A lot of interesting / painful / opportunity-driven happenings in the NFL these past 72 hours. Here are some potential fantasy implicaations.
First, Cooper Kupp's injury is obviously brutal, as is always the case when an elite talent goes down. Allen Robinson is probably aavailable in some leagues, and Van Jefferson in more. Ben Skowronek can be had for pennies. The biggest winner might be Tyler Higbee, who could become a consistent top-12 TE.
But there are no obvious bumps for the WRs. Allen Robinson hasn't demonstrated he can return to glory, and Van Jefferson hasn't yet shown consistency. Ben Skowronek could realistically lea the way some weeks. If anything, opposing DST get a big boost, including the upcoming Saints and Chiefs.
Shockingly, the Cardinals cut Eno Benjamin. I think there's more to it than just "He wanted more playing time, and we couldn't give it to him." He had another year on his rookie contract. This team probably won't reach the playofs this season. Conner is more injury-prone than your typical starting RB. None of it makes sense. But it doesn't have to, of course.
I'd pre-written something yesterday speculating where Eno might end up. Didn't have Houston on the list, but there you go. Fantasy-wise, it's a great spot *only* if Dameon Pierce gets hurt. This is a worse offense than he's used to, and Pierce should continue to operate as the unquestioned bell cow. Eno really just seems like a 2023 insurance policy at this point.
Khalil Herbert is on IR, which clearly catapults David Montgomery. Trestan Ebner doesn't look ready to take on significantly more work. Montgomery's already earned 15+ touches in seven of nine games (and I believe he got hurt in one of those other two games). But Herbert definitely was threatening to diminish Montgomery's role. This should give him plenty of 15-20 touch runway the rest of the fantasy regular season.
Meanwhile, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams could be back for the Chargers. It's not too late to buy low on them and Justin Herbert, because they have a mostly great rest-of-season schedule. That said, we're living in a world where Daniel Jones, Kenny Pickett, and Jimmy Garoppolo are streamers, while Justin Fields is cracking 30+. Do you want Herbert as your QB1? He's obviously riskier than we've seen the last couple years.
Mark Andrews could return this week, which would make a lot of you happy, including my Week 11 opponent, Joe Terlecki. That said, Isaiah Likely has demonstrated he deserves starter's snaps. It'll be interesting to see how much the Ravens utilize both TEs simultaneously, and whether Andrews transitions from top-2 TE to *just* top 4-6.
Marquise Brown is a great buy-low if your opponent is trying to make a playoff push, and if you're setting pretty comfortably at 7-3 or better. The latest word is that Brown could return by Week 14. While I wouldn't trust him as a top-20 WR with DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore chewing up targets, the loss of Zach Ertz and the unpredictability of James Conner could keep Brown in the top 28 conversation, with plenty of TD pop.
Finally, Jerry Jeudy's ankle injury could boost Kendall Hinton--and by "boost" I mean elevate him to deep-league streamer status. Despite a perfect matchup against the Raiders, we should brace for the possibility that even Courtland Sutton is a risky start. But if I had to bet, and if I didn't have great receivers, I'd stack Sutton and Hinton (if Jeudy sits) with the expectation of snagging 23+ combined points.
But let's be real: most of you would have better options than Hinton. So this is only for the desperate among you.
Oh, and Dallas Goedert will be out a while. Is it Jack Stoll time? Grant Calcaterra? No TE on the Eagles can fill Goedert's shoes, and frankly, they might sideline him longer than expected to make sure he's ready for the playoffs. It's a slight hit for Jalen Hurts an a massive boost for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
While "massive" might seem like an exaggeration, Goedert is the #4 TE in receptions and #2 in yards. Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal, and their TE-of-choice might get an extra target per game. But Brown and Smith will anchor a more top-heavy receiving corps. Both are undervalued in my opinion, if that's possible.
First, Cooper Kupp's injury is obviously brutal, as is always the case when an elite talent goes down. Allen Robinson is probably aavailable in some leagues, and Van Jefferson in more. Ben Skowronek can be had for pennies. The biggest winner might be Tyler Higbee, who could become a consistent top-12 TE.
But there are no obvious bumps for the WRs. Allen Robinson hasn't demonstrated he can return to glory, and Van Jefferson hasn't yet shown consistency. Ben Skowronek could realistically lea the way some weeks. If anything, opposing DST get a big boost, including the upcoming Saints and Chiefs.
Shockingly, the Cardinals cut Eno Benjamin. I think there's more to it than just "He wanted more playing time, and we couldn't give it to him." He had another year on his rookie contract. This team probably won't reach the playofs this season. Conner is more injury-prone than your typical starting RB. None of it makes sense. But it doesn't have to, of course.
I'd pre-written something yesterday speculating where Eno might end up. Didn't have Houston on the list, but there you go. Fantasy-wise, it's a great spot *only* if Dameon Pierce gets hurt. This is a worse offense than he's used to, and Pierce should continue to operate as the unquestioned bell cow. Eno really just seems like a 2023 insurance policy at this point.
Khalil Herbert is on IR, which clearly catapults David Montgomery. Trestan Ebner doesn't look ready to take on significantly more work. Montgomery's already earned 15+ touches in seven of nine games (and I believe he got hurt in one of those other two games). But Herbert definitely was threatening to diminish Montgomery's role. This should give him plenty of 15-20 touch runway the rest of the fantasy regular season.
Meanwhile, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams could be back for the Chargers. It's not too late to buy low on them and Justin Herbert, because they have a mostly great rest-of-season schedule. That said, we're living in a world where Daniel Jones, Kenny Pickett, and Jimmy Garoppolo are streamers, while Justin Fields is cracking 30+. Do you want Herbert as your QB1? He's obviously riskier than we've seen the last couple years.
Mark Andrews could return this week, which would make a lot of you happy, including my Week 11 opponent, Joe Terlecki. That said, Isaiah Likely has demonstrated he deserves starter's snaps. It'll be interesting to see how much the Ravens utilize both TEs simultaneously, and whether Andrews transitions from top-2 TE to *just* top 4-6.
Marquise Brown is a great buy-low if your opponent is trying to make a playoff push, and if you're setting pretty comfortably at 7-3 or better. The latest word is that Brown could return by Week 14. While I wouldn't trust him as a top-20 WR with DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore chewing up targets, the loss of Zach Ertz and the unpredictability of James Conner could keep Brown in the top 28 conversation, with plenty of TD pop.
Finally, Jerry Jeudy's ankle injury could boost Kendall Hinton--and by "boost" I mean elevate him to deep-league streamer status. Despite a perfect matchup against the Raiders, we should brace for the possibility that even Courtland Sutton is a risky start. But if I had to bet, and if I didn't have great receivers, I'd stack Sutton and Hinton (if Jeudy sits) with the expectation of snagging 23+ combined points.
But let's be real: most of you would have better options than Hinton. So this is only for the desperate among you.
Oh, and Dallas Goedert will be out a while. Is it Jack Stoll time? Grant Calcaterra? No TE on the Eagles can fill Goedert's shoes, and frankly, they might sideline him longer than expected to make sure he's ready for the playoffs. It's a slight hit for Jalen Hurts an a massive boost for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
While "massive" might seem like an exaggeration, Goedert is the #4 TE in receptions and #2 in yards. Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal, and their TE-of-choice might get an extra target per game. But Brown and Smith will anchor a more top-heavy receiving corps. Both are undervalued in my opinion, if that's possible.