Vikings LBs Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. are both active for today's game against the Jaguars. It'll be Cashman's first action since Week 5, after he went inactive for the past three games. Pace played no more than 69% of snaps in any of the three games he shared with Cashman earlier this year but saw full playing time in the three contests Cashman missed. That leaves some uncertainty on the snap outlooks for both players today. I have them projected for even playing time against a Jaguars offense that could easily support full-time work for two LBs today.
The Vikings have ruled LB Blake Cashman out for the second straight game with a toe injury. His absence means full playing time for LB Ivan Pace Jr. No other non-edge Minnesota LB played more than 16% of defensive snaps last week, though. We'll see about Cashman's outlook for a Week 9 home date with the Colts.
Vikings LB Ivan Pace Jr. told Kay Adams on her show Monday that he'll wear the green dot on his helmet this season and call the plays in the defensive huddle. That's a significant revelation for the second-year player, who saw his playing time vary last year and then watched the team pay up for LB Blake Cashman in free agency.
Texans LB Blake Cashman (hamstring) finished the week with a full Friday practice and carries no injury designation into Sunday's game against the Titans. That says Cashman's ready to return to the lineup. LB Denzel Perryman (ankle) similarly returned to full practice Friday and doesn't appear on the final injury report. Perryman hasn't missed any time with his injury, though. Cashman missed the past two games. The last time Cashman, Perryman, and Christian Harris played a full game together, Cashman played every snap, Perryman played 65%, and Harris played 60%. It was Harris edging Perryman in playing time each of the past three weeks, though, starting with the game Cashman left early. We haven't seen word from Houston coaches about the LB plan for this week, so we can only assume Cashman will reclaim the corps lead and Harris will follow. The uncertainty plus a Titans offense that has supplied the fifth-fewest fantasy points to LBs, though, has us wary of putting any Texans LB too high in the Week 17 rankings.
Houston has ruled out LB Blake Cashman (hamstring) for the second straight game. LB Denzel Perryman (Achilles') is questionable. He managed limited practices all week, though, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston reports that Perryman's "trending toward being active." Cashman's absence and Perryman's question mark have moved LB Christian Harris up our Week 16 LB rankings. Harris has produced solid numbers lately, including 7 solo tackles in three of his past four games -- with two lines of 10+ total tackles in that span. Cleveland presents a positive scoring matchup this week. The Browns have yielded the third-most fantasy points per game to LBs for the season and remain top-8 in that category even over QB Joe Flacco's three weeks as starter.
The Texans expect LB Blake Cashman to miss at least this week's game against the Titans after he strained a hamstring in Week 14, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston. That should leave Christian Harris and Denzel Perryman as the top two LBs in playing time. Neither makes for an exciting IDP play, but Harris should be the better bet after leading Perryman in playing time and production against the Jets last Sunday. Houston also expects to miss CB Tavierre Thomas (hamstring) for multiple games. He and Cashman are droppable in most redraft IDP leagues.
The NFL has suspended Texans LB Denzel Perryman for three games over repeated violations of the player-safety rules, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Perryman incurred his seventh foul of the season Sunday for using his helmet in delivering a hit. This is particularly noteworthy timing because Perryman had also just reclaimed the playing-time lead among Houston LBs in that game, at 86%. Christian Harris followed at 64%, with Blake Cashman (55%) third. Harris would seem to be the best bet to lead playing time over the next few games. But it's worth remembering that he already got demoted to a reserve role after starting the season's first four games. We'll cautiously lean Harris, then Cashman for Week 11. But the best bet among Houston's LB corps is to not invest too heavily in anyone. Rookie Henry To'oTo'o might re-enter the mix as well, but he's dealing with an injury and recently got demoted after his own starting turn. We'll also see whether the Perryman suspension holds up through a likely appeal.
Texans LB Christian Kirksey has missed several recent days with a hamstring injury, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Rookie Henry To'oTo'o has reportedly filled in for Kirksey in the starting lineup. The team interestingly listed Denzel Perryman and Blake Cashman as starting LBs alongside Christian Harris on the initial "unofficial" depth chart. That could mean nothing, of course. And Wilson reports that Kirksey is expected to reclaim his post when ready. We consider Harris to be the only lineup lock at this point. Harris sits highest among the group in our IDP rankings.
The Jets entered Sunday's game against the Patriots with LB C.J. Mosley (hamstring) inactive and Jarrad Davis (ankle) not yet back from IR. The defense then watched LBs Jamien Sherwood (calf), Quincy Williams (concussion) and Blake Cashman (groin) leave the game. We'll have to watch the whole situation to see who's in for next Sunday's game against the Bengals. If healthy, Mosley should remain a full-time starter. Davis' return would complicate the outlook for Williams, though.
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