NBA Best Bets of the Day (12/2)
Alex Christenson
Unfortunately, it was not a great week for injuries, as multiple big-name players went down with potentially season-ending ailments. Many of these could ripple throughout whole offensive units, so let’s take a look at what we’re working with headed into Week 14.
Week 14 Injury Report
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
The horrible season in San Francisco continued on Sunday night. They were not competitive with the Bills in a 35-10 loss and likely lost Christian McCaffrey for the rest of the season. The team said after the game that it was a PCL injury to his knee, so that means Jordan Mason will be shouldering the load with Isaac Guerendo helping as the backup. We know Mason was excellent as the lead back earlier this year, but don’t totally skip Guerendo when putting in waiver claims. For one thing, Mason dealt with his own injury issues, and Guerendo has flashed in his limited opportunities. It’s a small sample size, but he’s averaging 5.9 yards per attempt on 42 rushes.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence suffered a severe concussion on Sunday that forced him out of the game, and he was ruled out nearly immediately. Concussions can be a very difficult thing to predict, so there is unlikely to be much of a timetable for Lawrence moving forward. In his stead, Mac Jones will be the starter. He played well on Sunday, leading a comeback that fell just a bit short. The expectations for the Jacksonville offense should still be lowered until Lawrence comes back.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
As if the Saints didn’t already have a lack of weapons, they have lost Taysom Hill for the season. Hill took a carry for a first down but in the process sustained a rough-looking knee injury. Good things don’t normally happen when a player has a leg planted and a defensive player makes contact. It’s tough to say which Saints player(s) will step up since they are now missing Hill, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and others from this offense.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Ladd McConkey seems to be going down the Puka Nacua career path where he gets banged up every other play but just continues to produce. He was excellent against the Falcons but does have a nagging knee injury to keep an eye on. It doesn’t seem like it will keep him out of action at this juncture.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore offense didn’t play exceptionally well on Sunday, and they saw receiver Rashod Bateman leave the game early with a knee injury. There aren’t many details about the injury and we likely won’t get much over the next week. Baltimore enters its bye week, so Bateman could wind up not missing any time at all. If it comes out that it is a serious issue, Diontae Johnson is waiting in the wings but didn’t play at all against the Eagles.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles said they believe Dallas Goedert escaped any major injury to his knee against Baltimore. Grant Calcaterra would be the next man up in the tight end room, but he would be toward the bottom tier of playable options. It’s also possible that receiver DeVonta Smith is back next week, so that would mean even less work for Calcaterra.
