| | | | Thursday, November 12, 2020 | | You know the drill by now, so I don't want to waste your time with some extended bit of scene setting: There are a ton of injuries to keep track of, and since it's Thursday, we've got our first batch of updates ahead of Week 10. I've got updates on everything you need to know about, and it is quite a lot, yet again. That's the situation we're dealing with every week, and I want to make sure you've got everything you need to prepare. That includes a preview of Thursday's game between the Colts and Titans, and Dave Richard's Start and Sit calls for every game on the Week 10 schedule. And if you missed Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em, you can find that here. | | More Week 10 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: All positions | Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Busts | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: RB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: WR | Seven Big Questions | Waiver Wire | Trade Values | Cut List | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not | | Dave Richard's Starts and Sits | | | | Three guys Dave likes for Week 10 | Dallas Goedert -- When someone is coming back from IR, I always like to allow for one game for players to get their legs under them. Goedert got that in Week 8, but it was very promising to see him play a full snap share in his first game back. They'll get him involved in the passing game this week, and he has No. 1 tight end upside.
DJ Chark -- The first week of the Jake Luton era worked out very well for Chark, who hit on multiple big plays en route to his first 100-yard game of the season. Luton should keep looking for him deep, and a matchup against a Packers defense that may be missing Jaire Alexander (concussion) could make for another big game.
DeVante Parker -- Circumstances have conspired against Parker more often than not this season, but things are looking up -- for him, at least. With Preston Williams on IR, Parker should have little competition for targets. He had 859 yards and six touchdowns in eight games without Williams in 2019, compared to 400 and four in the first eight.
| | Three guys Dave doesn't like for Week 10 | | Adam Thielen -- Dave doesn't love Thielen this week, and he's not alone. It's a tough matchup and Thielen has just 65 yards in his past two games. I would just caution against being too pessimistic -- Thielen has a 26% target rate in those two games, the Vikings have just only thrown 34 passes. That's an unsustainably low number, and Thielen is a good bet for more like seven or eight targets in a less extreme game script. Hunter Henry -- Justin Herbert has been great news for everyone in the Chargers offense, it seems, except for Henry. He hasn't had more than 50 yards in a game since Week 2, and he has just one touchdown on the season. It's not that he's not getting targets; it's that he's averaging a career-low 6.7 yards per target. Derek Carr -- Carr has flipped the script on his unwillingness to take deep shots, but he still ranks just 18th in completion percentage when pressured, so he needs time. This Broncos pass rush, which ranks third in the NFL in pressure rate, won't make things easy for him. | | Week 10 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 does it for you. Here are the injury updates you need to know about after the first day of practice for Week 10 around the league. Ready? | | QB Injuries | | Ben Roethlisberger (knee/Reserve/COVID-19) -- We may not necessarily get any updates on Roethlisberger's knee since he's not expected to practice while on the COVID list. He'll receive treatment throughout the week, but has to be cleared from the injuries in his knees as well as his close-contact case. It sounds like he'll play, but we may not know for sure until Friday or Saturday. Gardner Minshew (thumb) -- Did not practice. All signs point to Jake Luton starting again in Week 10, and the biggest question at this point is whether Minshew will have a job to return to when he's healthy enough. Kyle Allen (ankle) -- Injured reserve. Allen will undergo surgery to repair his dislocated ankle and is out for the season. Alex Smith will start for Washington this week, and you get the sense they preferred if things stayed that way through the end of the season. Dwayne Haskins will serve as the No. 2 after opening the season as the starter. | | RB Injuries | | Christian McCaffrey (shoulder) -- Did not practice. McCaffrey is reportedly out for Week 10, and the question at this point is more about how long he'll be out than anything else. We should have some idea of that Thursday or Friday, but the reporting around this has seemed pretty ominous. At this point, I'm preparing myself for at least more than a one-week absence. David Johnson (concussion) -- Did not practice, and it sounds like Johnson is probably a long shot to play. Duke Johnson figures to see a significant role in Week 10 and is a top-15 running back by our consensus ranks. David Montgomery (concussion) -- In the concussion protocol, we won't know an update until Thursday at the earliest. The Bears playing on Monday makes his chances of playing a bit higher, but at this point it's still very much in question. Proceed as if you won't have Montgomery available at this point, and expect Ryan Nall to be the lead back -- he played pretty much all of the snaps after Montgomery exited Sunday's game. Antonio Gibson (shoulder) -- Did not practice. Gibson has been playing through some soreness in the shoulder recently, but it doesn't seem as if it's likely to keep him out. The concern at this point, as The Athletic notes, is his pass-blocking struggles, especially with Smith in at quarterback. Gibson is still the primary runner, but J.D. McKissic will continue to see a significant role in passing downs, and both are reasonable starting options for Week 10 against the Lions. Chris Carson (foot) -- Did not practice. Carson is still day to day at this point, and it sounds like the plan will remain the same as the past few weeks -- he'll run and work with the training staff and see if he's close to playing come Friday. Carson is ahead of Carlos Hyde (hamstring), who also didn't practice Wednesday. DeeJay Dallas still figures to be the starter if Carson doesn't play. Kenyan Drake (ankle) -- Limited at practice. Drake was back on the practice field for the first time since suffering the injury in Week 7, so he could make his return this week against the Bills. He figures to take back his starting job from Chase Edmonds, who failed to impress in a larger role in Week 9, rushing for 70 yards on 25 carries with three catches for 18 yards. Miles Sanders (knee) -- Limited at practice. Sanders has missed two games due to his injury, and they'll see how he responds to his first practice before making a determination on his chances of playing against the Giants, but it seems more likely he'll play than not. Joe Mixon (foot) -- Did not practice. This is not a great sign coming off the bye. Mixon has gone from "day to day" to potentially missing four weeks, though he was at least able to do individual drills Wednesday, an improvement from previous weeks. We'll have to watch this one the rest of the week, but make sure Giovani Bernard isn't available in your league. Austin Ekeler (hamstring) -- No updates on his status, and no updates is bad news at this point. At least in the short term. Ekeler will be back eventually, but it won't be in Week 10. Raheem Mostert (ankle) -- Will not play against the Saints. Mostert is still on IR and it looks like we'll see him in Week 12 against the Rams -- the 49ers are on bye in Week 11. Nick Chubb (knee) -- Limited at practice. The assumption for the last few weeks was that Chubb would return in Week 10 after the bye, but he told reporters Wednesday he's not sure if that will be the case. I would still bet on him playing -- he didn't exactly sound pessimistic -- but it's less of a sure thing than we assumed. Justin Jackson (knee) -- Did not practice. This has been a lingering issue that Jackson aggravated early in Week 9, and this isn't a good start to his week of practice. At this point, assume it's another week of Kalen Ballage and Joshua Kelley splitting work. Damien Harris (ankle/chest) -- Limited at practice. This is a good sign after Harris exited Monday's game. And, if you want to read between the lines, Harris is scheduled to speak with media Friday, something he likely wouldn't do if he wasn't going to play. Matt Breida (hamstring) -- Limited at practice. It's worth noting here that the Dolphins didn't actually practice Wednesday, so this was an estimate based on a walkthrough and doesn't tell us that much -- except that the team thinks he's further along than he was a week. Darrell Henderson (thigh) -- Did not practice. This one is legitimately surprising, because it didn't sound like Henderson's injury was serious heading into the bye. He's got two days to get back up to speed, but that looks like less of a sure thing than we thought it would be. Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers would split work if Henderson is out, so go see if Akers (43% rostered) is available in your league. This could be the big opportunity he's been waiting for. Devonta Freeman (ankle) -- Limited at practice. Freeman was limited at the end of last week, too. He's trending toward a return, but it isn't assured yet. Mark Ingram (ankle) -- Limited at practice. A sign that Ingram is expected to return, likely to a three-way timeshare that will limit the appeal of he, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. Sony Michel (quad) -- Michel has been designated to return from IR, and NESN.com reported Wednesday he might be activated if Damien Harris' injuries force him to sit out. Tevin Coleman (knee) -- Did not practice. It seems like Coleman is going to get the bye to recover, but Mostert will likely also return in Week 11, so Coleman isn't a must-stash by any means. Troymaine Pope (concussion) -- Full participant at practice. One potential wrinkle for the Chargers backfield is Pope's status. He seemingly usurped Joshua Kelley before suffering the injury in Week 8, so we'll see if he's a big part of the game plan again in Week 10 if Jackson is out. | | WR Injuries | | Kenny Golladay (hip) -- Did not practice. Golladay is not expected to play in Week 10, and it may not be Week 11 when he returns either. He seems like he's week-to-week at this point. Deebo Samuel (hamstring) -- Did not practice. Samuel has a chance to return in Week 10, but it is by no means a guarantee, and this isn't a good start. Jerry Jeudy (shoulder) -- Did not practice. This is a new injury for Jeudy, and it's not exactly clear how big of a concern it is at this point. But it's not nothing. We'll watch this one closely the next few days. Cooper Kupp (oblique) -- Limited at practice. Sean McVay told reporters it was a wrist injury, but the official practice report listed it as an oblique. Either way, it doesn't sound like it's too big a concern at this point, but we'll monitor it. Allen Lazard (abdomen) -- Because Lazard is still on IR, there's no official practice report, but it sounds like he was a full participant, and should be making his return in Week 10. Lazard looked like he was emerging as the Packers No. 2 option before his injury, as he had 13 catches on 17 targets in three games for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has No. 2 Fantasy WR potential if he's right. N'Keal Harry (concussion) -- Limited at practice. This is improvement for Harry, who missed the last two games with the ailment. Alshon Jeffery (calf) -- Full participant at practice. It sounds like Jeffery has a pretty good chance to make his return in Week 10. What kind of role he'll have waiting for him with the emergence of Travis Fulgham remains to be seen, but he's worth stashing in deeper leagues. Even if the smart money is on Jeffery returning as a role player, at least at first. Preston Williams (foot) -- Injured reserve. Williams didn't suffer a fracture or break, but he's going to sit out at least three weeks anyway. A big blow for Miami's offense, Kendrick Bourne (illness) -- It's not entirely clear what is going on with Bourne, who tested positive for coronavirus last week before being activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list following two days of negative tests Thursday and Friday -- before being placed back on it following another positive test Monday. Laviska Shenault (hamstring) -- Limited at practice. This is a good sign that Shenault will be able to play in Week 10. | | TE Injuries | | Noah Fant (ankle) -- Limited at practice. Fant is expected to be able to play through this injury, first suffered several weeks ago and then aggravated in Week 9. He was able to mostly play his usual role Sunday, so I would expect the same this week. Zach Ertz (ankle) -- Ertz is eligible to return from IR, but he probably has at least a few weeks left of recovering ahead of him. Dallas Goedert will be the primary tight end for the Eagles in Week 10 and is a top-10 option. Austin Hooper (appendix) -- Full participant at practice. Hooper is back after missing a few weeks recovering from an appendectomy. He figures to have a larger role down the stretch than he did early on with Odell Beckham out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Albert Okwuegbunam (knee) -- Injured reserve. Okwuegbunam is done for the season, ending his rookie campaign with 11 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. He could have a bright future, though Fant's presence is a blocker. We'll see him in 2021, hopefully in time for training camp. | | TNF Preview: Colts at Titans | | | | All lines from William Hill Sportsbook. | | Line: PICK; o/u 48.5 Implied totals: Colts 24.25, Titans 24.25 | | If these two teams had their druthers, neither would throw more than 25 times, which could lead to an incredibly slow-paced, low-scoring duel. You don't want much of the passing game on either side in most weeks anyway, though A.J. Brown is a must-start guy and Jonnu Smith, Corey Davis and Trey Burton are all varying flavors of "start-worthy." | | Key injuries | | T.Y. Hilton (groin) — Hilton ended up missing one game as a result of his injury, and was able to get through a full week of practice without limitations, so he'll be good to go. Unfortunately, he has a lot to do to prove he's even worth rostering, let alone starting, at this point. Jack Doyle -- (concussion) — Doyle was ruled out pretty early this week, and the expectation is Trey Burton and Mo Alie-Cox will have fairly sizable roles in the offense this week. Both are low end starting options at tight end. | | What to watch for | | There really isn't much left to learn about either of these offenses, so the key thing to watch will be Jonathan Taylor's usage. He was in line for a pretty significant role in Week 9 after his Week 8 benching, and then an early fumble basically sidelined him. It seems like the Colts are in the same place with him the Buccaneers are with Ronald Jones -- they'll start him and use him until he gives them a reason not to. It's a very slim margin for error, it seems. He's probably still worth starting, but Taylor carries a lot of risk with him at this point. Beyond that, we'd like to see some wide receiver step up for the Colts -- Hilton or Michael Pittman seem like the best bets now that they are healthy. Not that either is a particularly great bet on an offense that relies so much on the running backs and tight ends, but there is room for someone to step up as the No. 1 WR. Let's see if anyone does it. It'll be worth watching Corey Davis' role after he let us down with a catch-less Week 9 against the Bears. He had 128 yards on eight catches the previous game, but has more than 36 yards in just three of six games. Another bad game might knock him out of the starter conversation entirely. | | Notable player props | | Phillip Rivers, 265.5 total passing yards — Under. When Rivers goes over this number, it's been in a situation where the Colts have been chasing points -- it took him 46 attempts to do it in Week 1 and 44 in Week 6, and he hasn't done it otherwise this season. In a game that is likely to feature relatively few possessions between two run-first offenses, don't expect Rivers to have to air it out. That's for the best for the Colts. Trey Burton, 23.5 total receiving yards — Over. On average, the Colts target their tight ends 9.5 times per week. Usually, that's split three ways, which is why none of them have particularly great numbers. However, with Doyle out, Burton is going to play a larger role than normal, and 23.5 yards is just too low a number for him not to top if he gets, say, five targets. A.J. Brown, 5.5 total receptions — Under. To be clear, I don't think Brown is going to have a bad game. He's a must-start Fantasy receiver, and he proved that with a big game against a very tough Bears defense in Week 9. However, he's not someone who racks up a ton of catches, as evidenced by the fact that he has just two games out of six with more than five catches this season and only four in 25 career games, including the playoffs. Brown is a must-start player because of his big play potential, not because he's likely to do a Jarvis Landry impersonation in any given game. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | The Masters | ✔Scores & Highlights
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