Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
There are plenty of players that we need more information on heading into Sunday, but some have already been ruled out. Let’s get into the things we know for Week 7 and how to react to them.
Week 7 Injury Report
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
There’s good news and bad news here, because Rhamondre Stevenson is still questionable heading into Sunday. Stevenson had missed five practices and the Week 6 game against the Texans until he practiced on Friday. The foot injury may not keep him out of the game on Sunday, and he says he should be alright to play. The good news is two-fold in that there is a chance to play against the Jaguars, who rank 16th in DVOA against the run. The other part of the good news is that this game is in London, so we will have the inactive list early.
Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Rhamondre Stevenson is not the only running back in London who has a questionable tag, as Travis Etienne is listed as a game-time decision. It’s just a guess, but this one feels less optimistic since Etienne has dealt with a myriad of injuries in the past few weeks. Tank Bigsby would take on a bigger role, but D’Ernest Johnson also got plenty of snaps last week. He played more than Bigsby and seems to have a good shot at playing on a lot of passing downs.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
We know for a fact that Dallas Goedert will be out for Week 7, and it might be longer than that. Grant Calcaterra will take over as the lead tight end and produced 67 yards on four targets in Week 6, but he’s going to be on the lower tier of tight ends for fantasy. This offense has a lot of other mouths to feed, so he’s only being looked at as a DFS flier or desperation option in my eyes.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
This one is pretty quick since Tyjae Spears is out for the week, leaving even more work for Tony Pollard. He’s been the lead back for the Titans already, but now it’s cemented even more. Julius Chestnut will have some work here and there, but Pollard will be the man, and Buffalo is 31st in DVOA-adjusted points against running backs this season.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
I’d be surprised if Nick Chubb comes back into the lineup and takes his normal workload, so Jerome Ford being out for this week is an important piece of news. D’Onta Foreman is certainly going to be involved here, and it’s unclear just how much Chubb is expected to handle. I would not play either if I didn’t have to.
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers
This might not be the biggest piece of news, but Dontayvion Wicks potentially missing Week 7 would help raise the floor of other pass-catchers in the offense. Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs would all have a slightly better outlook if Wicks is out just because there are so many mouths to feed in Green Bay.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Carolina Panthers
The practice habits of Diontae Johnson haven’t been great in the past couple of weeks. He’s missed a lot of practices or been limited, so this week is not exactly a surprise. Johnson didn’t practice all week, but my concern levels aren’t high at this point since we’ve seen Johnson play, and play well despite injury designations.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
It looks as though Brian Robinson Jr. should be back in action for Week 7. He got in some limited practices this week, and the team seems much more optimistic than they did last week when Robinson missed. He enters a fantastic matchup against the Panthers, who are dead last in DVOA against the run and DVOA-adjusted points against the position.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams seem to be on the fence if Cooper Kupp can make it back for Week 7. He’s been participating in practice this week, but the ankle injury is still in the background. Kupp has been listed as a game-time decision, so we’ll have to wait it out. If Kupp remains out, Jordan Whittington should retain his role as the slot receiver for Los Angeles.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are coming out of their bye week, and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is back in action. He had a stint on the IR due to some mental health issues, so it’s great to see him back on the field. Edwards-Helaire being honest about his PTSD is admirable, and he should be in line for at least a little bit of work alongside Kareem Hunt this week. He’s not a fantasy asset at this point until we see how things go.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is listed with a hamstring injury, but it doesn’t appear to be something that’s going to hold him back. Smith-Schuster leading the Chiefs in receiving yards as he did in Week 5 was not on my NFL bingo card this year, but his role without receiver Rashee Rice in the lineup is appealing.
Original Week 7 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
For those managers who played Marvin Harrison Jr. Sunday, it was about as bad as it can get. He did not record a catch before he was concussed and left the game with a zero for his score. The attention will now turn to Week 7 and whether Harrison can make it back, which is certainly unknown at this point. Tight end Trey McBride is going to likely be the lead target in the offense if Harrison is out, with receivers Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch supplementing the passing attack.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave (12) catches a touchdown pass during an NFL preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints on August 19, 2022, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire)” class=”wp-image-103684″/>I feel much more pessimistic about Chris Olave playing in Week 7, because the Saints host the Broncos Thursday night. If you have Olave on your roster, you need to be planning on him missing this week. It appears Rashid Shaheed and Bub Means would be the guys who would try to carry the passing game. Rookie Spencer Rattler showed some flashes mixed in with some bad plays Sunday, but Shaheed and Means had 7 and 8 targets, respectively. Alvin Kamara was also heavily involved with 8 targets, so the game plan against the Broncos will likely be concentrated on these players without Olave, concussed on his first target. Olave had at least one documented concussion last year as well.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philly offense having all of their skill position players on the field together didn’t last very long Sunday. Tight end Dallas Goedert had a hamstring injury very early on against the Browns and was ruled out fairly quickly. With receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith back in the fold, there likely isn’t a tight end of fantasy relevance on the Eagles if Goedert is out. Grant Calcaterra did turn four targets into 67 yards but I don’t think we’d want to rely on that.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
Tyjae Spears (32) advances the ball as Indianapolis Colts Safety Julian Blackmon (32) and Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) defend during the NFL game between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts on October 8, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire)” class=”wp-image-84533″/>The Titans have said Tyjae Spears is week-to-week with a hamstring injury, which really just means that Tony Pollard is even safer for 16-20 touches every single week. Julius Chestnut got some run after Spears left, but that’s not going to pay the bills for fantasy.
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers
The Packers have plenty of receivers to sustain a loss if Dontayvion Wicks is going to miss time, as he is week-to-week. The shoulder injury is a little bit murky and Green Bay doesn’t have a lot of trust with the fantasy community. Christian Watson went from possibly hitting the IR to playing and ripping off a long touchdown against the Cardinals. If Wicks is down for any time, the trio of Jayden Reed, Watson and Romeo Doubs might have a little bit of a higher floor with one fewer mouth to feed.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
Another player who got the week-to-week tag is Jerome Ford, who left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury of his own. The running back situation for Cleveland was already about to get murky with the return of Nick Chubb scheduled for next week. I would doubt that Chubb is going to be in line for 20 touches or anything like that but he and D’Onta Foreman would split the work if Ford misses.
