Injuries pile up in Week 14, as three QBs and Achane, Ertz go down
Lions offense rolls along; concussion sidelines Lamb
Beyond the numbers: Just how good is Davante Adams in the red zone?
Justin Herbert to undergo surgery, could still play in Week 14
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.
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Anthony Richardson Sr. is on injured reserve (orbital bone) but could be activated ahead of next week’s game at Seattle. Either QB figures to result in a depressed passing game. But RB Jonathan Taylor’s volume should remain robust.
Taylor injured his groin in the opening minutes of the Jets’ Week 14 game. His exit paved the way for Brady Cook’s rookie debut. The former Missouri player was signed to New York’s active roster Saturday after Justin Fields (knee) was ruled out. Cook put the ball in the air with aplomb, throwing 30 times but managed only 14 completions for 163 passing yards and no TDs while tossing a pair of picks and taking six sacks.
As unlikely as it might seem, with the Jets officially eliminated from the NFL’s postseason and both starting QBs banged up, Cook might be under center again in Week 15.
Daniels expressed understandable frustration, slamming his helmet on the sideline, after being forced out during the third quarter of Washington’s game at Minnesota. The second-year QB hadn’t played since Week 9. It has been an injury-riddled season for Daniels. Marcus Mariota (11.9 FPTS/gm) should continue to operate in his stead.
Washington’s injury woes continued after Ertz took a brutal hit in the third quarter. The veteran tight end was visibly emotional while being carted to the locker room. Early reports indicate that he suffered a significant knee injury. Ertz has been a reliable producer for the Commanders and fantasy managers, averaging over four catches (TE9), 40 receiving yards (TE12) and 10 fantasy points (TE10).
Achane departed for the locker room because of an apparent rib issue before halftime. He did not return to the game. Jaylen Wright emerged as the Dolphins’ RB1, carrying the ball 24 times for 107 rushing yards and a score. Game script boosted the former Vols’ volume.
Wright is currently rostered in under 2% of ESPN fantasy leagues, and the Dolphins will face a susceptible Steelers’ run defense (that gave up 217 rushing yards to the Ravens in Week 14) next Monday night.
With the Chicago Bears ruling out wide receiver Rome Odunze (heel) for a critical Week 14 NFC North matchup versus the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, let’s discuss the fantasy ramifications for Chicago’s pass catchers.
Veteran wide receiver DJ Moore now elevates to the lower-tier WR2 range for Sunday’s game. Moore, who scored 23.4 points in the Week 12 win over the Steelers, has seen at least five targets in four of his last six games, and he can be featured in the pass game on in-breakers, catch and run targets, plus the scripted shot plays in Ben Johnson’s offense.
Managers can also move rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III up as a WR3. Burden has the motion/movement ability to be deployed on screens, fly sweeps, more. And he has the ball carrier vision to produce in space, which could be an early answer for Johnson if the Packers bring pressure. Ball out here to Burden. Catch and go.
Tight end Colston Loveland (11 targets over his last two games) is an option in deeper formats, as I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bears go heavy 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers). This allows the Bears to get extra numbers in protection — with Micah Parsons rushing on the edges — plus Loveland can play as a big slot target to attack the seam windows when the Packers sit back in zone coverage.
There was no obvious injury in last week’s game but Odunze has been on the injury report intermittently since post-Week 8 practices. Initially listed as having a heel ailment, Odunze has been dealing with either that or an ankle issue ever since, per the team’s official injury reports. This week the injury designation changed and Odunze was listed as a non-participant due to a foot injury starting on Wednesday.
Whether these are all inter-related is unclear but it stands to reason that they could be. While neither Odunze nor the Bears offered additional detail, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network cited sources saying Odunze has been playing with a stress fracture in his foot. This raises several questions.
When the stress injury progresses to the point of damage to the bone’s infrastructure, a crack or fracture occurs. Depending on the location of the fracture and the likelihood of it being able to heal, they can be qualified as low risk or high risk.
Low risk injuries which seems to be the type Odunze is dealing with (based on the NFL Network report that the belief is it is not a long-term injury) typically resolve with rest, symptom management, nutritional supplementation and, for lower extremities, adaptive footwear such as orthotics. Thus far, Odunze’s practice management during the week has allowed him to be available on gameday.
Now he is set to miss the first game of his career, an important divisional matchup, which seems to reflect the progression of his current injury situation. His status will be week to week but it is hard to project just how long it will take for him to return.
It can take multiple weeks for full healing but depending on the specifics of Odunze’s injury, he could potentially return once he is symptom-free. The caution with stress fractures is that they can fail to heal when not managed properly so finding the right balance for Odunze will be the challenge with the season ongoing.
Reed (collarbone/foot) was assigned the questionable tag after turning in limited practices all week but his addition to the active roster on Saturday indicates he is expected to play. Out since breaking his collarbone just five snaps into the second game of the season, Reed had his practice window opened Nov. 21.
It’s worth noting Reed wasn’t completely healthy when he went down with the collarbone injury. A Jones fracture (foot fracture of the 5th metatarsal) bothered him during the preseason but Reed was determined to play through it. He had a solid performance in Week 1 (three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown) and gave no sign of being limited by his foot. But once he was set to undergo surgery to repair his fractured clavicle, he opted to get his foot fixed at the same time.
After almost three months of rehabilitation and re-acclimation to football activity, Reed is set to return. Outside of restoring his game conditioning, Reed could be the healthiest he’s been since training camp opened.
With his two receiving touchdowns in Week 13, marking the sixth consecutive game in which he has scored a touchdown, he extended his league lead in the category (14) and narrowed the gap behind the overall touchdown leader, Jonathan Taylor (17). Adams’ total isn’t an outrageous output, nor is it significantly driven by good luck, as he has scored only 2.4 touchdowns more than expected thus far.
Adams’ 23 end zone targets, seven more than the next-closest player and already tied for the eighth-largest single-season total this century, explain his touchdown production. They reaffirm his status as one of the greatest receivers in the game’s history, as he has totaled 144 end zone targets for his career, converting 68 touchdowns on those throws, the second most of any player this century (Mike Evans, 78).
Consider Adams a top-10 fantasy wide receiver for the season’s duration, with the possible exception of his Week 16 road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, against whom he scored only 7.1 fantasy points in Week 11.
The Los Angeles Chargers QB will undergo surgery on Monday to address a broken bone in his left hand, and he told reporters on Sunday night that he is approaching the team’s Week 14 game as if he is playing.
A hand fracture refers to a break of one of the metacarpal bones, the long bones of the hand that serve as the bridge between the fingers and the wrist.
If all goes well with the procedure and the early wound healing goes as planned, it is not out of the question that Herbert could return to play next week (the Chargers play on Monday night in Week 14). He would likely wear some splint or shield as protection over the incision and might work more out of the shotgun initially to avoid taking direct snaps to the left hand. It shouldn’t affect his ability to throw and, as long as he can demonstrate good ball control, he should be able to function.
Addendum 12/2: Herbert underwent successful surgery in Los Angeles on Monday and is officially considered day-to-day by the Chargers
The first is where the fracture is located. Most often a “foot” stress fracture is in the metatarsals, the long bones of the forefoot, although they can occur in other bones. The second is how long the stress fracture has been present as that might provide insight as to Odunze’s outlook going forward. Stress injuries are exactly as the name implies, injuries that occur as a result of repeated stress to the bone where new cells cannot replace old cells fast enough (all living tissues are constantly turning over new cells) and the deficit results in weakening of the bone.
The Detroit Lions defeated the Dallas Cowboys 44-30 on Thursday night behind a three-touchdown performance from Jahmyr Gibbs and a defense that finally found its pass rush. Detroit generated five sacks and Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams kept the passing game moving. CeeDee Lamb exited with a concussion after a dominant first half, and the Dallas offense repeatedly settled for Brandon Aubrey field goals. Here are some of the key fantasy takeaways from this matchup that will impact lineup decisions heading into Week 15.