Ten Storylines To Monitor Heading Into The Fantasy Finals
1. Jalen Hurts suffers concussion in Eagles’ come-from-ahead loss. The boat race looked like it was about to be on for both the Eagles and fantasy managers. What they got instead of 55 minutes of Kenny Pickett. You say tomato, I say … hey, why are you throwing tomatoes at my windshield. If Pickett is no one’s idea of a good time, he surprisingly managed to keep the good statlines going for A.J. Brown. DeVonta Smith, not so much. The Eagles’ odds of earning the No. 1 seed … not so much. Per ESPN’s calculations, Philly now has only a two percent chance of seizing the NFC’s bye. In theory, that could create incentive to sit Hurts against the Cowboys in Week 17, but teams rarely think that way. If there’s any route to the No. 1 seed, the Eagles will probably pursue it, no matter how remote. And if Hurts plays, it will be against an improved Cowboys defense, but one that is still profitable for fantasy purposes.
2. Kenneth Walker suffers new injury, this time to his ankle. Surely, I thought, Walker won’t just immediately resume every-snap status after his lengthy absence with a calf issue, especially since Zach Charbonnet was arguably better during his time away. And yet, that’s exactly what happened against the Vikings — until Walker got hurt again. Now undergoing further testing, Walker is on the wrong side of questionable for Thursday’s must-win game against the Bears. Even if he plays, he will be fully doubtful to command his usual workload. Fantasy managers should plan on KWIII missing finals week.
3. James Conner fails to finish game with knee injury. Conner is a gamer’s gamer. If he can play, he’s going to play. He had 15 carries for 117 yards and a score when he went down in the third quarter Sunday. After getting rolled up at the end of a tackle, he spent several minutes of real time trying to get loose on the sideline. He never headed to the locker room, but his helmet never came back on, either. The takeaway? If Conner couldn’t play through it, it’s the kind of injury that’s going to keep him out six days later in Week 17. That’s especially true since the Cardinals have now been eliminated from playoff contention. With Emari Demercado (back) on injured reserve and Trey Benson ankle-hobbled, fantasy managers could be looking at Jets castoff Michael Carter as the Cardinals’ lead back. DeeJay Dallas should also be in the mix.
4. Drake London tweaks hamstring in Michael Penix’s debut. Penix wasn’t exactly dealing, but he was actually throwing. This is a real, live NFL quarterback, unlike what Kirk Cousins had become. It hadn’t translated to a big day for London before his fourth quarter injury, but it certainly provided hope for matchups like the Falcons’ Week 17 date with the Commanders. So you could say the departure was ill-timed. The good news is, it also appears precautionary, with coach Raheem Morris saying afterward London could have remained in the game had it been competitive at all. Any hamstring issue whatsoever always creates the risk of an aggravation the following week, but fantasy managers seemed to have dodged a bullet here — if they dodged elimination.
5. Amari Cooper looks unplayable heading into Week 17. Of course, you may have already considered Cooper unplayable. He just decided to confirm it with his second straight fiasco performance. With Josh Allen getting a little more banged up each passing week and back-to-back cold-weather dates against eliminated teams the Bills can dominate, expect a Buffalo run-game commitment for Weeks 17 and 18. If you already know you’re not going to play Cooper next weekend, he can be dropped for the fantasy finals.
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6. Brian Thomas Jr. and Brock Bowers look like the future in otherwise dismal game. The Jags and Raiders were duking it out for the No. 1 pick. So were Thomas and Bowers — in dynasty league drafts. While Thomas begins to threaten for No. 1 status at wide receiver, Bowers already has it locked up at tight end. Although it’s never safe to read too deeply into one strong rookie year — just ask the subject of our next piece, Garrett Wilson — what first-rounder Thomas has done with this quarterback situation at this age — Thomas is still only 21 — makes his multi-year ceiling almost limitless. The WR7 by total PPR points right now, Thomas is already a proven superstar regardless of his specific long-term rank.
7. Garrett Wilson has had it up to here. Speaking after the Jets’ latest loss, Wilson said he didn’t know why he wasn’t getting the ball. Everyone else does, of course. Aaron Rodgers’ crony capitalism seems fixated on his 500th touchdown pass going to football BFF Davante Adams. It’s made for a disastrous few weeks for Wilson and a near-guarantee he’ll demand a trade on the off chance Rodgers remains a Jet. Since that is highly unlikely, Week 17 should be the last time Wilson’s fantasy managers have to worry about Rodgers. Even if you have survived Wilson’s recent struggles, his fortunes are unlikely to improve vs. the run-funnel Bills on finals Sunday.
8. George Pickens gets in limited practices. Pickens hasn’t played in three weeks. The Steelers have barely won and scarcely scored in his absence. After surviving the Jameis Winston-quarterbacked Browns in Week 16, Pittsburgh has 30 total points in losses to playoff-bound Philadelphia and Baltimore over the past eight days. Now enter the likely Super Bowl-bound Chiefs for Christmas Day. The Steelers have essentially no shot without their star wideout, making it a bit of good fortune they have already managed to lock up their playoff spot. If Pickens does go, fantasy managers can at least hope the lengthy layoff means he managed to actually get healthy.
9. Tony Pollard somehow gets even more banged up. Gutting through his ankle injury, Pollard got shaken up on a late Mason Rudolph hospital ball vs. Indianapolis. If Pollard is battling his health, the same is also true of game script. Getting destroyed the past two weeks, the trailing Titans have been relying more on pass-catching back Tyjae Spears. Things should get better on that front vs. the Jaguars in Week 17, but Pollard is probably at the point where he has one too many variables to rank inside the top 24 for finals week.
10. Justice Hill concussed on the short week. A recent role-player extraordinaire, Hill would forecast for an enhanced “breather back” role against the Texans on Christmas Day if he were healthy. It will be the playoff-bound Ravens’ third game in 11 days, and Derrick Henry needs to get off his feet. Alas, Hill has little shot at gaining clearance, meaning fantasy managers need to be making other plans for their second FLEX spot.
Questions
1. Why does Mike McCarthy’s play sheet have more text than any other American document?
2. Interrogator to Drew Lock: Well then, Mr. Lock, what would you consider to be an inappropriate amount of pick-sixes?
3. How many “How To Keep Your Helmet On As A Backup Quarterback” Russell Wilson YouTube tutorials did Kirk Cousins watch before yesterday’s game?
Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Drake Maye (vs. LAC), Aaron Rodgers (@BUF), Michael Penix Jr. (@WAS), Bryce Young (@TB), Aidan O’Connell (@NO)
RB: Kendre Miller, Gus Edwards, Ameer Abdullah, Patrick Taylor Jr., Michael Carter, Audric Estime
WR: Jalen McMillan, Romeo Doubs, Hollywood Brown, Quentin Johnston, Rashod Bateman, Jalen Coker, Kayshon Boutte
TE: Hunter Henry, Chig Okonkwo, Zach Ertz, Noah Fant, Juwan Johnson, Brenton Strange, Stone Smartt
DEF: Colts (@NYG), Dolphins (@CLE), Raiders (@NO), Bucs (vs. CAR), Chargers (@NE), Titans (@JAX), Seahawks (@CHI), Jaguars (vs. TEN)
Stats of the Week
Johnny Venerable on the not-so-venerable production of rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr.: “Marvin Harrison Jr.'s first eight weeks: 26 catches, 411 receiving yards, five touchdowns. Marvin Harrison Jr.'s last seven weeks: 25 catches, 315 receiving yards, two touchdowns.”
Underdog on Chuba Hubbard: “Panthers running backs with 1,195-plus rushing yards and 10-plus rushing touchdowns in a season: Christian McCaffrey, DeAngelo Williams, *Chuba Hubbard*”
Breece Hall isn’t producing, but as Adam Levitan points out: “No easing off Breece Hall (knee) for Jets, despite being dead for playoffs. RB snaps yesterday: 1. Breece Hall 53, 2. Braelon Allen 10, 2. Isaiah Davis 10.”
Levitan on Hollywood Brown’s Chiefs debut: “Hollywood Brown (SC joint) finally returned Saturday. Only ran 15 routes on 46 Patrick Mahomes dropbacks. But racked up eight targets for a 19.5 percent share. And eight of his 20 snaps came from the slot.”
Awards Section
Week 16 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Jayden Daniels, RB Jonathan Taylor, RB Chuba Hubbard, WR Justin Jefferson, WR Keenan Allen, WR Brian Thomas Jr., TE Brock Bowers
Week 16 All Bank Examiner Squad: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Brian Robinson, RB Isiah Pacheco, WR Cooper Kupp, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Amari Cooper, TE Trey McBride
The Probably A Good Idea Award, via Ben Baby: “Joe Burrow said his offensive line wanted guns as their holiday gift. He turned that down and opted for swords.”
Most Annoying Sentence Ever Typed Award: The Patriots make the playoffs if they keep Bill Belichick.
The, Well, We, Uhh, Probably Should Have Seen That Rug Pull Coming Award: Brenton Strange.
