| | | | Thursday, November 5, 2020 | | The 2020 season has been defined by injuries and the complications of playing during a pandemic, and Week 9 kicks off Thursday with an emblematic matchup between the 49ers and Packers. Despite coronavirus-related situations on both sides, this game is still going to be played — assuming nothing else gets in the way. | | However, both sides will be heavily impacted. You already know A.J. Dillon's positive test earlier this week will keep him and Jamaal Williams sidelined due to contact tracing protocols, but we also learned Thursday that Kendrick Bourne tested positive for coronavirus as well. Brandon Aiyuk will also sit out after it was determined he was a close contact. All four players have to stay away from the team while going through the protocol, and with Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Tevin Coleman all out for the 49ers and Aaron Jones a game-time decision for the Packers, this may not be a great game for Fantasy production. | | Of course, you may not have the luxury to avoid relying on someone like Robert Tonyan or Jerick McKinnon this week. We've all got tough lineup decisions and roster holes to fill, and Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column went out last night to give you some help. I've got more advice for you this morning, as Dave Richard's Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Busts column is ready to walk you through every game on the NFL schedule, with his favorite plays and picks to avoid for Week 9. | | Plus, I've got the latest on all of the injuries you need to know about as teams began preparations for Sunday's games, and there's no shortage of news to know about. Most notably: Alvin Kamara has a foot injury, Andy Dalton won't play this week after testing positive for coronavirus, and Matthew Stafford has to remain away from the team after coming into close contact with a positive test. Yep, there's a lot going on. At the bottom of the newsletter, check out my preview of tonight's game, with some advice on how to approach it and what to watch for. | | More Week 9 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: All Positions | Starts & Sits, Sleepers & Busts | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: RB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: WR | Biggest Questions | Waiver Wire | RB Preview | WR Preview | QB Preview | TE Preview | Trade Values | Cut List | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not | | Dave Richard's Starts and Sits | | | | Three guys Dave likes for Week 9 | Justin Jackson — Jackson has 20-plus touches in two of his last three games, and it sure seems like he's the lead back ahead of Joshua Kelley. His role in the passing game (13 catches in his last three games) is especially valuable.
Damien Harris — Harris has been the Patriots lead rusher, and he's been pretty dang good. And he gets the Jets in Week 9. What more do you want? Antonio Brown — I can certainly get why Dave likes Brown, and if Chris Godwin doesn't play, his chances of a solid game definitely go up. However, we still haven't really seen him play in a year and a half, and this is a crowded passing game even without Godwin, so there's no sure thing. | | Three guys Dave doesn't like for Week 9 | | Melvin Gordon — This one may depend on whether Phillip Lindsay is able to play through his foot injury, but Gordon hasn't been a particularly effective runner, and Lindsay has actually been running ahead of him when healthy. Gordon does get the passing downs, which helps, but he has just one game with more than 14 receiving yards, and none with more than 21, amazingly. Amari Cooper — Cooper is catching passes from either Ben DiNucci, Cooper Rush or Garrett Gilbert this week. Do I really need to explain why you don't want to trust him against the Steelers defense? DJ Chark — Chark has been held back by subpar QB play this season, and there's no reason to think that will change with Jake Luton replacing the injured Gardner Minshew. Luton may throw deep more often, but he's a sixth-round rookie making his first start, so you don't want to bet on him elevating anyone in his first start. | | Week 9 Injury Updates | | | | Keeping up with injuries has been a key part of playing Fantasy football this season, but it's a lot easier when someone else does it for you. Here are the injury updates you need to know about after the first day of practice for Week 8 around the league. Ready? | | QB Injuries | | Andy Dalton (Reserve/COVID-19) — Dalton tested positive Tuesday, and will have to remain away from the team until at least next week. Cooper Rush or Garrett Gilbert is expected to start for the Cowboys, in what continues to look like one of the worst offenses in the league right now. Matthew Stafford (Reserve/COVID-19) — Stafford has not tested positive, but he is considered a "high-risk, close-contact" of an individual not associated with the Lions who tested positive. Stafford's last contact came Monday, so if he goes through five days without a positive test, he could still be cleared to play Sunday. If not, Chase Daniel will likely start for the Lions. Drew Brees (shoulder) — Limited at practice, but he downplayed the issue afterward. This is not expected to be an issue that keeps Brees out or limits him at this point. Gardner Minshew (thumb) — Out for Week 9 at least with fractured thumb. Rookie Jake Luton will start. My expectations are not high, but maybe he'll surprise. | | RB Injuries | | Alvin Kamara (foot) — Kamara has a bone bruise on his foot, one he compared to stubbing your toe. There's no sign this is considered a serious injury, though it's possible it may keep him out for a week to rest. We'll have to keep a close eye on this one the rest of the way, and if Latavius Murray is available in your league, consider adding him. Ezekiel Elliott (hamstring) — Elliott was limited at practice, though there's no indication as of yet that this is a serious injury yet. Still, we'll want to keep an eye on it, because hamstrings are always tricky. Tony Pollard would see an increased role if Elliott were limited or couldn't play, but would just be a No. 2 RB at best given the Cowboys offensive woes. Christian McCaffrey (ankle) — Still on I.R., McCaffrey apparently did more at practice Wednesday than he has since Week 2. He is expected to return in Week 9 against the Chiefs, assuming he can avoid a setback, though he may not play his usual 90% of snaps. He's still a must-start Fantasy option, of course. Chris Carson (foot) — As with last week, Carson isn't going to practice until Friday before testing his foot out to see if he can make his return. Pete Carroll told reporters he doesn't think Carlos Hyde (hamstring) will be able to return this week, so this could be another DeeJay Dallas game. We'll know Friday, hopefully, though the team does expect Travis Homer back as of now, so that could cut into Dallas' pass game work, potentially. Mark Ingram (ankle) — Did not practice yet again. This injury has been described as more of a high-ankle sprain, so the multi-week absence makes more sense than we initially thought. Expect J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to split the work yet again, and both are solid starters against the Colts. Kenyan Drake (ankle) — Did not practice, and not expected to play. Chase Edmonds will get the opportunity to start, and he's Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Week for Week 9. Myles Gaskin (knee) — Gaskin is expected to miss three weeks with a sprained MCL. Matt Breida (hamstring) — Did not practice. This was the surprise Wednesday. I've been assuming Breida will be the Dolphins lead back, but not if he can't play this week. With DeAndre Washington unlikely to be cleared in time for Sunday, Jordan Howard could be the lead back, with Patrick Laird perhaps working in passing situations. Neither would be more than a flex starter against the Cardinals. Phillip Lindsay (foot) — Did not practice. It sounds like this is more of a toe issue for Lindsay, but the Broncos hope he'll be able to play in against the Falcons. If not, or if he's limited, Melvin Gordon becomes an even better play, especially as the primary pass-catching back. Jonathan Taylor (ankle)/Jordan Wilkins (groin) — Both were limited Wednesday. Assume they'll both be active Sunday, with Taylor still likely to start but with Wilkins potentially seeing a larger role after his Week 8 breakthrough. Devonta Freeman (ankle) — Did not practice. There's still time, obviously, but you should plan on Wayne Gallman getting another start at RB for the Giants against Washington. Troymaine Pope (concussion) — Did not practice. He'll have to go through the protocol to be cleared, but this could be a Justin Jackson/Joshua Kelley game, with Jackson likely to take the lead again. | | WR Injuries | | Calvin Ridley (foot) — Did not practice. The injury is not considered especially serious, but that doesn't mean Ridley won't miss any time. At the very least, you should have an alternative ready to go in case you can't rely on Ridley. Kenny Golladay (hip) — Did not practice. Golladay is not expected to play in Week 9, and there's a chance he could wind up on IR as a result of this injury. Chris Godwin (finger) — It's all going to come down to how Godwin's surgically repaired finger reacts to catching passes Friday, so it doesn't really matter if he was "limited" Wednesday; he wasn't doing the one thing he needs to be able to do to play, so nothing else matters. We won't know until then, and it's an injury that looms large given Antonio Brown's expected debut in Week 9 against the Saints. Michael Thomas (hamstring/ankle) — Limited practice. The hope is this is finally the week Thomas can come back from his hamstring injury, but we know how tricky those can be, so we'll want to make sure he gets through the week without issue. Emmanuel Sanders (illness) — Returned to practice after an 11-day absence after testing positive for coronavirus. He should be able to play, assuming he is cleared. T.Y. Hilton (groin) — Did not practice, seems like a long shot to play. Not that you'd be starting him if you did. Sammy Watkins (hamstring) — Limited practice. This is the first time we've seen Watkins on the practice field since he suffered the injury, though that's no guarantee he'll be ready to return in Week 9. John Brown (knee) — Did not practice. Hopefully this is just a rest day kind of thing, because Brown ended Week 8 without being listed on the injury report and played without apparent incident. Tim Patrick (hamstring) — Limited practice. We'll want to see him get to a full practice, but Patrick would be an excellent starter if he plays against the Falcons. Anthony Miller (Toe) — Did not practice. It's not clear when Miller suffered this injury, as it hasn't been an issue for him before. We'll watch this one, but promising rookie Darnell Mooney could see more targets and is an interesting sleeper if Miller is out. Adam Humphries (concussion) — Did not practice. Will have to go through the concussion protocol, but is unlikely to make a Fantasy impact even if he does. | | TE Injuries | | T.J. Hockenson (toe) — This is the first time we've heard of this injury, so we'll certainly keep an eye out. Hockenson will be worth starting if he plays, even if it's Chase Daniel in at QB instead of Matthew Stafford. Austin Hooper (appendix) — The Browns are on bye in Week 9, but Hooper began practicing and is expected to make his return in Week 10 after missing two games. Logan Thomas (ankle) — Limited at practice. Coming off a bye, you'd prefer to have seen Thomas get a full practice, but he should get there eventually. He's an interesting Fantasy sleeper against the Giants and rest of season. Jordan Akins (ankle/concussion) — Practiced in full for the first time since Week 4. Could be a decent streamer against a bad Jaguars defense. | | TNF Preview: Packers at 49ers | | | | All lines from William Hill Sportsbook. | | Line: +7.5; o/u 48.5 Implied totals: Packers 28.0, 49ers 20.5 | | This is such a tough game to preview, given all of the absences we're dealing with. The 49ers are down their starting QB and TE, their top three RBs, and their top two WRs; the Packers are down at least two of their top three RBs, and possibly all three. There's potential for someone unexpected to step up here, but pinpointing who that will be is awfully tough. You might be best avoiding everyone on the 49ers except JaMycal Hasty and Jerick McKinnon. | | Key injuries/absences | | Out: Jamaal Williams (reserve/COVID-19), A.J. Dillon (reserve/COVID-19), Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), George Kittle (foot), Tevin Coleman (knee), Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Brandon Aiyuk (reserve/COVID-19), Kendrick Bourne (reserve/COVID-19) Questionable: Aaron Jones (calf), Richie James (ankle) | | What to watch for | | First off, you have to watch the pre-game reports and inactives list to see if Jones will be able to play. It feels like something of a long shot after he barely practiced, but if he does play, he's obviously a must-start. If not, Dexter Williams is probably going to be activated from the practice squad and figures to handle most of the rushing work; Tyler Ervin might be listed as a running back, but he's only lined up in the backfield four times on 107 snaps this season. He could see a decent amount of targets and would be a desperation PPR play if you need one. The other thing we want to see before kickoff is whether Allen Lazard will be activated off IR. He is returning from abdominal surgery, so if he does play, I want to see how often he is out there and if he returns to being Aaron Rodgers No. 2 target. Pick him up before kickoff if you've got the roster spot, he could have a big second half. With so many absent for the 49ers, it's hard to know whether much of anything that happens in this game might matter moving forward, but I will be keeping a close eye on the 49ers backfield split. JaMycal Hasty figures to get the bulk of the running work, but does Jerick McKinnon start to see more touches? He played plenty of snaps in Week 8, but had just seven touches. I'd like to see him get more involved. If you're truly desperate at wide receiver, Trent Taylor was behind Aiyuk and Bourne on the depth chart in Week 8 and figures to see a larger role this time. The only other wide receiver who played a snap last week, Dante Pettis, was released this week, so it would likely be Richie James if he can play through his own ankle injury. Ross Dwelley might be the best streamer from this offense unless Jordan Reed is activated from IR. In all honesty, avoiding anyone but the running backs in this one is probably the way to go. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | Parlay Pick'em | ✔Scores & Highlights
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