10 unheralded NFL players set to make major impacts in Week 11

We saw two players step up big time in the Super Bowl back in February. Then-Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Chris Matthews, who caught four passes for 109 yards and a score in that game, has since been released by Seattle.

Meanwhile, New England Patriots corner Malcolm Butler, who intercepted Russell Wilson to end the game, is among the best players at his position in the NFL this year.

Unheralded players may step up just one time before falling back into the oblivion of the unknown. Others will use that as a stepping stone to secure future success.

The 10 players listed in today's article will likely find themselves as a mix between the two.

From a wide receiver in Arizona who's been kept quiet behind a stellar group of players at that position in the desert to a backup quarterback in St. Louis making his first start of the season, here are 10 unheralded players set to make a major impact in Week 11.

1. Jaron Brown, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals

After putting up three catches for 38 yards in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks last week, this third-year receiver is set to take on a larger role for the Cardinals moving forward.

Brown was in the game due to a hamstring injury Michael Floyd suffered. While we aren't sure whether Floyd will suit up Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, it's a good bet that Brown will get more action. If that's the case, there's a strong chance he will continue to make an impact for the first-place team.

2. Darius Slay, cornerback, Detroit Lions

Slay entered the season as one of the best young corners in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, the former second-round pick graded out among the top 20 overall players at his position last year.

Unfortunately, Slay's third year didn't start out so swimmingly. He allowed 17 receptions on 23 targets in the first five games. That was good enough for opposing quarterbacks to put up a 112.7 rating when going after Slay. In the four games since, Slay has allowed just eight receptions for 100 yards.

Now likely to line up against Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper, Slay has a tall task ahead of himself. At 2-7 on the year, Detroit's only playing for pride here. However, acting the part of a spoiler would go a long way in at least salvaging something out of a lost season. In this, Slay is an important figure moving forward.

3. Ricky Wagner, offensive tackle, Baltimore Ravens

It wasn't too long ago that Wagner was considered a major weakness along the Ravens' offensive line. After being highly touted during the early part of his Wisconsin career, Wagner fell off the map as his time in Madison continued. These struggles led him to fall all the way down to the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Forced into a starting role as a sophomore last season, Wagner responded by allowing a total of just two sacks in 15 games. Picking it up even more this season, the third-year offensive tackle has not allowed a single sack in nine games.

Taking on a desperate St. Louis Rams team equipped with a tremendous defensive line, it's going to be important for Wagner to keep up his stellar play. Based on what we have seen thus far, that will likely be what happens come Sunday.

4. Danny Amendola, wide receiver, New England Patriots

With Julian Edelman likely out for the remainder of the regular season, Tom Brady is going to have to find someone to rely on as a top receiver moving forward. After all, Edelman did average 10 targets per game prior to suffering the foot injury last week.

Replacing Edelman as Brady's top receiver in New England's win over the New York Giants last week, Amendola caught 10 of the 11 passes thrown in his direction for 79 yards.

Whether it was Wes Welker before or Edelman over the past couple years, Brady has always found that possession guy to make an impact in the passing game. Amendola was signed prior to the 2013 season to be just that.

It's now up to him to prove his worth after two seasons of lackluster production. Based on what we saw last week, he might just be up for the task.

5. Trent Murphy, linebacker, Washington Redskins

Washington has struggled putting consistent pressure on quarterbacks this season, tallying a total of 15 sacks in nine games. Despite this, the Redskins have found a way to tread water on defense. They rank in the middle of the pack in points against and are in the top 12 against the pass.

One of the primary reasons for this has been the play of Murphy in his second season. The former second-round pick has found himself in the offensive backfield on a consistent basis. While it doesn't show up on the stat line (three sacks), it has forced opposing quarterbacks out of rhythm throughout the year.

Taking on one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at eluding pressure, Murphy will need to put up a stellar performance against Cam Newton on Sunday. If that doesn't happen, the Redskins could very well fall victim to the undefeated Carolina Panthers.

6. Davante Adams, wide receiver, Green Bay Packers

It didn't take this second-year receiver too long to regain the trust of Aaron Rodgers after missing three games to an ankle injury earlier in the year. Including the whopping 21 targets he received against the Detroit Lions last week, Adams has been targeted 32 times over the past two games.

With Rodgers and the Packers' passing offense struggling over the past few games, it's going to be important for the reigning NFL MVP to find his comfort zone Sunday against the first-place Minnesota Vikings. In this, the expectation here has to be that Adams will see the ball thrown in his direction a whole heck of a lot.

Likely taking on a surprising corner in Terence Newman, it's now up to Adams to make the most of his opportunities. That means catching the ball at a higher clip than the 55 percent we have seen thus far this season.

7. Justin Perillo, tight end, Green Bay Packers

A second-year player from Maine, Perillo saw a total of three targets in his NFL career up until last week. With Rodgers trying to find some weapons on a suddenly depleted skill-position group in Green Bay, this young tight end suddenly became an important part of the team's offense last week. He caught five of the six passes thrown in his direction for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Teaming up with fellow tight end Richard Rodgers to provide Green Bay's quarterback with an under-the-radar tandem between the hashes, the expectation here has to be that Perillo will play an important role come Sunday.

8. Garrett Celek, tight end, San Francisco 49ers

In his first game as the 49ers' top tight end after the trade of Vernon Davis, Celek caught a grand total of two passes for 12 yards against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago. Interestingly, both catches went for touchdowns.

It's readily apparent that new starter Blaine Gabbert has found somewhat of a comfort zone with Celek in the passing game, especially in the red zone.

Taking on a Seattle Seahawks defense that's allowing 70 percent of the passes thrown to tight ends this year to be completed, Celek faces a surprisingly good matchup in his second game as San Francisco's top dog at tight end. It wouldn't be surprising to see him play a big role in the team's offense come Sunday.

9. Terence Newman, cornerback, Minnesota Vikings

In his 13th NFL season, Newman is acting as a veteran presence in an otherwise youthful Vikings secondary. Heck, fellow corner Xavier Rhodes was all of 13 years old when Newman made his NFL debut with the Dallas Cowboys back in 2003.

Coming off a two-interception performance against the Oakland Raiders last week, Newman will be tested again this week. Look for him to line up against a receiver in Davante Adams, who was targeted 21 times last week.

In this, Newman could actually play a huge role in the outcome of Sunday's game. If he's able to repeat what we have seen thus far this season, the Vikings will be in a good place when the game draws to a conclusion. If not, Green Bay could very well tie Minnesota atop the division.

10. Case Keenum, quarterback, St. Louis Rams

Some were thrown off by Jeff Fisher's decision to bench Nick Foles following yet another disastrous performance from the Rams' passing game last week. However, it's not like Keenum can possibly find a way to struggle more than what we have seen from Foles this year.

Through nine games, St. Louis ranks dead last in the NFL in passing yards at 178.6 per game. For his part, Foles has thrown seven touchdowns in nine games en route to leading the league's 30th-ranked scoring offense.

This change couldn't have come at a better time. Keenum is fortunate enough to take on a Baltimore Ravens defense that ranks 26th in the NFL against the pass and has yielded a 101.4 quarterback rating.

Now is as good of a time as any for Keenum to prove that he can move the ball on a consistent basis for a Rams team that's in desperate need of a win after losing two consecutive.

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