We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most to you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations. These are many of the major stories and not meant to be an exhaustive look at all the recent happenings around the league.
The leg injury to Washington quarterback, Alex Smith, was a gruesome one. He has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a fractured fibula and tibia. The compound leg fracture will be a difficult one to return by Week 1 of the 2019 season. The nasty injury occurred in the third quarter of the loss to Houston. Veteran journeyman Colt McCoy entered the game and was underwhelming. He will close out the year as Washington's starting quarterback. Smith will turn 35 next offseason. With a one-game lead over Dallas, Washington will rely on McCoy to carry the playoff hopes down the stretch.
The Miami Dolphins have a quarterback quandary. Brock Osweiler is not playing well but the team is surprisingly in the playoff chase. The other quarterback is Ryan Tannehill who is coming off a nasty shoulder injury. Last week, coach Adam Gase said Tannehill threw without pain for the first time. The coach went on to say, "It seemed like it went well … It’s not like he’s out there throwing 60-yard throws. They have a progression of how they want to do it. They said it was a good first step and he felt good. So that’s a positive." Miami needs Tannehill healthy - and in the lineup - to have a prayer for the playoffs. This is a pivotal time for the quarterback as the team can move on from him after the season, so he needs to show the world that the shoulder is good.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters last week that he foresees using injured tailback Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida on the field at the same time next season. The coach said he planned on doing the same this year, but McKinnon’s ACL injury kept it from happening. With the anticipated buzz surrounding McKinnon next offseason, we will be a buyer of stock in Breida. Now healthy, he has looked good.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has been complimentary of rookie Jaylen Samuels. The running back-tight end hybrid offers flexibility for the Steelers and for fantasy owners given his tight end eligibility in some league hosting sites. We do not consider him a handcuff for James Conner, but more of a specialty player for dynasty players to stash. He – and his role – will continue to grow. Stevan Ridley is likely the handcuff for those looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs.
Doug Baldwin looked great against the Packers on Thursday evening. Before the contest, Baldwin told reporters his knee issues are behind him. Baldwin said, "It’s been a long time since I felt like myself … Last week was the first day I woke up in the morning and didn’t feel pain. I’ve been dealing with this for four months, and I forgot what it felt like to not have pain." He showed it against the young Green Bay secondary. More importantly, quarterback Russell Wilson looked for Baldwin often, especially in the red zone.
DeVante Parker will be remembered as a “what could have been” player as his career has been limited by injuries. He was deemed “week to week” last week and is considered iffy for this week’s contest. Parker is trying to come back from a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. The good news is that the injury is not to his feet this time. The Dolphins will need Parker and Tannehill healthy for the stretch run.
Washington receiver Jamison Crowder has missed much of the season with an ankle injury. He was ruled out early last week and looks iffy for the near future. While trying to practice last week, he was gimpy and needed another MRI on the ankle. Coach Jay Gruden told reporters, "He's not quite 100 percent coming in and out of his cuts … I don't think he's totally comfortable with it. Hopefully, by Thursday, he has a chance." Maurice Harris and Trey Quinn look to benefit from Crowder’s absence. The team activated Quinn from injured reserve last week. Drafted with the final pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Quinn is a shifty slot receiver is not healthy from his ankle injury. He looked sharp against the Texans. The loss of Paul Richardson Jr (injured reserve) and Crowder have led to a conservative offense. The loss of Smith cannot be underestimated.
Jimmy Graham left the Thursday night outing against Seattle with a thumb injury. It was later reported that Graham broke his thumb in the game. Noted former team physician, Dr. David Chao, wrote an article in the San Diego Tribune stating that he expects the athletic tight end to miss four-to-six weeks. While we do not advocate picking him up unless desperate, Lance Kendricks will step into Graham’s starting role. The coaching staff has said they think Graham will attempt to play with the injury, but that is a desperation move by a team on the outside of the playoff race.
Another tight end hoping to return for the playoffs is Delanie Walker. Walker was placed on injured reserve earlier in the year. Walker told reporters he is hoping to return for the playoffs if Tennessee can make it that far. Speaking to reporters, Walker said, “In the back of my mind, if I can get healthy earlier where I can come back and play, I’m going to do that … But right now, I’m just worried about taking it day by day just to get healthy and be able to come back next year. But if I can play this year, I will.” With the Titans offense performing well before the stinker against the Colts, we like the idea of buying Walker on a discount as fantasy owners are concerned with the fantasy playoffs. The Titans offense misses the pass-catching skills Walker brings over the middle of the field.
With all of the tight end injuries this season, it has been surprising that Jordan Reed has remained on the field. Reed told reporters that he is still not past the toe surgeries – on both big toes – last offseason. Reed said, "I feel like I’m starting to come over the curve … I’m still dealing with the pain." With the lack of other viable options in the Washington passing game, Reed has received his share of targets but has done little with them. The loss to Houston was Reed’s first contest over 65 yards in a game and first touchdown since the opener. The lack of receivers has led to an increased dependency on the athletic tight end. The quarterback change should impact targets, though.
The Cincinnati Bengals had held out hope that tight end Tyler Kroft would return from his foot injury before the end of the season. The team had held off placing Kroft on injured reserve. But, last week, the Bengals placed Kroft on injured reserve. His season is finished. Kroft joins Tyler Eifert on the shelf. Eifert gruesomely hurt his ankle earlier in the season. This will leave C.J. Uzomah as the starter. Uzomah has yet to be a fantasy factor, even with the injuries to the other two tight ends and star receiver, A.J. Green.
Keep an eye on Adam Shaheen, tight end for the Chicago Bears. Shaheen was activated from injured reserve last Saturday. Shaheen was playing well before hurting his foot in training camp. We expect him only to impact Trey Burton in the red zone.
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