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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
David Dorey

Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Josh Allen  339-81 4
 Jalen Hurts 200-65 5
 Dak Prescott 331-10 4
 C.J. Stroud 304-47 3
 Jordan Love 268-39 3
Running Backs Rush Rcv TD
Kyren Williams 16-143
6-61
2
Christian McCaffrey 19-114
5-25
2
Bijan Robinson 16-91
3-32
2
Isiah Pacheco 15-55
5-34
2
Josh Jacobs 20-110
4-15
1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Tyreek Hill 9-102 1
Mike Evans 6-70 2
Rashee Rice 8-107 1
DeVonta Smith 7-106 1
Keenan Allen 14-106 0
Tight Ends Yards TD
Pat Freiermuth 9-120 0
Tyler Higbee 5-29 2
Sam LaPorta 5-47 1
Travis Kelce 6-91 0
Gerald Everett 4-43 1
Placekickers XP FG
Blake Grupe 0 5
Brandon McManus 1 3
Tyler Bass 4 2
Jason Sanders 4 2
Chris Boswell 1 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Miami 7-2 1
San Francisco 6-2 0
Dallas 4-1 1
Baltimore 3-4 0
Green Bay 3-3 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB D. Thompson-Robinson – Head
QB Baker Mayfield – Ankle
WR Laviska Shenault – Ankle
WR Demario Douglas – Head
WR Rashid Shaheed – Thigh
WR Amari Cooper – Rib
WR Chris Olave – Concussion

Chasing Ambulances

QB D. Thompson-Robinson – Got blasted by a defender and left the field with a bloody lip. Was diagnosed with a concussion. So the Browns will either revert to P.J. Walker as they did in the game, or they promote Joe Flacco from the practice squad. The Browns play at the Jaguars this week.

QB Baker Mayfield – He injured his ankle and looked significant at first, but he later returned to the game. Kyle Trask replaced him in the game for a few plays. He should be good for the Panthers this week.

WR Demario Douglas – He’s been the only Patriot wideout with a shred of fantasy value and he was clotheslined on a punt return though no penalty was called. He’s believed to have a concussion but more should be known by Wednesday at the latest.

WR Rashid Shaheed – Thigh
WR Chris Olave – Concussion The Saints’ receivers are in bad shape. Olave hit the ground hard on an attempted catch and was ruled out with a concussion. Shaheed injured his thigh and did not return to the game. Michael Thomas is already on IR. The Saints host the Lions this week and may have little more than A.T. PerryKeith Kirkwood, and Taysom Hill for receivers.

WR Amari Cooper – He had his arms outstretched for a pass when a Denver defender delivered a crushing shot to his ribs. He was immediately ruled out though his X-rays were negative. The rookie Cedric Tillman was the top wideout with four catches for 55 yards. The Browns  play at the Rams this week but it isn’t even certain who the quarterback will be. If Cooper misses time, assumedly Elijah Moore would see more targets but there have been no fantasy-relevant wideouts in Cleveland other than Cooper. 

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Jake Browning – The replacement for Joe Burrow threw for 227 yards and a touchdown with one interception against the Steelers. He connected with Ja’Marr Chase for 81 yards on four receptions but had no success with the rest of the receivers. The Steelers were also able to hold Joe Mixon to only eight carries for 16 yards, so the absence of Burrow is going to impact both the rushing and receiving.

WR Calvin Ridley – After disappearing for much of the season, Ridley scored on his five catches for 89 yards in the win over the Texans for his second straight game with high yardage and a touchdown. And the last two weeks have been the best performances for Trevor Lawrence.

RB Rachaad White – He popped up on the injury report on Friday as questionable with a thigh injury. Apparently, the pain motivated him because he rushed for a season-high 100 yards and caught two short passes in the loss to the Colts.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson/Ezekiel Elliott – The Pats may not win again this season, as shocking as that seems. They used both Matt Jones and Bailey  Zappe in a race to who could throw the most interceptions (Jones won), but the rushing offense wasn’t a disaster. Stevenson (21-98, TD) and Elliott (9-46) were the only part of the offense that scored or gained much yardage. This week they play the Chargers which should benefit them again.

QB Tommy DeVito – He won his last two games and threw for 246 yards and three scores in Week 11. On Sunday, he passed for 191 yards and a touchdown. He also did what was thought impossible when he completed five passes to the rookie Jalin Hyatt, who gained 109 yards – the only 100-yard game by a Giants’ receiver this year.

WR Rashee Rice – The Chiefs desperately need a receiver not currently dating Taylor Swift to make a difference and Patrick Mahomes has already thrown passes to 12 wideouts. Rice has been the most consistent so far, logging around 50 yards and scoring in every other game. Versus the Raiders, he caught a season-best eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown – the first 100-yard game by a wide receiver. Justin Watson scored for the last two weeks but with minimal yardage. Week 12 was the first time it looked like the Chiefs had an actual No. 1 wideout.

WR Jakobi Meyers – While Aiden O’Connell has continued to throw to Davante Adams, he had failed to connect with Meyers for more than a few catches and minimal yardage. Against a very tough Chiefs secondary, Meyers led the Raiders with six catches for 79 yards and a score. That bodes well for when they return from their Week 13 bye to face the weak defenses of the Vikings and Chargers.

TE Pat Freiermuth – He returned from the back injury in Week 11 after spending six weeks on injured reserve but only caught one pass for seven yards at the Browns. Playing for the first time without OC Matt Canada, Freiermuth posted a career-high nine catches for 120 yards in the win over the Bengals. He only had 13 receptions on the year entering Sunday. The Bengals are weak against the position, but Freiermuth had double the production of any other receiver.

RB Keaton Mitchell – He led the Ravens in rushing with nine carries for 64 yards, plus caught both targets for 25 more yards. The Ravens are committed to their committee backfield, but Mitchell is still generating  fantasy points even with the 11-touch workload.  That was one more carry than Gus Edwards and three more than Justice Hill.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

RB Kyren Williams  –  He spent time on injured reserve with an ankle injury and the Rams said they would have him on a snap count in his first game back. That limitation ended up as 16 carries for 143 yards, plus six receptions for 61 yards with two touchdowns as the No. 1 running back for Week 12. Royce Freeman also ran for 77 yards and a score on 13 carries, so they didn’t give him a “full” workload, just one that helped his fantasy owners win their game – if they ignored what the Rams coaches said before the game.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Jordan Love 268-39 3 QB Tua Tagovailoa 243-1 1
RB Kyren Williams 16-143
6-61
2 RB Kareem Hunt 7-22 0
RB Royce Freeman 13-77 1 RB Saquon Barkley 12-46
1-6
0
WR Rashee Rice 8-107 1 WR Adam Thielen 1-2 0
WR Gabe Davis 6-105 1 WR DK Metcalf 3-32 0
WR Jalin Hyatt 5-109 0 WR Puka Nacua 4-27 0
TE Pat Freiermuth 9-120 0 TE George Kittle 3-9 0
PK Blake Grupe   5 FG PK Matt Prater   zip
Huddle Fantasy Points = 220 Huddle Fantasy Points = 20

Now get back to work…

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