play0:43Could Emanuel Wilson be a prime waiver wire pickup for Week 12?Matt Bowen breaks down Emanuel Wilson’s fantasy prospects after his performance in Week 11.
play1:02Why fantasy managers should trust Tetairoa McMillanEric Karabell makes the case for Tetairoa McMillan to be a top-20 fantasy wide receiver.
play0:54Should fantasy managers look to add Sean Tucker?Eric Karabell reacts to Sean Tucker’s big fantasy game vs. the Bills.
Could Emanuel Wilson be a prime waiver wire pickup for Week 12?Matt Bowen breaks down Emanuel Wilson’s fantasy prospects after his performance in Week 11.
Why fantasy managers should trust Tetairoa McMillanEric Karabell makes the case for Tetairoa McMillan to be a top-20 fantasy wide receiver.
Should fantasy managers look to add Sean Tucker?Eric Karabell reacts to Sean Tucker’s big fantasy game vs. the Bills.
How Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London’s injuries impact the Falcons moving forward
New York Jets benching Justin Fields for Tyrod Taylor
Tucker goes off for Bucs; Packers lose Jacobs; Ridley’s season over
What to expect from Gadsden on Sunday following quad injury
Everything that happens in the NFL has additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football.
Our Fantasy Football Buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the league.
Key links: Fantasy depth charts | Weekly rankings Scoring leaders | Projections | Strength of schedule
If you were frustrated with your fantasy superstar’s poor scoring, or felt that this was an unusually low-scoring week for fantasy football as a whole, you aren’t wrong in that impression.
To use total points scored for another illustration, players started in at least 70% of ESPN leagues in Week 11 averaged 13.7 fantasy points. That’s more than two fewer points than the 70%-started group averaged in any of the previous seven weeks.
Almost no one was immune to the downturn in scoring: Lamar Jackson (4.72 FPTS), Ja’Marr Chase (6.0), Amon-Ra St. Brown (6.2), Justin Herbert (3.34), Ladd McConkey (4.3) and Emeka Egbuka (9.0) all had rough weeks. From a team perspective, the Los Angeles Chargers scored six points and totaled 135 yards in their entire game!
This dearth of scoring from top talents accentuated Allen’s 42.68 fantasy points, more than 7.5 points ahead of the second-best player at any position (Christian McCaffrey, whose 35.1 points also probably played a major factor in many matchups). Week 11 had those two, then seven 29-plus-point performers, among whom were four players started in fewer than 17% of ESPN leagues: Sean Tucker (34.0), Michael Wilson (34.0), Bryce Young (31.82) and Kenneth Gainwell (29.5).
So if you felt alone in your team underperforming this week, or were puzzled by how your opponent was able to topple your solid squad with the likes of Tucker and Wilson, fret not. It was indeed an unusual week, and likely an aberration, for the game’s greats.
The Atlanta Falcons took two hits in Week 11 against the Panthers, losing both Penix and London to knee injuries during the overtime loss. Penix’s situation is the most serious. He has been placed on injured reserve and is seeking a second opinion, but the injury is trending toward being season-ending. With Penix sidelined for at least four games and likely the remainder of the season, Kirk Cousins steps in as Atlanta’s starting quarterback.
Taylor has appeared in three games this season, including a Week 3 start in which he threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He has completed 62.3% of his passes on the year and should bring more stability to a passing attack that hasn’t been able to sustain drives.
The fantasy fallout centers on New York’s reworked wide receiver rotation. With Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds on injured reserve, John Metchie III played into the top role in Week 11 against the Patriots, logging the most snaps in both two- and three-receiver sets. Adonai Mitchell was the team’s most targeted receiver despite several drops. Both Metchie and Mitchell are worth waiver consideration in deeper leagues, with Mitchell offering the most upside.
Could Emanuel Wilson be a prime waiver wire pickup for Week 12?
Matt Bowen breaks down Emanuel Wilson’s fantasy prospects after his performance in Week 11.
The Rams’ drive-by-drive rotation continued against the Seahawks, but Kyren Williams dominated late in the game, playing four of the final five drives and outproducing Blake Corum. Williams finished with 13 touches and 16.6 fantasy points, while Corum had nine touches and 1.5 points. Williams remains a safe fantasy starter, while Corum is only a speculative waiver add with a volatile role.
Derrick Henry delivered a solid performance with 20 touches and 20.2 fantasy points, his highest total since Week 1. However, 59 of his 103 rushing yards came on a single carry. This is a great time to trade away Henry, as the Ravens have one of the most difficult remaining schedules for a fantasy running back.
Aaron Jones Sr. led the Vikings backfield in snaps played, routes run, and touches (19), but Jordan Mason was much more efficient from a fantasy standpoint. Mason had just six rushing attempts, averaging an impressive 7.5 yards per carry, and finished with 10.5 fantasy points thanks to a rushing touchdown, while Jones ended with 11.1. This could make the Vikings backfield very fluid from a usage perspective.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary continued to operate as a committee with both handling a similar number of snaps and touches. However, Singletary has been the Giants’ preferred option in short-yardage and goal-line situations based on snaps over the last two games. Singletary finished with 17.7 fantasy points thanks to two rushing touchdowns, while Tracy finished with 17.9.
Woody Marks remained the Texans’ lead running back for a second consecutive week when looking at snaps played, routes run and touches (19) against the Titans.
Why fantasy managers should trust Tetairoa McMillan
Eric Karabell makes the case for Tetairoa McMillan to be a top-20 fantasy wide receiver.
Monitor Xavier Legette’s hip injury, which kept him out of overtime. He briefly returned before exiting for good, and Brycen Tremayne replaced him. The Panthers stuck mostly with 11 personnel, but on the few snaps of 12 personnel, Jalen Coker stepped in. This indicates that if Legette misses time, Coker would handle both two- and three-receiver sets. Legette posted one of his best games this season with 18.3 fantasy points.
The Bills completely reshuffled their wide receiver rotation for Week 11. Keon Coleman and Elijah Moore were healthy inactives, opening the door for Joshua Palmer’s return and Gabe Davis’ call-up from the practice squad. Buffalo rotated five receivers with Tyrell Shavers and Curtis Samuel handling most of the Z work. Shavers delivered a breakout game with 19 fantasy points and could earn a bigger role, which might reduce Coleman’s snaps when he returns.
Ricky Pearsall returned for the 49ers after missing the last five games with a knee injury but finished with just three targets and 1.0 fantasy point. However, he played over 70% of the offensive snaps in both two- and three-receiver sets.
Luther Burden III played in three-receiver sets over Olamide Zaccheaus for the first time this season. It was a rough outing for the Bears’ passing game given Caleb Williams’ performance, but Burden still finished with five targets, and the only teammate with more was Rome Odunze (6).
A.J. Brown posted season highs in targets (11) and receptions (7) against the Lions, although he was held to just 4.4 yards per target. It has been a frustrating season for the veteran, but it’s worth noting that the Eagles have the third-easiest remaining schedule for fantasy wide receivers.
The Packers’ wide receiver room has been crowded all season. However, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs remained the top two options against the Giants, each playing over 70% of the offensive snaps in both two- and three-receiver sets. The duo also led the group in snaps played, routes run and targets. Watson finished with a season-high 20.6 fantasy points, while Doubs ended with 9.3.
Wan’Dale Robinson led the Giants’ receivers in snaps played, routes run and targets (9), but it was Isaiah Hodgins who led New York in receptions (5), receiving yards (57) and fantasy points (10.7). Robinson remains the Giants receiver with the most fantasy upside, but this performance solidified Hodgins’ role as the team’s No. 3 receiver once Darius Slayton returns.
It was an afternoon to forget for fantasy-relevant players on the Los Angeles Chargers, but there was one encouraging takeaway. Oronde Gadsden II set a new career high in offensive snaps played.
Dalton Schultz finished second on the Texans in receptions (6) and targets (9), and third in receiving yards (51). He has scored at least 11 fantasy points in three straight games, including two with backup quarterback Davis Mills. Schultz has piled up 28 targets over that span.
Eric Karabell reacts to Sean Tucker’s big fantasy game vs. the Bills.
Jacobs injured a knee in the first half of the Green Bay Packers’ seven-point win over the New York Giants on Sunday. The 27-year-old registered 40 rushing yards on seven totes before leaving. Emanuel Wilson led Green Bay’s backfield for the remainder of the contest, recording 49 scrimmage yards and a rushing score on 12 touches. Wilson figures to command a substantial amount of waiver wire interest if Jacobs misses time. Wilson is rostered in 5.9% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Ridley favored his right ankle as he limped off the field early in the Titans’ contest versus the Texans and was later diagnosed with a broken fibula. The veteran receiver was making his first appearance since sustaining a hamstring injury at Las Vegas in Week 6. Chimere Dike was concussed and did not return to the field in Week 11. Tennessee’s receiving corps figures to remain decidedly thin heading into next week’ s scheduled action versus the Seattle Seahawks.