NFL Player News

Amidst reports that Brees will be one-and-done as King’s colleague, Brees himself tweeted that he “may work for NBC, I may play football again, I may focus on business and philanthropy.” A source close to Brees told King that the 43-year-old will "(not be) playing football” in 2022. The shoulder surgery can either be viewed as a complication to a potential return or a sign that Brees is actually considering it. We should get to the bottom of it this week. If Brees actually suits up in 2022, somewhere like Seattle or Carolina is probably more likely than his former home New Orleans.

Hurts and the rest of the pass offense didn’t need to amass volume through the air on the coattails of Saquon Barkley’s 255 rush yards, but the veteran dual threat quarterback was sharp when called on. His exploits included a six-yard score to alpha wide receiver A.J. Brown just before the half. The convincing win was even more impressive when considering the Eagles trailed the Rams for almost the entirety of the second quarter, with Brown’s touchdown taking the Eagles into the break with a six point lead. Hurts and the Eagles improve to 9-2, one game behind the Lions for the lead in the NFC. Up next for the Eagles are the 7-4 Ravens in Week 13.

McLaughlin did not catch his lone target on the day. He was easily the most effective Broncos back against the Raiders; Javonte Williams somehow had -2 yards on eight rushing attempts while Audric Estime had 15 yards on six carries. McLaughlin appeared to sustain a lower body injury in the first half so his practice status will be worth monitoring. Seeing almost no pass game usage, McLaughlin won’t be usable in fantasy formats in Week 13 against Cleveland.

Estime ran well behind Javonte Williams, who had -2 yards on eight rushing attempts. Jaleel McLaughlin managed 44 yards on seven rushes in another frustrating week for anyone trying to figure out the ever-changing Denver backfield. Estime, who had six rushes in Week 11, won’t be playable in Week 13 against the Browns.

Ridder lost a fumble that effectively ended the game. He came in late in the fourth quarter after Gardner Minshew left the game with what turned out to be a season-ending collarbone injury. The always-inaccurate Ridder would be a significant downgrade for the Vegas offense if he’s forced into action next week against the Chiefs. Aidan O’Connell could get a chance to start if the Raiders were spooked by Ridder’s poor showing in Week 12.

Brooks was held to a couple carries in his NFL debut while Chuba Hubbard had 17 touches. Hubbard saw all the red zone work and was the only Carolina running back to log a pass route in Week 12. Brooks for now is a bench stash in case Hubbard misses time in the season’s final month.

Mason also fumbled once, though the Packers were unable to recover it. The first-half-season fantasy star is just a bench stash at this time. His scoring potential is hamstrung with Brandon Allen under center.

McCaffrey’s fumble was about as clean as it gets. One defender wrapped him up and the other punched the ball out before he hit the ground. The veteran RB has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry since his Week 10 return. He is a low-end RB1 against the Bills next week if Brandon Allen remains the starter.

Outside of a 59-yard kickoff return, Laube was invisible. Alexander Mattison and Zamir White were sidelined, leaving Ameer Abdullah and Sincere McCormick — who had never had a regular season carry before Sunday — to split the Vegas backfield work. Laube did not run a pass route against Denver.

Samuel had an 87-yard kickoff return reduced to just a 26-yarder due to a heartbreaking holding penalty, at the beginning of the second half. The scattered-brained 49ers were penalized nine times against the Packers. Samuel was credited with two drops in this one and stunningly failed to earn a target in the first quarter. If Brandon Allen gets the start against the Bills next week, Samuel is just a WR3.

It was Tucker’s second highest yardage total of the season, though much of it came in the fourth quarter with the Raiders trailing by multiple scores. Tucker ran a route on nearly every Vegas drop back and was third on the team in targets behind Jakobi Meyers (14) and Brock Bowers (10). Tucker, who had the team’s longest play of the day with a 28-yard second half catch, should not be considered a viable fantasy play in Week 13 against Kansas City, however.