Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Jets. He went from a limited practice on Wednesday to full participation on Thursday to no practice on Friday. Brown played last week after missing Friday's practice, so we're still expecting him to be out there on Sunday. But between the knee issue and the matchup against the Jets' top-ranked WR defense, Brown is not a recommended Week 14 fantasy starter.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley hinted that RB Austin Ekeler might start losing carries. "Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening," Staley said Wednesday. "We're going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I've been talking about. That's certainly one way to do it." Ekeler has been consistently inefficient since returning from his high-ankle sprain, topping 3.5 yards per carry in just one of eight games. He's averaged 3.0 yards per carry across those outings. RB Joshua Kelley has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over that same span. We could see Kelley stealing a handful of carries from Ekeler in Sunday's game vs. the Broncos -- although Ekeler should continue to dominate passing-down work.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin managed no receptions on just 3 targets in Sunday's blowout loss to the Dolphins. And he wasn't happy about it. "I ran a lot of cardio today," he told reporters after the game. It's been a disappointing season for Washington's top wideout. Despite his offense leading the league in pass attempts entering Sunday and ranking ninth in passing yards, McLaurin was working on a career-low 57.8 yards per game. That's obviously coming down even further after Sunday's 0. WR Curtis Samuel tied with RB Antonio Gibson, and WR Jahan Dotson for the team lead with 5 targets. Samuel and Gibson caught four passes apiece, while Samuel led the team with 65 receiving yards. Washington's WRs don't look likely to help you a whole lot the rest of the way. After a Week 14 bye, the Commanders get the league's third-toughest schedule for WR scoring over the final three fantasy weeks. That includes matchups with the Jets and 49ers in the final two rounds of most fantasy playoffs.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler gained only 18 yards on 14 attempts in Sunday's win over New England. Ekeler added 2 catches (3 targets) for 9 yards, with the only misconnection coming on a drop. Ekeler’s 4.7 PPR points marked his third game with fewer than ten. Ekeler will look to rebound next week vs. Denver, but playing at less than 100% (ankle), he’ll do so with an uncomfortably low floor.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson hurt his hamstring in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Dolphins and will not return. That leaves the backfield to Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez. We'll see how work is split between those two -- although there probably won't be much running from Washington in a 31-7 hole.
Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Broncos. It’ll be his first action since Week 10 – and the first time Houston has Brown, Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Robert Woods available at the same time since Week 1. We’re betting on Brown out-snapping and out-producing Woods as the No. 3 WR. But we’d rather wait on getting Brown back in fantasy lineups.
Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) is expected to play vs. the Broncos today, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Brown got in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday but did not practice on Friday, so we're a bit surprised he's playing. This will be the first time since Week 1 that Brown, Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Robert Woods are all available. Brown actually led the Texans with a 75% route rate in that one, although it's safe to say that won't be the case today. We'd try not to use Brown in Week 13 fantasy lineups with the playing-time uncertainty in his first game off a multi-week knee injury.
Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Broncos. He was limited in Wednesday and Thursday’s practices but then sidelined on Friday. We’ll look for further updates on Brown, but don’t plan on using him in Week 13 fantasy lineups at this point.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz asked the team to release him, and they are granting that request, according to multiple reports (starting with former teammate J.J. Watt's). Ertz has spent the past five games on IR, leaving room for TE Trey McBride to become Arizona's lead receiver. Ertz's impending return looked like the biggest potential remaining hurdle for McBrides 2023 fantasy outlook. Now that Ertz is out of the way, you can (even more) comfortably start McBride the rest of the way. His second-half breakout this season also position's the 2022 second-round pick as a nice-looking dynasty asset. We'd bet on Ertz finding a new 2023 home, but he'll have a tough time regaining fantasy relevance.
Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) returned to a limited practice on Wednesday -- his first since going down in Week 10. We'll see if Brown is able to make it back for Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He'd be tough to trust in Week 13 fantasy lineups, though, assuming Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Robert Woods all play.
The Saints placed CB Marshon Lattimore (knee) on IR ahead of Sunday's loss to the Falcons. That means he'll miss at least three more games, improving the WR matchups for the Lions, Panthers, and Giants the next three weeks. Unfortunately for us, that trio of teams doesn't feature many WRs worth plugging into starting lineups in common-sized fantasy football leagues.
Now is not the time to hit the panic button, but it's fair to be slightly worried about Chargers RB Austin Ekeler. The veteran struggled on Sunday night, logging 64 total yards on 16 touches with a lost fumble in Week 12's loss vs. the Ravens. Ekeler has now failed to reach double-digit PPR points for the second week in a row. But the issues he's experienced lately stem from a downtick in passing game production and a lack of TDs. Ekeler averaged 19 receiving yards per game over the past two weeks; by contrast, he'd averaged 40.2 yards over his prior five games since returning from an ankle injury. Also, 30.6% of Ekeler's 98 PPR points he's scored since Week 6 have come from finding the end zone. However, don't get too caught up in these concerns. Ekeler has the easiest remaining RB schedule against a string of phenomenal matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Even though he's dangerously close to deserving a "TD-or-bust" label, it's tough to bet against a guy who ranks seventh in RB opportunity share and faces the Broncos (31st in run defense DVOA) twice between now and fantasy championship week. It may be a bumpy ride, but keep holding on.
Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) is active for today's game against the Titans. Use him as planned in IDP lineups.
Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans. He opened the practice week limited, then went full Thursday before being limited again Friday. We'd bet on Luvu playing but will check his status ahead of Sunday's game.
Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Jaguars. He remained sidelined in practice all week and has no timetable for return. Robert Woods will again operate as Houston’s No. 3 WR behind Tank Dell and Nico Collins this weekend.
The Commanders have fired DC Jack Del Rio in the wake of Thursday's 45-10 loss at Dallas. It's tough to envision any real impact from this move. Washington has struggled at basically every level of the defense all season and traded away two of its best players -- Edges Montez Sweat and Chase Young -- after Week 8. Washington's defense shouldn't be anywhere near your fantasy plans. And the individuals that make sense for IDP use should make sense regardless of who's calling the plays. We'll see if Del Rio's departure -- and/or the unit's recent performance -- leads to any lineup changes.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. managed just 2 receptions for 11 yards on 3 targets in Thursday's loss to the Cowboys. That was noteworthy for a couple of reasons: 1) Washington attempted 44 passes in a 35-point loss. So overall volume wasn't an issue. 2) He had racked up 15 targets, 13 catches, and 178 receiving yards over the previous two games. One of those came without RB Antonio Gibson, who returned from injury to lead Washington RBs in routes and targets (4) against Dallas. Robinson did get a solid 15 carries (for 53 yards) despite the negative game script. That hasn't tended to be the case this season. He entered Thursday averaging just 10.4 carries across seven losses. Still, the abnormal receiving production for Robinson against the Seahawks and Giants likely inflated his fantasy value. That's why we highlighted the Washington RB for the second straight week in our Trade Targets article ahead of Thursday's game. If your league still allows trading beyond this week, go ahead and see if you can make a worthwhile move. Robinson gets a tough remaining slate of defenses and still has his bye ahead in Week 14.
Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) remained sidelined on Wednesday. At this point, fantasy owners shouldn't be counting on him returning for this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars. That'd again leave Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Robert Woods as Houston's top three WRs.
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.
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.
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