NFL Player News

Louis was injured on a blindside block from Vikings RE Jared Allen in Week 12. Like every Bears offensive lineman, Louis wasn’t playing well, but his loss leaves the team spectacularly short up front. Recently benched RT Gabe Carimi took Louis’ place Sunday. The Bears are probably wishing they hadn’t placed subordinate LG Chilo Rachal on the reserve/non-football injury list right about now. Still only 27, Louis will be a free agent at season’s end.

This news comes from head coach Sean McDermott, as the team has yet to release their Friday injury report. Cooper has been limited in practice throughout the week and hinted at playing on Thursday when asked about the possibility of suiting up. Assuming he’s active, Cooper will profile as a volatile WR3. He’s only appeared in one game for the Bills since being traded, but the absence of Keon Coleman (wrist) and Dalton Kincaid (knee) should give him some increased upside.

Head coach Sean McDermott has already ruled out Kincaid for the week, meaning Dawson Knox will have a chance to start against the Chiefs. Kincaid did not practice this week after going down in Week 10’s win over the Colts, and will now have an extra week to recover with the Bills headed for a Week 12 bye. He’ll hopefully be ready to go in Week 13 when the Bills return to face the 49ers.

Cooper isn’t a lock to play in Week 11’s game, but he said on Thursday that he feels like he’ll be ready to go and added that he’d don the cast he’s been wearing for the last few weeks if he does play. According to Cooper, he doesn’t feel any pain when catching the ball, and he “just got used to catching the ball with it.” Cooper has been limited in both practices to start the week, a good sign for his Week 11 availability.

Gainwell didn’t get a ton of touches with Saquon Barkley once again dominating the backfield — and with good reason — but he made the most of those attempts. The tailback was the only other player to have a carry outside of Barkley and Jalen Hurts, so it’s obvious he’s the clear preferred No. 2 option to Will Shipley right now. That should continue to be the case in Week 12 against the Rams, but it’s hard to see enough volume for fantasy relevance.

Smith did have a drop that hurt his yardage total — and obviously his reception mark — but even if he brought that pass in, it wasn’t a great game for the 26-year-old. It’s worth noting that he was dealing with a hamstring issue and playing on short rest, so that probably didn’t help. He’s picked up just 43 yards in the last two games, however, and will try and get going against the Rams in Week 12.

Goedert did have a fumble on a long 32-yard catch, but it bounced into the arms of an Eagle to avoid disaster. Outside of that it was mostly short targets for the tight end, but enough volume to come away satisfied with the effort for all but the pickiest of fantasy players. He’ll again be on the TE1 precipice against the Rams in Week 12.

Ertz scored a touchdown with less than a minute left that meant (essentially) nothing to the outcome but certainly helped fantasy managers. He also added a terrific catch on a two-point conversion where the 34-year-old showed he can still play with the young folks. The touchdown was just the second of the year, but based on the last two weeks, it appears he’s becoming a more important part of the Washington offense. He’s a TE2 against the Cowboys in Week 12.

Most of Brown’s catches didn’t go for much yardage, but his fantasy night was “saved” with a 25-yard connection with Jalen Hurts. The wideout has picked up exactly five catches in 5-of-7 games while going for at least 60 yards in all but one of those contests, so you get the idea of what the floor with Brown is. You can do a lot worse. Brown should be considered a WR1 for the Week 12 matchup against the Rams.

McLaurin did not haul in his lone reception until the fourth quarter. His two targets tonight were one less than John Bates. This was obviously the worst game of the season for the 29-year-old, but it’s worth pointing out that this is now two-of-three weeks he’s caught fewer than two passes. This Washington passing game certainly has upside with Jayden Daniels, but the floor is pretty scary. No pun intended. McLaurin remains a WR2 against the Cowboys for Week 11, but there’s more risk than anticipated.

Ekeler was Jayden Daniels’ top target on a night where the Commanders couldn’t push the ball downfield. He also ran twice for seven yards. The eight catches are double his season high, but fantasy managers are well aware that the 29-year-old is capable of helping in the passing game. He’s a volatile RB2 for Week 12 against the Cowboys.