Injury Roundup
Dalton Kincaid (BUF) - Shoulder
● Kincaid is day-to-day after falling on his shoulder but doesn’t seem too concerned with it. Practice reports will give us a better view of his availability next week.
Jerome Ford (CLE) - Wrist
● Ford’s x-rays came back negative and there is no timetable for his return.
C.J. Stroud (HOU) - Head
● Stroud suffered a concussion and will have to clear the league’s protocol to play next week. He’s not expected to miss more than a week.
Nico Collins (HOU) - Calf
● Collins exited the game with a calf injury and may miss at least a week.
Josh Jacobs (LV) - Quad
● Jacobs was listed as a non-participant by the Raiders for Monday and may need to at least log some limited practices to make the Thursday night game.
Justin Herbert (LAC) - Finger
● Herbert is expected to undergo surgery for his finger on his throwing hand. Following that surgery, we should find out whether or not he has a chance to play again this year.
Justin Jefferson (MIN) - Chest
● HC Kevin O’Connell says that Jefferson is day-to-day. Jefferson was already coming back from an injury that the Vikings were being careful with, and they may continue to play it safe here. Although Minnesota will still be fighting for a longshot division title and a playoff spot, there’s no reason to risk your star receiver.
Alexander Mattison (MIN) - Ankle
● Mattison sprained his ankle in the win and could be set to miss a week or two. The severity of this injury hasn’t been disclosed yet.
Derek Carr (NO) - Rib
● Carr told reporters that he believes he has fractured 3 of his ribs already. With plenty of other injuries affecting him this season, it apparently hasn’t been severe enough to deter him from playing or the team from starting him. There’s still a chance that Jameis Winston gets a surprise start over him as the injuries continue to pile up for Carr.
Weekly Weigh-In
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
● Kenny Pickett may not be an elite QB but it’s pretty clear that he was the best QB on the roster. The Patriots do have a good defense but it’s still not very encouraging watching this offense with Mitch Trubisky at the helm. Every player is TD dependent with Trubisky at the helm.
● The Patriots winning another game is only going to hurt their chances at someone like Caleb Williams, but thankfully for them the Bears (who own the Panthers’ 1st round pick) may feel good with Justin Fields’ recent performances and stick with him going forward. This is going to be a wild draft.
Houston Texans @ New York Jets
● Things are falling apart for Houston. C.J. Stroud is in danger of missing a week with a concussion, Tank Dell is out for the year and Nico Collins left this week’s game early with an injury too. There’s still a chance for Houston make the playoffs or win the division but there are currently six teams with an equal or better record to them, not including current division leaders. It’s not going to be easy.
● The Jets are equally one of the scariest and one of the least frightening teams in the league. They beat the Eagles, Bills, and Texans while nearly beating the Chiefs. Unlike Patrick Mahomes, Zach Wilson didn’t throw a fit when a call went against them. They’re still not an elite offense and desperately need a reliable WR2 and an offensive line overhaul. When this secondary plays well, though, they’re lockdown.
Indianapolis Colts @ Cincinnati Bengals
● Maybe backup AFC North QBs are the kryptonite to the AFC South, but it’s more likely that Jake Browning is just him. A great surrounding cast can do wonders but let’s not pretend like just anyone could step up in this situation. Browning has thrown a TD in 4 consecutive games, including one where he didn’t even start. He’s averaging about 285 passing yards per game as a starter and added 2 more scores on the ground. There are some tough defenses ahead as they end the season but Browning and the Bengals are still very well in the playoff race.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
● Ugly wins and mediocre performances define this division. Does anyone even want to win it? Someone is going to have to and with the exception of the Panthers, it’s wide open. The top 3 teams are 6-7 and have some of the easiest schedules to end the year.
● Chris Godwin hasn’t drawn more than 7 targets in a game since the last time these two teams played back in October. Godwin has only finished as a WR2 or better twice in half-PPR leagues and hasn’t even paid off in some of his best matchups.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cleveland Browns
● Like the Bengals, the Browns aren’t out of it just yet. Losing Deshaun Watson doesn’t hurt nearly as badly when your defense can keep making plays. I’ll give credit where it’s due though because Joe Flacco looks good right now. It may not last but he’s a veteran who can still make plays. It also helps that the rest of the team is pretty darn good.
● Jacksonville isn’t a bad team by any means. They’re still leading the division at 8-5 and haven’t put up fewer than 24 points in a game in four weeks. 3 and 4 point losses hurt but they still look very competitive. Although a date with the Ravens is coming, the schedule lightens up significantly afterwards. As long as Trevor Lawrence is healthy, this is still a team that can make a playoff run despite what the public thinks of them.
Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
● A loss against Chicago should wrap up any chances of Detroit to get the #1 seed. The NFC North title should still be theirs but 9-4 is just not going to cut it when you have two nearly unstoppable teams at 10-3. Sure, some great luck could help and they do face Dallas later but it still seems improbable.
● Can Justin Fields get Eric Bieniemy already? He may not be the greatest QB ever but the guy is fun to watch and scoring a ton of points. Heck, even this defense was doing its job. Maybe they’re just kryptonite for the Lions but Fields is having some good games right now. He has 3 wins on the season and 3 losses by less than a score. While his total record won’t impress anyone, Chicago could skyrocket if they can build a team around him.
● Say what you want about Chicago but the D.J. Moore deal is one of their best decisions in recent history. This is Moore’s 4th WR1 game and he managed to score through the air and on the ground. Ending the fantasy season against the Cardinals and Falcons should be phenomenal.
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers
● DK Metcalf was having another good game before getting himself ejected on a tackle that would scare the Undertaker. WRs are always going to get a bad reputation but Metcalf is one of the weirder stories. I’m not sure why he feels like he needs to keep doing this. He doesn’t need to waste his talent and continue to jeopardize his team each week.
Minnesota Vikings @ Las Vegas Raiders
● Talk about a snoozefest. Both teams were coming off a bye but this wasn’t exactly a defensive masterclass after some rest. This was an Iowa college football game.
● Ty Chandler handled the majority of backfield touches but Mattison out-gained him by a hefty margin. Mattison did go down with an injury though, which could result in Chandler having a lead role for a week or two.
Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers
● The Chargers were already in a lost season but Justin Herbert’s injury hurts a lot. The team wasn’t looking good against the Broncos but Easton Stick won’t be the guy to turn them around. All Chargers players should have their ceilings reduced assuming Herbert misses time, which will really hurt with the fantasy playoffs starting.
Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs
● Gabriel Davis continues to be the most boom-or-bust player in the league. Davis has 5 WR2 or better finishes but 5 games with 2 or fewer fantasy points. This was his 3rd goose egg of the season. He gets to test his luck with a red hot Cowboys team that has been a little more giving on the defensive side at times.
● Kadarius Toney may have been offsides by a mile but it’s the reactions that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid gave that will live on in people’s minds for a long time. Tom Brady is no longer the league’s villain. Complaining like this, justified or not, is not going to do him any favors in the court of public opinion. Perhaps he doesn’t care, nor should he take everyone’s feelings into account whenever he speaks, however, it’s going to be held against him for a while.
● Dawson Knox’s return was bad for Khalil Shakir, who doesn't seem to get targeted much when he’s healthy. Shakir was not much of a fantasy option so this does more harm than good for both players from a fantasy perspective.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
● This game was a major turning point in the MVP race. Dak Prescott is now narrowly ahead of Brock Purdy and should take home the trophy if the team wins the rest of their games. Prescott didn’t light the Eagles on fire and even lost a fumble that was returned for a TD, but the final score and few other mistakes helped him build on an already impressive resume.
● Philadelphia’s defense will be the death of them. Jalen Hurts couldn’t get things going and was forced into negative game-script from the start. Turnovers didn’t help but it really felt like the Eagles couldn’t string together a truly impressive drive. The NFC will run through Dallas and San Francisco.
Green Bay Packers @ New York Giants
● Tommy Devito got ready for this game at home enjoying some Sunday sauce. The legend himself is now 3-1 as a starter and making the most out of a whole lot of nothing. The Giants still don’t have their WR1 but that really doesn’t matter.
● Jaire Alexander has only played 5 games this year and his loss continues to be felt. While they didn’t get torched, the Packers secondary was unable to stop the few passing plays that the Giants attempted. The run defense is the bigger issue but an elite corner wouldn’t have hurt in a last-second loss.
● New York ran for 209 yards, with Saquon Barkley and Devito leading the way. They’ll be taking on the Saints who allowed Carolina to run for 204 yards on them despite winning by 22 points. New Orleans has been susceptible on the ground and that may not change next week.
The Fantasy Football by Broto app is now live on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store! Download it today for a start sit tool, player cards, statistics, usage, rankings, interactive tools, coaching tendencies, and much, much more. FREE for a limited time.
Check out patreon.com/Brotofantasy to access extra episodes, join our community, win prizes, and help keep the app free.
By Themi Michalakis
For a second straight season, I am betting against Mahomes.