play0:36Liz Loza: Henderson maintained control of Pats’ backfield with Stevenson backLiz Loza breaks down the fantasy performances of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson vs. the Bengals.
play0:41Why Wan’Dale Robinson’s fantasy performance is promisingEric Moody explains why Wan’Dale Robinson’s fantasy production in Week 12 is promising for managers moving forward.
play1:01Why Emanuel Wilson is an ‘insurance policy’ for fantasy managersTristan H. Cockcroft delivers Emanuel Wilson’s fantasy outlook for the rest of the season.
play1:53Stephania Bell gives an in-depth look at Joe Burrow’s turf toe injuryStephania Bell uses virtual reality to analyze Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury.
Why Rashee Rice is a top-5 WR in fantasy heading into Week 13 (0:44)Matt Bowen breaks down his fantasy expectations for Rashee Rice in Week 13. (0:44)
Liz Loza: Henderson maintained control of Pats’ backfield with Stevenson backLiz Loza breaks down the fantasy performances of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson vs. the Bengals.
Liz Loza breaks down the fantasy performances of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson vs. the Bengals.
Why Wan’Dale Robinson’s fantasy performance is promisingEric Moody explains why Wan’Dale Robinson’s fantasy production in Week 12 is promising for managers moving forward.
Eric Moody explains why Wan’Dale Robinson’s fantasy production in Week 12 is promising for managers moving forward.
Why Emanuel Wilson is an ‘insurance policy’ for fantasy managersTristan H. Cockcroft delivers Emanuel Wilson’s fantasy outlook for the rest of the season.
Stephania Bell gives an in-depth look at Joe Burrow’s turf toe injuryStephania Bell uses virtual reality to analyze Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury.
Chargers open practice window for RB Omarion Hampton
Finding positive offensive takeaways from Monday’s action
Always insure your top RBs: Wilson shines as fill-in for Jacobs
Is Thanksgiving still Joe Burrow’s likeliest return date?
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
The Los Angeles Chargers announced that the practice window is being opened for RB Omarion Hampton, who has not played since Week 5 against the Washington Commanders due to an ankle injury.
If Hampton returns this Sunday, expect him to have a split with Kimani Vidal and eventually work his way back to being the main guy as he returns to full health.
As fantasy managers look for him on practice reports, keep in the mind that the fantasy trade deadline is Wednesday at noon — so if you want to add him for your playoff push, act fast.
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Carolina Panthers 20-9 on Monday night in a game that wasn’t exactly a stellar offensive showcase for either side. Still, there were a few positive things that fantasy managers can use to help inform their lineup decisions going forward.
You can’t score fantasy points if you don’t get the ball. Here’s how teams distributed carries, targets and snaps on Sunday, and how the information will affect our analysts’ rankings for the weeks ahead.
Liz Loza: Henderson maintained control of Pats’ backfield with Stevenson back
Breece Hall has played at least 70% of the offensive snaps in each of the past three games. He has also recorded at least 20 touches and at least 13 fantasy points in two of those matchups. The Jets’ offense is underwhelming, but Hall has led the team in both rushing and receiving yards in two of the past three games and remains firmly on the RB2 radar in fantasy.
Kenneth Walker III played a season-high percentage of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps against the Titans. He dominated early-down work for the first time this season, and the team also used him on most third downs for the first time. Walker finished with 14 touches and 13.4 fantasy points and could have had an even bigger day, but Zach Charbonnet vultured a rushing touchdown. This isn’t surprising, as Charbonnet has been the Seahawks’ preferred option in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
There was concern in fantasy circles that Bhayshul Tuten might take over the Jacksonville Jaguars’ backfield from Travis Etienne Jr., however it was Etienne who led the backfield in snaps, routes run, touches (18), and fantasy points (20.6) against the Arizona Cardinals, running behind a Jaguars offensive line that ranks third in run block win rate. He remains a low-end RB2.
Why Wan’Dale Robinson’s fantasy performance is promising
Jameson Williams finished with a disappointing three targets and zero fantasy points, but he played the same number of offensive snaps as Amon-Ra St. Brown and ran a similar number of routes. More productive days should be ahead for Williams, especially with a Lions team that has the fifth-easiest remaining schedule for fantasy wide receivers.
With Calvin Ridley on IR and Elic Ayomanor sidelined, Chimere Dike and Van Jefferson operated as the Tennessee Titans’ top two receivers in Week 12 based on snaps played and routes run. Dike led the group with seven targets and 21.4 fantasy points and should be Tennessee’s No. 1 option moving forward. He’s worth rostering but remains a volatile fantasy start.
Brenton Strange returned from IR in Week 12 and immediately reclaimed his role as the Jaguars’ top tight end. He played 71% of the offensive snaps and led the tight end room in routes run. Strange also led Jacksonville in receiving yards with 93. The Jaguars have the sixth-easiest remaining schedule for fantasy tight ends, and Strange’s roster percentage is sure to rise this week.
Week 12’s fantasy winners and losers: Gibbs notches highest score of season; Taylor, Jefferson, Jackson go quiet
Why Emanuel Wilson is an ‘insurance policy’ for fantasy managers
Tristan H. Cockcroft delivers Emanuel Wilson’s fantasy outlook for the rest of the season.
Emanuel Wilson’s 26.5 fantasy points on Sunday, a career-best number posted in his first NFL start as an injury fill-in for Josh Jacobs (knee), served a reminder of a critical fantasy football mantra: Always insure your top running backs for these important weeks of the season.
Wilson’s outburst isn’t alone in reiterating that point. Before him, Sean Tucker (34.0 fantasy points in Week 11) and Kyle Monangai (22.8, Week 9) were fill-in starters who enjoyed big scores, and TreVeyon Henderson (73.0 points in Weeks 9-11) proved the same in his three weeks as Rhamondre Stevenson’s stand-in, ultimately claiming the role for himself this week.
Keep Wilson on hand in your fantasy league, as there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing more of him in that Thanksgiving divisional showdown, though the matchup is challenging enough that he’d warrant your start only if the backfield is again all his.
Stephania Bell gives an in-depth look at Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury
Stephania Bell uses virtual reality to analyze Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury.
Burrow (turf toe) won’t be activated off IR for Week 12’s game against New England after putting in back-to-back full practices this Wednesday and Thursday, the first time he had done so since undergoing surgery in September. Burrow was limited on Friday, ceding the full reps to Joe Flacco. With the Bengals playing on Thanksgiving Day against Baltimore in Week 13, there are only three recovery days between their next two games, which factored into the decision to hold Burrow out on Sunday.
There is no question Burrow is ready to return as it relates to medical clearance. After all, his clearance to participate in practice last week was the first indication that his surgeon and the Bengals’ medical staff were satisfied he had met the criteria to begin football activity. His ability to practice all week and then ramp up to full practices this week shows he has checked all the boxes necessary to progressively increase his workload. So what’s left?
The final test is return to play, and, as with any return from injury, there is no way to fully replicate the demands of being chased by opposing defenses whose goal it is to bring a player to the ground or the endurance of four quarters of football.
But Burrow can help himself by avoiding the takedowns that would have him caught in a pile, particularly in a position that would reproduce the same stress that caused his initial turf toe injury. Burrow has proved he is ready to return, but taking all the factors into consideration surrounding his recovery, pushing it back to Thanksgiving and buying a little extra time makes sense.
TreVeyon Henderson was the clear early-down back for the Patriots, while Rhamondre Stevenson handled most of the third-down work. Henderson led the backfield in snaps, routes run, touches (21), and fantasy points (11.1). Stevenson managed just seven touches and two fantasy points. The Patriots now face a Giants defense in Week 13 that allows the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Henderson remains the preferred option in this backfield and should be viewed as an RB2, as the split with Stevenson is likely to continue.
Saquon Barkley played his most snaps since Week 4 against the Cowboys and also finished with a season-high seven receptions. This is notable because most of his fantasy production came through the air. Barkley has been held under 3.2 yards per carry in four of his past five games, so it’s worth monitoring whether the Eagles continue using him more as a receiver out of the backfield. Barkley is an intriguing trade target before the fantasy deadline, especially with the Eagles having the third-easiest remaining schedule for running backs.
Sean Tucker remained the Buccaneers’ top rusher, finishing with 42 yards, but Rachaad White played more snaps and ran more routes with Tampa Bay trailing for most of the game. Bucky Irving was limited in practice leading up to Sunday but was ruled out, so there’s a chance he returns in Week 13. The Buccaneers also have the sixth-easiest remaining schedule for fantasy running backs, making Irving a viable trade target for managers in need of help at the position. The ESPN fantasy football trade deadline is Wednesday at noon ET.
