Dynasty News, Week 13

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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 are not meant to be an exhaustive look at all the recent happenings around the league.

Last week, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was benched in favor of Mike White. Wilson has not played well and refused to take accountability for his poor play in the Week-11 contest against the New England Patriots, putting up only three points. Joe Flacco will serve as the backup, with Wilson inactive, until further notice. When asked about Wilson’s relationship with his teammates, coach Robert Saleh told reporters, "Maybe there's a little irritation at the moment (...) but I don't think there's hate." The Jets have a good, young nucleus and need better play from the quarterback position. Saleh told reporters that ‘Zach's career here is not over.” What else is the coach supposed to say? He is stuck with an underperforming young quarterback after the team passed on several NFL starters in the 2021 NFL Draft. Long-time Footballguys staffer and dedicated Jets fan, Chase Stuart, had a great statistic on Wilson’s play, “In 2021, Zach Wilson had the worst completion percentage in the NFL at 55.6%. In 2022, through 11 weeks, Zach Wilson has the worst completion percentage in the NFL at 55.6%.” This stat is quite remarkable as Wilson has been consistent, in a bad way. The Jets are a playoff-caliber team and needs White to be average. His presence is a big shot in the arm for wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Corey Davis, plus tight end Tyler Conklin. Wilson and Moore had outstanding games against the Bears Sunday. Stuart tweeted after the Jets victory Sunday, “Mike White, who has started 4 games, was the Jets starting QB in the only three games the Jets have gained 450+ yards in the last four years.” White had the New York offense humming all game. He completed 22-of-28 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns in the contest. Jets fans even chanted White’s name in the fourth quarter. Sitting at 7-4, the schedule gets much tougher with away games at Minnesota and Buffalo over the next two weeks.

Jay Glazer usually has good nuggets on Sunday morning and this week was no exception. Glazer reported that Green Bay Packers star passer Aaron Rodgers is dealing with an avulsion fracture in his thumb that is affecting his accuracy. The thumb injury occurred in Week 5 and has been much discussed, but this type of fracture is worse than previously reported. There is no indication that Rodgers will have surgery in the near future. He also hurt his ribs in the loss to Philadelphia. After the game, Rodgers vowed to play until the Packers were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. With a 4-8 record, it should not be long. Jordan Love played well in the Sunday night contest, and we expect him to get starts down the stretch.

Last Wednesday, the Washington Commanders designated quarterback Carson Wentz to return from injured reserve. He has been sidelined with a finger injury. There was much ado last week as to whether Wentz would supplant Taylor Heinicke when healthy, but coach Ron Rivera put that to rest and committed to Heinicke. Heinicke played well in the victory over the Falcons Sunday. He put the Wentz talk to rest for a couple of weeks. There is a strong possibility that we would see rookie Sam Howell if the Commanders were eliminated from the playoffs. He was a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina. The team may want to evaluate Howell before the 2023 Draft.

Last Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs placed running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain. He will miss at least three more games. Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon are cemented in the pass-oriented offense. Pacheco had a strong outing in the win over the Rams. Look for McKinnon on the waiver wire as Pacheco is still a rookie, and the Chiefs might want the veteran presence on the field more down the stretch.