The NFL schedule is heading into Week 11 and some things to know going into the weekend include that the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will be battling for the NFC North division lead, while Carson Palmer will face his old team in the Cincinnati Bengals. Johnny Manziel is coming in to start for the rest of the season for the Browns, while the top game matchup has the Bengals visiting the Cardinals.
Here is a look at NFL in Week 11:
The best game matchups for Week 11
The top matchup of the weekend has the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Arizona Cardinals and that game has been flexed into Sunday night football on NBC. The matchup has division leaders going against each other, with the Bengals leading the AFC North and the Cardinals leading the NFC West. The Bengals just lost their first game of the season to the Texans, while the Cardinals come in after a big win against the Seahawks that gives them control in the division race. Some other strong matchups this weekend include the Green Bay Packers visiting the Minnesota Vikings in a divisional game, while the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins game will see the return of Tony Romo.
Green Bay Packers on a 3-game losing streak
The Green Bay Packers started the season 6-0, but the team has dropped three straight and now sits at 6-3 behind the Vikings in the division race. The Packers lost against the Broncos, Panthers and Lions, which snapped a 24-year streak for Detroit winning on the road in Wisconsin. The team now has a tough task against the Vikings and in a crowded NFC, this could be a crucial game for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers has had to deal with injuries to Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Eddie Lacy this season and now the team will try and snap out of their funk against the Vikings.
Carson Palmer faces his old team in the Cincinnati Bengals
Carson Palmer will host his old team in the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night football and it comes after the team traded him back in 2011 to the Raiders. Palmer and the Bengals were in a dispute back then and Palmer wanted to be traded from the team, but Mike Brown would not make a deal. Palmer basically said he was going to retire over sticking around and eventually he was traded. According to Fox Sports, Brown said recently that he "regrets" how things turned out between the Bengals and Palmer. Now Palmer will face off against the team for the second time since the trade.
Top fantasy football picks for the weekend
The Patriots have lost Julian Edelman for at least six weeks and for fantasy owners that means looking for replacements. The Pats have Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell as solid options for the rest of the season schedule, while other WRs like Davante Adams, Kamar Aiken and Rishard Matthews also could be solid picks. Jeremy Langford is another strong option for owners, as he has been playing well for the Bears with Matt Forte out and he could have another big game this week. Jay Ajayi also could be a sleeper RB for the Dolphins against the Cowboys.
The Browns give the keys to Johnny Manziel in Week 11 Bye, Will Start in Week 12.
Fox Sports reported coming into Week 11 that the Cleveland Browns are going to make Johnny Manziel the starter for the rest of the season. The Browns are on a bye this week and that gives Manziel time to prepare to take over as the starter. Manziel started this week for Josh McCown and now the Browns could use this time to evaluate what they have in Manziel and whether he is the future of the franchise or not. The team is currently in position for the number one overall pick and if Manziel falters, Cleveland could consider taking a quarterback next year in the draft.