NBA Best Bets of the Day (12/2)
Alex Christenson
This is the toughest week for injuries we’ve had yet this fantasy football season, because there are a lot of questionable tags heading into Sunday. It’s going to be vital that we get some of the reporting Saturday night that we normally get so we can get a direction of some of these players.
Week 6 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The fantasy football community on Twitter has been banging the drum for Bucky Irving to get more carries, and that’s going to happen for sure this week. Rachaad White is doubtful, and Irving has had at least 11 touches each of the past three games. He should be expected to lead this backfield fairly easily with Sean Tucker a complementary option. It’s not the easiest matchup since New Orleans is 12th in DVOA against the run, but 15-plus touches of Irving is very difficult to overlook.
Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints
We’re going to see rookie Spencer Rattler for the first time Sunday against the Bucs, since Derek Carr is ruled out. He’s going to face plenty of blitzes from the Tampa defense, so there is an element of being thrown into the fire here, which could hurt the value of receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. We won’t know until we see it, but Carr had not played exceptionally well in the past couple of games.
Indianapolis Colts
You could find a solid chunk of a starting fantasy offense on the Indianapolis injury report this week. We know running back Jonathan Taylor is out, while quarterback Anthony Richardson and wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs are all questionable. Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson will have another week of splitting the running back touches, but they split nine targets last week, which gave them a boost. That likely won’t happen as often if Richardson plays, since those plays can become into quarterback runs.
On the receiving end, I have no idea how Pittman went from potentially being put on IR to questionable in about 72 hours. Downs has not practiced all week so their status is something that is vital to the Indianapolis offense and which receivers are going to be playable for fantasy.
Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
For the first time since Week 2, Joe Mixon is due to play for the Texans. That’s going to leave Cam Akers, Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale as less-than-desirable fantasy options if Mixon is indeed active.
Rhamondre Stevenon, RB, New England Patriots
The Patriots aren’t exactly doing rookie quarterback Drake Maye any favors in his first career start. Not only is their offensive line still Swiss cheese, but now they’ll be without their best running back in Rhamondre Stevenson. That means Antonio Gibson is going to be the lead back but the entire offense and how effective they can be is a major question. Houston is third in defensive DVOA so good luck to Maye in this spot.
A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
This part is easy — both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are healthy coming out of the bye week for the Eagles. It’s the first time since Week 1 that they have been fully healthy in the offense, so both players can be deployed with full confidence.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
Last week saw Brian Robinson Jr. not practice but play without much of an issue. He still hasn’t practiced, but the vibe just seems different since the Commanders have talked about Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols more this week. They would presumably handle nearly every running back touch if Robinson is unable to go.
Gus Edwards, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
J.K. Dobbins was already leading the Chargers in most of their rushing categories, but now Gus Edwards will be out. Hassan Haskins is listed as the third back but rookie Kimani Vidal will likely be active for the first time this year. I can’t say he’s a strong play in fantasy, but some in the fantasy community were excited for him, so at least we should see a glimpse this week.
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s been a weird week in Pittsburgh. Quarterback Russell Wilson is listed as the backup option for the first time, and running back Jaylen Warren might be back in the lineup. He was called doubtful at the start of the week but is now listed as questionable. The Steelers could use any spark offensively so Warren sharing some touches with Najee Harris won’t be the worst thing ever for Pittsburgh, but I would be cautious for fantasy for sure.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants
It’s tough to see Malik Nabers miss another game with his concussion since he was concussed over two weeks ago. Things just haven’t progressed far enough to be safe to play, so the duo of Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton will have to step up again, likely seeing around 50% of the target share. The combined target share in Week 5 was 54%, so seeing a repeat would make a ton of sense. The sketchier part of this injury report is Devin Singletary. He missed last week and Tyrone Tracy Jr. stepped in, took 19 touches and racked up 130 scrimmage yards. Even if Singletary does play, I would be hesitant to think he’s going to get his full touches without Tracy biting into the work.
Original Monday Injury Report
It’s not the longest injury report to come out of a week, but Week 5 saw some important injuries across fantasy lineups. Some of them may not last too long, and we should also get news on Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice, who will not be active Monday night and is waiting on an update to his knee injury.
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen said after the game that he rolled his ankle, which is a funny way to say that he sure looked like he got knocked out late in the game. Even if he wasn’t knocked out, Allen went through the “concussion protocol” that lasted way less time than it should have. While we obviously aren’t trying to make light of any injury, it seemed clear that the Bills handled Allen poorly in the heat of the moment. There is no debate that Allen slammed his head on the ground, so even though he said it was his ankle, we’ll want to keep an eye on any possible concussion symptoms this week at practice.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
The talented second-year running back suffered a concussion early on Sunday against the Patriots and was ruled out shortly after. The good news for Achane and the Dolphins is that Miami has a bye week this coming week. Achane has until October 20 until the next game, but if he’s not able to make it back, Jaylen Wright and Raheem Mostert seem more than equipped to carry the load. Mostert ate up 21 touches for 98 scrimmage yards, while Wright chipped in 13 carries for 86 yards. Both of those backs would need to be rostered in Week 7 if Achane is out against the Colts.
Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings held on to a win over the Jets in London, but they did it without running back Aaron Jones for most of the game. Ty Chandler took the bulk of the work with 14 carries to only two for Myles Gaskin Chandler was also targeted twice. He only managed to scrape together 39 scrimmage yards, but the Jets are a tough defense. Jones will get an MRI to determine the extent of his injury, but the Vikings are also on a bye week this week, just like the Dolphins. Jones will have extra time to recover from what the team is calling a hip injury.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets
Aaron Jones wasn’t the only injury in London, as the Jets saw quarterback Aaron Rodgers look as though he suffered a major leg injury. Rodgers was rolling around after taking a tough hit and was headed to the medical tent until the Jets got the ball back on a sudden change of possession. Suddenly he felt a lot better and finished the game, but the Jets said it was an ankle sprain for Rodgers. It likely won’t keep him out of action, and Rodgers gets an extra day to heal up since the Jets don’t play again until Monday night against the Bills.
Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
The last injury on the list is almost certainly the most impactful for fantasy. Nico Collins is having one of the best seasons among receivers and had a 67-yard touchdown on Sunday before he hurt his hamstring. These kinds of injuries can be a little tricky, and the Texans are officially saying he’s “day-to-day,” which is not super helpful. If Collins misses time, the duo of Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell are going to be there to pick up that slack. Diggs led the team in targets and yards on Sunday, while Dell was targeted four times. Even tight end Dalton Schultz saw an uptick with six targets, though neither Dell nor Schultz racked up a ton of yards.
