These fantasy sleepers might just bring you a Week 11 win
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Rivera and Jacob Camenker give fantasy managers a few solid sleepers to target before Sunday.
It took the Jacksonville Jaguars just five weeks to equal their win total from a year ago. This 2025 team has turned things around on both sides of the ball and is in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot in the AFC.
First-year head coach Liam Coen has revitalized the running game to complement what’s been a vastly improved defense. Jacksonville’s 17 turnovers forced are second in the league entering Week 11. The Jaguars have forced at least two turnovers in five of their nine games.
Jacksonville got to 5-3 after their bye with a win on the road against the Raiders. Last week, a fourth-quarter collapse gave a win away against AFC South foe Houston.
The Jaguars’ offense managed a season-low 119 passing yards while operating without their top receiver from a year ago. Brian Thomas Jr. missed the game with a high ankle sprain suffered during the win over Las Vegas.
This marked the first time Thomas missed a game in his NFL career. He played all 17 regular-season games in 2024 and led all rookies with 1,282 receiving yards on 87 catches. He scored 10 receiving touchdowns as well.
He was off to a slow start to the season before missing the Week 10 loss to Houston. Thomas has yet to reach 100 receiving yards in a game after doing so four times in 2024. He’s scored just one touchdown so far this year compared to five at this point last season.
Jacksonville could use him in the lineup this week. The Jaguars are holding on to a wild-card spot in the AFC playoff race and have a critical home game against fellow wild-card contender Los Angeles at home. The Chargers’ defense is one of the better units in the league and, with fellow wideout Travis Hunter out for the season, Thomas’ help could go a long way to powering a potential Jaguars win.
Will Thomas’ sophomore slump continue with another missed game in Week 11? Here’s what we know about his status for the Jaguars’ home matchup against the Chargers.
When will Brian Thomas Jr. return?
Thomas returned to practice this week and was a limited participant on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was back on the field and catching passes from starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
This is a promising sign that Thomas could be back in the lineup for Week 11. There were no talks of him being moved to injured reserve (IR) following the injury which also indicates it’s not considered a long-term, serious ankle injury.
Jaguars WR depth chart
Jacksonville acquired Meyers at the trade deadline to bolster the wide receiver group with Hunter out for the season. He may have a bigger role in the passing game with more time to learn the offense.
With Thomas out against Houston, Washington led the team with seven targets. He converted those into three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown.