Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that, "as of now," WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is questionable for next Monday night's game vs. the Bears. "It's one of those things that knowing you have the bye, and knowing there are five critical (games) to come after that bye, we do have to be smart," O'Connell said. It sure sounds like Minnesota is leaning toward holding Jefferson out for one more game and bringing him back after the Week 13 bye. We'll keep you updated on the situation throughout the week.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Monday that RB Ken Walker's injured oblique is still being evaluated. Carroll at least said that Walker shouldn't need a trip to IR. We'll look for further updates on his status, but Walker is a long shot to play vs. the 49ers on Thursday night. That'll leave rookie Zach Charbonnet as Seattle's lead back. Carroll also said Monday that RB Kenny McIntosh is expected to make his regular-season debut on Thursday. He'll join RB DeeJay Dallas behind Charbonnet.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Monday that there's no structural damage to QB Geno Smith's elbow. Smith is sore, though, and will be evaluated over the next few days, Carroll added. It sounds like Smith is uncertain for Thursday night's game vs. the 49ers, although we'd expect him to push to play in such a big game. We'll keep tabs on his status. QB Drew Lock would be a significant downgrade for the offense if Smith is unable to play.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that WR Odell Beckham's shoulder injury is not a long-term deal. Harbaugh didn't say, though, whether Beckham will be available for Sunday night's game vs. the Chargers. Baltimore could certainly use him with TE Mark Andrews sidelined. We'll track Beckham's practice participation throughout the week. He's worth adding off the waiver wire in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.
Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start this weekend's game vs. the Broncos, HC Kevin Stefanski said Monday. Cleveland just added Joe Flacco to the QB room, but DTR will get at least one more start. The rookie did very little to win last week's game vs. the Steelers, completing 56% of his passes at 3.8 yards per attempt with 0 TDs. But he turned it over just once and took only one sack. Thompson-Robinson is a bottom-barrel QB2 for Week 12 and will continue to be a drain on Cleveland's WRs. (TE David Njoku tallied a 7-56-0 line on a whopping 15 targets vs. Pittsburgh.)
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that TE Mark Andrews' ankle injury wasn't as bad as initially feared, according to Luke Jones of WNST in Baltimore. "There might be an outside chance he could get back at some point in time," the coach added. Andrews reportedly still needs to meet with a foot specialist to learn more about his recovery timeline. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo says "it would have to be a deep playoff run" to give Andrews a chance to return. Dropping Andrews this week in your redraft league -- unfortunately -- looks like the right move.
Colts TE Jelani Woods has been on IR with a hamstring injury since August. Recently, he suffered a new hamstring injury to the other leg. “Jelani, actually, had a setback with his other hamstring during the rehab,” HC Shane Steichen said Monday. The first-year HC wouldn’t commit to Woods returning in 2023. Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson shared TE duties before Indy’s Week 11 bye, but neither guy is an intriguing fantasy add.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Monday that he plans to go with QB Desmond Ridder as the starter the rest of the season, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein. That aligns with reports on Smith's plans from before he announced the switch back at QB. Neither Atlanta QB has played well for a meaningful stretch this season. So this situation likely doesn't mean a lot for fantasy impact. We'll see whether Falcons coaches succeeded in correcting Ridder's pitfalls while he was out of the lineup.
Saints QB Derek Carr remains in the concussion protocol. The news comes straight from HC Dennis Allen. New Orleans doesn’t play until Sunday, so there’s time for Carr to get cleared coming off the bye week. For now, though, there’s at least a chance we'll see more of Jameis Winston. He’s a low-dollar speculative add for superflex managers seeking a short-term boost.
Dolphins beat writer Barry Jackson writes that RB De’Von Achane’s status for Week 12 “seems highly questionable.” Miami plays on Friday afternoon, which doesn’t give the rookie’s knee much time to heal. “He was feeling better this morning,” HC Mike McDaniel said Monday. “It’s not going to require surgery. We are getting extra feedback and opinions and taking that day by day this week.” McDaniel also shared that Achane’s right knee was injured on Sunday – the same one he sprained in Week 5. We’ll let you know when there’s another update on his status. In the meantime, Raheem Mostert will remain the clear RB1, with Salvon Ahmed as the likely change-of-pace option. Note: Jeff Wilson was a healthy scratch in Week 11.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp has been diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain. He tried returning from the injury on Sunday but missed the second half. For now, the 30-year-old looks 50/50 to suit up this week at Arizona. If Kupp remains out, Puka Nacua would likely be in for WR1 usage in a plus matchup.
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.
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