ESPN's Adam Schefter calls Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence "uncertain" for Thursday night's game vs. the Saints with his knee sprain. Lawrence's injury “is not a significant thing," a source tells Schefter. But the short turnaround comes at a bad time. We'll keep you updated on Lawrence's status over the next few days. QB C.J. Beathard is Jacksonville's backup.
A Monday MRI revealed an ankle sprain for Rams RB Kyren Williams that's expected to keep him out for Sunday's game against the Steelers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Backup Ronnie Rivers is also dealing with a PCL sprain that's expected to cost him a few weeks. That leaves Zach Evans and Royce Freeman as the only healthy RBs on the roster. Evans played his first 6 snaps of the season Sunday against the Cardinals, running for 10 yards on 4 carries. Freeman has been on the practice squad and averaged a dynamic 2.9 yards per carry since the start of 2021. We'll watch for specifics on L.A.'s backfield plan for Week 7. But expect a pass-heavy approach for a team that has already leaned that way. Evans and Freeman only appear worth a waiver look if you're in dire need. The Pittsburgh matchup has been slightly positive for RB scoring, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus labeled QB Justin Fields doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders with his dislocated thumb. Fields’ status beyond Week 7 is “really going to come down to grip strength,” Eberflus added. We’ll look for a more concrete timeline for Fields’ return. He’s worth hanging on to in most fantasy leagues for the time being. Undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent figures to make his first career start this weekend. He had a solid preseason but looked overmatched against the Vikings on Sunday, averaging 5.9 yards per pass attempt with an INT and a lost fumble. Chicago skill-position players will be tough to trust in fantasy lineups with Bagent under center.
Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said Monday that QB Jimmy Garoppolo “dodged a big bullet” with regard to internal injuries, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. “The prognosis is a lot better than it might otherwise have been,” McDaniels added. Garoppolo is still undergoing further testing, and his status for Sunday's game vs. the Bears is uncertain.
Bills RB Damien Harris has a neck sprain "but is otherwise good," a source tells insider Jordan Schultz. It's excellent news after Harris was taken off the field in an ambulance during Sunday night's game vs. the Giants. We'll look for further updates on when Harris might be able to get back on the field. His absence figures to boost RB Latavius Murray's workload.
The Rams believe RB Ronnie Rivers has a PCL sprain that "could keep him out a few weeks," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's particularly noteworthy with RB Kyren Williams dealing with an ankle injury. Rookie Zach Evans is the only healthy RB on the Rams' active roster. RB Royce Freeman is on the practice squad.
Update: Rivers has a Grade 3 PCL sprain and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks, according to Rapoport. Rivers figures to land on short-term IR.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) has been designated to return from IR. He'll practice this week and is eligible to play vs. the Rams on Sunday, which Johnson said last week that he expects to do. We'll track his status this week.
Panthers HC Frank Reich told his players Monday that he's handing over play-calling duties to OC Thomas Brown, NFL Network reports. The move comes as Carolina heads into a Week 7 bye. That should help with the transition, which has been rumored to be on the way since before this season started. Brown was a trendy head-coaching candidate last offseason but is in his first year as an NFL OC. So it's tough to know what to expect here. Brown did spend his first three NFL coaching seasons on Sean McVay's offensive staff, though. And it's hard to imagine the Panthers getting much less efficient on offense. They sit third-worst so far at 4.4 yards per play and third-worst in net yards per pass attempt. We'll see whether the switch produces any noticeable boost to offensive efficiency and/or fantasy upside.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that it "sounds like Lions RB David Montgomery will miss some time" after suffering a rib injury in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. We'll watch for more details on Montgomery's outlook, but you should plan to miss him for at least the Week 7 visit to Baltimore. That will make RB Craig Reynolds a popular option on waiver this week. Be careful not to overplay that one, though. Baltimore entered Week 6 as the No. 2 defense in overall DVOA and seventh-best against the run. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs also figures to return soon from his injury.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is currently considered "day-to-day" with his knee injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Lawrence is still scheduled for an MRI on Monday. "The belief is no major injury for Lawrence," Rapoport adds. "It's a quick turnaround for Thursday, but the hope is he's OK for it." We'll keep a close eye on Lawrence leading up to Thursday night's game vs. the Saints.
Chargers WR Joshua Palmer (groin) is expected to play vs. the Cowboys tonight, "barring a setback," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Palmer was curiously added to the injury report as questionable on Sunday. It adds some risk to using him in Week 6 fantasy lineups. We'll get the Chargers' inactives around 7 pm ET tonight.
Bills QB Josh Allen injured his right shoulder in the second quarter of Sunday night's win over the Giants. He wound up missing just one play. Allen said afterward that the shoulder issue didn't impact his throwing and that scans came back "normal." He's scheduled for additional testing on Monday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. We'll keep a close eye on this one, but it seems like Allen will be available for this weekend's game vs. the Patriots.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs delivered a star performance in Week 6, logging 10 catches on 16 targets for 100 receiving yards vs. the Giants. Beyond him, no other Bills’ pass-catcher exceeded 3 catches or 25 receiving yards in the contest. Sunday night saw an uncharacteristically lousy performance from Buffalo, though their collective efforts were enough to pull out the victory. Next week’s divisional showdown vs. the struggling Patriots should present solid grounds for more Bills besides Diggs to deliver fantasy production.
Bills RB James Cook received 14 carries for 71 yards in Week 6's win vs. the Giants. Surprisingly, the second-year back didn't register a single target or catch in the contest, the first time that's happened in the 2023 season. After Damien Harris left late in the second quarter due to a frightening neck injury, RB Latavius Murray stepped up in spelling Cook and ended Sunday night with 45 rushing yards on 12 carries. It's also worth noting that Murray received 4 red zone carries to Cook's 1 against the Giants. Though the veteran didn't find the end zone, Murray brings some fantasy viability as a decent flex option with TD upside for managers with players on bye weeks. Next week, the Bills will take on the Patriots.
Bills QB Josh Allen completed 19 of 30 attempts for 169 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT in Sunday night’s narrow victory vs. the Giants. Week 6 was not the strongest showing from the Bills offense as a whole, and the team struggled throughout the contest. It wasn’t until the third quarter that Allen and company successfully executed a score or gained more than 40 yards on a single drive. Week 7 presents a solid opportunity for Allen to get back to his dominant ways against a struggling Patriots defense.
Giants WR Darius Slayton displayed a strong rapport with QB Tyrod Taylor vs. the Bills, racking up a team-leading 69 receiving yards with 4 catches on 6 targets. Fellow wideout Wan’Dale Robinson also turned in a strong performance with 8 catches on as many targets for 62 receiving yards in the contest. Since returning from injury in Week 3, Robinson ranks second on the Giants in targets (20) and leads the team with 18 receptions. These opportunities hadn’t manifested many fantasy points until Sunday, but Robinson is a name to consider adding as a flex option in deeper 14 or 16-team league formats moving forward. Next week, the Giants will face off against the Commanders in an NFC East divisional bout.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley finished with 24 carries for 93 rushing yards in Week 6 vs. the Bills. He also added 4 catches on 5 targets for as many yards in the receiving game on Sunday night. It wasn’t a particularly efficient outing, as the Giants continue to have offensive struggles, but fantasy managers should feel happy with 13.8 PPR points in Barkley’s first game back since suffering an ankle injury in Week 2. Next week, Barkley will go up against a Commanders run defense that was fairly good at neutralizing the efforts of rookie RB Bijan Robinson in Week 6, but a player of Barkley’s caliber should still be thought of as a solid lineup choice.
Giants QB Tyrod Taylor completed 24 of 36 attempts for 200 yards in Week 6’s loss vs. the Bills. The veteran also added 24 rushing yards on 5 carries in the contest. Though he only achieved 10.4 fantasy points, Taylor seemed to get the Giants’ offense humming more than usual on Sunday night. There were a couple of blown opportunities, including the poor clock management on the final play of the first half, that would’ve potentially netted more points for Taylor, but he filled in admirably for QB Daniel Jones (neck) in this contest. We’ll see who’s under center in Week 7 vs. the Commanders.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey is "far ahead of schedule" in recovering from his August knee surgery. Ramsey could reportedly start practicing as early as this coming week. Pelissero says the team plans to "ramp him up gradually." But getting onto the field anytime soon would put Ramsey on track to beat his initial return expectation by a lot. We'll watch for more on his return.
The Cowboys will be placing LB Leighton Vander Esch on IR for the neck injury that knocked him out in Week 5. He's expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks. We'll see Monday night just how Dallas plans to fill in for LVE. Damone Clark is an obvious candidate for more playing time. Micah Parsons has also been mentioned as a potential part of the plan, which would mean more snaps in a standup position off the D-line. S Markquese Bell also figures to see added playing time.
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