Tunnel Vision of Week 12

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Patrick Mahomes 462-28 3
 Deshaun Watson 318-24 4
 Kirk Cousins 307-19 3
Tom Brady 345-(-1) 3
 Aaron Rodgers 211-11 4
Running Backs Rush
Receive
TD
Derrick Henry 27-178
2-7
3
Antonio Gibson 20-115
5-21
3
Nick Chubb 19-144
3-32
1
Latavius Murray 19-124
1-2
2
Kenyan Drake  22-78
3-15
2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Tyreek Hill 13-269 3
Will Fuller 6-171 2
Jarvis Landry 8-143 1
Allen Robinson 8-74 2
A.J. Brown 4-98 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Evan Engram 6-129 0
Rob Gronkowski 6-106 0
Travis Kelce 8-82 0
T.J. Hockenson 5-89 0
Kyle Rudolph 7-68 0
Placekickers XP FG
Younghoe Koo 4 5
Graham Gano 1 4
Robbie Gould 2 3
Dustin Hopkins 5 2
Greg Zurelein 1 3
Defense Sck-TO TD
Falcons 5-5 1
Panthers 2-3 2
Rams 2-4 1
Texans 4-3 1
49ers 2-4 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Daniel Jones – Hamstring
QB Teddy Bridgewater – Arm
RB Josh Jacobs – Ankle
RB Dalvin Cook – Ankle (returned)
RB Phillip Lindsay – Knee
WR D.J. Moore – Leg
WR Olamide Zaccheaus – Toe

Chasing Ambulances

QB Daniel Jones – Left in the third quarter with what was called a “serious hamstring injury.” An MRI will determine the prognosis but early expectations are that he could miss this week’s matchup with the Seahawks in Seattle. Colt McCoy finished the game with only 6-of-10 completions for 31 yards. The 34-year-old McCoy only started seven games over the last nine years but at least the Seahawks secondary is weak.

QB Teddy Bridgewater – Injured his arm on the final play of the game but later said his arm was “sideswiped” and that it wasn’t serious.

RB Josh Jacobs – Injured his ankle during the blowout loss to the Falcons. He lost a fumble near the end of the third quarter and did not play again, but it was already a lost cause at 30-6 entering into the fourth quarter. There was little said about it afterward, but if he were injured, then Devontae Booker would inherit the starting role this week at the Jets.

RB Phillip Lindsay – Left the loss to the Saints with a knee injury. HC Vic Fangio would only say that he “tweaked his knee a little bit.” Royce Freeman ran for 50 yards on eight rushes working as a wildcat quarterback and could see more work if Lindsay’s injury keeps him out against the Chiefs this week, but the Broncos offense is already sputtering and Melvin Gordon gets the most work regardless of what Lindsay did.

WR D.J. Moore – Had to be carried from the field after a non-contact leg injury. These types of injuries are rarely minor and if he misses time, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel will see an increase to their targets once they return from their bye this week.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

RB Alvin Kamara – Week two with Taysom Hill and Kamara was no better with only 11 runs for 54 yards and one catch for a one-yard loss. Latavius Murray ran for 124 yards and two scores but the Broncos weren’t putting up much fight and Kamara wasn’t needed. They’ll need him more this week in Atlanta. At least, theoretically.

QB Kendall Hinton – The Broncos ran out of eligible quarterbacks and dialed up the practice squad wideout that had one year as a quarterback in college. He only completed one-of-nine passes for 13 yards and threw two interceptions. He was the first Denver quarterback to throw no completions in the first half since Tim Tebow in 2011.

Falcon’s backfield – Todd Gurley was out with a sore knee, and Brian Hill had the start. He ran for 55 yards on 13 carries but they also relied on Ito Smith for 12 rushes for 65 yards and one score. Smith had nine of his carries in the final couple of series, so Hill remains the primary when Gurley is out. The Falcons already led 30-6 before Smith began to run the ball much.

QB Derek Carr – Faced the No. 32 ranked defense versus quarterbacks and flopped hard with only 215 yards and one interception in a game that the Raiders just went through the motions. Probably an after-effect of losing to the Chiefs in Week 11.

RB Austin Ekeler – His first action since Week 4 and there was no “easing” him back into the game flow. Ekeler ran 14 times for 44 yards and added a season-high 11 receptions for 85 yards. Joshua Kelley (7-35, TD) was given the goal-line plunge, but mostly because he broke a 33-yard run to reach the BUF-8 yard line.

WR Gabriel Davis – The rookie already scored four times this season, including four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in Week 9 against the Seahawks. With John Brown on injured reserve, Davis led the Bills with three catches for 79 yards and a score against the Chargers. Stefon Diggs was held to 39 yards on seven receptions.

QB Brandon Allen – The Bengals opted for Allen after losing Joe Burrow for the season. He only completed 17-of-29 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. The only bright spot was that Tee Higgins (5-44, TD) caught the touchdown though it was in the final two minutes of the game.

WR T.Y. Hilton – The Colts No. 1 wideout (in theory) finally scored for the first time this year when he posted a season-best four catches for 81 yards against the visiting Titans. He plays in Houston this week with a good chance to shine again.

QB Mike Glennon – The Jaguars had enough of Jake Luton and turned to Glennon this week versus the Browns. He passed for 235 yards and two scores even though DJ Chark and Chris Conley were out. The rookie Collin Johnson led the team with four receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown from a 46-yard catch.

WR Adam Thielen – The Vikings hoped that Thielen could test negative for COVID-19 in time to play  the Panthers on Sunday but he was unable and was made inactive. In his place, Obisi Johnson led the team with seven catches for 74 yards while Justin Jefferson turned in two scores on his seven receptions for 70 yards.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – With Tua Tagovailoa out this week, Fitzpatrick threw for 257 yards and two scores in the win over the Jets.  The rookie had swelling in his thumb and is not feared to miss several weeks. If that happens, Fitzpatrick faces three straight home games versus the Bengals, Chiefs and Patriots.

RB DeAndre Washington – The Dolphins still have Myles Gaskin on injured reserve and Salvon Ahmed missed the game with a shoulder injury. Matt Breida ran eight times for 36 yards while Washington was given 13 rushes to gain 49 yards and he added two catches for 11 yards. Gaskin may be returning and Ahmed’s shoulder could improve. It all draws a more confusing picture of the Miami backfield for the rest of the season.

RB Raheem Mostert – Was activated from the injured reserve after missing six weeks. While he was considered questionable and his role downplayed by HC Kyle Shanahan, Mostert led the 49ers with 16 carries for 43 yards and one touchdown and two catches for no gain. Jeff Wilson also returned after missing five games and turned in 12 runs for 43 yards. Jerick McKinnon only handled three runs and two catches.

RB Cam Akers – He’s still the third back to get into the game but the rookie outplayed Darrell Henderson (10-19) and Malcolm Brown (3-4) when he ran for 84 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.  He gained 61-yards in a fourth-quarter run and was allowed to punch in the score. Henderson hasn’t shown the same form he had earlier in the season and Brown has been used more as a short-yardage back. The committee approach is still in strong use, but the rookie Akers is the only back flashing any spark lately.

RB David Montgomery – He missed Week 10 with a concussion and returned to a season-best 11 carries for 103 yards against the Packers. He broke a 57-yard run and added five receptions for  40 yards and a touchdown. It was his first 100-yard effort and a season-high for receiving yards as well. And that came with Mitchell Trubisky back as the starting quarterback.

 

Huddle player of the week

Tyreek Hill  –  Some weeks it isn’t close. Hill burned the Buccaneers, catching 13 of 16 targets for 269 yards and three touchdowns. That ties for the No. 15 most receiving yardage in any game and Hill already totaled 210 yards on eight catches at halftime. That’s a cool 57.9 points in a reception-point league. Hill already scored 13 times this year and leads all fantasy wideouts on the season.

Salute!

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

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Philip Rivers 295 2 QB Kyler Murray 201 0
RB Latavius Murray 19-124
1-2
2 RB Ezekiel Elliott 10-32
1-7
0
RB Adrian Peterson 15-55 2 RB C. Edwards-Helaire 11-37
1-2
0
WR Jarvis Landry 8-143 1 WR Cooper Kupp 2-41 0
WR Deebo Samuel 11-134 0 WR Antonio Brown 2-11 0
WR Collin Johnson 4-96 1 WR Michael Thomas 4-50 0
TE Kyle Rudolph 7-68 0 TE Darren Waller 4-23 0
PK Younghoe Koo   4 XP   5 FG PK Rodrigo Blankenship   2 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 129 Huddle Fantasy Points = 23

Now get back to work…