Twitter was about to shut down the other night when the world realized that Adam Schefter is not just a media reporter, but a utility for the public. He carries the burden of football newsmaking the same way a lineman — no, not the kind you see in football — wakes up at 2 in the morning during a thunderstorm to raise his bucket to the sky and keep the lights on. Schefter’s tweets keep the social media world afloat, and we thank him for keeping Twitter safe for another night.
Let’s see what Schefter had for us today [loads Twitter, gets distracted by picture of Grey wearing aviators]. Here we go! Ja’Marr Chase is still out. The frack? I thought I was here for the public good? Who am I supposed to start now?
Maybe you’re like me and riding the Tyler Boyd train this week. Maybe you’re not like me and have some healthy running backs. Either way, let’s see if we can save your team as the playoffs approach.
The following players are OUT for Week 11 as of the time of writing:
Name | Team | Pos |
---|---|---|
Deshaun Watson | CLE | QB |
Ja’Marr Chase | CIN | WR |
Pete Werner | NO | LB |
JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC | WR |
Jerry Jeudy | DEN | WR |
Xavier McKinney | NYG | DB |
Derek Stingley Jr. | HOU | DB |
Gregory Rousseau | BUF | DL |
Cole Holcomb | WAS | LB |
Cameron Jordan | NO | DL |
Tremaine Edmunds | BUF | LB |
Mecole Hardman | KC | WR |
Week 11 Injury News and Roster Notes
Cooper Kupp: Sayonara my RazzBowl team! In my famous “Do as I say, not as I do example,” I took Cooper Kupp as my 1.04 pick in the RazzBowl this year. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t really like it now. I sure could use Austin Ekeler right now! Kupp underwent ankle surgery this week and was placed on Injured Reserve, which will cause him to miss at least 4 games. So, there goes our fantasy season, right? Kupp could miss the rest of the regular season, depending on how hard the Rams want to push for the playoffs. Oh wait, they’re 3-6. Sic transit gloria. I mean, if I’m you [thinks about all the Cheetos on the floor], I’m pretending like Kupp doesn’t touch the field again this year. The Rams are a mess. The Cam Akers thing. Stafford injured. Kupp on IR. It’s not a bad team, just very injured, and by the time Kupp is full speed again, the fantasy playoffs might have passed you by. If you can stash Kupp on IR and survive to the playoffs — great, you’re better than me! If you can’t, then it’s time to move on and prep for fantasy baseball. Allen Robinson had been pulling WR3 duty for a few weeks, and Van Jefferson was a fantasy WR3 in limited duty in 2021, so there’s life in the waiver wire here, but a ton of risk as well. Blech.
Ja’Marr Chase: Injured hip and hasn’t practiced this week, so ruled out for Sunday. He’s not on IR, so he could be back next week, or this week, or the week after next week. Tyler Boyd still available in a couple leagues — snag him!
Deshaun Watson: Well, the time has come for me to blurb about DW, and I’m not talking about Arthur’s little sister. Whether you roster Watson, is really up to your ethical code, ain’t it samurai? Let’s leave his character aside and think logically about whether you should start a quarterback who hasn’t played in the NFL in 2 years, has switched teams, has a wildly different coaching staff and receiving corps, and will likely be subject to every blitz we can imagine. Sure, that sounds like a great DFS play, right? I mean, if you’re in the Matt Ryan / Derek Carr streaming QB group, Watson is…a guy you could play. Watson is out until December 4 and can return in Week 13. So, given the frantic Turkey Day schedule, you’d want to add Watson this week if that’s your thing. Personally, I don’t see the immediate appeal of a guy who hasn’t touched the football field in 2 years. I mean, are you excited about Taylor Heinicke? Heinicke has finished as a startable QB in 12-team formats once this year and is rostered in 20% of leagues. That’s a somewhat fair comparison — guy who was out of football for a couple years, comes back for a different team, and comes in mid-year for some starts with a semi-adequate receiver corps. “But Heinicke was no Watson,” you say, as if it’s supposed to be some sort of threat. Yeah, he sure wasn’t Watson, in so many ways. Make your choice on Watson, but this is the week to do something if you’re choosing to “add.”
Keenan Allen: [insert “It’s Been 84 Years” GIF] Allen is back in the lineup, but I don’t know what to expect. He’s played two games this year and been non-startable in each of them. So…what do you want me to say? That your third round pick sucks? These things happen. Starting Allen is up to you this week — I’d say he slots into your WR2/WR3 spot if you don’t have anybody better. Mike Williams is back this week too, and he’s really been the WR1 for the Chargers this year. Williams gets my nod, while Allen gets my shrug.
Kadarius Toney: Available in 50% of leagues, and the Chiefs are missing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman this week. Hint: Rudy’s system loves Toney this week. You should trust Rudy because he was FantasyPros’ #2 overall ranker last week.
Elijah Mitchell: So, uh…he out-touched Christian McCaffrey last week. Mitchell’s return from injury shouldn’t have played out like that, but with an incredible amount of usage over one of the top RBs in the league — and the guy the 49ers traded half a draft for — is worth noting. Definitely stuff Mitchell onto a bunch of your contrarian DFS lineups, and 12+ team fantasy football leagues can absolutely snag Mitchell for the bench/Flex spot this week.
OK friends! Let me know your questions down in the comments, and I’ll see you on Monday! If you’re a RazzBowl participant who made the cutline, remember that you’re setting your lineup this week. Good luck!