The Monday night football matchup for Week 11 has the New England Patriots taking on the Carolina Panthers and some of the top players to start and sit for the game for the Pats includes Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, Stevan Ridley, Stephen Gostkowski, Aaron Dobson and Shane Vereen.
The team has a tough test with the Panthers defense, as they have been playing very well all season, but the Patriots offense appears to be clicking together at the right time and Gronkowski is one of the main reasons why. The beat of a tight end returned a few weeks ago and so far his impact has been an immense one, as he has 19 catches in three games for nearly 300 yards and he is now coming off of a big game that saw him score his first touchdown since returning from surgery.
Tom Brady has been thrilled to have him back in the fold and he has rewarded Gronk will 33 targets in three games and now he is coming into the matchup against the Panthers after catching nine balls against the Steelers on 10 targets for 143 yards and a touchdown while averaging over 15 yards per catch. He had just two receptions in the win over Miami a few weeks ago, but in his first game back he had 17 targets and eight catches for 114 yards and after doing games like that twice already this season, he likely will have another big game on Monday night. Gronk was limited at practice at practice but that was likely a precaution and the way he has played, no reason not to START him on Monday night.
Having Danny Amendola back has been a huge boost for the New England Patriots as well and he is coming off of a huge game against the Steeler and while he has missed a ton of time this season, when he has been on the field he has been very productive. Amendola has been over 100 yards in two of five games this season and he got his first score of the season against the Steelers while making four catches for 122 yards, including a long of 57 yards and now he matches up against a very solid Panthers secondary. Another very solid start option.
Aaron Dobson has been very dependable recently after some early struggles and he is a good START pick this week after coming in from the Steelers game. Dobson had two touchdowns on five catches for 130 yards in that game and now in the past two matchups for the Patriots he has scored a touchdown. Shane Vereen is a very good starting option despite him coming off IR, as the Patriots have lacked that element he brings to the table, while Stevan Ridley is also a good START option for the game on Monday night along with Stephen Gostkowski at kicker. The Patriots always end up putting up points and Gostkowski is one of the best.