| SUNDAY SALUTES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | Pass-Rush | TD |
| Jayden Daniels | 206-34 | 4 |
| Russell Wilson | 414-3 | 3 |
| Caleb Williams | 256-39 | 3 |
| Lamar Jackson | 237-79 | 2 |
| Josh Allen | 148-18 | 3 |
| Running Backs | Yards | TD |
| Bucky Irving | 25-152 3-33 |
1 |
| Bijan Robinson | 26-102 6-33 |
1 |
| Najee Harris | 16-75 6-54 |
1 |
| Joe Mixon | 20-101 4-18 |
1 |
| Josh Jacobs | 19-43 4-74 |
1 |
| Wide Receivers | Yards | TD |
| Terry McLaurin | 8-73 | 2 |
| Mike Evans | 8-118 | 1 |
| Keenan Allen | 5-73 | 2 |
| Parker Washington | 6-103 | 1 |
| Adam Thielen | 8-99 | 1 |
| Tight Ends | Yards | TD |
| Brock Bowers | 10-140 | 1 |
| Trey McBride | 12-96 | 0 |
| Jonnu Smith | 10-113 | 0 |
| Mark Andrews | 6-67 | 1 |
| Pat Freiermuth | 6-68 | 1 |
| Placekickers | XP | FG |
| Chad Ryland | 1 | 5 |
| Chase McLaughlin | 2 | 4 |
| Chris Boswell | 5 | 3 |
| Brandon McManus | 3 | 3 |
| Eddy Piniero | 2 | 3 |
| Defense | Sack – TO | TD |
| Steelers | 4-3 | 1 |
| Cowboys | 6-2 | 1 |
| Chargers | 1-4 | 1 |
| Jets | 3-2 | 1 |
| Seahawks | 2-2 | 1 |
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
QB Trevor Lawrence – Concussion
RB Christian McCaffrey – Knee
WR Ladd McConkey – Knee
WR Noah Brown – Rib
WR Calvin Austin – Head
WR Rashod Bateman – Knee
TE Taysom Hill – Knee
Chasing Ambulances
QB Trevor Lawrence – He was in the process of sliding down when the Texans’ defender hit him in the head which caused his head to snap back into the turf. He appeared to be temporarily unconscious but managed to get up and sit in the cart. He was already questionable to play with a shoulder injury and now has a concussion. Mac Jones is likely the starter this week at the Titans.
WR Ladd McConkey – He was tackled with his legs awkwardly bent underneath him and limped off. He’s been dinged up this year with a balky hip and a sore shoulder but had aseason-best nine catches for 117 yards in the win over the Falcons. No early word was given about the severity, so expect to hear more after Monday.
TE Taysom Hill – A week after his career-best game, Hill (5-37) was the leading receiver for the Saints in their loss to the Rams. He went down with a knee injury that will be examined on Monday, but early speculation is that he likely tore ligaments or at least has a bone bruise. He’s probably gone for the rest of the season in either of those cases. An MRI will determine what the damage is.
RB Christian McCaffrey – He looked great for the first quarter in Buffalo, gaining 53 yards on seven carries, but he went down untouched in the San Francisco backfield after being tossed the ball. He’ll get an MRI on his knee but a non-contact knee injury is never good news. More should be known on Monday. Jordan Mason took over once McCaffrey left and would be the primary back again if needed.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
QB Drew Lock – While the Giants lost to the Cowboys last Thursday, Drew Lock took his first start and threw for 178 yards and one interception that was returned for a critical touchdown. Lock also ran for 57 yards and a score on just four scampers. He kept Malik Nabers (8-69) still worthy of a fantasy start.
RB Raheem Mostert – He had nearly disappeared from the game plan for most of the season, but Mostert showed up against the Packers with five rushes for 19 yards to lead the backfield. De’Von Achane only ran for 14 yards on seven rushes. Mostert added two catches for 15 yards. He still fell below fantasy startability, but at least he’s back in the box score.
TE Jonnu Smith – His career-best season continues with a team-leading ten catches for 113 yards in the loss to the Packers. That was four more catches than Tyreek Hill. Tagovailoa has been throwing shorter routes since he returned from his most recent concussion, and it has directly benefitted Smith.
RB Isiah Pacheco – His first game back since breaking his leg in Week 2, Pacheco ran well with seven rushes for 44 yards, though 34 yards came on one carry. But that compared to Kareem Hunt’s seven carries for only 15 yards. Pacheco added a five-yard catch as well. The Kansas City backfield likely remains a committee to help keep Pacheco healthy for the playoffs, but he’s justified a starting role in fantasy lineups after owners waited a long time. The problem is that Hunt is still involved, but becomes a very risky consideration.
QB Aidan O’Connell – The newest starting quarterback for the Raiders passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns in Kansas City last Friday and connected well with the only two Raiders who have fantasy value – Brock Bowers (10-140, TD) and Jakobi Meyers (6-97). He’ll play in Tampa Bay against a far weaker secondary this weekend.
RB Sincere McCormick – The Raiders’ undrafted rookie gained 33 yards on five carries in Week 12, and then led the backfield against the Chiefs with 12 rushes for 64 yards versus the No. 1 defense against running backs. He’ll face the No. 26 defense in Tampa Bay this week.
Chargers Backfield – J.K. Dobbins landed on injured reserve after a productive season that lasted longer than usual. The new backfield was little used but still effective with Gus Edwards (6-32) and Kimani Vidal (4-20). Edwards had just one catch on the only pass thrown to a running back. Edwards has been a plodder this year, but the rookie Vidal deserves to be on fantasy rosters. The Bolts host the Bills this week and their only defensive weakness is against running backs.
QB Russell Wilson – The Steelers-Ravens tilt turned into a shootout, and Russell Wilson continues to reinvent his career with 414 passing yards and three touchdowns in Cincinnati. He hit ten different receivers, and none gained more than 74 yards.
QB Mac Jones – Entered the loss to the Texans after Trevor Lawrence was concussed. He threw for 235 yards and two scores in little over two quarters to bring the Jaguars to within three points. He is likely to start again this week at Tennessee and potentially even longer, depending on how quickly Lawrence recovers.
RB Antonio Gibson – The Patriots rely on Rhamondre Stevenson as the primary running back, but Gibson is seeing an increase in touches lately. After six runs for 31 yards and a 14-yard catch in Week 12 in Miami, he logged seven rushes for 62 yards and a touchdown on Sunday versus the Colts. Stevenson still ran the ball 18 times for 73 yards, but Gibson was allowed the score and played a bigger role than in the past.
RB Chris Rodriguez – Austin Ekeler landed on injured reserve and Washington used two players to replace him. Jeremy McNichols (6-32) and Chris Rodriguez (13-94, TD) both saw use in the 19-42 beatdown of the Titans. But Rodriguez showed up at the start of the fourth quarter, so his big day was entirely during the ample trash time in the game. McNichols saw most of his use in the first half.
RB Bucky Irving – The Buccaneers rookie took over the backfield a few weeks ago and just posted his first 100-yard game when he ran for 152 yards and a touchdown with three catches for 33 yards. Rachaad White ran for 76 yards on 11 carries, but Irving was used less near the end of the game as he had injured his hip but played through it.
QB Bryce Young – The Panthers have shown grit and heart continuing to play well despite their 3-9 record. They brought the Buccaneers into overtime before losing 26-23. Young played well, throwing for 298 yards and one score, and rushing for 17 yards and a touchdown. He’s looking much better.
RB Blake Corum – There have been plenty of questions from fans and the media about why the Rams rarely use their prized rookie running back Blake Corum who only ran once in Week 12 versus 16 carries by Kyren Williams. Playing at the Saints this week, Corum handled eight rushes for 42 yards versus 15 runs for 104 yards by Williams, who also scored once. That’s still short of being a fantasy option, but it is encouraging to see them ramp up his usage and gives more confidence if Williams was to be injured, which happened last year but not yet for 2024.
Huddle player of the week
Brock Bowers (LV) – The Raiders’ rookie has far exceeded all expoectations and wasted no time in being the No. 1 fantasy tight end – and he just gets better and widens the gap below him. Against the Chiefs, the Raiders lost but Bowers turned in 10 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. He was drafted this summer as a backup and became the premier tight end.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
| Comedy | Yards | TDs | Tragedy | Yards | TDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Jayden Daniels | 206-34 | 4 | QB | Justin Herbert | 147 | 0 |
| RB | Chris Rodriguez | 13-94 | 1 | RB | Chuba Hubbard | 12-43 | 0 |
| RB | Isaiah Davis | 1-4 3-28 |
1 | RB | Ken Walker | 16-49 2-(-3) |
0 |
| WR | Keenan Allen | 5-73 | 2 | WR | Tank Dell | 1-23 | 0 |
| WR | Parker Washington | 6-103 | 1 | WR | Cooper Kupp | 3-17 | 0 |
| WR | Tre Tucker | 1-58 | 1 | WR | CeeDee Lamb | 2-39 | 0 |
| TE | Jonnu Smith | 10-113 | 0 | TE | T.J. Hockenson | 3-28 | 0 |
| PK | Chad Ryland | 1 XP 5 FG | PK | Jason Sanders | 1 FG | ||
| Huddle Fantasy Points = 160 | Huddle Fantasy Points = 39 | ||||||
Now get back to work…