Chargers QB Justin Herbert fractured his right index finger in Sunday's loss to the Broncos, HC Brandon Staley said afterward. "Given where we are in the season, a fracture could mean his season is over," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted. We should get more details on Herbert's status on Monday, but the 5-8 Chargers have no reason to rush Herbert back. QB Easton Stick will take over for however long Herbert is out. The 2019 fifth-round pick had one regular-season pass attempt before going 13-of-24 for 179 yards in relief of Herbert today. Stick is obviously a significant downgrade for this Chargers offense.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert injured his right index finger in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He's officially questionable to return. We'll update Herbert's status when we know more. He's been replaced by QB Easton Stick.
Update: Herbert has been ruled out.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos. He returned to practice this week but isn’t quite ready for game action. We’ll see if Palmer can make it back for Thursday night’s game vs. the Raiders. Quentin Johnston and Jalen Guyton will again serve as Los Angeles’ No. 2 and 3 WRs this weekend.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Saints. We learned this week that Hurst is dealing with Post Traumatic Amnesia after being concussed back in Week 10. He put in three limited practices this week and is hoping to play again this season. TEs Tommy Tremble (hip) and Stephen Sullivan (shoulder) are listed as questionable. Avoid this situation in Week 14 fantasy lineups.
The Chargers are designating WR Joshua Palmer to return from IR, opening his 21-day practice window. HC Brandon Staley just last week described Palmer's situation by saying "there's still a possibility" that he'd return from IR, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. That suggests we can't assume Palmer will be ready to return from his knee injury and play in Week 14. And it'll be tough to throw him into fantasy lineups right away, unless we get word from Chargers coaches that he's all the way back. Still, we have mentioned Palmer in our waiver wire article each of the past two weeks on this chance of return. If he does make it back to full participation, we'd bet on Palmer re-emerging as the No. 2 wideout in an offense that needs him. Stash Palmer early if you can ... if that makes sense for your roster, of course.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert managed only 212 yards in Sunday's 6-0 win over New England. He went without a passing TD for the second time this season. A few key drops hurt Herbert’s numbers, as the Chargers offense continued to provide little help. The Pats even limited Keenan Allen to 5 catches for 58 yards on 9 targets. Herbert will likely remain a QB1 for upcoming matchups vs. Denver and Vegas, but there’s clearly a low floor here.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game against the Bucs. TE Tommy Tremble (hip) is listed as doubtful, which will leave Carolina with TEs Ian Thomas and Stephen Sullivan. Neither is a viable fantasy play.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Titans. With Hurst sidelined last week, Tommy Tremble led Carolina TEs with a 68% route rate and caught one of three targets for four yards and a score. He’d be a desperation Week 12 fantasy play.
The Chargers have placed Edge Joey Bosa on IR for the foot injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game. That will keep Bosa out until at least Week 16, and he'll be difficult to trust in fantasy lineups in his first game back. We've already seen an active Bosa play less than 50% of the snaps in three other games before leaving Week 11 early. That all means you can go ahead and drop Bosa for another option in your redraft IDP league. The 28-year-old is probably still worth holding in dynasty ... but he's running out of value in that format as well.
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.
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.
Chargers Edge Joey Bosa suffered a foot injury early in Sunday's game against the Packers. He's officially questionable to return but left on a cart with a towel covering his face. That sure doesn't seem to bode well for the severity of the injury. We'll watch for more updates.
Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Cowboys. Chark has been a full-time player when healthy this season but is averaging just 33 yards per game.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. That should mean a boost in playing time for TE Tommy Tremble -- but not enough to make him a recommended fantasy play in this struggling Carolina offense.
Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Cowboys but would be a weak fantasy play. Chark has topped 42 yards in a game just once all season.
Panthers TE Hayden Hurst is in the concussion protocol and did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to be cleared in time for this weekend's game vs. the Cowboys. Hurst hasn't topped three catches in a game since Week 1, so he shouldn't have been in your fantasy plans anyway. His absence is a boost to TE Tommy Tremble, but he'd be a desperation fantasy play.
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.
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston scored his first career TD in the Week 10 win over the Lions, breaking wide open on a well-designed play-action fake from one yard out. That was the only real highlight of his outing, though. Johnston finished with four catches for 34 yards in a game when QB Justin Herbert chucked for 323 yards. Johnston's four targets tied for fourth on the team and were just 10% of the total. He also drew a 15-yard pass interference penalty but dropped what could have been an 86-yard TD on the play. Johnston continues to run a lot of low-percentage routes and simply isn't creating much separation. He's at least a full-time player right now with WR Josh Palmer out. That keeps Johnston in play as a WR4. But he does not look like a player on the cusp of a breakout.
Ravens RB Gus Edwards led the team with 11 carries in Sunday's loss to the Browns. He managed just 24 yards -- his lowest total all season -- but scored for the fourth straight game. That last stat has been key to Edwards' fantasy value (and his risk). The biggest positive from Sunday was Edwards reclaiming the backfield rush lead after resting through the second half of blowout win in Week 9. His 11 attempts vs. Cleveland more than doubled the combined total (5) of Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill. The schedule looks merely decent the next weeks, before a Week 13 bye. And Baltimore has no strongly positive rushing matchups the rest of the way. That could give Edwards some sell potential, but don't be afraid to just hold him for the TD upside if you can't get a good return.
Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. He's remained on the sidelines but doesn't have his helmet. Heinicke is officially questionable to return but seems unlikely to do so. He's been replaced by QB Desmond Ridder.
Update: Heinicke has been ruled out.
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