NFL Player News

Smith was banged up in 2023 but has been healthy for all three games to start this season. He is a monster in the run game and can more than hold his own in pass-protection. Pro Football Focus has him with their No. 14 offensive grade among all tackles through three weeks. Losing Smith would be a big blow to a Colts rushing attack that got things going against the Bears last week.

Hill had more catches than carries for the fourth time this year. A pass-heavy script for Baltimore meant an uptick in opportunities for the passing-downs specialist, though he didn’t do much with the extra opportunities. Hill has an RB4 pulse in PPR formats but isn’t much of a factor in leagues that are less kind to pass-catchers. Fantasy managers don’t need to hold him through Baltimore’s upcoming bye week.

Rizzi was unable to provide more updates but it certainly appears as though Hill will miss time. Hopefully, this is not a season-ending injury and Hill can return in time to contribute in late December. Fantasy managers should not plan on that outcome though.

Johnson has one catch in five games with the Ravens. Even with Rashod Bateman leaving Week 13 early, there’s no reason for fantasy managers to hold Johnson through Baltimore’s Week 14 bye.

Lamar Jackson took multiple big-play shots to Flowers but struggled to make the connection work outside of a 40-yard reception on Baltimore’s opening drive and a 20-yarder on the next drive. Flowers failed to bring in any of his three targets in the second half. Both he and the Ravens’ passing attack as a whole have slowed in recent weeks, with Flowers’ last 100-yard performance coming five weeks ago. He also has just one touchdown since then. The Ravens get their bye in Week 14 and then return to action versus the Giants. Even after a quiet month of football, Flowers will hang onto a WR2 ranking in Week 15 against the Giants.

Austin made a sudden appearance as the Saints’ No. 2 wide receiver behind Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The former UFL champion has been thrust into the spotlight with the Saints dealing with injuries to Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and now Taysom Hill. He should not be on fantasy radars just yet, but is worth keeping an eye on for late-season FLEX plays.

White deserves credit for his 38-yard run in overtime, in which he broke a tackle near the line of scrimmage and scampered down the left side, setting up Chase McLaughlin’s game-winning field goal. Aside from that though, White played very inefficiently. His poor showing as a receiver was particularly embarrassing for a player who retained control of the passing-down role. White is an RB5/6 against the Raiders in Week 14.

Moreau saw four targets against the Rams, all within a few yards of the line of scrimmage, except for one deep target that he caught one-handed out of bounds. With Taysom Hill potentially dealing with a concerning knee injury, Moreau is on the fantasy radar. He will work behind Juwan Johnson, but Moreau has some utility as a fantasy TE3 for Week 14 against the Giants.

Johnson saw increased usage with the Saints barely pushing the ball downfield against the Rams. He was used in the short area, though he dropped a long pass from Derek Carr in the first quarter. The Saints are running low on pass-catchers, so we could see more usage out of Johnson on the perimeter. With Taysom Hill leaving the game hurt, Johnson becomes a viable TE2 fantasy option moving forward.

Irving also suffered a hip injury on a 20-yard kickoff return with just five seconds left in the first half. He was able to return for the second half and showed no ill effects, notably hopping and skipping in celebration after his fourth-quarter, six-yard touchdown run. The play will likely prompt Todd Bowles to reconsider Irving’s special teams involvement though. This was Irving’s first time finishing with more that 14 carries in a game. He is an RB1 against the Raiders in Week 14.

Likely wasn’t overly involved until the game was nearly out of hand. He reeled in three grabs for 24 yards and a touchdown on Baltimore’s final drive. The game wasn’t technically over, but the Eagles were clearly comfortable letting the Ravens move the ball as long as the clock bled out in the process. Still, Likely led the Ravens in targets and trailed only Mark Andrews in receptions. Likely remains stuck near the top of the TE2 ranks heading into Baltimore’s Week 14 bye.