The Top 10: Week 11

Featuring fantasy-oriented insights rooted in film-driven football analysis to help GMs manage their fantasy squads.

Matt Waldman's The Top 10: Week 11 Matt Waldman Published 11/11/2025

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MISSION

The mission of this column—and a lot of my work—is to bridge the gap between the fantasy and reality of football analysis.

The goal of this feature is to provide you with actionable recommendations that will help you get results. The fundamental mission is to get the process right.

While it's a rush to see the box score or highlights and claim you made the right calls, doing so without a sustainable process makes success ephemeral.

The Top 10 will cover topics that attempt to get the process right (reality) while understanding that fantasy owners may not have time to wait for the necessary data to determine the best course of action (fantasy).

My specialty is film analysis. I've been scouting the techniques, concepts, and physical skills of offensive skill talent as my business for nearly 20 years.

The Top 10 will give you fantasy-oriented insights rooted in football analysis that have made the Rookie Scouting Portfolio one of the two most purchased independent draft guides among NFL scouts. This is what Atlanta Falcons Area Scout and former SEC recruiter Alex Brown has told me over the past 8-10 years.

Sigmund Bloom's Waiver Wire piece, available every Monday night during the season, is a viable source of information to kick-start your week as a fantasy GM. 

The theme this week...Details aren't nitpicking, but the difference between the players considered the best in the world. 

STRAIGHT, NO CHASER: WEEK 10'S CLIFF'S NOTES

  1. TreVeyon Henderson had a huge day thanks to three runs. The rest weren't great outcomes, but you can't blame his process on most of them.  
  2. Tyler Shough's work against the Carolina Panthers had enough promising moments to keep an open mind while also remaining vigilant about what ailed him in college. 
  3. Jaxson Dart had his best day with throws greater than 25 yards. He also suffered a concussion. What's in store for him with Brian Daboll gone? 
  4. Davis Mills was a recommended Add Now in the Replacements, and he delivered. Can he do it again if C.J. Stroud doesn't make it through concussion protocol? 
  5. Blake Corum has steadily earned a share of the RB workload. What he does well earns him fantasy points and a high ceiling if Kyren Williams gets hurt. What he doesn't could derail his potential. 
  6. Bo Nix is the target of the boomerang effect fans experience when a quarterback's stats don't have a steady climb or maintain the same high plateau during their developmental phase. He was never a great prospect, but he's still good enough to help this young team and grow into a productive starter. 
  7. Matthew Stafford was my top QB in the 2009 NFL Draft class. He went through the ringer in Detroit. Is he reaching excellence because of his long-known talents, his scheme, or the fact that he has survived this long?
  8. Luther Burden III has performed well in spot duty, but he has done little for fantasy GMs. Which fantasy GMs should be patient or take a shot? Who shouldn't? 
  9. Alec Pierce has been hot for the past five weeks. Could he sneak into the primary receiver role ahead of Michael Pittman Jr by 2026?
  10.  The Falcons had the right idea to get Kyle Pitts Sr. more involved downfield, but it didn't work out. There's reason to believe they'll continue trying, but the fantasy public's patience has likely worn thin. 

1. TreVeyon Henderson: Fantasy Slot Machine

We finally got the fantasy outing from TreVeyon Henderson that so many anticipated. Better Week 10 than never, right? 

Depends on how badly he clogged your roster and whether Weeks 4, 8, and 9 were helpful enough to you. Probably not. Still, Henderson delivered what will likely be a top-five week at his position. 

The sticking point will be the fact that his best gains by far came on three carries: a 69-yard TD, a 55-yard TD, and a 16-yard run on a cutback. That's 140 of his 147 yards on three touches -- JACKPOT. 

So, is Henderson a slot machine of a fantasy back who infrequently pays out? Compared to the top-12 RBs right now? Absolutely.

As an RB2 or RB3? The payouts may become more frequent because there will be enough quarters in Henderson's bucket until Rhamondre Stevenson returns from his toe injury. Still, we can't change a slot machine into an ATM -- at least not overnight.

One thing is certain: The finger-pointing from the public goes both ways to Henderson and the offensive line, but it's also the nature of the run schemes that fit Henderson best. 

Henderson's wheelhouse is gap runs -- working behind a puller or a lead fullback where the offensive line does all the work to create one crease. The back can do some work to help manipulate defenders but not nearly as much as he does with zone or Duo.

With gap plays like Power, Counter, Trap, and ISO, coaches want the runner to hit the creases as they open like a missile. When it works, you get big plays. When it fails, it can fail big if your runner doesn't have veteran craft. 

Henderson lacks some of that veteran craft right now, but he'll hit a crease like a missile. This 16-yarder displays the patience you'd expect on a play that simulates open-field running. 

The fullback should have continued play-side here, and this crosses up Henderson. 

Henderson taking what he can get and showing the patience needed for the run. 

The difference between Henderson and Stevenson as a short-yardage and between-the-tackles back is strength and savvy. Henderson has the minimum amount to contribute, but Stevenson offers more of both at this time.

Henderson was savvy enough here, but not quite strong enough. 

The only play where there's legitimate criticism for Henderson this week is this run, where he had a man-on-man advantage with the box count to his right, but based on his work, he didn't see this pre-snap. 

Otherwise, when the Patriots opened sizeable creases and got Buccaneers defenders to load up at the line of scrimmage, the TreVeyon Missile hit the end zone at Mach 10. 

If Stevenson returns and returns to form, Henderson will maintain a committee split, but expect Stevenson to be the more effective goal-line option and the closeout back. There won't be enough quarters in Henderson's bucket to rely on him as anything more than a boom-bust RB3. 

Until then, Henderson offers you boom-bust RB2 fantasy value. 

2. Tyler Shough: Buying Time

Tyler Shough was my QB6 in the 2025 Rookie Scouting Portfolio pre-draft publication. Matthew Stafford is the player in his comparison spectrum that's the ultimate aspiration that might be out of his reach. Drew Stanton is the floor that Shough is probably where he won't regress.

Jay Cutler is the likely middle ground -- a player who Shough could reach and possibly surpass over the course of time in a stable organization with decent surrounding talent, and/or resilience on Shough's part. 

I graded Shough a contributor with a score of 76.35 on a scale of 100. Most quarterbacks I've graded with a score of  75 or more have a fighting chance to become a viable NFL starter. This has been a steady benchmark over the years.

At 76.35, it means I saw Shough as a quarterback who could deliver starter execution in a limited role, but diminishing returns beyond that scope. It means that if the offense can scheme plays where Shough isn't doing the brunt of the pre-snap work, isn't forced to make too many adjustments, and there's enough surrounding talent to produce good results out of some of his questionable decisions, you'll see production and even winning football. 

Here are some notable moments from Shough against the Panthers that are promising, considering my pre-draft report on him, which I'll share some highlights of later. 

Shough was good at working against play-side edge pressure in college. Here's where he does this well against the Panthers. He also spots the open man working off-structure. It's the in-structure recognition of big opportunities that run counter to his predetermined ideas that were more problematic for him. 

Shough earned good marks for his red-zone work in college. This miscommunication between him and Chris Olave was a typical rookie error. It's not a long-term concern yet.

Shough's confidence on this bomb to Chris Olave is good and bad. The play is covered at the decision point, but Olave is good enough to uncover after the throw. That makes Shough's decision look better than it is. It's a pinpoint throw because the defender is on the ground. 

Shough had a few good third-down conversions in this game. He's always been willing to manage the game and check the ball. 

Shough has specific issues with managing pressure that could hurt him down the line, but when the pressure begins as he reaches the top of his drop, Shough manages well and shows excellent placement in the underneath passing game. 

Processing speed has been a problem for Shough -- he can be 1-2 steps late with execution when he spots the right decision. He had to be more confident than he was. So when I see a play like this one, I'm encouraged that he's beginning his career with confident aggression. 

Once again, when pressure arrives on a schedule Shough expects, he's good. 

Shough had an impressive outing. Moving forward, you'll want to see if his vertical game continues to be pinpoint or if it deteriorates to the receiver having to do more of the work to make the play. 

You'll also want to see if he's tipping off defenders in zone coverage and being late with his execution, as teams do more to try to confuse him. 

Most of all, you'll want to look for specific pocket management flaws that he showed in college. 

  • He takes sacks he can avoid.
  • He's too aggressive when backed up inside his team's 20 and has generated negative outcomes.
  • Reactivity to pressure arriving before he can set after his drop. 
  • Difficulties sensing blindside pressure on deep drops. 
  • Pocket clock against slow-developing edge pressure.

Fixing pocket management woes is difficult, especially when pressure-related. It’s impossible for teams to limit a quarterback’s exposure to pressure. It’s a reality of the NFL.

Shough demonstrates enough against pressure that most won’t notice where his pocket work fails him – and it’s an isolated, but chronic issue.

If he overcomes it, Shough has the tools to continue developing into a future starter. If not, he can still have a chance to become a compelling journeyman backup with opportunities to play and produce. 

The Panthers' game was a promising start, even if the pressure he faced was more in his wheelhouse from his scouting report. 

3. Jaxson Dart: Promising Sights...What's Next?

Accurate 25 yards and under, and demonstrably less reliable with throws over 25 yards. That's what I observed when scouting Dart in college, and it has been the case for the first several weeks in the NFL. 

Not against the Bears. 

It's only two targets, but he's only delivered targets of this length 2-3 times a game in most weeks. If he can continue what he showed in Chicago as we get into the back stretch of the season, it will be an encouraging  sign for his overall game. 

The bigger question might be what happens after Brian Daboll's firing. Agree with it or not, Daboll was a big proponent of drafting Dart and likely the guiding force behind how they built the offense to support his early developmental trajectory, designing runs, short and intermediate passes, etc. 

From what I've heard from a former scout with connections to the Giants' personnel staff, interim coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was not enthusiastic about drafting Dart. Kafka had ambivalence about the decision.  

Dart could have already swayed Kafka -- there has been plenty of time working together for that to happen. It's also worth monitoring the situation. Does Kafka change the offense, and will that change take away what Dart does well and make him do more things he doesn't? 

The big-picture revelations with Daboll's firing:

  • Joe Schoen survived (for now).
  • The coach in the room who wasn't a Dart supporter is now getting a shot to be the next leader.
  • Giants' ownership may be susceptible to a lot of back-door politicking if it's keeping a GM and an assistant rather than clearing the decks. 

This all may work out for Dart. Let's hope so. There's also a palpable chance Dart will have to learn an entirely new system next year and work with a different staff. 

There's a lot to assume that could work out well, but as Sigmund Bloom says about the assumption of rational coaching, it's not a guarantee that they will be rational. 

4. Davis Mills: Good, Bad, and Absurd. Can He Do It Again?

I recommended Mills as an Add Now in Week 10's Replacements if you were desperate for a QB. Mills' experience, skills, and the matchup were all enough to make the call. 

While it paid off, Mills was good, bad, and, at times, absurd with displays of skill and luck that were not expected. 

The bad came early as if he was shaking off the rust from his years on the bench. 

In between the bad, we saw a glint of the horseshoe sticking out of Mills' backside on plays that turned out better than he deserved. 

Here's luck pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat...

The luck absurd enough in the moments that it happened. It was enough to keep the Texans afloat while Mills found his rhythm. Boy, did he...

This is one of the best throws I saw all week and my favorite. You might think it's luck, but the leverage of the linebacker and the placement make it intentional, excellent, and absurd based on the game script. 

This one to Dallas Schultz sets up Mills' 14-yard scramble for the game-winning TD. 

Great fantasy game for Mills and moments of excellence in the second half, but can he do it again if called upon next week? Yes, the Titans are a weak enough defense to consider it. 

The fact that Mills was willing to target Jayden Higgins in key moments was a positive. His mobility and trust throws to Collins were also big in this game. 

Even so, he's a boom-bust starter regardless. There were multiple moments in this game where the Jaguars should have capitalized on Mills' mistakes and shut this game down. 

Boom potential is that these issues were rust. The bust potential is that Mills' game still has too many boom-bust moments, and it's why the Texans drafted a QB instead of letting Mills develop as a long-term starter.  

5. Blake Corum: High-Ceiling Understudy

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Tags:
2025 NFL fantasy football the top 10 Week 11 Week 10 Matt Waldman footballguys Blake Corum Alec Pierce Kyle Pitts Sr. Bo Nix Davis Mills Matthew Stafford Luther Burden III Jaxson Dart Tyler Shough TreVeyon Henderson
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