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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
 Lamar Jackson  316-70 3
 Desmond Ridder 347-15 2
 Jake Browning 275-7 3
 Justin Fields 223-58 2
 Joe Flacco 311-(-1) 3
Running Backs Yards TD
Ezekiel Elliott 22-68
7-72
1
Breece Hall 10-40
8-86
1
James Cook 10-58
5-83
1
Rachaad White 25-102
2-33
1
Joe Mixon 21-79
3-46
1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Deebo Samuel 7-149 2
Drake London 10-172 0
D.J. Moore 6-68
3-20
2
Cooper Kupp 8-115 1
Rashee Rice 7-72 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Evan Engram 11-95 2
David Njoku 6-91 2
Isaiah Likely 5-83 1
Hunter Henry 3-40 2
George Kittle 3-76 1
Placekickers XP FG
Greg Zuerlein 3 3
Justin Tucker 2 3
Lucan Havrisik 2 3
Evan McPherson 4 2
Brandon Aubrey 3 4
Defense Sack – TO TD
Vikings 4-3 0
Saints 4-2 1
Broncos 6-2 0
Browns 4-4 0
Bears 4-3 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB C.J. Stroud – Head
QB Justin Herbert – Finger
QB Jake Browning – Cramps
RB Josh Jacobs – Knee
RB Alexander Mattison
WR Mack Hollins – Ankle
WR Devin Duvernay – Back
WR Nico Collins – Calf
WR Tutu Atwell – Concussion
WR Justin Jefferson – Chest

Chasing Ambulances

QB C.J. Stroud –  Landed on his back and his head whipped back to the turf for a concussion. In the protocol now and Davis Mills will fill in this week in Tennessee if needed. The Texans have gone through a rash of injuries and Stroud is the one piece they cannot lose.

QB Justin Herbert –
Fractured the index finger on his throwing hand and that may be season ending with just one month left to play in a year already gone bad. Easton Stick is the next man up. This week is a trip to face the Raiders and looks like another low-scoring affair there.

RB Josh Jacobs – He injured his knee early in the game but continued to play through it until finally giving up with six minutes left because of the pain. Speculation is that he hyperextended his knee and likely damaged ligaments and if so, he will not play on Thursday at the least. Zamir White would replace him versus the Chargers.

RB Alexander Mattison – Left the win over the Raiders with an ankle sprain which HC Kevin O’Connell later confirmed. His status for the Saturday matchup in Cincinnati will be determined after tests on Monday. Ty Chandler will take the start if needed.

WR Nico Collins – Injured his calf on the first series and was ruled out during halftime. Tank Dell was already lost for the season, so if Collins misses games he’ll be replaced by the group of Noah Brown, Robert Woods, and John Metchie, though C.J. Stroud’s status is uncertain this week as well.

WR Justin Jefferson – He suffered a chest injury in the second quarter and was forced to the sideline. He was later sent to a nearby hospital. His prognosis and status should be known on Monday but the Vikes play on Saturday in the early game at the Bengals. The No. 1 pick in nearly every fantasy draft is yet another instance where the best player for a season cannot replicate their success.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Desmond Ridder (ATL) – Turned in a season-high 347 yards and a score on the visiting Buccaneers that included Drake London’s ten-catch, 172-yard performance for a career-best. Granted – the Buccaneers secondary is one of the worst. But Ridder threw three completions for 57 yards and a score to Kyle Pitts.

QB Jake Browning (CIN) – He left the win over the Colts with what were described as “hand cramps” but returned to the game and ended with 275 yards and two touchdowns, plus ran in a touchdown. He may be no Joe Burrow, but he looks like a guy who needs to be more than an unseen backup.

QB Trevor Lawrence (JAC) – When he was awkwardly bent backward over his ankle last week, it looked like the season was over. But Robo-QB showed few signs of the injury and was one of the best quarterbacks for Week 14 with 257 yards and three touchdowns – though he had three interceptions.

WR Parker Washington (JAC) – The rookie replacement for Christian Kirk only managed two catches for 27 yards, but he’s started his career with a touchdown in his first two games.

RB Chase Brown (CIN) – He only ran for 25 yards on eight carries, but Brown led the Bengals’ receivers with three catches for 80 yards that included a 54-yard touchdown catch. The Bengals still ran Joe Mixon 21 times for 79 yards and a score, but Brown has looked sharp for the last two weeks. The Bengals have a potential out in Mixon’s contract next year and Brown can promote more confidence in him for the final month of the season.

RB Keaton Mitchell (BAL) – He ran for 54 yards on nine carries in the win over the Rams but the Ravens still used Gus Edwards for six rushes for 15 yards. They speak about getting Mitchell more involved and he’s impressed when given the chance. Apparently, getting him more involved is a slow process.

QB Joe Flacco (CLE) -After posting 254 yards and two scores on the Rams, the Browns waited until late in the week before naming him as the starter versus the Jaguars. Flacco ended with 311 yards and three scores for the first 300-yard game by any Browns’ quarterback this year. He was named the starter the rest of the season before he reached the locker room.

TE Isaiah Likely (BAL) –  He took over for Mark Andrews for the last two games and only managed four catches for 40 yards at the Chargers in Week 12 before their bye. Versus the Rams, Likely caught five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown – very Anderson-ish.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Engram  – Engram has been involved weekly for four or five catches, but now has two straight weeks as the primary receiver with at least nine catches and a touchdown in each. Engram faced the Browns who had the No. 1 defense against tight ends and caught 11 passes for 95 yards and two scores yesterday. That’s catching fire right when we need it most.

Salute!

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

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Desmond Ridder 347-15 2 QB C.J. Stroud 91 0
RB Chase Brown 8-25
3-80
1 RB Josh Jacobs 13-34
2-16
0
RB Jerick McKinnon 4-19
3-18
1 RB Zack Moss 13-28
4-28
0
WR Demarcus Robinson 3-46 1 WR Mike Evans 1-8 0
WR Josh Reynolds 3-44 1 WR Nico Collins 1-13 0
WR Quentin Johnston 3-91 0 WR A. St. Brown 3-21 0
TE Evan Engram 11-95 2 TE Sam LaPorta 2-23 0
PK Greg Zuerlein   3 XP  3 FG PK Cameron Dicker   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 154 Huddle Fantasy Points = 32

Now get back to work…

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