It was a wild and wacky set of early games, highlighted by the Bills comeback against the Bengals. Ryan Fitzpatrick (316 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs) finished with nice numbers in a bad matchup against a Cincy DT that has been stingy against QBs this season. He has developed into a bona fide Top 10 fantasy QB this season and usually puts up big numbers because the Bills always seem to be playing from behind. Steve Johnson (8-137-3) had another huge day, and now has nine TD catches on the season. Donald Jones (5-70-1) looks like he has taken over Roscoe Parrish‘s role in the slot, so he could be an interesting pickup going forward. Fred Jackson (129 total yards, 2 TDs) was terrific and should be a fine RB2, even when C.J. Spiller returns.

Down in Dallas, the Cowboys’ offense continued to roll, and Jon Kitna (147 yards, 3 TDs, 1 rush TD) has looked good the last two weeks. He has a couple of tough matchups in the next two weeks, but his schedule during the fantasy playoffs is favorable. He didn’t throw for much yardage, which means there weren’t any standout performances by his wide receivers, even though Dez Bryant (3-8-1) and Miles Austin (2-7-2) both scored. Felix Jones gained 86 yards but failed to score, which was disappointing.

News broke on Sunday morning that Clinton Portis (46 total yards) was going to get the start, but he re-injured his hamstring and Keiland Williams (29 touches, 95 yards) wasn’t terribly productive in his place. On the other side of the ball, Randy Moss (0-0) laid another egg while Nate Washington (5-117) took advantage of a suspect Redskins secondary. I think it’s time to sit Moss down until he shows us something. This was a terrific matchup and he did absolutely nothing. He was targeted just three times and almost scored on a long TD but was called for offensive pass interference. Vince Young (165 yards) tore a ligament in his hand and may need surgery. Even if he doesn’t, the Titans have already announced that he lost his starting job due to his behavior during and after the game.

The frustration for Jamaal Charles‘ owners continue. He keeps making plays (16 touches, 126 yards) and Thomas Jones (15 carries, 71 yards, 2 TDs) keeps getting the scoring opportunities. Dwayne Bowe (6-109-2) continues his studly play. He now has 10 TDs in his last six games. And to think, I was able to pick him up in one league off the waiver wire after his slow start this season.

In a lopsided Packer win, Donald Driver (4-31) made his return and was targeted seven times, which was the second-most to Greg Jennings (7-152-3, nine targets), who had a monster game. Aaron Rodgers (301 yards, 4 TDs) was brilliant in a bad matchup, but the Vikings defense started to come apart at the seams when Minnesota fell behind. For the Vikings, Sidney Rice (3-56) made his return, but only caught three passes on 10 targets. Percy Harvin (2-12, five targets) was shockingly quiet considering the Vikings trailed for the entire game.

HOU/NYJ was a great game, and Mark Sanchez (315 yards, 3 TDs, INT) played well in a great matchup. Santonio Holmes (7-126-2) was a stud and once again caught the game-winning TD. Braylon Edwards (4-86-1) had a nice game, but only had six targets to Holmes’s 12. Dustin Keller (2-7) was a huge disappointment. For the Texans, Arian Foster (143 total yards, 2 TDs) proved that he should be in starting lineups no matter how bad the matchup is. Andre Johnson‘s visit to Revis Island didn’t go very well. He finished with 4-32 on the day. Joel Dreessen (4-106-1) had the kind of game I was expecting from him last week, when I started him in my auction league and subsequently cut him. Thank you, Joel.

The Steelers trounced the Raiders, and Bruce Gradkowski (98 yards, TD) came in for an ineffective Jason Campbell (70 yards, INT). Pittsburgh shut down Darren McFadden (10 carries, 14 yards), whom I suspected would have trouble running the ball, but I thought the Raiders would use him a lot more in the passing game. He only caught two passes for 16 yards. Ben Roethlisberger (275 yards, 3 TDs, rush TD) had a huge day and Mike Wallace (3-116-1) was the main beneficiary.

Peyton Hillis (27 touches, 143 yards, TD) continues to play like a top tier fantasy RB. Some fantasy experts are calling him a Top 10 fantasy back, but I’d put him in the Top 5. I can’t think of more than four guys (Arian Foster, Chris Johnson, LeSean McCoy and maybe Frank Gore) that I’d rather have for the stretch run. For the Jags, Maurice Jones-Drew (26 touches, 220 yards, TD) played big and caught a 75-yard pass that was a game-changer. Mike Thomas (5-36-1) led the Jags with 10 targets with Mike Sims-Walker sidelined. Marcedes Lewis (5-66-1) came in second with eight targets.

Chris Ivory was dinged up all week but finished with 99 yards and a TD on 23 carries and is clearly the Saints’ main ballcarrier until Pierre Thomas gets back (if he gets back). Reggie Bush was a late scratch. Robert Meachem (3-50-2) caught a pair of TDs, but was only targeted three times, so don’t get too excited. Rookie Jimmy Graham (5-72) had a big day with Jeremy Shockey sidelined.

I’m really surprised that Frank Gore (17 touches, 60 yards) didn’t have a much bigger game against a Bucs defense that had given up the 2nd-most points to opposing RBs this season. Michael Crabtree (1-15) was only targeted twice despite 31 pass attempts by Troy Smith. Crabtree has some good matchups coming up, but I’m not sure he can be trusted.

In what turned out to be a good IND/NE game, Austin Collie (5-60) was knocked out after taking a few hits that apparently aggravated his concussion symptoms. Blair White (5-42-2) filled in admirably. Pick him up, especially in PPR leagues. Donald Brown (20 touches, 108 yards) got most of the work in the Indy backfield. For the Patriots, Rob Gronkowski (1-25) and Aaron Hernandez (1-8-1) were each only targeted once, so we don’t really know if there has been a change in the pecking order there. Deion Branch (7-70) was targeted 10 times, three more than supposed WR1 Wes Welker (5-58-1).

DeSean Jackson (5-50) is the most explosive Philly wideout, but Jeremy Maclin (9-120) might be the best all-around WR that the Eagles have. He’s fast, runs good routes and has nice hands. Maybe most importantly, he has a great rapport with Mike Vick (258 yards, rush TD). And what can I say about LeSean McCoy (19 touches, 140 yards, TD)? He flashed his tremendous speed on his 50-yard TD run, and the only complaint I have about his fantasy value is that the Eagles don’t seem to use him as much as they should. On the other side of the ball, the entire Giants offense was a disappointment. Eli Manning (147 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) finished with a decent fantasy line, but those numbers aren’t going to get it done when there is as much depth at QB as there is this season. The Eagles are/were a good matchup for both RBs and WRs, though they have a way of out of the blue holding an offense down, and that’s what happened Sunday night. Ahmad Bradshaw (14 touches, 24 yards) never got going and Mario Manningham (3-24) did not live up to his Week 10 performance.

Make it 6 weeks in a row for John Paulsen (The Scores Report) as the #1 overall expert. We’re running out of superlatives to describe his performance so we’ll just say that it’s been quite an impressive run. While Paulsen continues to be locked in a tight race for the top spot with Andy Behrens (Yahoo! Sports), this marks the 2nd consecutive week that he has extended his lead. The current lead also represents Paulsen’s largest advantage since week 5 so he has more than held his ground while facing some tough competition.

Below are my early rankings for Week 11. Be sure to check back throughout the week because they will change as the news begins to trickle in. For the first time, I’m also taking a stab at kicker rankings. I generally don’t like to rank kickers because they are so erratic, but I have a numbers-driven analytical process that I’m testing, and I’m interested to see how it fares. As always with kickers, keep an eye on the weather — you don’t want your game to be decided as your kicker has to try to hit a 42-yarder in a driving rainstorm. Generally-speaking, it’s better to start the guy that is kicking in a dome or in warm weather.

Updated Saturday, November 18.

The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week you pick up a defense that is playing against a bad offense (preferably at home). And each week you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position.

Last season, my top pick averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game. My second pick averaged 9.1 and my third pick averaged 7.3. On the whole, DTBWW averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game, which equate to DT5 numbers — all for the price of a few waiver wire pickups. In 2008, my top two picks averaged DT6-type numbers. (Note: To calculate fantasy points, I use this scoring system.)

Unlike Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC), which is for those owners who prefer low maintenance teams, DTBWW strategy allows fantasy owners to virtually ignore DTs on draft day and focus on picking up an extra RB/WR flier instead.

To be eligible, defenses have to be available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s see how my Week 10 picks fared:

#1 Bucs: 16 PA (2) + 2 SK + 1 FR = 5 fantasy points
#2 Cardinals: 2 SK + 1 INT = 3 fp
#3 Colts: 17 PA (2) + 3 SK + 3 INT + 1 INT RET TD + 2 FR = 16 fp

Well, the Bucs and Cards were disappointing, but the Colts came through in a big way and actually had the high defensive score of the week. Jimmy Clausen played better than expected for Carolina and the Arizona DT flat out laid an egg in a good matchup at home against the Seahawks.

If you picked up the Colts, I’d recommend holding onto them if you can. After this week, three of their next four games are at home, where they play much, much better. They have a terrible matchup this week (@ NE) so holding onto them may not be an option.

On the season, DTBWW is averaging 7.5 | 9.7 | 5.6 (1st, 2nd, 3rd) for a total of 7.6 fantasy points per game.

Let’s take a look at my Week 10 picks keeping in mind that to be eligible, defenses must be available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues:

#1: Kansas City Chiefs (vs. ARI)
The Cardinals are the second-best matchup in the league from a DT standpoint, and the the Chiefs are very capable on that side of the ball (their Week 10 performance against the Broncos notwithstanding). I’d expect KC to come out fired up on Sunday.

#2: Miami Dolphins (vs. CHI)
The Bears give up the 4th-most points to fantasy defenses, so I like the Dolphins at home in this one. Miami is #6 against the pass and #11 in sacks, so they should be able to contain the Bears’ passing game.

#3: Cleveland Browns (@ JAX)
Tough call for #3, but I’m going with the Browns who are playing very good defense right now. The Jags have looked better the last couple of weeks, but Cleveland shouldn’t be as easy to throw on as the Cowboys and Texans were.

Bonus Picks: SF (vs. TB), DET (@ DAL)

What am I looking at?

Below you’ll see a table for each position with a list of team names on the left. If a square is pink, it means that the matchup is tough. If it’s green, it means it’s a favorable matchup. On the far right, the column “R16″ shows the average SOS for the remaining weeks.

It’s important to note that this is NOT straight fantasy points allowed. I removed the bias of schedule by looking at the opponents of each defense and how they fared in their other games. For example, if a particular defense faced a series of great QBs, then that is taken into account in these tables.

How do I use these tables?

Generally speaking, I use strength of schedule as a tiebraker between two similarly ranked players. Let’s say I’m trying to decide between starting Fred Jackson and Ronnie Brown. All else being equal, these two players are very close in my mind. But if Jackson has a great matchup and Brown has a bad matchup, the choice is clear. In fact, if Jackson just has a mediocre matchup while Brown has a bad matchup, I’d probably go with Jackson.

Be careful not to read too much into these tables. You aren’t going to bench Chris Johnson in a bad matchup unless you somehow have Arian Foster waiting in the wings.

Note: I apologize for the size of the text, but there really is no other way for me to present this data, at least not at this point.

Wondering who to add/drop or whether or not a trade is fair?

I’m here to help.

After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.

If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later this week (usually Wednesday or Thursday) when I’ll release my official Week 11 rankings.

And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

Josh Freeman (57.1)
In a not-so-great matchup against the Panthers, Freeman still produced. Other than a poor Week 3 outing against the Steelers, he’s been remarkably consistent throwing for at least 212 yards or 2 TDs in every game this season. Other than a shaky Week 12 matchup in Baltimore, the rest of his schedule is quite favorable.

David Garrard (56.5)
Garrard was the beneficiary of a fluke Hail Mary TD to win Sunday’s game against the Texans, but he still would have posted nice numbers without it. He has a nice matchup with the Browns this week before two tough matchups with the Giants and Titans.

Jon Kitna (8.8)
I’m shocked at Kitna’s line from Sunday in a matchup with a very good Giants pass defense: 327 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. The Lions are a pretty good matchup in Week 11.

Shaun Hill (5.4)
I’m pretty surprised that Hill struggled in the first half against the Bills, but maybe he was just shaking the rust off. He finished with solid numbers (323 yards, TD, INT) though another TD would have been nice. He has the Cowboys and Patriots coming up, so he’s a fine starter in the short term.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (39.5)
It was a surprisingly quiet day for Fitzy against a suspect Lions pass defense, but he still finished with 146 yards and a TD. He almost connected with Lee Evans on a long TD pass earlier in the game as well. The Bengals held Peyton Manning in check in Week 10, so the Buffalo pass offense might have problems in Week 11.

Matt Cassel (39.3)
The Chiefs were in catch-up mode for the entire Denver game, so don’t let Cassel’s numbers fool you — the Chiefs are a running team. Still, Cassel now has 12 TDs in his last five games, and that’s not bad at all. His upcoming schedule (ARI, @ SEA, DEN) is favorable.

Sam Bradford (28.6)
The rookie keeps chugging along, throwing for 251 yards and a TD on the 49ers. His short term schedule (ATL, @ DEN, @ ARI) is nice.

Troy Smith (3.1)
Smith now has three touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush) in two games and will continue to start for the 49ers. His next two matchups (TB, @ ARI) are favorable.

Jason Campbell (7.4)
It looks like Tom Cable is going to stick with Campbell and why not — he has thrown for 743 yards and five TDs in three straight wins. If the Raiders can get Zach Miller and Louis Williams healthy, they could be in business. Too bad Oakland faces the Steelers in Pittsburgh in Week 11.

Vince Young (59.6)
He’s really nicked up, but he has Randy Moss and Nate Washington to throw to and the threat of Chris Johnson to keep the safeties honest.

Tyler Thigpen (0.2)
Please see: What can we expect from new Miami QB Tyler Thigpen?

Colt McCoy (3.5)
Outside of a quiet game in Week 7, McCoy has thrown or ran for one TD in his other three starts. He’s not a bad start this week against a very sketchy Jags defense.

Matt Hasselbeck (14.5)
He threw for 333 yards and a TD against the Cardinals, but did break a bone in his non-throwing wrist. Given a matchup with a pretty stout Saints defense in Week 11, he’s not starter-worthy anyway.

Derek Anderson (3.8)
He’s something of a turnover machine, but Anderson has thrown three TDs in the last three games and his upcoming schedule isn’t terrible.

Keiland Williams (1.2)
Williams got the start with Clinton Portis sidelined and Ryan Torain gimpy. He finished with 139 yards and three TDs on 20 touches and has obviously earned more work going forward. But with Mike Shanahan, it’s anyone’s guess who’s the RB1 in Washington in Week 11.

Tim Hightower (56.5)
He’s starting to hit the waiver wire, and I’m not sure why. Don’t people know that Chris Wells is out with a swollen knee?

Clinton Portis (54.7)
He’s not back yet, but he’s getting closer.

Cadillac Williams (52.7)
He rattled off a long TD run on Sunday, but is definitely playing behind LeGarrette Blount.

Mike Hart (5.0)
If he can get healthy before Joseph Addai, he’d likely be the Colts main RB.

Mike Goodson (7.8)
DeAngelo Williams and/or Jonathan Stewart will likely be back this week, but if not Goodson would get the bulk of the carries once again.

Javarris James (2.4)
With Joseph Addai and Mike Hart sidelined, James is the Colts’ goal line back. He carried the ball 10 times for 26 yards against the Bengals.

Chris Ivory (13.3)
Ladell Betts (1.5)
Julius Jones (1.2)
Reggie Bush is due back soon, so this ugly three-headed RBBC is about to get uglier.

Vincent Jackson (56.2)
He’s due back in Week 12, and with the way the Chargers have been decimated at WR, I’d expect he’ll be used early and often. He could be a great addition for a playoff run, and unlike Sidney Rice, he’s not trying to come back from injury.

Danny Amendola (19.6)
He’s the receiver to own in St. Louis. He now has 16-108-3 in the last three weeks and is more valuable in PPR leagues than in standard formats.

Mike Thomas (6.7)
If he’s not the best WR in Jacksonville, he’s certainly the most consistent, at least when David Garrard is under center. He was sitting at about 7-100 on Sunday before he caught that now-famous Hail Mary ricochet to win the game.

Steve Breaston (51.3)
He posted 4-98 against the Seahawks, but is competing with Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet for targets.

Deion Branch (39.5)
He appears to be healthy again after a 7-71 effort against the Steelers.

Jabar Gaffney (39.1)
I saw Gaffney hit the waiver wire in one of my 12-team leagues, and he turned around and went for 3-57-1 against the Chiefs. If Kyle Orton continues to play well, Gaffney will be a decent PPR league start.

Nate Washington (37.3)
He posted 3-26-1 in Randy Moss’s first game as a Titan. His value is pretty up in the air, but one look at his upcoming schedule (WAS, @ HOU, JAX) and he looks to be startable in deep leagues.

Sidney Rice (40.0)
He’s getting close, but I suspect he’ll be on a snap count and won’t be of much use for another two weeks.

Davone Bess (31.9)
He’s still startable in deeper PPR leagues, but with three straight weeks of fewer than 55 yards receiving (and zero TDs), he’s starting to lose his luster. Plus, we’re not sure how the targets are going to shake out with Tyler Thigpen at QB. I still like his game, but the MIA passing attack can’t support three wideouts.

Robert Meachem (54.8)
He’s plenty good to be a WR2 in the NFL, but Drew Brees spreads the ball around a lot, and right now he seems to be favoring Lance Moore.

Nate Burleson (28.3)
After a nice four-game stretch (24-266-3), Burleson was rather quiet (4-47) against the Bills.

Seyi Ajirotutu (5.1)
After a huge Week 9 (4-111-2 against the hapless Texans), Ajirotutu should continue to start if Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee continue to miss time.

Kevin Walter (26.1)
After going three straight games without scoring and five straight without more than 35 yards receiving or a TD, he erupted for 6-90-1 against a sketchy Jags defense and appears to have moved back into the Texans’ WR2 role.

Eddie Royal (41.8)
There just aren’t enough targets to go around in Denver.

Louis Murphy (21.9)
He’s coming back from injury, but may be pushed by Jacoby Ford for targets.

Jacoby Ford (4.0)
He burst onto the scene in Week 9 with a 6-148 effort against the Chiefs. He has a bad matchup in Week 11 (PIT), but things get easier after that. It sounds like the Raiders intend to get him more involved.

Jason Avant (0.9)
His upside is limited, but he has gained 60+ yards in three of his last four games. He’s on the radar in PPR leagues.

Brian Hartline (1.0)
Hartline has 23 catches in the last five games, and has scored double digits PPR formats in the last three games. He’s worth a look.

James Jones (6.4)
Jones’s value is dependent on Donald Driver, who is supposed to return this week.

Brandon Gibson (0.3)
PPR leaguers should take note: Gibson now has 14 catches in the last two games. File this one under ‘someone has to catch the ball in St. Louis.’

Anthony Armstrong (2.2)
He posted 3-83 on Monday night, which is his second straight game with 80+ yards and his sixth-straight with 40+ yards.

Todd Heap (59.9)
Heap now has three good games in his last four outings and has a very nice upcoming schedule.

Brandon Pettigrew (33.4)
Pettigrew didn’t quite have the game I was expecting against the Bills, but he was targeted eight times by Shaun Hill, and that’s a good sign.

Benjamin Watson (30.1)
After a pair of bad outings, Watson rebounded with 5-74 against the Jets. His upcoming schedule is very nice, with three good matchups in the next four games.

Rob Gronkowski (5.2)
Aaron Hernandez owners have to be dismayed at Gronkowski’s performance against the Steelers (5-72-3). Are we witnessing a sea change in New England? I doubt it, but Hernandez owners should pick up Gronkowski to hedge their bets.

Greg Olsen (54.9)
Over the last month, Olsen is tied for 12th in targets at 5.7 per game and has three catches in each of his last three games.

Heath Miller (43.6)
Miller posted 5-60 against the Pats and has favorable matchups in Weeks 11 and 12. If Hines Ward misses any time, Miller’s value will be enhanced.

Anthony Fasano (6.5)
Fasano had his best game of the year (5-107-1) thanks to Tyler Thigpen, who found him for a long pass and again for a TD. Since Thigpen is going to be QBing the Dolphins for now, Fasano’s stock is on the rise.

Kevin Boss (10.2)
With Steve Smith 2.0 sidelined, Boss got seven targets against the Cowboys and responded with his best game of the season (5-81-1). As long as Smith 2.0 is out, Boss is a respectable start.

Tony Moeaki (37.9)
Moeaki only got three targets even though Matt Cassel threw the ball 53 times. Not good.

Jeremy Shockey (46.9)
Meh.

Jermaine Gresham (9.4)
Look at it this way: Gresham’s 9-85-1 outing against the Colts is better than his last three games combined. He just isn’t consistent enough to be counted on.

Joel Dreessen (1.6)
He had a chance to shine with Owen Daniels sidelined and posted just 2-24 in a terrific matchup with the Jags. This is worrisome.

Bo Scaife (3.6)
Scaife posted 7-51 against the Dolphins and faces three terrible pass defenses in a row. He will be open with defenses focused on Randy Moss and Chris Johnson. The question is — will Vince Young throw to him consistently.