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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
David Dorey

Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

 

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
Joe Burrow 428-3 4
Jalen Hurts 202-56 4
Kyler Murray 266-21 3
Lamar Jackson 290-33 4
Brock Purdy 353-17 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Bijan Robinson 20-116
3-28
2
Chuba Hubbard 28-153
4-16
1
Chase Brown 13-42
9-52
1
James Conner 12-33
5-80
1
Rachaad White 10-31
6-39
1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Ja’Marr Chase 11-264 3
M Valdes-Scantling 3-109 2
Calvin Ridley 5-84 2
George Pickens 5-91 1
Tylan Wallace 3-115 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Travis Kelce 8-64 1
Mark Andrews 6-68 1
Tanner Hudson 6-42 1
T.J. Hockenson 8-72 0
George Kittle 3-57 1
Placekickers XP FG
Joey Slye 1 4
Tyler Bass 3 3
Jake Moody 2 3
Jake Elliott 4 2
Harrison Butker 1 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Eagles 3-5 0
Patriots 9-0 0
Bills 4-4 1
Vikings 3-3 0
Texans 0-5 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

Delightfully light.

RB Miles Sanders – Leg
RB Tank Bigsby – Ankle
RB Aaron Jones – Chest
TE Dalton Kincaid – Knee
TE Sam LaPorta – Shoulder
GM Jerry Jones – Microphone allergy

Chasing Ambulances

RB Miles Sanders – Carted from the field with what is expected to be a serious injury to his leg. His absence won’t mean much to the Panthers who should be bringing Jonathan Brooks into the active lineup very soon, and Chuba Hubbard has been very strong.

RB Tank Bigsby – Had to be helped from the field after the second drive of the game with an ankle injury. He was already questionable with an ankle injury entering the game. He later re-entered the game for one carry in the second quarter but then was not used. The ankle is an ongoing problem for Bigsby, who may not be fully healthy until after their Week 12 bye.

RB Aaron Jones – Took a massive hit to his right ribs and was in much pain. He was carted to the locker room. He later returned to the game and carried four times near the end of the game.

TE Dalton Kincaid – Twisted his knee in the second quarter, then returned for one third-quarter incompletion and then ruled out of the game. Dawson Knox steps up if Kincaid cannot play against the Chiefs this week, but expectations would be low.

TE Sam LaPorta – Left the game after scoring once, but injured his shoulder and did not return. There wasn’t much said about him in the late game on Sunday, so more information should be known on Monday.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

RB Cam Akers – Aaron Jones ran 17 times in the win over the Jaguars but was banged up for part of the game. Cam Akers handled 13 carries for 38 yards, while Ty Chandler ran just four times for 18 yards. The Vikings are comfortable leaning on Akers when they have to, and he is a must-add for the Jones owner. He could offer standalone fantasy value if Jones misses time.

RB Chuba Hubbard – Playing in Munich, Germany, the Panthers opted to make the rookie Jonathan Brooks inactive again this week and that left Hubbard with 28 carries for 153 yards and one touchdown, plus four catches for 16 yards and the primary weapon in their second-consecutive win. The Panthers enter their bye and then host the Chiefs in Week 12. By this point, why bother with Brooks? Then again, what changed in Hubbard’s fourth NFL season?

QB Joe Flacco – The Colts are riding the veteran the rest of the way and facing the Bills. Joe Flacco passed for 272 yards and two scores. He used his wideouts almost exclusively. That involved Alec Pierce (4-81, TD), Josh Downs (7-72), and Adonai Mitchell (6-71) who all offered moderate fantasy points. There are no stars here, but three fantasy options for receivers. Flacco also threw three interceptions, but only two were his fault.

TE T.J. Hockenson – Finally returned from his 2023 knee injury in Week 9 but only managed three catches for 27 yards. Facing the Jaguars weak secondary, Hockenson rekindled pre-injury form when he led the offense with eight catches for 72 yards. That didn’t take long.

RB Javonte Williams / Audric Estime – The Broncos backfield has struggled to produce this season, and Javonte Williams has been the primary back. Until now. Williams had been used for 12 to 17 carries weekly, and Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin shared the scraps. Facing the Chiefs, Williams was only given one first-quarter carry for five yards. McLaughlin only ran twice. But Estime carried 14 times for 53 yards. The trio will continue to exist, but the playcalling has swung to favor Estime, and he is the back of the future.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling – With the Saints already down three starting wideouts and suffering through their seven-game losing streak, they acquired MVS after the Bills released him after they traded for Amari Cooper. He only caught one pass in his debut last week, but MVS caught three against the Falcons for Week 10. They included a 40-yard touchdown, a 67-yard gain, and a 2-yard touchdown for a total of 109 yards and two scores. All three catches were within an eight-minute span in the second quarter.

Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

RB Christian McCaffrey – After waiting just nine short weeks, McCaffrey owners got to click that START box for the first time and any points would be more than what McCaffrey offered in return for likely the first pick in a fantasy draft. He ran for 39 yards on 13 carries, while Jordan Mason owners only got one run for five yards. But McCaffrey offered six catches for 68 yards. His 19 touches were great to see in his first game back and he’ll face a weak Seattle run defense this week.

WR Jauan Jennings – Brandon Aiyuk is on injured reserve but Jennings returned after missing three games and took over the split end spot and led the 49ers with seven catches for 93 yards and was thrown 11 targets, four more than anyone else. Granted, it came against the weak Buccaneers secondary, but Jennings should figure in more for the stretch of the season as Aiyuk’s replacement. The rookie Ricky Pearsall (4-73, TD) also showed up in Week 10, making an impact from the slot.

WR Mike Williams – He was traded away by the Jets after they acquired Davante Adams and he was active on Sunday despite only having a few days with the Steelers. He only caught one pass – a beautiful 32-yard bomb thrown by Russell Wilson that provided the winning points with just two minutes left to play. That should accelerate his role in the game plan.

RB Gus Edwards – After landing on injured reserve in Week 5, Edwards was finally active for the Chargers again on Sunday. And he did exactly what no one wanted to see.  He gained 55 yards on ten catches while J.K. Dobbins gained 50 yards on 15 runs. Edwards also was given several goal-line carries though none were successful. Kimani Vidal was inactive and it’s back to the maddening committee approach.

RB Tyjae Spears – Also out injured since Week 6, Spears returned against the Colts and ran six times for 27 yards, while Julius Chestnut returned to zero touches. Tony Pollard (9-44) was banged up coming into the game, so Spears was likely a little busier than usual.

QB Cooper Rush – The Cowboys are 0-4 at home and the first week of Cooper Rush shattered any hopes for the Cowboys, their fantasy players, and their season-ticket drive next spring. He completed just 13-of-34 for 45 yards and was later benched so that Trey Lance could go 4-of-6 for 21 yards and one interception. The fantasy fallout spread to Jake Ferguson (4-24) and CeeDee Lamb (6-21).

WR John Metchie – The Texans bumped him up the depth chart after Stefon Diggs was lost in Week 8 and Nico Collins was already on IR. Metchie only caught three passes for 29 yards in Week 8, and then failed to catch either of his passes in Week 9. That landed him back on most waiver wires. But against the Lions, Metchie led the Texans with five catches for 74 yards and the only passing score by C.J. Stroud. That’ll get him picked up, again, from the waiver wire at least for this week in Dallas.

Huddle player of the week

Syndication: The Enquirer

Ja’Marr Chase (CIN)  –  This was not the week to face Chase in your fantasy league. Chase could practically build a career just facing the Ravens. In Week 5, he caught ten passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 10, he racked up an astounding 264 yards and three touchdowns on 11 catches. That’s 55 points in a PPR league for those of you who did not go against him. In his eight games not playing the Ravens, Chase totaled 45 catches for 524 yards and five touchdowns.  In two games versus Baltimore, he had 21 receptions for 457 yards and five scores.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to  cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Derek Carr 269-17 2 QB Jayden Daniels 202-5 0
RB Jaylen Warren 14-66
2-29
0 RB Saquon Barkley 14-66
1-12
0
RB Chase Brown 13-42
9-52
1 RB D’Andre Swift 16-59
1-6
0
WR M Valdes-Scantling 3-109 2 WR DeVonta Smith 2-14 0
WR Calvin Ridley 5-84 2 WR D.J. Moore 3-24 0
WR Tylan Wallace 3-115 1 WR CeeDee Lamb 6-21 0
TE Tanner Hudson 6-42 1 TE J Ferguson 4-24 0
PK Joey Slye 1 XP   4 FG PK Justin Tucker 3  XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 153 Huddle Fantasy Points = 50

Now get back to work…

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