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Big Performers Stand Out In Slow Week
Week 11 was one of the lower-scoring weeks of the season. The 2025 NFL season has generally seen higher scoring, with most weeks to date averaging between 45 and 50 points per game.
The Week 11 average was 43.9 points per game.
Despite the decreased overall output, fantasy investors got some massive returns.
The list of overachievers included some of the usual suspects, but some new names and fresh faces also injected themselves into the conversation.
Let's take a look . . .
Allen Gone (Predictably) Wild
As Syracuse.com's Matt Parrino suggested, Josh Allen had Bills fans and fantasy investors alike riding an epic roller coaster on Sunday, showcasing some inexplicable decisions and highlight-reel plays on his way to a six-touchdown performance.
Fantasy investors were fine with the wild ride.
He passed for three touchdowns and ran for three others, meaning he now owns both games in NFL history in which a player has done that (also Week 14 of 2024), and he scored 42.7 fantasy points, becoming the first quarterback to ever score 40-plus in three different games.
It was his third career game with three-plus passing touchdowns and two-plus rushing touchdowns, breaking a tie with Kordell Stewart (two) for the most in NFL history.
In addition to being named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, Sunday's performance allowed Allen to take over the positional fantasy scoring lead for the season (251.3). His per-game average (25.1) is a tenth of a point more than his previous single-season best set in 2020.
But is any of this really surprising?
We Should Have Seen It Coming
Yes, Allen was missing two of his top receiving assets. Dalton Kincaid was out with a hamstring, and Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch (more on that in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly below). Allen also threw an ill-advised first-quarter interception in a desperate attempt to avoid a safety and seemed out of rhythm with those who did play in the game's early stages.
Nevertheless, he delivered the goods -- and then some -- for fantasy managers.
Allen completed passes to nine different players, with the unheralded Tyrell Shavers leading the way with 90 yards and a TD on four catches. With the defense struggling to make stops, Allen shouldered the load, putting up points on four straight drives in the second half to blow the game open.
It was a remarkable performance, but . . .
No Really, We Should Have Seen It Coming
Last year, Allen totaled 41 touchdowns: 28 passing, 12 rushing, and even one receiving. He became the only player in NFL history with 25-plus passing TDs, 10-plus rushing TDs, and a receiving score in a season.
He threw just six interceptions and took only 14 sacks -- both career-bests. The Bills became the first Super Bowl-era team with under 15 sacks allowed and fewer than 15 giveaways in a season.
Allen (five seasons) joined Aaron Rodgers (six) as the only QBs with 40-plus total TDs in five or more seasons.
So far this season, Allen has 18 touchdown passes and 10 touchdown runs. He's thrown for 2,456 yards and run for another 351.
If he continues scoring at his current pace, Allen will finish the 2025 season with 47 touchdowns: 30 passing and 17 rushing. He's also on track to finish with nearly 4,200 passing yards and 600 rushing yards.
So, if there's still any question about where Allen stands in terms of consistent, high-end fantasy production . . .
The Evidence is Real
Allen's 2018 rookie season wasn't spectacular -- he finished as QB21.
But since then?
Allen has been as consistent a high-end producer as you could ask for.
- QB6 in 2019
- QB1 in 2020, 2021, and 2023
- QB2 in 2022
- QB3 in 2024
That includes top-10 overall finishes (all positions included) in each of the last five years . . .
What's Ahead?
As ESPN.com's Tristan Cockroft noted this week, Allen "continues to prove himself to be the most dynamic quarterback talent in the league."
Better still, he has a pair of dream matchups coming up on his schedule: At Pittsburgh and versus Cincinnati in Weeks 13-14.
While his Week 12, Thursday night matchup at Houston is daunting, it's hard to argue with Cockcroft's contention that Allen is capable of rising above it and delivering a top-five positional score . . .
CMC Keeps Building His Case
The on-field back-and-forth between Christian McCaffrey and the Colts' Jonathan Taylor continued in Week 11 -- albeit in a lopsided manner.
With Indianapolis on a bye, the 49ers' offense went off in Arizona, and McCaffrey was a huge part of that.
In fact, the veteran superstar logged two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in the 49ers' 41-22 win over the Cardinals, pushing his season total to six rushing and five receiving touchdowns.
He finished as the RB1 for the week with 35.1 points.
McCaffrey became the first player in NFL history with at least five rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns in four different seasons.
"I love the game so much, I try to be a complete back," McCaffrey told reporters Sunday. "It's something that, my whole life, I've tried to focus on: Being able to do everything."
Sunday's win was also the star running back's 17th career game with one or more rushing and one or more receiving touchdowns, extending the record he set in a Week 9 win over the Giants.
It was his eighth such game as a 49er, the most in franchise history.
McCaffrey's usage in the passing game has seen a huge uptick this season . . .
And That's Important
Through 11 games, McCaffrey has logged 732 receiving yards, the most in his career to start a season.
As Footballguy Jeff Bell noted in his Week 12 Backfield Breakdowns, McCaffrey joined Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players with 700 rushing and 700 receiving through the first 11 games of a season.
He is two catches from becoming the fifth running back with 600 in his career.
There's no sign he's slowing down either. The volume is certainly there.
According to Late-Round Fantasy's JJ Zachariason, McCaffrey has a 26 percent target share per game rate this year. If he finishes with that high of a share, it'll be the highest by a running back across a season since at least 2011.
"It was always something I worked on my whole life," McCaffrey said. "I always played running back, never played receiver. But I was fortunate enough to be on teams, even in little league, where they would throw the ball to me, so it was always kind of a natural thing. I enjoy doing it, it's another way to get the ball into my hands."
On Sunday, McCaffrey tallied 81 rushing and 40 receiving yards on 18 touches.
His 121 scrimmage yards against the Cardinals extended his season total to 1,439 yards, which leads the NFL.
In addition to his receiving, McCaffrey was more effective on the ground against Arizona, averaging a season-high 6.2 yards per carry. His longest rush went for 20 yards, the longest by a 49er this season and their first rush of 20 or more yards in the 2025 NFL season . . .
Race to the Finish
McCaffrey has scored 30-plus in three of his past five games. Taylor has three 30-plus point outings in his last five, but he has five such games in total this season.
But if the two are battling for the top spot this season, McCaffrey is clearly at a disadvantage.
While we should expect more high-end production in his Week 12 revenge game against the Panthers on the big stage of Monday Night Football, CMC and the Niners face a matchup against a stingy Cleveland defense before taking off for the Week 14 bye.
The race isn't over, but it's hard to say Taylor isn't the favorite . . .
Purdy Darned Good
As NFL.com's Michael Baca reminded readers, it was Week 1 since we last saw Brock Purdy and George Kittle on the field together. Head coach Kyle Shanahan wasted no time in getting San Francisco's passing offense rolling through the quarterback-tight end connection.
Purdy finished 19-of-26 passing for 200 yards with three touchdowns and a 133.5 passer rating. He finished 8-of-10 passing for 74 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz. He led San Francisco to score on eight of 11 possessions, for a 49ers season-high 41 points.
Kittle's six receptions for 67 yards and two TDs led the Niners' output.
Kittle scored 24.7 fantasy points against the Cardinals, good for TE2 overall on the week.
Kittle, who caught all six of his targets in Arizona, has now posted back-to-back games with 23 or more points and at least one touchdown grab in each. He's heating up and will try to keep the momentum going against the Panthers . . .