Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet carried 15 times and drew 6 targets in Sunday's loss to the Rams, which saw RB Kenneth Walker leave early with an oblique injury. He turned that into just 47 yards on the ground (3.1 per carry), though, and 22 yards on 6 receptions (3.7 per catch). That's poor production, and not the kind of efficiency that's going to command touches for Charbonnet once Walker returns. Walker seems like a solid bet to miss at least one more game, but we'll watch for updates leading into Week 12. One other factor working against both Seattle RBs is the league's second-worst remaining schedule for RB scoring. Charbonnet is worth a look where available on the waiver wire this week. But don't expect him to become a roster savior.
After struggling as a passer in his last three meetings vs. the Jets, Bills QB Josh Allen diced up the division rival in a 32-6 Week 11 win. Allen completed 20 of 32 passes (63%) for 275 yards (8.6 YPA), three TDs, and one INT. It was the second most passing yards and the most passing TDs allowed this season by the Jets, who have also faced QBs Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert. Allen's performance was particularly notable considering it was the first under new OC Joe Brady. It's tough to say exactly how big an impact Brady's play-calling had, but it was certainly an encouraging start. Allen gets a much juicier Week 12 matchup against an Eagles defense sitting 30th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs. The Bills then have a Week 13 bye, so Allen owners should start thinking about lining up a one-week fill in.
Not every Browns pass-catcher experienced a massive downtick in production without QB Deshaun Watson in Week 11. TE David Njoku recorded 7 catches for 56 receiving yards vs. the Steelers. Njoku’s 15 targets on Sunday are his highest single-game mark in his seven-year NFL career. He’s now seen a total of 22 targets across two games (Week 4 vs. the Ravens, Week 11) with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center. For comparison, WR Amari Cooper has received just 14 combined targets in that sample size. This concentration of work is a huge boon for Njoku’s fantasy appeal so long as Thompson-Robinson is the Browns’ starter. He should be firmly entrenched in TE1 territory again in Week 12 vs. the Broncos.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson managed just two catches for nine yards in Sunday's 32-6 loss to the Bills. QB Zach Wilson was benched after throwing for just 81 yards through the game's first 42 minutes. QB Tim Boyle threw for only 33 yards the rest of the way. Wilson did lead the Jets with eight targets for a strong 27.6% share. But most of those targets had very little chance of actually being completed. Wilson, of course, has been producing solid fantasy numbers all season in spite of bad QB play. So we have to believe the elbow injury that had him questionable coming in played a part. We'll keep an eye on that this coming week, along with the Jets' plans at QB. It won't be pretty regardless of who's under center, but Wilson's talent plus volume should allow him to rebound. He gets a plus Week 12 matchup vs. the Dolphins, and the Jets have the eighth easiest WR schedule from Weeks 12 through 17.
Washington WR Jahan Dotson caught the team's lone TD pass in Sunday's loss to the Giants. That inflated a stat line that included just 3 receptions and 23 yards. His 4 targets ranked fourth on the team, trailing RB Brian Robinson Jr. (9), TE Logan Thomas (8), and WR Terry McLaurin (7). Sunday found WR Curtis Samuel in the lineup, which has damaged Dotson's target share all year. But Samuel got ejected in the first half. That Dotson failed to draw more target share despite Samuel leaving early looks even worse for Dotson going forward. His spike in production for weeks 8 and 9 look more like outliers than blueprints for projecting Dotson the rest of the way.
Steelers RB Jaylen Warren exploded in Week 11, logging 129 rushing yards on 9 carries vs. the Browns. To emphasize his impressive performance, consider that Warren recorded a 74-yard TD run early in the third quarter. Even if you remove that play from Warren’s performance, he still would’ve had nearly twice as many total yards (71) on the 11 other touches than his teammate Najee Harris did (36) on 13 touches in the contest. Still, the Steelers held Warren to a 44.8% snap share on Sunday. This is still a frustratingly split backfield. It’s feasible, however, that back-to-back 100-yard efforts from the former UDFA could push Pittsburgh to give Warren more work over Harris moving forward. It’ll be intriguing to see how the workload is distributed in Week 12 against a softer Bengals defense (29th in run-defense DVOA in 2023).
Multiple reports on Sunday evening indicate that the Browns are signing free agent QB Joe Flacco to their practice squad. The former Super Bowl XLVII MVP visited with Cleveland on Friday, and it's expected that he'll be elevated to the active roster shortly. This move adds much-needed positional depth in the aftermath of the announcement of starter Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder surgery. Fantasy managers in deeper 2QB/superflex leagues can consider throwing light FAAB or a speculative waiver claim on Flacco, though it would be wise to temper expectations. It's still entirely possible that the Browns will stick with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center, and they do still have backup P.J. Walker on the roster as well. Stay tuned for further updates.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said after Sunday's loss to the Rams that RB Ken Walker has a “legit” oblique strain. We should learn more about the injury tomorrow, but Walker seems unlikely to be ready for Thursday night’s game vs. the 49ers. That’d leave Zach Charbonnet as Seattle’s lead back.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said after Sunday's loss to the Rams that QB Geno Smith has a bruise on his “tricep, back of his elbow” that “blew up a little bit.” Carroll wouldn’t say whether Smith will be able to play vs. the 49ers on Thanksgiving night. If not, Seattle will turn to QB Drew Lock, who went 2 of 6 for three yards and an INT today. We should get another update on Smith on Monday.
The Giants' offense has struggled lately but managed to support a big game for RB Saquon Barkley in Sunday's win over the Commanders. Barkley rushed 14 times for 83 yards (5.9) per rush and added a 4-57-2 receiving line on 5 targets. That tied him for the team high in targets and marked Barkley's most receptions in a game since Week 6. The yardage was a season high. Playing a lackluster Washington defense certainly helped. The Giants get a neutral matchup with New England in Week 12 before a Week 13 bye. After that comes a positive matchup for RB scoring with Green Bay, but three straight negative matchups to finish the season. That makes Barkley a potential sell if your trade deadline hasn't passed yet. Barkley's receiving ability helps him in negative matchups, though, so he can certainly remain useful in fantasy. Barkley has also topped 5.0 yards per carry in three straight contests.
Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for just 255 yards and 1 TD despite attempting 45 passes in Sunday's loss to the Giants. He also took 4 sacks and tossed 3 INTs. It was a surprisingly tough day for Howell, considering how much the Giants have struggled lately. But it was his second rough outing against the Giants this season. Washington's QB did save his fantasy day with 35 yards and a TD rushing. Howell gets a (supposedly) tougher matchup at Dallas in Week 12 that just might push him outside the top 12 in our QB rankings. Then comes a home date with Miam and a Week 14 bye. Howell should be startable in Week 13 but doesn't look especially helpful overall for the next three weeks. And he'll return from the bye to find a just-OK Rams matchup, then poor matchups with the Jets and 49ers. This might be a time to consider trading Howell if you're otherwise OK at QB.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. led the team in targets (9) and receptions (7) and tied for the lead in receiving yards (58) in Sunday's loss to the Giants. Robinson benefited from the absence of RB Antonio Gibson (out with an ankle injury) but also set his season high in receptions for the second straight game. Robinson added 73 yards on 17 carries in a positive rushing matchup. We'll see about Gibson's availability for Week 12. Robinson might need that help to reach the top 24 in our RB rankings for a matchup at Dallas. Robinson's next four weeks look rough -- including a Week 14 bye. A Week 16 visit to the Jets stands as his only remaining positive matchup. If your trade deadline hasn't passed yet, consider trying to trade the Washington RB.
Niners HC Kyle Shanahan said after Sunday's game that S Talanoa Hufanga "most likely" suffered an ACL tear in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. That would obviously end Hufanga's season. Rookie Ji'ayir Brown filled in after Hufanga left and figures to start going forward
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler carried just 10 times in Sunday's loss to the Chargers, but he tallied 64 yards (6.4 per rush). He added just 2 receptions for 6 yards on 3 targets. That marked strangely low receiving for L.A.'s lead back. But his playing time didn't reflect any change. Ekeler ran 20 more pass routes than No. 2 RB Joshua Kelley and topped 70% playing time for the first time this season. There's nothing worrisome to take from Ekeler's Week 11 production in projecting him forward.
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston drew 6 targets in Sunday's loss to the Packers, tying for second on the team. But he caught just two passes for 21 yards against a Green Bay defense missing multiple secondary starters. The rookie could have turned the whole thing around late but dropped what would have been a 70-yard catch-and-run TD, after he had gotten behind ceoverage. Johnston still has just one game all year in which he has reached 50 yards and no game with more. Sunday's performance came with WR Jalen Guyton and TE Gerald Everett out. He's not worth starting in most fantasy formats, regardless of matchup. We're not giving up on Johnston in dynasty yet, but he's enduring a worrisome debut on that front as well.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (concussion) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Broncos. He shouldn't have any physical limitations after clearing the protocol. Remember, though, that RB Ty Chandler matched Mattison with eight carries before Mattison left last week's game with his concussion. Mattison out-targeted Chandler two to 0 and is the preferred fantasy play against Denver's 32nd-ranked RB defense. But we're expecting to see plenty of Chandler tonight, too.
Jets QB Zach Wilson was benched in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Bills for QB Tim Boyle. Wilson went 7 of 15 for 81 yards, one TD, and one INT, leading the Jets to just 106 yards of total offense. We'll see how Boyle fares the rest of the way -- and what the Jets do at QB going forward. It won't be pretty no matter what they decide.
Packers RB AJ Dillon got pressed into the lead-back role in Sunday's win over the Chargers. And he disappointed once again. Dillon managed just 29 yards on 14 carries (2.1 per rush). That marked his sixth game of 10 with less than 4.0 yards per carry and fourth at less than 2.5. Dillon previously posted lackluster production across a four-game stretch in which Jones missed three games and played a limited role in the other. We'll see about how long Jones is expected to remain out this time. But don't expect big things from Dillon during that time.
Packers QB Jordan Love took advantage of Sunday's upside matchup with the Chargers to throw for a career-high 322 yards. He completed 27 of 40 attempts, finding WR Romeo Doubs and WR Christian Watson for TDs. This game followed Love's previous high of 289 yards in a Week 11 loss to the Steelers. He threw 2 TDs in that one as well, but also tossed 2 INTs while completing just 52.5% of his 40 attempts. So chalk Love's big Week 11 up primarily to the generous Chargers matchup. He'll find upside in a Week 12 clash with the Lions, who allowed the Bears to score 26 points Sunday. Love's not likely to reach the top 12 of our Week 12 rankings but just might get closer than he would have before Sunday's performance.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith injured his right elbow near the end of the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams and is officially questionable to return. The TV broadcast showed him on the sidelines with a huge wrap on the elbow, so he seems unlikely to be back today. QB Drew Lock has replaced Smith.
Update: Smith returned with a wrap on his elbow for the final drive of the game with Seattle down 17-16.
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