| | | | Friday, November 12, 2021 | | There are a ton of important injuries you need to know about for Week 10, and today's newsletter is all about that, but we have to start things off with the two big roster moves from Thursday -- because who said that couldn't still happen after the trade deadline? | | The Panthers signed Cam Newton with the expectation he'll be their starting quarterback when he's up to speed, presumably as early as Week 11 against Washington, with his former head coach Ron Rivera on the opposite sidelines. And, on the opposite coast a few hours later, the Rams announced the signing of Odell Beckham, who cleared waivers Tuesday after being released by the Browns. Here's what I had to say about both signings Thursday afternoon: | Newton represents some very welcome news for the Panthers offense: "Of course, the bigger question is what kind of impact Newton will have on Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore . For McCaffrey's part, he caught 107 passes with Newton starting 14 of 16 games in 2018, so I'm not too concerned about him. Moore is a bit of a different question. He has elite upside thanks to his skills and 30% target share in the offense this season, but he's been held back by poor QB play. That could continue to be an issue if Newton doesn't play better than he did in 2020, but I think that would still be an upgrade over what Darnold has done for the last month-plus. Which is to say, I do think the arrow is pointing up for Moore whenever Newton becomes the quarterback, even if it may not be an immediate boon to his value. But if you get the chance to buy low, I still think he's a top-15 WR for the rest of the season." Beckham's signing might not be great news for the Rams offense -- for Fantasy, at least: "But if Beckham is going to become a key part of this offense, it'll probably have to happen at someone else's expense, and that someone else is probably going to have to be Cooper Kupp. Robert Woods ' 22% target share is right around where he typically has been -- he was at 22.8% in 2018 -- but Kupp's current 32% rate is well above anything we've ever seen in this offense. When Cooks had 1,204 yards in 2018 as the No. 2 option, he had a 20.6% rate. This has typically been an offense that spreads the ball around, but that has changed this season, and it's made Kupp the highest-scoring non-QB in PPR leagues by nearly 50 points. Kupp was probably never going to sustain a 140-catch, 1,924-yard, 19-touchdown pace -- probably -- but you could still see him being the No. 1 WR in Fantasy the rest of the way. Now that becomes a bit harder to see. If Beckham is going to have a big enough role to where he matters for Fantasy, it's probably going to look a lot more like 2018, when all three primary WRs for the Rams had a target share between 20-23%. Kupp should remain the lead target and an obvious must-start Fantasy WR, but this could certainly hurt his value."
| | I don't necessarily expect either player to be an immediate difference maker for Fantasy, but I think there's a better chance Cam gets there than Beckham, for what it's worth. But I think the biggest impact either may have is on their teammates. | | For more, make sure you click on those links to see the rest of my thoughts on both signings. In the rest of today's newsletter, I'll recap the Dolphins shocking upset over the Ravens from Thursday night, and go through every injury you need to know heading into the weekend. | | And if that doesn't answer all of your lineup questions, send them my way at Chris.Towers@CBSi.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" and they'll get included in my Sunday morning mailbag — plus, you can catch the Fantasy Football Today YouTube stream Sunday morning at 11:30 am where Adam Aizer and I will be answering all of your lineup questions before the games. | | Get ready for Week 10 with all of our preview content here: | | Week 10 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WRStarts, sits and sleepers for every gameCheat Sheets: PPR | Non-PPR Week 10 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TEMy Week 10 Rankings: Flex Top 150 | QB | RB | WR | TE | | And here's what the rest of today's newsletter has in store to help you get ready for Week 10: | | 🏈TNF Fantasy Recap: Dolphins 22, Ravens 10🔍Week 10 Injury Report | | | | 🏈TNF Recap: Dolphins 22, Ravens 10 | | | | There really wasn't very much from this game to be excited about if you're a Fantasy player, though it was nice to see Tua Tagovailoa play pretty well when pressed into emergency duty following Jacoby Brissett's departure with a knee injury. Tua completed 8 of 13 passes for 158 yards to set up the win. His finger isn't fully healed, but he got through this one without issue, seemingly, and now he has extra time before Miami's Week 11 matchup against the Jets. | | Winner: Even with Sammy Watkins coming back from his thigh injury, Bateman still played a big role, matching Mark Andrews for second on the team with eight targets. And he turned those into a team-high 80 yards on six targets. The downside is, Bateman was only third on the team in WR snaps behind Marquise Brown and Devin Duvernay , which was disappointing to see. Duvernay serves as the primary slot receiver (alongside Andrews), which left Bateman splitting time on the outside with Watkins. Bateman is earning a 27% target per route run rate, a very high number, so hopefully playing time becomes less of an issue moving forward. He remains worth stashing where rostered and adding where he isn't. Loser: Myles Gaskin . I just have to continue to ask how long Miami can reasonably be expected to keep giving him so much work when he's so ineffective. Gaskin rushed for 31 yards on 14 carries while adding one catch for 14 yards on two targets, dropping him to 3.44 yards per carry and 4.20 yards per target. I don't know if Salvon Ahmed would fare better, but all Gaskin has going for him in Fantasy is volume, and that could disappear at any point. I'm still trying to trade him wherever I can. | | | | Week 10 Injury Report | | Here are all of the injuries we're watching heading into the weekend's action: | | Quarterbacks | | Kyler Murray (ankle) -- Murray still hasn't practiced, and while he doesn't necessarily need to practice to be able to play, I'm starting to feel pretty pessimistic about his chances. They can probably handle the P.J. Walker-led Panthers without Murray, based on how they beat the 49ers last week. Trevor Lawrence (ankle) -- It seems like Lawrence is going to try to tough this one out. There isn't much to get excited about with the Jaguars offense, but there would be even less without him. Carson Wentz (illness) -- Wentz's illness isn't COVID related, according to the team, so there probably isn't much to worry about here. Ben Roethlisberger (pectoral/shoulder) -- Roethlisberger has been dealing with these injuries for a while, so I'm just noting it here because he's missed practice both days this week, which is unusual. I haven't seen any reason to think he might sit, but it's just something to keep in mind just in case. Sam Darnold (shoulder) -- Out for Week 10. Likely to be placed on IR. Zach Wilson (knee) -- The Jets have already named Mike White the starter for Week 10, so it seems like Wilson is aiming for a Week 11 return. It's possible he could be cleared to play this week and is active as a backup, but the more interesting question is whether the Jets turn to a healthy Wilson if White has another good game this week. | | Running backs | | Alvin Kamara (knee) -- Kamara probably doesn't need to practice to play, but it's still bad news that he's missed the first two practices now. Mark Ingram could be in line for a significant role if Kamara is out, though I would expect we won't know either way on that topic until the weekend. Najee Harris (foot) -- Harris was added to the injury report Thursday and was limited in practice, which really doesn't tell us very much. It could just be a de facto maintenance day, or Harris might have suffered the injury during practice, which would obviously be a much bigger concern. Hopefully we'll get more details Friday. Ezekiel Elliott (knee) -- Elliott was limited Thursday and seems likely to continue to play through the injury. He's been doing that for a few weeks, but Week 9 was the first time it really seemed to limit him, as he played a season-low 53% of the snaps. You'll still start him assuming Elliott does play, but he feels just a bit riskier right now. James Robinson (heel) -- Robinson was limited Thursday, but it was his first time practicing since suffering the injury in Week 8, so that's a good sign. Whether it's enough for him to be cleared for Sunday's game obviously remains to be seen, but this is at least a step in the right direction. Chase Edmonds (ankle) -- Edmonds is expected to miss four weeks or more with his high-ankle sprain, so I would bet we'll see him placed on IR sometime this weekend. Chris Carson (neck) -- Carson has been designated to return from IR and could be back on the field Sunday against the Packers , though I haven't seen any indication that is the plan. He's being called day to day, however, so there's a chance he's back. If not, Alex Collins will likely start, though he is dealing with a lingering groin injury himself. Antonio Gibson (shin) -- Gibson was off the injury report prior to Week 8 and had a bye in Week 9, so I had hoped this issue might be behind him. Instead, it looks like the status quo from before the bye will reign, and he's a risky start against the Buccaneers given questions about his usage and the tough matchup. I think I would rather start J.D. McKissic than Gibson even in non-PPR formats. Zack Moss (concussion) -- Moss was upgraded to a limited participant in practice Thursday. He'll still have to receive clearance through the league's concussion protocol, but this was a positive sign. However, he was in a non-contact jersey, so it's no guarantee he's going to play against the Jets. Devin Singletary would be a top-20 RB this week if Moss is out; if Moss plays, both are in the RB3 discussion. Damien Harris/Rhamondre Stevenson (concussion) -- Neither Harris nor Stevenson has practiced this week, so their chances of playing look pretty slim. I would expect Brandon Bolden to be the best option for the Patriots in PPR formats, but J.J. Taylor could be an interesting fill-in, too. Neither is in my top-36 at RB right now. Jamaal Williams (thigh) -- It looks like Williams' absence is going to continue. He hasn't played since Week 7. JaMycal Hasty (ankle) -- This is one to keep an eye on for Monday Night Football. Hasty doesn't have a big role himself, but if he does have to miss time, we could see Elijah Mitchell take on a bigger role on passing downs or we could see Jeff Wilson take the field for the first time on offense. | | Wide receivers | | CeeDee Lamb (ankle)/Amari Cooper (hamstring) -- Lamb was a full participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday, while Cooper was limited. Both should be good to go for Sunday. DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring)/Rondale Moore (neck/concussion)/A.J. Green (illness)/Christian Kirk (thumb) -- Alright, here's the quick version: Hopkins and Moore did not practice, while Kirk was a full participant and Green was limited in his first day back from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Green and Kirk should play, while Hopkins will likely be a game-time decision even if he doesn't practice Friday; I would guess Moore has the longest odds of playing. If Hopkins is out, Kirk and Green are WR3 candidates, with a better chance of hitting if Murray plays. Keenan Allen (knee) -- Allen was unable to practice Wednesday but got up to a limited practice Thursday. That's progress, and it's enough to make me mostly not question his chances of playing. He'll be out there, I would bet. Chase Claypool (toe) -- Claypool is being called "week to week," so I would expect he's out for Week 10 and questionable (at least) for Week 11. Antonio Brown (ankle)/Chris Godwin (foot) -- Neither practiced Wednesday or Thursday. My sense is that Brown is further away, but it's not clear whether Godwin's chances of playing are much better. Friday will tell the tale on both, but I'm skeptical either plays at this point. Mike Evans should be a top-12 WR in all formats, and Tyler Johnson is an interesting DFS play, but not necessarily much more than a deep-league flier for season-long. Hunter Renfrow (ankle) -- Renfrow was limited Wednesday but got up to a full participation in Thursday's practice, so he should be good to go. He's a solid WR3 at this point in PPR. T.Y. Hilton (concussion) -- The Colts are optimistic about Hilton's chances to play, and I'd love to see him get on the field and stay there. However, I'm not too optimistic about his chances of actually staying healthy and making a difference at this point. He needs to prove himself to me.Corey Davis (hip) -- Davis has a chance to play this week, it appears, and his return could muddy things for the Jets coming off Elijah Moore's breakout game last Thursday night. Hopefully they continue to stick with the rookie, though I certainly view Moore as less of a Week 10 option than a longer-term stash play. Tim Patrick (knee) -- Patrick was upgraded to a limited participant in practice Thursday after being held out Wednesday. That likely puts him on track to play. | | Tight ends | Rob Gronkowski (back) -- Gronkowski remained out of practice Thursday and at this point it doesn't look like he's going to play Sunday.
Dawson Knox (hand) -- Knox was expected to make his return this week, and it looks like that's just what he'll be doing against the Jets. He's on the high end of the touchdown-or-bust tier, and not just because he's been one of Josh Allen's favorite red zone targets this season. Albert Okwuegbunam (knee) -- Noah Fant was cleared to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list and should be back in the starting lineup, but Okwuegbunam should also have a role after being upgraded to a limited participant in Thursday's practice. Fant is a top 15 tight end at a time when the position seems unusually deep.
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