The Commanders opened the 21-day practice window Monday for LB Cody Barton. He's been on IR the past four weeks after suffering a high-ankle sprain in October. We'll see how soon Barton can make it back to the active roster. We'd bet on him reclaiming the lead LB role once he does. That makes Barton worth a look on the waiver wire in some leagues this week. Jamin Davis would slip to No. 2 and David Mayo back to a reserve role.
The league has suspended Broncos S Kareem Jackson four games after a spearing hit he made on Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs on Sunday night. That, of course, follows a suspension earlier this season for three illegal hits in separate games. Jackson got his previous suspension reduced to two games on appeal and has appealed this one as well. It would seem another punishment for the same crime should knock Jackson out for longer. We'll see what happens, though. Jackson didn't get flagged for the hit during the game, which may or may not affect this ruling. Any time Jackson misses should elevate P.J. Locke to the starting role. Locke missed Sunday night's game with an ankle injury that knocked him out of Week 10 early. Delarrin Turner-Yell would seem to be the next guy up if Locke remains out for Week 12.
Rams HC Sean McVay confirmed on Monday that RB Kyren Williams (ankle) will return for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. He's been sidelined since Week 6. Williams was dominating Rams backfield work before going down, averaging 16.4 carries, 81 rushing yards, 4.4 targets, 2.6 catches, and 21 receiving yards from Week 2 to 6. We can't bank on Williams regaining that type of workload, but we are expecting him to return as Los Angeles' clear lead back. RBs Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman didn't do nearly enough in Williams' absence to lock in significant roles.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley said Monday that Edge Joey Bosa is dealing with a foot sprain and will likely land on IR, according to multiple reports. That would knock Bosa out through at least Week 15. At best, Bosa would return for the penultimate week of most fantasy football seasons. And you're not likely to play him in his first game back from this injury. We've already seen Bosa play limited snaps while dealing with injuries this year. Bottom line: You should go ahead and dump Bosa for a replacement in redraft leagues this week.
Bills TE Dawson Knox (wrist) is eligible to come off IR this week, but HC Sean McDermott said Monday that Knox isn't ready yet. Buffalo has a Week 13 bye, so we'll see if Knox is cleared to play in Week 14. His continued absence is excellent news for TE Dalton Kincaid, who has been TE3 in PPR points over the past four weeks.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp is considered "day-to-day" with his sprained ankle, a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. It continues to sound like Kupp avoided a serious injury. But Schefter adds, "Given Kupp’s history with ankle injuries, the Rams will be careful with him as they determine whether he can play Sunday vs. the Cardinals." Consider Kupp no better than 50/50 to play this weekend. We'll keep you updated on his status.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that, "as of now," WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is questionable for next Monday night's game vs. the Bears. "It's one of those things that knowing you have the bye, and knowing there are five critical (games) to come after that bye, we do have to be smart," O'Connell said. It sure sounds like Minnesota is leaning toward holding Jefferson out for one more game and bringing him back after the Week 13 bye. We'll keep you updated on the situation throughout the week.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Monday that RB Ken Walker's injured oblique is still being evaluated. Carroll at least said that Walker shouldn't need a trip to IR. We'll look for further updates on his status, but Walker is a long shot to play vs. the 49ers on Thursday night. That'll leave rookie Zach Charbonnet as Seattle's lead back. Carroll also said Monday that RB Kenny McIntosh is expected to make his regular-season debut on Thursday. He'll join RB DeeJay Dallas behind Charbonnet.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Monday that there's no structural damage to QB Geno Smith's elbow. Smith is sore, though, and will be evaluated over the next few days, Carroll added. It sounds like Smith is uncertain for Thursday night's game vs. the 49ers, although we'd expect him to push to play in such a big game. We'll keep tabs on his status. QB Drew Lock would be a significant downgrade for the offense if Smith is unable to play.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that WR Odell Beckham's shoulder injury is not a long-term deal. Harbaugh didn't say, though, whether Beckham will be available for Sunday night's game vs. the Chargers. Baltimore could certainly use him with TE Mark Andrews sidelined. We'll track Beckham's practice participation throughout the week. He's worth adding off the waiver wire in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.
Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start this weekend's game vs. the Broncos, HC Kevin Stefanski said Monday. Cleveland just added Joe Flacco to the QB room, but DTR will get at least one more start. The rookie did very little to win last week's game vs. the Steelers, completing 56% of his passes at 3.8 yards per attempt with 0 TDs. But he turned it over just once and took only one sack. Thompson-Robinson is a bottom-barrel QB2 for Week 12 and will continue to be a drain on Cleveland's WRs. (TE David Njoku tallied a 7-56-0 line on a whopping 15 targets vs. Pittsburgh.)
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that TE Mark Andrews' ankle injury wasn't as bad as initially feared, according to Luke Jones of WNST in Baltimore. "There might be an outside chance he could get back at some point in time," the coach added. Andrews reportedly still needs to meet with a foot specialist to learn more about his recovery timeline. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo says "it would have to be a deep playoff run" to give Andrews a chance to return. Dropping Andrews this week in your redraft league -- unfortunately -- looks like the right move.
Colts TE Jelani Woods has been on IR with a hamstring injury since August. Recently, he suffered a new hamstring injury to the other leg. “Jelani, actually, had a setback with his other hamstring during the rehab,” HC Shane Steichen said Monday. The first-year HC wouldn’t commit to Woods returning in 2023. Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson shared TE duties before Indy’s Week 11 bye, but neither guy is an intriguing fantasy add.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Monday that he plans to go with QB Desmond Ridder as the starter the rest of the season, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein. That aligns with reports on Smith's plans from before he announced the switch back at QB. Neither Atlanta QB has played well for a meaningful stretch this season. So this situation likely doesn't mean a lot for fantasy impact. We'll see whether Falcons coaches succeeded in correcting Ridder's pitfalls while he was out of the lineup.
Saints QB Derek Carr remains in the concussion protocol. The news comes straight from HC Dennis Allen. New Orleans doesn’t play until Sunday, so there’s time for Carr to get cleared coming off the bye week. For now, though, there’s at least a chance we'll see more of Jameis Winston. He’s a low-dollar speculative add for superflex managers seeking a short-term boost.
Dolphins beat writer Barry Jackson writes that RB De’Von Achane’s status for Week 12 “seems highly questionable.” Miami plays on Friday afternoon, which doesn’t give the rookie’s knee much time to heal. “He was feeling better this morning,” HC Mike McDaniel said Monday. “It’s not going to require surgery. We are getting extra feedback and opinions and taking that day by day this week.” McDaniel also shared that Achane’s right knee was injured on Sunday – the same one he sprained in Week 5. We’ll let you know when there’s another update on his status. In the meantime, Raheem Mostert will remain the clear RB1, with Salvon Ahmed as the likely change-of-pace option. Note: Jeff Wilson was a healthy scratch in Week 11.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp has been diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain. He tried returning from the injury on Sunday but missed the second half. For now, the 30-year-old looks 50/50 to suit up this week at Arizona. If Kupp remains out, Puka Nacua would likely be in for WR1 usage in a plus matchup.
Saints HC Dennis Allen said Monday that WR Michael Thomas (knee) will miss some time. Allen wouldn’t share if Thomas will land on injured reserve. Through 10 games, the career-long Saint has racked up 39 catches, 448 yards, and 1 score. Thomas can be dropped in shallow to standard-sized formats, but he’s worth holding elsewhere in case he only misses a game or two. From Week 13 on, New Orleans’ WR strength of schedule looks slightly positive. Rashid Shaheed figures to benefit most while Thomas is out.
On Monday, multiple reports confirmed that the Jets will start QB Tim Boyle in Week 12 vs. the Dolphins. The struggling Zach Wilson will officially hit the bench after being pulled late in the third quarter of Sunday's 32-6 blowout loss to the Bills. Should this be the last we see of Wilson in 2023, he'll have finished the season with 1,944 passing yards (23rd among QBs), 6 TDs, and 7 INTs. This move doesn't change much for fantasy managers with how poorly the Jets' offense has played all season. Still, it's pretty difficult to argue that Wilson, the former second-overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, holds any long-term dynasty value at this point. Those in deeper 2QB/superflex leagues could consider taking a stab at Boyle, but he's no more than a desperation fill-in play.
Bills TE Dalton Kincaid has racked up 26 catches, 243 yards, and two TDs over his last four games. Those are all top-4 marks among TEs. Kincaid's 62.3 PPR points over that span rank third at the position behind only T.J. Hockenson and George Kittle. The rookie is getting elite usage, running a route on 88% of Bills pass plays and drawing 22.8% of the team's targets. We can only hope that Buffalo doesn't scale back his role whenever TE Dawson Knox is ready to return from his wrist injury. Knox is eligible to come off IR this week, but there's been no indication that he'll be ready. In the meantime, Kincaid is a weekly top-5 fantasy TE. He has an excellent Week 12 matchup vs. the Eagles' 23rd-ranked TE defense.
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