New Orleans

Saints

“Went through a lot of tests last night and this morning,” Rizzi told reporters. McCoy re-aggravated the injury in the first half of Week 11’s game against the Browns after missing two months with it. The Saints are on bye this week.

Carr had his second straight efficient outing after throwing for 269 yards and two scores last week against Atlanta. He averaged 9.2 yards per attempt in Week 11 following his 10.8 YPA mark in Week 10. Carr targeted Taysom Hill relentlessly in the first half and connected with Marques Valdes Scantling for a 71-yard catch-and-run touchdown. He also hit TE Juwan Johnson for a short score. Carr, who hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 5, has become a reliable superflex option and a decent streaming play in one-QB leagues. He’ll be a top-15 play in Week 12 against a vulnerable Rams defense.

Valdes-Scantling had another long score against Cleveland after going off last week for 109 yards and two touchdowns. MVS caught an underneath pass and took it the distance (71 yards) against a seemingly uninterested Browns secondary. Running a pass route on 26 of the team’s 29 drop backs, MVS operated as the Saints WR1 with Chris Olave (concussion) sidelined. While Valdes-Scantling is unlikely to keep scoring long touchdowns in the conservative New Orleans offense, he should be rostered in most 12-team leagues and will profile as top-40 option in Week 12 against the Rams.

It was Johnson’s second touchdown of the season and his first score since Week 1 against Carolina. Johnson split tight end duties with Taysom Hill — who had eight catches on ten targets against Cleveland — and Foster Moreau, running a route on about half of Derek Carr’s drop backs. Johnson would be a viable fantasy option if Hill were to miss time.

Kamara was held in check outside of an 18-yard rush in the fourth quarter. Taysom Hill, meanwhile, ate into Kamara’s workload with seven carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns — including a 70-yard score to seal the win in the fourth quarter. Kamara had two carries from the one yard line that he could not covert for scores. Kamara’s four targets against the Browns was a drop off after he saw 35 targets over the previous three games. Still, he’s almost guaranteed 20 touches a week and will be a RB1 option in Week 12 against the Rams.

Hill was the centerpiece of the New Orleans offense in Week 11, leading the team with ten targets and cutting into Alvin Kamara’s rushing workload (Kamara had 16 carries). Hill had two first half touchdowns before a 70-yard touchdown run around the left end in the fourth quarter. The wily Swiss army knife veteran was unstoppable from start to finish in this one, regularly shedding tacklers and somehow outrunning Cleveland defenders. Hill’s day included an interception on a downfield shot and a lost fumble. Asked at halftime whether the Saints were using Hill too much on offense, interim head coach Darren Rizzi said no, and that Hill is “one of the best players” in the NFL. If Hill has anything close to this kind of usage for the Rizzi-led Saints, he should be considered a must-play weekly fantasy option.

Tipton will be inactive against the Browns, leaving Marques Valdes-Scantling and Cedrick Wilson as the team’s top two wideouts. MVS is coming off a two-touchdown performance against the Falcons and can be used as a WR4 in 12-team formats. Jamaal Williams will miss another game with a groin injury, opening up touches for Taysom Hill as the Saints’ No. 2 running back.

McCoy has been sidelined since Week 3 because of the groin injury. He underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve shortly after going down with the injury. McCoy returned to practice last week but was listed as doubtful. The Saints listed him as questionable this time around after the veteran lineman got in a full practice on Friday. He is good to go for Week 11.

Williams will miss another week, elevating Taysom Hill to the de facto No. 2 rushing role behind Alvin Kamara. Re-draft managers do not need to keep Williams rostered. He is sadly replaceable.

Wilson missed Week 10 with the shoulder injury. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the Saints’ wideouts in routes and caught three passes for 109 yards and two scores. If you were looking for a reason to keep MVS out of your lineup this week, Wilson’s return potentially taking some routes off the table for Valdez-Scantling should suffice.