Week 11 fantasy winners and losers: Newton shines, Ivory sputters
Winners
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Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Newton had played 71 career games entering Sunday, and he'd never thrown for four touchdowns in any of them. On Sunday against the Redskins, Newton tossed five scores in the game's first 31 minutes, 8 seconds. That added up to 28 fantasy points just after halftime. He finished the game with 260 total yards, five touchdowns and 30 points.
Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks: Rawls took full advantage of Marshawn Lynch's absence on Sunday against the 49ers, gaining 255 total yards and scoring 2 TDs. His 36-point outburst -- which was the second-best single-game total by a RB this season -- wasn't an aberration, either. When Lynch missed the Seahawks' Week 5 matchup against the Bengals, Rawls rushed for scored 22 points.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans: Backup quarterback T.J. Yates looked Hopkins' way early and often Sunday against the Jets (12 targets). The WR converted those into five catches, 118 yards and 23 fantasy points. Hopkins also extended his TD streak to three games with a 61-yard score in the second quarter, which marked the second-longest TD of his career.
Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Martin had 177 rushing yards in the first half. Only two players in the last 15 seasons have gained more in the game's first 30 minutes: Marshall Faulk (2001) and Jamal Lewis (2003). Amazingly, Martin -- who finished with 23 fantasy points and 235 rushing yards -- had runs of 84 and 58 yards but failed to score a touchdown on both. And how about this nugget from ESPN Stats & Information: The last player to rush for 230-plus yards in a game was ... Doug Martin in 2012 (251 yards).
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The reason Martin didn't have an even bigger fantasy day? Winston threw 4 TDs in the first half. For some context, he had four passing scores in his past five games combined. The rookie QB finished the day with 5 TDs and his best fantasy output as a pro (29 points).
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers: Stewart ranked as fantasy's No. 40 running back through the first four weeks of the season, but he's turned it around since then, entering this week tied for sixth in fantasy points among RBs since Week 6. Stewart kept rollin' on Sunday against the Redskins with 17 fantasy points.
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks: It's no secret that Wilson has struggled this season, but he busted out of his slump on Sunday. It was just the second time this season that he's thrown multiple touchdowns in a game -- and unsurprisingly, that went hand-in-hand with the second output of 20-plus fantasy points in 2015.
James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers: Over his last five games, Jones had predictably come back down to earth, with just 27 fantasy points. He busted out of that slump against the Vikings on Sunday, putting up a complete game against a tough Vikings defense (six catches, 109 yards, 18 fantasy points).
Mason Crosby, K, Green Bay Packers: Crosby made kicks from 52, 47, 42 (twice) and 40 yards against the Vikings, as he posted 22 points, the second-best single-game fantasy total by a kicker this season.
Losers
Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets: Ivory failed to break 40 yards rushing for the second time in three weeks. Even worse for owners: The RB actually had a good matchup on paper, facing a Texans defense that entered the week allowing 17.9 fantasy points per game to opposing backs. Ivory finished the game with just three points.
Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers: At this point it's clear that you don't want your fantasy QB to play the Chiefs. Entering this week, they'd allowed 24 points to passers over their previous four games. So Rivers' five-point total wasn't a huge surprise, but it was still significant since it marked his worst fantasy game since Week 17 last season against ... the Chiefs.
Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins: The roller coaster continues with Miller, who posted his second game of five points or less in the last four weeks. In the other two games during that span, Miller scored 40 total points. At this point, it's a guessing game which version of Miller will show up on Sundays.
Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Gore managed just 34 rushing yards on 14 carries against the Falcons on Sunday. He was involved in the passing game (46 yards), but he scored only five fantasy points thanks to a fumble. That marks Gore's lowest total since Week 2.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST: The Eagles were heralded as one of the top-ranked D/ST options, mostly because of they were playing the Buccaneers. But Jameis Winston & Co. proceeded to put up 45 points, while the Eagles failed to capitalize on multiple turnover opportunities. The result was Philly "scoring" minus-six points on the day.
