Injury Roundup
QB Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens
Knee: HC John Harbaugh referred to Jackson’s return as “days to weeks” but said that it would not end his season. We can likely assume he will be out for Week 14.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo - San Francisco 49ers
Foot: Garoppolo was carted to the locker room with what turned out to be a fractured foot. He will undergo season-ending surgery.
RB Aaron Jones - Green Bay Packers
Shin: Jones exited several times but eventually returned to the win over the Bears. He may not miss any additional time with a Week 14 bye giving him time to get healthy.
RB Kenneth Walker III - Seattle Seahawks
Ankle: Walker was ruled out of the game after just three rush attempts but the severity of the injury is currently unknown.
WR Courtland Sutton - Denver Broncos
Hamstring: HC Nathaniel Hackett said that Sutton tried to play through the injury but was not able to return. No information was given about his availability next week but hamstring injuries tend to linger.
WR Treylon Burks - Tennessee Titans
Head: Burks was evaluated for a concussion on a scary hit during a TD reception and was promptly ruled out. He will have to go through the league’s concussion protocol to play next week, which seems unlikely at the moment.
WR Jakobi Meyers - New England Patriots
Head: Meyers was hit on a bad collision that led to a Bills player getting ejected, but with the extra rest since he played on Thursday, he could pass concussion protocol in time for Week 14.
WR Chase Claypool - Chicago Bears
Knee: Claypool was downgraded to doubtful but surprisingly returned late in the game. There has been no indication regarding the extent of the injury.
WR David Bell - Cleveland Browns
Hand: Bell was ruled out of the game with a hand injury and will likely miss some time.
TE Hayden Hurst - Cincinnati Bengals
Calf: Hurst exited the game with a calf injury. Not a good sign but there has been no indication if it will force him to miss any extra time.
Game Recaps
Packers @ Bears
Aaron Rodgers Owns the Bears…Barely
The Chicago Bears put up a valiant effort in Week 13 but it was all for naught. 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter helped push the Packers to a 28-19 victory at Soldier Field. Rodgers wasn’t his dominant self, nor has he been truly dominant all season, but he threw for 182 yards and a TD, which was enough to secure a win. Bears QB Justin Fields set a season-high passing total throwing for 254 yards on only 25 pass attempts but also threw 2 costly interceptions in must pass situations late in the game. He once again shined on the ground, taking off for a 56 yard TD. Injuries to the receiving group continue to pile up, only hurting his passing efforts. On the bright side, Fields wasn’t sacked for the first time as an NFL starter. This isn’t the typical Bears loss we are used to but the final score will continue to fuel conversations.
Fade Equanimeous St. Brown
It was a good week for the St. Brown family. While Amon-Ra stole the headlines with an 11/114/2 receiving performance, Equanimeous quietly had a game. Although he was only targeted 4 times, he hauled in 3 of his targets for 85 yards. Cole Kmet, Chase Claypool and David Montgomery all had more targets which is concerning for the rest of his season. This is his best receiving game by far and it coincided with Fields’ most passing yards all year. The St. Brown brothers will face off in Week 17 which is the championship game for most fantasy football leagues. The Lions are currently the 8th easiest WR matchup per True Matchup Rank so at best he’s a stash for a contending team but if you are good enough to get there you probably don’t need the Bears WR2/3 to help you out. He is not worth the trouble.
Jets @ Vikings
The Mike White Mirage?
It is easy to point and laugh at the Jets. That it is something that I’ve done for a majority of my life. This game, however, is not an indication of them at their worst. The Jets played it too safe by kicking field goals throughout the game. In the first half the offense just wasn’t rolling and they were getting gashed by the Vikings. By halftime, the Jets were down by 2 TDs and were still kicking field goals into the 4th quarter. It wasn’t until the game was nearly over that they scored their first TD and then followed that up with a quick stop. Their next drive was their longest of the game but they just could not convert on 4th & 1. They still managed to get another stop and nearly scored once again but Braxton Berrios dropped the ball in the end zone, a play which would have given the Jets a lead late in the game. Despite the 57 pass attempts and 2 interceptions, Mike White was not someone to blame. He got incredibly unlucky on two drives that should have ended with points. The 5th round pick has been thrust into multiple starting roles and plays like a guy who wants to win. That inevitably leads to terrible games with multiple picks but it’s the type of play you have to try when your run game is battered and you’ve got a great receiving room. At least they’re taking shots down the field and actually making some plays.
Browns @ Texans
Rusty is an Understatement
Deshaun Watson’s accusations will never leave him and the Browns seem alright with that. Teams are in the business of making money and they know that consequences are easily evadible. Players are still expected to produce on the field to appease coaches, fans and teammates alike. Watson, in his first game back in two years, did not produce. He completed just 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards and an interception. The Browns offense didn’t even manage to score a single offensive TD against a lowly Texans defense. All of the work was done by the defense and special teams. This was Watson’s first NFL game since 2020 so it’s not surprising to see a rusty performance but much of the NFL world has been happy to see him play poorly. That will only continue as Watson dodges questions and avoids addressing the issue. We’ll have to see if the pressure begins to affect his play anytime soon.
Commanders @ Giants
Bellinger is Back
In a week highlighted by a Darius Slayton explosion and a match ending in a tie, TE Daniel Bellinger’s return was an underappreciated story. The rookie was targeted 5 times in his return from an eye injury, tied for his career high. He caught all of his passes for 24 yards. That’s an underwhelming stat line but Bellinger wasn’t posting eye-popping numbers prior to the injury, regardless. Tight End is not an easy position to immediately succeed at and nobody expected Bellinger to break records. With a slew of injuries hurting the Giants receiving room, Bellinger is one of the few players with a consistent role. He is worth an add in deep leagues and could be a dynasty buy. KTC trade value indicates that he could be traded for a late 2nd or early 3rd round pick and he is worth targeting in a Giants offense with a brighter offensive future under HC Brian Daboll.
Dolphins @ 49ers
Mr. Relevant
Sports Illustrated
Brock Purdy was selected with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and he could not have asked for a better team to inherit. Purdy will now be the 49ers starting QB for the foreseeable future with Jimmy Garoppolo confirmed to be out for the season. The 49ers have built a powerhouse team for Kyle Shanahan to coach and they have made two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl appearance in his short tenure. With a lot of middling teams in the NFC, the 49ers are still in a good position to make a run even with the injuries piling on at QB. The schedule is pretty light going forward and it looks like San Francisco will still win the division by pulling off some wins against incredibly flawed teams. Their elite defense will be the key. Just temper expectations for a lot of SF’s offensive weapons in fantasy going forward.
Seahawks @ Rams
Akers Explodes but Still a Fade
Whatever you think about Akers’ talent doesn’t matter. The Rams have been the biggest disappointment of the NFL season, completely crumbling after winning the Super Bowl last season, and their offense has struggled no matter who lines up under center. Akers missed nearly the entire 2021 season after tearing his Achilles and hasn’t looked nearly as good since. Despite taking control of the backfield this week and scoring 2 TDs, he is not a player worth consideration in redraft leagues except in the deepest of leagues. This performance came against the Seahawks who are the 4th easiest matchup in True Matchup Rank. Do not expect this to continue, even if Akers gets more carries.
Chiefs @ Bengals
Welcome Back, Ja’Marr Chase!
The Bengals offense is like night and day when Ja’Marr Chase plays. Leading the team in receiving yards was expected but what he does best is force defenses to focus on him while also trying to manage to defend Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. There is also Samaje Perine - and Joe Mixon when he returns from injury - as well as TE Hayden Hurst. It is an impossible job for a defensive coordinator to account for all of these players at once.
The Bengals are still in the running for both the division crown and even the #1 seed in the AFC after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. Upcoming home games against the division-leading Ravens and conference-leading Bills could swing the playoff picture in a major way. The Bengals were smart to give Chase another week to rest despite trending towards playing against the Titans in Week 12. He will be the difference maker.
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By Themi Michalakis
For a second straight season, I am betting against Mahomes.