Injury Report: Robert Williams III, Daniel Theis downgraded to out vs. Wizards

With Boston Celtics centers Robert Williams III and Daniel Theis out, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens will have to rely on a pair of rookies to help protect the rim in their absence.

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Per an announcement from the Boston Celtics, centers Robert Williams III (right ankle sprain) and Daniel Theis (little finger sprain) won’t be suiting up against the Washington Wizards.

Theis was listed as questionable as recently as Tuesday and Celtics head coach Brad Stevens appeared hopeful that Theis could play after shootaround, per Boston.com. Though team doctors have held him out against Washington, Boston will face off against the hobbled Golden State Warriors on Nov. 15, a game in which he may return.

Williams wasn’t listed on yesterday’s injury report and Stevens said nothing after shootaround to indicate that he wouldn’t be playing. So, the injury seems to have occurred shortly before the team’s scheduled  7:30 p.m. ET tipoff.

Though Theis and Williams bring similar elements to the game in terms of their rim-protection and rim-running ability, they’re largely different players with Williams playing the part of an extraordinary athlete and elite shot-blocker (as well as finisher) and Theis being a heady pivot who can stretch the floor.

Without either center available, Celtics center Enes Kanter — who started in the season opener — may open the game in the starting unit with either Vincent Poirier or Grant Williams (or both) playing the five when he’s off the floor.

Players of Week 10 awards hit Cowboys with disheartening double-whammy

The Dallas defense has, for the third time in five games, allowed an opponent to collect Offensive Player of the Week honors.

It’s happened again. For the third time in ten weeks of regular season play, an opponent of the Dallas Cowboys has been named their conference’s offensive Player of the Week. This time, it’s Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who compiled 97 ground yards and a rushing touchdown on Sunday night in Arlington, and then added 86 receiving yards for good measure.

Cook was his team’s leading rusher as well as its primary receiver; his 183 scrimmage yards on 33 touches accounted for over half of Minnesota’s total offensive output for the game.

Cook, in his third season after being drafted in the second round out of Florida State, is currently the league’s top runner with 991 ground yards after 10 games. Despite a reputation across his first two pro seasons for being injury-prone, Cook is suddenly on pace for a monster year in 2019 that could net him more than just the rushing title.

Cook is just the latest to have a breakout performance against a Cowboys defense that is proving to be barely a shadow of the unit that fans were promised coming into the regular season. Week 5’s loss to Green Bay resulted in NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for Packers running back Aaron Jones, the first rusher to ever score four touchdowns against a Dallas squad in a single game. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold won AFC honors a week later, returning from mononucleosis to torch the Cowboys’ secondary in Week 6.

Over the Cowboys’ last five games, the defense has allowed the Offensive Player of the Week to emerge out of three of them. Lions stars like wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, Jr. and rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson may be salivating right about now. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is likely lobbying Detroit’s medical staff hard to allow him to return to action after missing last week. But at this rate, even backups Jeff Driskel and J.D. McKissic have to like their chances should they step into a starting role once again.

If the news of Cook’s honor didn’t rub in a sickening loss quite enough for Cowboys fans, the Player of the Week announcements added an extra sucker punch on the AFC side.

Jets safety Jamal Adams, who the Cowboys tried unsuccessfully to acquire before the season’s trade deadline, went on to win the Defensive Player of the Week award for the game he had in Week 10. Adams racked up nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble-return touchdown against the Giants.

A defensive stat line like that sure would have come in handy against Cook. Maybe it would been enough to make someone else the Week 10 NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

For a group that had its sights set on elite-caliber accolades, the Cowboys’ defense has become a clear league leader in letting their opponents shine on offense.

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Former Buccaneers CB Vernon Hargreaves claimed off waivers by Texans

One day after being cut by the Buccaneers, former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers parted ways with cornerback and former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves yesterday, just two days after he was benched in the team’s win over the Arizona Cardinals for lack of hustle.

Hargreaves had played and started in all nine games for the Bucs this season, and got off to a promising start in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers when he had an interception and return touchdown. But, apparently, Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht had seen enough.

Fortunately, for Hargreaves, there are plenty of NFL teams willing to take a chance on a 24-year-old cornerback.

I’m sure Hargreaves is hoping a change of scenery helps his career. He’ll be going to a 6-3 Texans team that sits in first place in the AFC South.

Talk about failing upward.

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