Eagles WR DeVonta Smith enjoyed a third straight strong outing Sunday, with TE Dallas Goedert (forearm) still out. Smith tallied a team-high 9 receptions for 96 yards on 11 targets in Sunday. He has reached 8 targets in a game six times this season. Half of those have come in the three games since Goedert went down. Philly expects to get Goedert back for Week 14 against the Cowboys. That could challenge Smith's target share. But it'll be tough to bet against Smith after five straight top-18 PPR finishes. He gets a challenging matchup with Dallas in Week 14 before a softer finish: three slightly positive matchups with the Seahawks, Giants, and Cardinals.
Niners QB Brock Purdy threw for 314 yards and 4 TDs in Sunday's lopsided win at Philadelphia. He hit Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Deebo Samuel (twice) for scores. It marked the fourth time in the past five games that Purdy threw for at least 296 yards (third game over 300) and the third game among the past four with at least 3 TD passes. Sunday's game marked a rebound from his QB25 fantasy finish in Week 12 against the Seahawks. Purdy gets a rematch with Seattle in Week 14, but we're not downgrading him. Two of the past four QBs to face the Seahawks have thrown 3 TD passes and finished among the top 3 fantasy QBs for the week. After that comes even better matchups with the Cardinals and Commanders in weeks 15 and 17, sandwiching a tough Week 16 spot vs. Baltimore.
On Sunday evening, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery on Monday. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, effectively making backup Mitchell Trubisky the starter. The Steelers are set for a quick turnaround, with their next game coming Thursday night vs. the Patriots. Consider Trubsiky as a low-end QB2 option.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett will miss an "extended period" with his ankle injury, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac. We'll look for a more detailed diagnosis and timetable for Pickett's return, but it sounds like it'll be QB Mitchell Trubisky under center for the Steelers for the foreseeable future. He's completed 63.8% of his passes at 6.7 yards per attempt over the past two seasons in Pittsburgh. Trubisky will be a bottom-barrel QB2 in fantasy football but probably won't be a significant downgrade from Pickett for the offense.
Packers LB De'Vondre Campbell (neck) is active for tonight's game against the Chiefs. S Rudy Ford (biceps, groin) and S Darnell Savage (calf) are also active. It'll be Savage's first game since Week 7. CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) is inactive for the fourth straight game.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa had a nice Week 13, with 280 yards and 2 TDs in a blowout victory over the Commanders. But that score kept him from doing more. Tagovailoa attempted just 24 passes for the game, including going a mere 6-for-9 in the second half. He got pulled with 11:23 remaining. That obviously limited the QB's fantasy scoring for the game. More worrisome, though, is the remaining schedule. Tagovailoa looks good for a Week 14 matchup with Tennessee, which remains much tougher on the run than the pass. But his final three fantasy weeks are the toughest in the league for QB scoring by a wide margin. Try to secure a platoon for partner for the final three weeks.
Packers WR Jayden Reed (chest) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Chiefs. He got in just a limited practice on Friday and was listed as questionable. But Reed played through this chest injury on Thanksgiving, racking up 50 total yards and a score. The bigger concern for Reed might be that WR Dontayvion Wicks (knee) is also active. He’s played between 33% and 44% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps in his last four games and could eat into Reed’s playing time a bit, as well as WR Christian Watson and WR Romeo Doubs’ playing time.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts headed to the locker room during the second half of Sunday's game vs. the 49ers for a concussion check. We'll update his status as soon as we know more. QB Marcus Mariota is Philly's backup.
Update: Hurts returned in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic's Jeff Howe reports that the "initial belief" is that Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson "will miss time, possibly multiple games," with the ankle injury he suffered in the Week 13 loss to the Chargers. Stevenson is scheduled for additional testing on the ankle on Monday, so we should get another update on his status then. But fantasy owners should plan on being without Stevenson for at least Week 14 -- and potentially the rest of the fantasy season. His absence leaves Ezekiel Elliott as New England's lead back and an unexciting but-useable fantasy play.
The final numbers from Sunday's blowout win over the Commanders suggest Dolphins RB De'Von Achane took over the backfield in his second return from a knee injury. The rookie tallied a 17-73-2 rushing line, leading the team in carries, yards, and TDs. And he ranked third among Dolphins in receptions (3) and receiving yards (30). Raheem Mostert trailed at 11-43-1 rushing, catching his lone target for 8 yards. But usage looked very different before and after halftime. According to Pro Football Focus, Mostert played 19 of Miami's 29 offensive snaps in the first half, compared with Achane's 12. Mostert hit halftime with a 9-3 carry lead and 1 target to Achane's 2 -- and Miami leading 31-7. Mostert played just 4 more snaps after the break, compared with Achane's 23. The rookie scored both of his TDs in that span. Mostert's TD came in the first half. So what's the takeaway? Expect both RBs to remain plenty involved and carry weekly TD upside. The remaining four matchups in most fantasy schedules don't look good for RB scoring (10th-worst schedule in the league by our adjusted fantasy points allowed). But the slate looks even worse for passing points. So consider Mostert and Achane weekly starting options the rest of the way. Jeff Wilson Jr., meanwhile, garnered only 4 carries even in a blowout victory. He's safe to drop in most fantasy formats.
Browns WR Amari Cooper exited in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams for a concussion check. We'll pass along an update when we get one.
Update: Cooper has been diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out. We'll track his progress through the protocol this week, but consider him unlikely to be cleared in time for Week 14's game vs. the Jaguars.
Rams WR Puka Nacua injured his ribs and shoulder on a diving catch in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Browns. He's officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update.
Update: Nacua returned for the start of the second half.
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.
Colts RB Zack Moss managed just 57 scoreless yards in the Week 13 overtime win over the Titans. Tennessee entered this one ranked second in run defense DVOA and held Moss to 2.7 yards per carry. That's the bad news. The good news? Moss handled all 19 Colts RB carries. He also drew three targets -- although he lost two to RB Tyler Goodson and one to RB Trey Sermon. Still, it was strong usage for Moss without Jonathan Taylor, who will likely miss at least two more games. Week 14 brings a bad Bengals run defense. Expect to find Moss ranked as a top-15 RB for that one. He gets a tougher Week 15 draw vs. the Steelers but will still be a volume-based RB2 play.
Colts QB Gardner Minshew racked up 312 yards and two TDs with zero INTs in the Week 13 overtime win over the Titans. Minshew connected with WR Alec Pierce from 36 yards out for his first score. Then, in overtime, he hit Pierce for a 55-yard bomb and WR Michael Pittman for the game-winning 4-yard TD. It was a strong showing from Minshew against the pass-funnel Titans defense that entered this week ranked 20th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs. Week 14 brings another plus matchup against the Bengals. Minshew will be a nice QB2 and a low-end QB1 spot starter in that one.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson took over the Washington backfield in Sunday's loss to Miami after Brian Robinson Jr. left with a hamstring injury. Gibson finished with a 56% snap share, his second-highest mark of the year. He carried 10 times for just 35 yards, though, adding a 4-37 receiving line on 5 targets. Chris Rodriguez trailed him for 7 carries, but that included rushing on the final three plays of a 45-15 defeat. Washington now gets a Week 14 bye, so we'll see about Robinson's status for the Week 15 clash with the Rams. If he's out, expect Gibson to contend for an RB2 spot in the Week 15 rankings. Rodriguez isn't worth fantasy attention for most formats at this stage of the season.
Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for just 127 yards on 12-of-23 passing with 1 INT and 0 TD passes in Sunday's blowout loss to Miami. He took a modest 3 sacks from a Miami defense playing its first game since losing Edge Jaelan Phillips to an Achilles' tear. But the Dolphins still managed 9 QB hits on a day that found Howell consistently pressured. The QB saved his fantasy line by running for the team's only two TDs -- including one from 13 yards out. He also connected with TE Logan Thomas for a 2-point conversion after the second. The positive view: Howell's rushing ability is worth factoring into his fantasy outlook. He entered the day ranked 10th among QBs in rushing yards on just the 16th-most carries. And Howell now has 5 rushing scores for the year. But we can't expect him to score on the ground most weeks. The passing yardage against Miami marked a season low. And the 23 attempts matched his low. So we probably shouldn't worry too much about this outing. After a Week 14 bye, though, Howell gets a rough closing schedule. The Rams in Week 15 look fairly neutral for QB scoring. The Jets and 49ers present two of the position's worst scoring matchups. Altogether, it's the second-worst QB schedule over the final three fantasy weeks (for most leagues). Look for not only a Week 14 fill-in for Howell, but consider potential platoon partners for the 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.
Titans RB Derrick Henry exited in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Colts to get checked for a concussion and did not return. That likely means he's been diagnosed with a concussion, although that hasn't been confirmed by the team. We'll update Henry's status when we know more. His absence would turn RB Tyjae Spears into an easy fantasy starter.
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.
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