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.
Broncos rookie RB Jaleel McLaughlin grabbed attention with some high-efficiency performances earlier this season and briefly moved ahead of Samaje Perine in playing time and usage. McLaughlin has continued to garner a lot more carries than Perine, leading the veteran 22-4 in the four games since Javonte Williams returned from injury. But Perine has played more snaps than McLaughlin each of the past three games, including Monday night in the win over Buffalo. Perine's primary role obviously lies in passing situations, where he's splitting time with Williams. That hasn't meant more than 3 targets in a game since Williams returned. But it will limit McLaughlin's opportunities. McLaughlin has remained the touch leader between them over the past three games, but neither looks usable vs. Williams' current role -- unless you're desperate for an RB.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams racked up 25 touches in Monday night's win at Buffalo. That included his second straight game of 21+ carries and third straight game with at least 3 receptions. Williams has seen his three largest touch counts of the season -- 18, 30, 25 -- over the past three games. The receiving work has stayed in line with earlier performances, while the carries have climbed significantly. Winning three straight games has certainly helped. Denver spent a surprising amount of time leading both the Chiefs and Bills the past two games. The defense seems to have improved quite a bit, delivering its four best weekly DVOA ratings over the past four games. That included the best performance of any defense -- by a wide margin -- in Week 8 against K.C. If that continues, it'll help Williams' chances of continued higher rushing volume. The Broncos get negative RB-scoring matchups with the Vikings and Browns the next two weeks, but expect competitive games to help Williams' touch counts. He'll likely land comfortably inside RB2 range in our rankings for those two contests, with greater matchup upside over the final five fantasy weeks.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones was arrested Monday on misdemeanor domestic battery charges. Jones has been released from jail and is scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 6. We're likely a long way from finding out whether this incident will produce any suspension for the WR, but misdemeanors haven't generally tended to do so with NFL players. This case isn't likely to impact Jones' availability the rest of this season. He's still dealing with a knee injury, though, that's kept him out since Week 5.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that LB Leighton Vander Esch will miss the rest of the season with the neck injury that landed him on IR. Jones declined to say whether it might end the LB's career. Vander Esch has dealt with neck issues since college and sustained multiple injuries during his Dallas run. We'd bet that he's seriously considering whether to shut it down, at 27 and after six years in the league. We'll watch for further updates on that. For this year's Cowboys, the news means Damone Clark should lead the LB playing time the rest of the way. S/LB Markquese Bell has been running as the second LB since LVE went down. Bell's playing time appeared to decline sharply in Sunday's win over the Giants, though. We'll have to see this week how much of that came from the odd game script of the completely one-sided victory. For now, Bell is best left out of most IDP lineups. Clark looks like a weekly LB3 with upside into LB2 territory.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton secured 8 of 11 targets for 53 receiving yards and a TD in Week 10 vs. the Bills. The veteran has quietly put together a very solid fantasy season to date. Through nine games, Sutton has posted 7 TDs (including a score in four straight games) and ranks as the WR29 in PPR points per game (13.4) in 2023. It’s difficult for fantasy managers to count on TDs on w weekly basis, but it’s worth mentioning that Sutton ranks tied for fourth among WRs with 13 red zone targets this season. It’s reasonable to anticipate he’ll return WR2 or flex-level value again in Week 11 vs. a Vikings defense that ranks as the eighth-easiest WR matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Bills TE Dalton Kincaid shined as the lone bright spot for Buffalo’s passing game in Week 10, hauling in 5 of 6 targets for 51 receiving yards and a TD vs. the Broncos. The rookie is now averaging 7 catches, 68 receiving yards, and 16.3 PPR points per game over the past four games. At this point, fantasy managers can consider Kincaid a weekly TE1 option regardless of matchup. To make matters better, the Bills’ remaining schedule ranks as the sixth-easiest for TEs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Monday night was an eventful evening for Bills RB James Cook. The second-year back tallied 12 carries for 109 rushing yards in Week 10 vs. the Broncos, the second-highest yardage total he’s recorded in 2023. He unfortunately also fumbled twice in the contest, including a lost ball on the Bills’ first play of the game. He was benched for several series thereafter before returning to the field in the second quarter. Teammate Latavius Murray saw an uptick in involvement as a result (9-68-1). It’s also worth mentioning that Leonard Fournette wasn’t brought up onto the active roster for the second week in a row. This backfield is a bit messy and will only have more complications given that the Bills’ remaining schedule ranks fourth-toughest for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Next up on the calendar is an AFC East showdown with the Jets (19th in run defense DVOA).
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