NFL Player News

Welcoming back Puka Nacua for the first time since Week 1 and Cooper Kupp for the first time since Week 2, Stafford more than doubled his season touchdowns total and posted his best yardage mark since the opener. This, against what had been a ferocious Vikings defense. Star playmakers, they matter. Stafford, of course, is a playmaker in his own right, and he continued to show off ridiculous arm angles and talent despite some recent back soreness. Of his four scores, two went to DeMarcus Robinson, one to Kupp, and one to Kyren Williams. The strike to Kupp came after the wideout ran around in the end zone to buy some time for scrambling Stafford. Chemistry. The Rams now have 10 days to rest up for a plus matchup with the Seahawks. Stafford is looking fantasy relevant for that one.

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.

Denver’s elite secondary focused on taking Bowers away from Gardner Minshew a week after Bowers had 13 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins. Pat Surtain covered Bowers for some of the game, and the Broncos used a considerable amount of bracket coverage against the standout rookie tight end. Bowers and Jakobi Meyers combined for about half of the Raiders’ targets against the Broncos. Bowers will be a top-three fantasy option in Week 13 against the Chiefs. He had five grabs for 58 yards against KC in Week 5.