. Between that matchup and Allen popping up on the injury report with hip and finger injuries, Al Walsh of FanDuel is sweating just a little.

"The injury news is particularly concerning," Walsh said, "considering Allen's matchup with Chris Harris is one of the tougher ones in the NFL. In fact, Allen has been kept under 100 receiving yards in all six of the Chargers regular-season meetings with the Broncos. He did, however, have a huge playoff game against them back in 2014."

Allen didn't hurt for targets in two meetings with the Broncos a year ago—he was thrown at 17 times. But Allen converted just eight of those targets into catches for 76 yards. If there's a silver lining to those rather pedestrian numbers, it's that one of those eight catches went for six.

Panic Level: 3 (Almost went 4–dinged-up plus a meh history in meetings with Harris)

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (Xavier Rhodes vs. Allen Robinson)

Robinson finally had a game like the Bears hoped he would in Week 10, earning a spot on Pro-Football Focus' Team of the Week in the process. "Delivering his best performance in a Bears uniform so far," Gordon McGuinness wrote for PFF, "Allen Robinson looked like the player we saw back in 2015. From eight targets, Robinson picked up 133 yards on six receptions. On the field for 31 passing snaps, that gave him an average of 4.29 yards per route run that ranks second in the NFL this week."

Robinson's big day also included a pair of trips to the end zone, making him the second-highest scoring PPR wide receiver of the week behind Tyreek Hill of the Chiefs. Those numbers are going to be difficult to come close to on Sunday night. While the Lions have been kind to wide receivers of late—sixth in fantasy points allowed to the position since Week 6, the Vikings have not. In the NFC, only the Dallas Cowboys have been stingier to receivers.

However, all is not lost. Xavier Rhodes is a talented corner, but he hasn't had the best of years. Two-thirds of the passes thrown in his direction have been completed, and his passer rating against is almost 90.

Panic Level: 2 (Little bit matchup, little bit a regression to Robinson's mean this season)

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams (Tyreek Hill vs. Marcus Peters)

Hill drew raves from fans (and a 15-yard flag from the zebras) last week after hopping the wall to film his own touchdown celebration last week against the Arizona Cardinals. He told Blair Kerkhoff And Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star that the party wasn't planned ahead of time.

“The celebration just came into my head,” Hill said, “and I just did it. “Y’all saw me up there, man? I got some good camera skills. I did my thing. I’m just showing love to my teammates. I feel like my teammates deserve it all.”

If Marcus Peters' recent level of play is any indication, Hill may want to give some thought to how he wants to celebrate the 11 touchdowns he's going to score in Monday's shootout. Peters hasn't been a minor disappointment this season. Or even a major disappointment. He's been one of the worst starting corners in the NFL, and the last time he faced an elite receiver Michael Thomas lit him up for over 200 yards.

Panic Level: -7 (Peters has been well and truly awful this season—to the point that opponents are targeting him)