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.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton hauled in 4 of 5 targets for 66 receiving yards and a TD in Week 11 vs. the Vikings. The wideout has now scored in five straight games. Through Week 11, Sutton ranks tied for fourth in red zone targets (14) among WRs and first in TDs (8). As magical of a run as he’s been on, Sutton will have a tough test in Week 12 against a Browns defense that ranks as the third-toughest WR matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed in 2023. He’ll be worth a look as a WR2/high-end flex option, but his success will be predicated on finding the end zone.
The Vikings’ backfield got a whole lot more interesting on Sunday night. RB Alexander Mattison logged 18 carries for 81 rushing yards on 64.8% of the team’s offensive snaps vs. the Broncos. He saw a tremendous amount of work despite coming into the contest as a question mark due to sustaining a concussion in Week 10. As exciting as that is, his teammate Ty Chandler showed promise. The second-round back tallied 110 total yards on 14 touches, playing on just 31% of the Vikings’ snaps. It’s clear Chandler was the more efficient of the two, but it’s worth remembering that a decent amount of that production came on a fake punt, 31-yard run from him. Still, it’ll be worth it for fantasy managers to monitor both he and Mattison moving forward. Each player has room to thrive as the Vikings’ remaining schedule ranks as the third-easiest for RB matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed and will have a chance to prove who’s worthy of opportunity against a lately formidable Bears run defense in Week 12.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence put forth a tremendous outing in Week 11, completing 24 of 32 passes for 262 yards with 2 TDs vs. the Titans. He also punched in a pair of rushing scores in the contest, making for his best individual fantasy performance all season. Much of Lawrence’s success stemmed from his rapport with WR Calvin Ridley. The wideout accumulated 7 catches on 9 targets for 103 receiving yards and caught both of Lawrence’s TDs. The duo has been hot and cold in 2023, however, and the Jaguars’ upcoming schedule (second-toughest for QB matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed) will make both difficult to trust weekly. Fantasy managers should continue to trot Lawrence and Ridley out into lineups, but be wary of the volatile scoring floor they bring.
Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins roped in 4 of 5 targets for 59 receiving yards in Week 11 vs. the Jaguars. Nearly all of his fantasy contributions came on in the form of a 46-yard TD late in the third quarter of Sunday’s contest. Though the veteran has recorded at least 40 receiving yards in eight of 10 games played in 2023, he ranks as the WR28 in PPR points per game (13.2). The inconsistent nature of the Titans’ offense has led to Hopkins exceeding his scoring average only three times this season, with a combined 4 receiving scores in those games. He’s a flex-worthy player week-to-week reliant upon finding the end zone to really pop in fantasy lineups.
The Titans’ offense was kept in check by the Jaguars in Week 11. QB Will Levis completed 13 of 17 passes for 158 yards with 2 TDs in the contest. The rookie played efficiently, but the Titans only posted a 23:34 time of possession, their second-lowest in 2023. RBs Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears also suffered as a result, tallying a combined 52 rushing yards on 14 carries between them. Fortunately, there should be brighter days ahead of all. The Titans’ remaining schedule ranks seventh-best for QB matchups and fourth-best for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Levis’ development and continuing to trust Henry as a high-end RB2 in the coming weeks.
The Panthers' backfield returned to a proper committee in Week 11 vs. the Cowboys. RB Miles Sanders handled a team-leading 11 carries for 50 rushing yards on a 45.7% snap share, all highs since Week 4 vs. the Vikings. His teammate Chuba Hubbard stayed active in the contest, tallying 65 total yards on 12 touches, but saw his lowest share of the RB carries (52.3%) over his last four games. Perhaps this is the beginning of Sanders returning to good health after being marred by groin and shoulder injuries to open 2023. Hubbard's rise in the first place can be primarily attributed to simply being the healthier of the two for a while, so it'll be worth monitoring this usage next week vs. the Titans. For now, fantasy managers should see if Sanders was dropped to the waiver wire. He might be worth scooping.
Packers LB De'Vondre Campbell left Sunday's win over the Chargers with a stinger. That can be a nerve issue in the shoulder or neck, but it doesn't typically keep a player out long. We'll watch Campbell's status this week. If he misses further time, Isaiah McDuffie would likely fill in.
Cardinals LB Kyzir White left Sunday's loss to the Texans with an elbow injury and did not return. That left Josh Woods and Krys Barnes as Arizona's top non-edge LBs. We'll watch for more on White's outlook. But Woods will be worth a look on waivers in deeper leagues ahead of Week 12.
Browns LB Anthony Walker left Sunday's win over the Steelers with a hamstring injury. We'll watch for more on his outlook this week, but he seems like a solid bet to miss at least a game. If Walker does sit out Week 12, we'd likely to looking at close to full playing time for LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He'll be worth a waiver-wire look ahead of a Week 12 clash with the Broncos.
49ers QB Brock Purdy went off for 333 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay. He posted a perfect 158.3 QB rating while spreading scores to Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. Purdy should make his way onto plenty of championship squads, as long as this offense stays healthy. His rest-of-season schedule only includes one negative matchup – Week 16 vs. Baltimore.
Rams RB Royce Freeman led Darrell Henderson by 11 carries in Sunday's win over the Seahawks. Henderson still beat Freeman 7-0 in targets, but Freeman ran more pass routes (16-12) for the first time since both RBs stepped into the lineup. The shift might not matter, because RB Kyren Williams is expected back for Week 12. But we'll keep an eye on the situation heading into an upside matchup with the Cardinals. Freeman and Henderson are worth holding where possible for now.
Panthers WR Adam Thielen hauled in 8 of 11 targets for 87 receiving yards in Week 11’s loss vs. the Cowboys. The veteran embodied one of the few aspects of Carolina’s offense that worked in the 33-10 blowout and accounted for 33.1% of the Panthers’ total offensive yards in the contest. This performance just goes to show fantasy managers that Thielen should remain in lineups even though his real-life team is struggling. With his pair of “dud” games in Week 9-10 behind him, it’s important to remember that Thielen has recorded at least 7 catches and 50 receiving yards in seven of 10 games played in 2023. Don’t be afraid to fire him up again in Week 12 vs. the Titans.
Lions RB David Montgomery out-carried Jahmyr Gibbs 12-8 in Week 11. Each RB finished with 14 opportunities. Both scored goal line TDs, while the low volume can be traced to poor game flow. Surprisingly, the Lions faced a 6+ point deficit for most of the second half. A strong rest-of-season schedule keeps both RBs as top-15 options moving forward. Next up is a home matchup with Green Bay.
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett entered Sunday's game questionable with a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice all week. He still managed to run a route on 71.4% of QB Geno Smith's dropbacks and finished second on the team in targets (7). The route rate fell slightly from Lockett's usual, trailing WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba behind team leader D.K. Metcalf. Lockett managed 5 receptions for a just-OK 51 yards. That's not winning your fantasy matchup, but it's a decent line for a guy fighting off hamstring trouble. We'll be watching Lockett's status heading into a Week 12 home date with the 49ers. That matchup has been more favorable for opponent passing games than to RB scoring.
Those looking for a bounceback from Cowboys RB Tony Pollard on Sunday are certainly made happy by the results of Week 11 vs. the Panthers. Pollard ended the game with 12 carries for 61 rushing yards and a TD, his first rushing score since Week 1. He also added 4 catches on 5 targets for 19 receiving yards in the contest. Notably, Pollard’s 18 PPR points notch his highest mark since Week 2 vs. the Jets (19.9) and snap his three-game streak of 10 or fewer points scored. Fellow RB Rico Dowdle didn’t get in the way much either, receiving 12 total touches on a 29.1% snap share in the contest, All of this is assuredly a welcomed change of pace compared to last week’s big letdown. Pollard will have an opportunity to capitalize on the success in Week 12 against a Commanders defense that was gashed by the lowly Giants’ offense for 91 rushing yards on Sunday, their second-highest total allowed over their past seven games.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 25 of 38 passes for 186 yards with 2 TDs in Week 11 vs. the Panthers. The veteran’s streak of three straight games with 300+ passing yards was snapped on Sunday, though the nature of the 33-10 blowout certainly impacted this outcome. For context, Prescott didn’t even play during the final 5:47 of the fourth quarter. Even so, a pair of throwing scores helped fantasy managers enough, and the Cowboys’ remaining schedule ranks as the easiest for QBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Continue to comfortably start Prescott as a QB1 in lineups.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs caught just four balls for 27 scoreless yards in the Week 11 win over the Jets. And it came on a day when QB Josh Allen racked up 275 yards and three TDs passing. A talented Jets secondary clearly made it a point to take Diggs away. New York entered this one ranked first in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs, so Diggs was not the first elite WR to struggle against this defense. It was Diggs' second straight disappointing outing, following a 3-34-0 line against CB Patrick Surtain and the Broncos in Week 10. There's no reason to worry about Diggs going forward, though. In fact, Allen and the passing game looking so good against a tough Jets defense today is encouraging for Diggs' fantasy value the rest of the way. Week 12 brings a prime bounce-back spot against the Eagles' 31st-ranked WR defense.
Search
