Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He's eligible and reportedly on track to play vs. the Browns this weekend. We'll see how he progresses over the next few days.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson missed Wednesday's practice and is on the injury report with a thumb. We don't have any other details right now. Johnson played a full allotment of snaps in Week 10, so we're tentatively expecting him to be available for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. But we'll get another update on his status tomorrow.
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.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson appears unlikely to play Sunday against the Broncos. ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports that Jefferson is "continuing to ramp up" in his return from a hamstring injury "but would need to make a lot of quick progress to play Sunday night." That doesn't mean he's out for the week just yet. But you'll need to plan as though you won't have Jefferson in your fantasy lineup. We'll be watching throughout the rest of the week for more updates on the star WR. For now, we've knocked him out of our Week 11 WR rankings and adjusted the projections for teammates such as QB Joshua Dobbs (down) and TE T.J. Hockenson (up).
The Cardinals have claimed former Jets RB Michael Carter off waivers. That gives Arizona a back who has averaged 2.4 receptions per game since he entered the league in 2021. Carter figures to work into some rushing role as well. But his greatest impact is likely to come in the passing game. The Cardinals had already favored pulling RB James Conner off the field for some passing situations, using Emari Demercado earlier this season. Week 10 found them giving the combo of Keaontay Ingram and Tony Jones Jr. nearly as many routes as Conner (13-10) in his return game. Carter brings more proven receiving ability than all of those RBs and could further cut into Conner's receiving. That doesn't doom the Arizona starter but hurts his weekly stability, especially when his team falls behind. Carter isn't likely to deliver much fantasy value the rest of the way and should be no more than a low-level PPR stash. You can drop Demercado if you haven't already. Conner remains a low-end RB2 option. Check our Week 11 RB rankings to see where he sits for the matchup with Houston.
Titans WR Treylon Burks remains in the concussion protocol and won't practice on Wednesday, HC Mike Vrabel said. That makes Burks unlikely to play vs. the Jaguars this weekend. DeAndre Hopkins remains the only fantasy-relevant Titans WR.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Ravens. He was always a long shot to play on the short week. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 12. Higgins' absence elevates Tyler Boyd to top-25 status in the WR Rankings and puts WR Trenton Irwin in play in one-game DFS contests.
Bengals Edge Trey Hendrickson got in a full practice Wednesday and will play Thursday night against the Ravens. It's a surprising turnaround after he hyperextended his left knee on the final play of Sunday's loss to the Texans. Hendrickson doesn't even appear on the final injury report, so he seems ready for regular usage in IDP lineups. Edge Sam Hubbard (ankle), on the other hand, will miss his second straight game. He has yet to practice since sustaining the injury.
The Browns plan to start rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson this Sunday against the Steelers, according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz. That's a mild surprise in the wake of QB Deshaun Watson's season-ending shoulder injury. DTR got the first chance to replace Watson back in Week 4 but played his way into P.J. Walker taking the next three fill-in spots. Apparently Cleveland has seen enough development from Thompson-Robinson -- and probably enough meh-to-poor play from Walker -- to try the rookie again. DTR certainly doesn't boost the outlooks for any pass catchers. He completed just 52.8% of passes at 3.4 yards per attempt with 0 TDs and 3 INTs in his lone extended action to date. But the fifth-round pick at least presents the upside of the unknown. Walker's been out of college since 2017 and garnered nine NFL starts over the past four years. Thompson-Robinson's one start into his pro career after a nice college run that included five years as UCLA's primary QB. He completed 63.3% of his passes at 7.9 yards per attempt there. More important for his own fantasy purposes, Thompson-Robinson ran for 1,826 yards (even with sack yardage subtracted) and 28 TDs across his college career. He's worth a pickup in superflex leagues. And if the rookie can't do enough to keep WR Amari Cooper and TE David Njoku relevant, expect a switch back to Walker.
Update: HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Thompson-Robinson will start vs. the Steelers this weekend.
Week 10 brought Cowboys RB Tony Pollard weakest fantasy score of the season. He recorded 15 carries for 55 rushing yards and went without a target for the first time since Week 5 of 2021. Backup RB Rico Dowdle (12 carries, 79 rushing yards), QB Dak Prescott, and WR CeeDee Lamb all scored rushing TDs in the game. Some of that was just bad luck, though. Pollard got two carries from the Giants' 4-yard line and one from the 2. All three of those runs gained yardage but found him stopped short of the goal line. Pollard also sat out the entire fourth quarter, which was when Dowdle scored his 1-yard TD. Pollard has now failed to hit 10+ PPR points in five of his last six games played. But there almost has to be some positive TD regression coming. He's tied for fifth in the league in carries inside the 5-yard line and has logged the second-most carries inside the 10. But 15 and 24 players have scored more TDs in those ranges, respectively. We mentioned Pollard as a "sell" in the past. If you're still holding him now, though, you basically need to ride it out. Sunday's final stats make it look like Dowdle challenged his role, but Pollard led his backup 15-6 in carries before leaving the game. He gets about as good a rebound spot as possible at Carolina this week, followed by positive matchups with Washington and Seattle.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson suffered a right-shoulder injury in Sunday's win over the Ravens that will end his season. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's a "displaced fracture in his right glenoid." Watson will have surgery, and he's expected to fully recover. That should mean he's ready in plenty of time for the start of 2024. For the rest of 2023, however, this means Browns pass catchers will see decreased efficiency. Watson hasn't been having a terrific season, but he leads P.J. Walker by wide margins in completion rate, TD rate, passer rating, QBR and Pro Football Reference's adjusted net yards per pass attempt. Walker's three games as primary QB so far this year have each included at least 8 targets for lead WR Amari Cooper. The wideout delivered quality receiving lines -- 4-108 and 6-89 -- in two of them but struggled against the Colts in between and has yet to catch a TD from Walker. Cooper caught just 44.4% of his targets over those three contests, compared with 64.4% across the other six. And that number rises further if you remove the Week 4 start for rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (6 targets, 1 catch). The remaining five games have found Cooper catching 71.8% of his targets. Losing Watson hurts Cooper. TE David Njoku, on the other hand, might be least impacted. He averaged 4.0 receptions and 51.7 yards across those three Walker games vs. 4.3 receptions and 37.0 yards per game in the other six. We have updated our Week 11 rankings and are updating the rest-of-season rankings as well.
Bears QB Justin Fields (thumb) is expected to return for Sunday's game vs. the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Fields has been out since hurting his right thumb in Week 6. As long as he proves he's regained enough grip strength in practice this week, per Rapoport, he'll be cleared to return. Fields posted massive 335-4-1 and 282-4-0 passing lines in his last two healthy games -- although they came in superb matchups against the Broncos and Commanders. He's also remained a major contributor on the ground, averaging 7.8 carries and 39.5 rushing yards per game. Fields will be a risk/reward Week 11 fantasy play coming off the throwing-thumb injury. See where he sits in the Week 11 Rankings.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) has been designated to return from IR and is on track to play vs. the Browns this weekend, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Freiermuth originally hurt his hamstring in Week 4, missed Week 5, and then re-injured the hamstring in practice ahead of Week 7. He totaled just five catches on nine targets in three games to open the season. Freiermuth is certainly worth rostering in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams, but he's not a recommended Week 11 starter against Cleveland's top-ranked TE defense.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase does not appear on the Week 11 injury report. Playing through a back injury last week, Chase registered a season-low 84% snap rate and a season-low six targets. He avoided a setback, though, and should be closer to 100% for Thursday night's showdown with the Ravens. Chase remains a must-start for that one.
The Jets released RB Michael Carter. The 2021 fourth-round pick totaled just eight carries and 20 targets in nine games this season, including three carries and nine targets over the last four. Carter's departure is just a slight boost for RB Breece Hall's passing-game usage. RB Dalvin Cook remains fantasy-irrelevant. We'll see where Carter lands, but he's obviously a long shot for 2023 fantasy value and is not a must-hold in dynasty. He'll turn 25 in May.
Browns RB Nick Chubb underwent surgery on Tuesday, November 14 to repair his left ACL. His first surgery in late September addressed his MCL, meniscus, and medial capsule. Chubb's surgery was considered successful, and he's progressed "very well" following the initial surgery, the team said in a statement. "As previously announced, the estimated recovery time from these surgeries indicates that Nick would be able to return to play during the 2024 season." Exactly when Chubb is cleared to return remains unclear. We'll continue to track his rehab.
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.
The Bills have fired OC Ken Dorsey, in the wake of Monday night's loss to the Broncos. Buffalo has proved a bit inconsistent on offense this year but still ranks third in offensive DVOA and third in yards per play. The No. 7 ranking in scoring marks a bit of a drop vs. finishes of second, fifth, and second the past three years. Buffalo now turns to Joe Brady, who has served as QBs coach since last season after a little less than two years as Panthers OC. Brady's Carolina offenses obviously didn't do anything special but were also working with much less at QB and the other skill positions. We'll see about the impact Brady has, but it's tough to either upgrade or downgrade any Bills offensive pieces in fantasy for this move.
Broncos HC Sean Payton made good on his promise to get rookie WR Marvin Mims more playing time coming out of the Week 9 bye. Mims ran 28 routes among 37 Russell Wilson dropbacks in Monday night's win over the Bills. That 75.7% rate checked in just 2 routes behind WR Jerry Jeudy for second on the team and more than doubled Mims' previous high for the season. He didn't garner a single target, which will be kinda important going forward if he's going to actually catch passes. But the big boost in playing time shouldn't be ignored. Denver gets a favorable passing matchup with the Vikings in Week 11 and potential shootout spots vs. the Chargers (twice) and Lions among the final four weeks for most fantasy football leagues. Mims makes sense as a stash in deeper leagues, though you probably still can't start him yet.
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