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| Friday, December 1, 2023 |
| Now that was a great night of football. |
| We've gotten used to some not-so-great football on Thursday nights, but if your team was heavily invested in last night's game, your Week 13 got off to a tremendous start, with the Cowboys just eking out a 41-35 win over the Seahawks. |
| 37.4 PPR points from DK Metcalf, who made up for about two seasons' worth of bad touchdown luck with three scores on six catches. 32.7 for CeeDee Lamb, 17.3 from Tony Pollard, 16.9 from Zach Charbonnet, 19.7 from Jake Ferguson … even Brandin Cooks got in on the fun with 14.5 points. Both Geno Smith and Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns in the shootout, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba had maybe his most promising game yet, with seven catches for 62 yards on 11 targets – and he should have had an even bigger game, with a 30-yard touchdown overturned by a questionable call on replay. |
| The only problem coming out of Thursday's game was that Charbonnet left late with a knee injury and couldn't return. The severity of the injury isn't yet known as of Thursday night, but it's a tough outcome for Charbonnet, who got to 99 total yards on 20 touches against a very good Cowboys defense, confirmation of his upside in filling in for Kenneth Walker . This is a talented player in a good offense, and he took advantage of the situation after failing to do much last week. |
| The Seahawks do have some extra time before their next game, so if the injury isn't too serious, Charbonnet could be back in time for Week 14 against the 49ers in 10 days – though, there's also a chance Walker could be back from his oblique injury by then, too, so Charbonnet's Fantasy outlook moving forward is definitely cloudy. |
| Other than that, it was a pretty terrific night for Fantasy. Lamb continues to make his case for a top-five pick next season, and he might not be No. 5 or No. 4; Pollard continues to get the touchdown regression we were hoping for; and Geno Smith and Metcalf showed they can still be high-upside options, even against very tough matchups. |
| The only guy who didn't fare well was Tyler Lockett, unfortunately, as he looks like he's finally lost enough of a step to be just a fringe Fantasy option, unfortunately. It might be too soon to say Smith-Njigba has definitely usurped him – he had just three targets last week, after all – but it wouldn't surprise me if he did end up establishing himself as the clear No. 2 option down the stretch. He could also be a very good Fantasy option, for those of you in the 29% of CBS Fantasy leagues where he's available on waivers. |
| And with that, let's move on to previewing the rest of the Week 13 schedule. After last night, you might need to make up some ground. Yesterday, we previewed every game on the schedule, and you can find my thoughts on that here. In the rest of today's newsletter, you'll find the latest injury updates to need to know about. And, unfortunately, there are plenty of injuries to cover. Let's get to it: |
| Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WRDave Richard's Lineup DecisionsWeek 13 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE Jamey, Dave, Heath's RankingsMy Week 13 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TECheat Sheets: PPR | Non-PPR |
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| Actually, one quick thing before we get to the injury updates: The Cardinals granted Zach Ertz his release Thursday. That presumably means he's recovered from the quad injury that landed him on IR, but the emergence of Trey McBride as a focal point for the Cardinals offense has made the veteran expendable. He's not a difference maker anymore, but he has drawn better than six targets per game over the past two seasons, and could land somewhere (maybe Baltimore?) where he could actually matter for Fantasy. If you're desperate at TE and have a roster spot to play with, consider picking him up this weekend. |
Week 13 injury updates
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| Quarterback |
| It sure looks like Joe Flacco is going to start for the Browns in Week 13 against the Rams, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson (concussion) still missing from practice. Flacco, 38, was pretty bad last season (career-low 2.6% touchdown rate, 5.5 yards per attempt), but I do expect him to be an upgrade in the passing game over what we've seen from the Browns non-Deshaun Watson options so far this season. That's good news for Amari Cooper and David Njoku, at least relatively speaking. |
| Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) didn't practice Thursday, a day after making his debut from his ruptured Achilles. Rodgers is still probably a few weeks away from even having a chance to play, so I'm assuming this is just a maintenance thing, and he'll be in and out of practice over the next week or so. This process is just beginning, and by all accounts, Rodgers is targeting Week 16 at the earliest to come back. |
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| Running back |
| Travis Etienne (ribs) was limited at practice Thursday due to an injury suffered during Week 12's game, but spoke to reporters and sounds like he's going to try to play. He didn't guarantee it, though: "If I can go, I'm gonna go. If I can't, we got great backs behind me that are gonna do their jobs." Go add D'Ernest Johnson or Tank Bigsby (I would prioritize them in that order based on usage the past few weeks), just in case Etienne can't play Monday against the Bengals. |
| De'Von Achane (knee) continues to be limited by his injury during practice, and I'd bet we won't see him until he gets through a full practice. He'll likely be listed as questionable for this one, but unless he practices in full Friday, I wouldn't be planning on using him. Raheem Mostert (ankle/knee) has also been limited, but that's usual, so we're expecting him to play against the Commanders. |
| D'Andre Swift (ankle) got up to a full practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday, so he looks good to go. He's a top-20 RB even in a tough matchup against the 49ers. |
| Kareem Hunt (groin) got up to a limited practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's session with the injury, so it looks like he's on track to play against the Rams. He's an the RB3 range behind Jerome Ford if he does. |
| Breece Hall (hamstring) continues to be limited by his injury, but at this point it doesn't seem like it's going to keep him out. |
| David Montgomery (foot) worked his way back up to a full practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday. He should be good to go against the Saints, and is a viable starting option, though clearly behind backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs at this point. |
| AJ Dillon (groin) returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session, so he should be good to go this week barring a setback. Aaron Jones (knee) continues to miss practice, so it looks like he's going to miss another week. Dillon is a volume-based, fringe RB2 against the tough Chiefs defense. |
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| Wide receiver |
| Keenan Allen (quad) has missed both days of practice this week, which is definitely a concern. He's played through shoulder injuries the past few weeks, and so hopefully his absence is more like a precaution to protect a veteran player who doesn't really need practice time. The Chargers are extremely thin at the WR position right now, and there really isn't anyone I would necessarily trust to step up if Allen is out. |
| Tyreek Hill (ankle) went from a DNP Wednesday to limited Thursday, and I'm taking that as a sign that he's going to play. He played through the injury en route to nine catches, 102 yards, and a touchdown last week, so I'm certainly not scared off. |
| A.J. Brown (thigh) was limited Wednesday and Thursday, but that's not necessarily unusual for him, so I'm not too worried yet. DeVonta Smith (knee) was a full participant Thursday, so I'd expect both of them to play. |
| Tee Higgins (hamstring/ankle) got back to practice for the first time in three weeks Thursday, and he told reporters he feels 100% and plans to play this week. Unfortunately, he'll be playing with Jake Browning, not Joe Burrow, and is just a WR3 if he does play Monday night against the Jaguars. |
| I'm not quite sure what to make of Marquise Brown's (heel) injury. He hasn't practiced yet this week, which seems concerning, but he also missed both Thursday and Friday's sessions last week before playing 87% of the snaps and scoring 14.8 PPR points. As long as he's active, you're probably starting Brown, but there's definitely some concern here. Michael Wilson (shoulder) looks like he's not going to be able to play for the third game in a row after missing both days of practice so far, which puts Greg Dortch in the PPR flex discussion against the Steelers, as he has 17 targets in two games with Wilson out. |
| Tank Dell (calf) went from a DNP Wednesday to a limited session Thursday, which is what we wanted to see. It doesn't guarantee he'll play, but the Texans have publicly expressed optimism about Dell's chances to play, and this matches up with that, so hopefully he's good to go. Dell is a must-start WR at this point. Noah Brown (knee) has also returned to practice this week after missing the past couple of games. He's been limited, so no guarantees here, but he's a high-upside dice roll if he can play — remember, he had 325 yards in his last two games before the injury. |
| Chris Olave (concussion) has been limited in both days of practice this week, and while he still has to officially clear the concussion protocol, this seems to point to him playing. Hopefully he does get cleared, because the Saints look like they'll be without Rashid Shaheed (thigh), who hasn't practiced this week yet. |
| Diontae Johnson (illness) didn't practice Thursday, so that's one to monitor. Typically, a mid-week illness won't hold players out by Sunday, but it's not unheard of, so keep an eye on his status heading into the weekend; Johnson is a WR3 against the Cardinals. |
| Amari Cooper (ribs) got back up to a limited practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's session, so hopefully he'll be able to play. That's not guaranteed at this point, but if he does, he's in the WR2/3 range of the rankings. |
| Chris Godwin (neck) was limited Thursday with a new injury, which is always at least a little concerning – did he suffer the injury during practice? I haven't seen anything reported about the injury, so if you're planning on starting Godwin this week (he's in the WR3 discussion), make sure you keep an eye on reports Friday in case this ends up serious enough to keep him out. |
| Jayden Reed (chest) missed his second day in a row of practice Thursday, but he told reporters he is hoping to play Sunday against the Chiefs. Reed has been playing through the injury the past few weeks, but said it wasn't a setback, and hinted that his absence might be more precautionary than anything else. That could just be a player being optimistic about his chances of playing, so we'll let the official injury report Friday tell us his chances of playing. Reed is a high-upside WR3 if he does play, with 19 targets and five carries over his past three games leading to 17.9 PPR points per game in that stretch. IF he doesn't play, it makes Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs slightly better flex options. |
| Jerry Jeudy (groin) improved to a limited practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session, so he's moving in the right direction. That's what we want to see, though he's still a risky start with just one game since September with more than 58 yards. |
| Demario Douglas (concussion) looks unlikely to play this week as he continues to recover from his second concussion of the season. I would be very surprised if he plays this week. |
| Jonathan Mingo (Achilles) was added to the practice report Thursday with this injury. I haven't seen anything reported on the injury, so hopefully it's minor, and Mingo is a fringe Fantasy option at best, so I'll hope you have someone better on your roster. Mingo remains just an upside stash for the stretch run. |
| Kadarius Toney (ankle/hip) is back at practice this week after missing last week's game. Toney hasn't been involved enough to really matter for Fantasy this season, so let's just hope his return doesn't limit Rashee Rice at all after he finally had his breakout game in Week 12 with eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. |
| Treylon Burks (concussion) looks like he'll make his return from a three-game absence, as he was able to practice without limitations Thursday. Burks remains just an upside stash on your bench, and given the state of this passing game, not even a particularly high-upside one. |
| Tight end |
| Trey McBride (groin) got back to a limited participant in practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's session, a good sign for his chances of playing through the injury. There's some concern here if he can't go Friday, so make sure you have an alternative option ready to go, but if McBride is active, I'm starting him. |
| Dalton Schultz (hamstring) looks to have a real chance to miss this week's game against the Broncos, because he has yet to step on the practice field. Brevin Jordan would presumably see a larger role if Schultz is out, but even in a week with six teams on bye, he's not anything more than a touchdown-or-bust option. |
| Dallas Goedert (forearm) apparently had a chance to come back from his injury this week, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen, as he enters Friday having been held out of practice. Even if he does end up active, I'd be skeptical about trusting him. |
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