Week 11 NFL Moneyline Underdogs
Mike Randle
There are plenty of injuries to deal with in Week 7, and it’s making life even tougher for fantasy football with six teams on bye this week. The biggest issue as of when I write this is that there are plenty of questionable tags so fantasy managers need to have plans ready for this weekend.
Week 7 Injury Report Saturday Update
Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
After exiting Week 6, Jimmy Garoppolo will miss Week 7 with a back injury, and that means Brian Hoyer will be stepping into the lineup. Hoyer went 6-of-10 in relief last week for 102 yards and brings a veteran knowledge, but I don’t believe you can expect a whole lot despite the trio of Davante Adams, Josh Jacobs and Jakobi Meyers as weapons.
Justin Fields/Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
This is not a surprise as Justin Fields was listed as doubtful early in the week and Roschon Johnson missed Week 6 with a concussion, but both players are out for Week 7. Tyson Bagent will be starting for the Bears at quarterback — at least he’s had a week to prepare, compared to being thrown into the fire in Week 6. Johnson’s continued absence means the D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer/Darrynton Evans will split work in the backfield against Las Vegas. Bagent is tough to recommend for fantasy while Foreman is a flex option and Homer/Evans are desperation dart throws, if that.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Daniel Jones seems to be on the wrong side of questionable, as he’s not been cleared to take contact. That would mean Tyrod Taylor would start for the second straight week. He wasn’t terrible in Week 6 — Taylor didn’t score a touchdown but threw for 200 yards and tacked on 24 rushing yards, so he’s likely the best option of the backup quarterbacks we’ve mentioned so far.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
The only thing that can stop David Montgomery is an injury, as he will miss his second game this season. Jahmyr Gibbs is in line for a big workload since Craig Reynolds is questionable as well. In the previous game when Montgomery missed, Gibbs saw 17 carries and two targets. I’m not thrilled that Gibbs is coming off an injury against the Ravens, but coach Dan Campbell seems to not be as concerned –
Deshaun Watson/Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
I believe there is less concern about Kareem Hunt with the Browns just attempting to keep him healthy, as he was limited in practice all week. The larger question is Deshaun Watson, who has missed three weeks including the bye week. This is the most progress he has shown since he’s listed as questionable but it does seem like a true game-time decision. PJ Walker would have a much better matchup this week against the Colts than he did last week against the 49ers.
DK Metcalf/Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Normally, I wouldn’t have any concern about DK Metcalf, as he’s been dealing with some minor injuries all year. However, the player himself mentioned Friday that he was still feeling sore, and he’s listed as questionable. It’s something to keep an eye on and if he happens to be out, it could add to Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s appeal. He’s been adding snaps and routes every week, while Pete Carroll mentioned he recently got the cast off of his hand. That could help explain why his ramp-up to the NFL game has been slower. The injury to Zach Charbonnet is not getting much attention but it would raise the floor for Kenneth Walker and possibly add some work for DeeJay Dallas. Charbonnet has not practiced all week, so he is more than likely out.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
It looked like Pat Freiermuth was going to be back in the Pittsburgh lineup after their bye week, but he aggravated his hamstring and is now out. Darnell Washington is still the backup tight end, but even against the Ravens in Week 5, he only ran 15 routes when Freiermuth missed that game.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Kyren Williams is likely now out through the bye week for the Rams in Week 10, and the fantasy community seems convinced Zach Evans is going to be the lead back. Sean McVay doesn’t always tell the truth but these comments don’t read as Evans is locked in as the lead back –
Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson are likely to be involved here, and I’m not convinced Rams know who will have the most touches Sunday. This reads as a hot-hand situation, and Evans has a very high chance to burn a lot of folks this week if he’s not the main back.
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Hopefully, Aaron Jones is finally ready to go as he’s barely played this season due to a hamstring injury. I believe most managers would have felt better if Jones had practiced in full this week but that didn’t happen. He was limited all week and is listed as questionable, which is quite annoying after a bye week. AJ Dillon would likely go right back to the lead role as he did in Las Vegas, taking up 20 carries.
Christian McCaffrey/Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Some of the most important news for the week is still to come as the San Francisco 49ers play Monday night. As of Friday, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel had not practiced yet. Saturday is the most important day for their status. If they can’t go, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason and Jauan Jennings would all be likely to step into larger roles. Mitchell likely has the lead on the running back spot even though Mason was more productive in Week 6. It’s important to remember that Mitchell was the number two back until he got hurt and barely practiced last week. Mason was playing on special teams. Jennings is going to be more of a showdown play, with Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle likely to be the lead receiving options.
Original Injury Run
There are a lot of fantasy managers sweating out injury updates on Monday morning because there were plenty of injuries to fantasy superstars in Week 6.
Some may force a player to miss time, while others could turn out to be minor. But we also have to contend with six teams on a bye in Week 7.
Christian McCaffrey/Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
This injury was perhaps the biggest to come out of Week 6, as Christian McCaffrey left the game, played one play and then was out for the fourth quarter. Jordan Mason took 24% of the snaps and five carries compared to 11% and two carries for Elijah Mitchell. It’s unclear if that would be the case if the 49ers have a full week to prepare without McCaffrey if he is forced to miss, but both players will be hot waiver-wire pickups this week.
Deebo Samuel was forced out of the game as well. He was involved in a scuffle in the pregame and was held without a catch. X-rays were negative on his injury, but this marks the second game this season that he’s dealt with injury and crushed a fantasy lineup. He is scheduled for further testing on Monday.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
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Justin Fields was trying to continue his great play as of late but was forced to leave in the third quarter with what turned out to be a dislocated thumb. Despite trying to come back into the game, the thumb made it impossible to throw the ball. He could be ready to go for Week 7, but if he is not, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent would be the quarterback and probably would cap the potential of every other skill player in the Chicago offense.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
The initial word from Jacksonville is that Trevor Lawrence is not dealing with any type of serious knee injury, but he will get an MRI on Monday. The biggest issue is that the Jaguars have a short week since they face the Saints on Thursday night. If Lawrence is unable to play, C.J. Beathard is the backup option for the Jaguars.
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee offense was already struggling this year, but now starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill had to be carted to the locker room with an ankle injury on Sunday. The upcoming bye week could give him enough time to recover, but if not, Malik Willis is next up and played a bit this past Sunday. It would be interesting to see if the Titans consider Will Levis if Tannehill is out. The team is 2-4 and needs a spark on the offensive side of the ball.
Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
Jimmy Garoppolo has had a trying season, missing one full game and a half of another with different injuries. He was taken to a hospital to get his back injury checked out on Sunday, while Brian Hoyer stepped in to finish the game. Even though Garoppolo has not been great this year, the Raiders are not better with Hoyer or Aidan O’Connell under center.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
It’s been somewhat of a renaissance season for David Montgomery in Detroit, but he has now been forced to leave two games this year. This past Sunday occurred in the second quarter, and he had just six carries before needing X-rays on his ribs. They came back negative, but Montgomery was not able to return, so his status is questionable for Week 7. If Jahmyr Gibbs remains out, Craig Reynolds could be the main back for Detroit in the next game.
Damien Harris, Buffalo Bills
There was a scary scene during Sunday Night Football, as Bills running back Damien Harris was taken off the field by ambulance. He gave the thumbs-up gesture going into the ambulance, so hopefully it all was precautionary. If he is out, it narrows the backfield for Buffalo to just James Cook and Latavius Murray, which raises the floor for both running backs.
