Tag: Tyler Higbee

Rams inactives: Tyler Higbee will play, Derek Rivers out vs. 49ers

Higbee missed practice all week with an elbow injury but he’s good to go for Sunday.

The Los Angeles Rams came into Sunday having already declared Terrell Lewis out with a knee injury after originally listing him as doubtful Friday. That left Tyler Higbee as the only other starter who was questionable to play against the 49ers due to an elbow injury.

Higbee warmed up on the field as he normally would and wasn’t wearing a brace, and he’s officially active for the Rams in this pivotal NFC West showdown.

The Rams’ inactives are as follows: Lewis, Brian Allen, Trishton Jackson, Derek Rivers, Raymond Calais.

Rivers wasn’t expected to play this week after just being claimed off waivers last week. He’ll get acclimated before being active on game day, giving the edge rusher some time to learn Brandon Staley’s defense.

The other inactives aren’t surprising, with Allen being the only other player missing the game due to injury. He’s been dealing with a knee injury and was limited in practice all week.

Brycen Hopkins is active for just the second time this season, making this the first game where all four of the Rams’ tight ends have been active together.

Tyler Higbee (elbow) to be game-time decision for Rams vs. 49ers

The Rams could be without Tyler Higbee for the second time this season.

Tyler Higbee could miss his second game of the season on Sunday after suffering an elbow injury against the Buccaneers. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing his status for Week 12 squarely into question.

Sean McVay said Thursday that Higbee will likely be a game-time decision.

Tyler Higbee did not participate with his elbow, so we’ll just continue to monitor his status as we get closer,” McVay said. “I think it’s going to come down to possibly a game-time decision. We know how tough Tyler is. I know he’s going to do everything in his power to push through it, but we also want to be smart with him. So, he truly is questionable as of right now. I think you’ve always got to go into it with contingency plans, so you’re not caught off guard if he isn’t able to go. But if he is, then that’s a bonus for us.”

Higbee broke out with a big 2019 season, aided by a historic month of December. But he’s had trouble carrying over that remarkable production into this season, and it’s not necessarily his fault.

He and Gerald Everett have split snaps all season, limiting his opportunities as a receiver. He and Everett have both received 35 targets, with Higbee catching 27 passes and Everett 26.

Higbee has missed a game already this season with a hand injury, too, so this could be his second missed game of the year. He’s done a nice job as a blocker when he hasn’t been catching passes, rounding into a complete tight end for the Rams when available.

His status will be one to monitor on Friday and late into Sunday with inactives released 90 minutes before the 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff.

Tyler Higbee active but A’Shawn Robinson won’t play vs. Dolphins

The Los Angeles Rams are set to play their final game before their Week 9 bye on Sunday, taking on the Miami Dolphins on the road. Unfortunately, this isn’t the week for A’Shawn Robinson to make his Rams debut. He’s inactive against the Dolphins, …

The Los Angeles Rams are set to play their final game before their Week 9 bye on Sunday, taking on the Miami Dolphins on the road. Unfortunately, this isn’t the week for A’Shawn Robinson to make his Rams debut. He’s inactive against the Dolphins, but there is a bit of good news.

Tyler Higbee will play against Miami despite being listed as questionable on the injury report with a hand issue.

Sean McVay considered both to be true game-time decisions for this matchup. Higbee is coming back from a hand injury that forced him to miss Week 7 against the Bears, while Robinson has only had two weeks of practice this season.

Robinson was activated from the NFI list on Saturday but the Rams will give him another week to get up to speed thanks to the upcoming bye.

Here are the Rams’ other inactives for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.

Report: Rams may hold Tyler Higbee (hand) out vs. Dolphins with bye next week

The Rams are likely to play it safe with their stud tight end.

Tyler Higbee is the only player on the Rams in danger of missing Sunday’s game due to injury, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the team may hold him out as a precaution.

Higbee has been dealing with a hand injury that forced him to miss Week 7 against the Bears. With the bye week coming next week, the Rams may keep Higbee on the sideline so as not to risk further injury and give him an extra week to rest.

Johnny Mundt and Gerald Everett did a nice job filling in for Higbee last week, so there’s no real rush to get him on the field. The Rams are capable of beating the Dolphins without Higbee, especially after seeing the way they handled the Bears last week.

This season, Higbee has 18 catches for 222 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams will release their list of inactive players for Sunday’s game 90 minutes before the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

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Rams injury report: Tyler Higbee (hand) still limited Thursday

Tyler Higbee’s availability for Sunday’s game remains in question.

It’s possible the Rams will go a second straight week without their top tight end in the starting lineup. Tyler Higbee popped up on the injury report last week with a hand issue, which caused him to miss Monday’s game against the Bears.

To open this week, Higbee was listed as limited Wednesday – though it was an estimation because the Rams held a walk-thru instead of a regular practice. However, he remained limited on Thursday, which continues to bring his availability into question.

Trishton Jackson and Gerald Everett returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday’s walk-thru with an illness. Here’s the full injury report for both the Rams and Dolphins.

Tyler Higbee, Kai Forbath among Rams’ five inactives vs. Bears

Brycen Hopkins is active for the first time this season.

The Los Angeles Rams will surprisingly be without tight end Tyler Higbee on Monday night after he was listed as questionable with a hand injury. He’s among the Rams’ five inactives against the Bears, along with Kai Forbath, Xavier Jones, Brian Allen and Trishton Jackson.

Higbee injured his hand last week against the 49ers but it wasn’t initially believed to be serious. He clearly didn’t make enough progress during the week to be ready for this game, even with an extra day for it to heal.

Brycen Hopkins is active for the first time in his career, giving the Rams a third tight end behind Gerald Everett and Johnny Mundt. Raymond Calais is also active and could contribute on special teams as a kick returner.

Everett’s role will be even greater tonight with Higbee out, hoping to build on back-to-back weeks with at least three catches. It’d be fun to see Hopkins out there in two-tight end sets with Everett, but it’s not highly likely due to his inexperience.

With Forbath inactive, Sloman will obviously remain the Rams’ kicker, which Sean McVay said on Saturday. But if he struggles against the Bears, the competition at kicker will heat up quickly.

Higbee questionable, Henderson good to go vs. Bears

The Los Angeles Rams released their final injury report of Week 7 on Saturday and after three key starters on offense missed practice Friday, only one is questionable for Monday night against the Bears. Tyler Higbee is listed as questionable but he …

The Los Angeles Rams released their final injury report of Week 7 on Saturday and after three key starters on offense missed practice Friday, only one is questionable for Monday night against the Bears.

Tyler Higbee is listed as questionable but he was able to practice in a limited capacity Friday, which is a good sign. Robert Woods was limited and Darrell Henderson was a full participant, and neither has an injury designation for Monday’s game.

Troy Hill and Michael Brockers sat out practice Friday but not due to injury. It was merely a rest day for the veterans.

Khalil Mack was limited on Friday and is listed as questionable, one of five Bears with that designation. Sherrick McManis has already been ruled out.

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Henderson and Higbee expected to play vs. Bears despite recent injuries

Sean McVay seems confident both players will be out there against the Bears on Monday night.

Two big names popped up on the Rams’ injury report Thursday after the team’s first practice of the week. Both Darrell Henderson and Tyler Higbee were listed as non-participants despite the fact that Sean McVay made no mention of any injuries suffered by either of them in Sunday’s game.

He provided more of an update Friday, saying Higbee has some inflammation in his hand, while Henderson has a quad injury. McVay said the team is “just being smart with them” and doesn’t want to risk any further injury before Monday night’s game.

He added that both players are expected to play against the Bears, even though they won’t practice Friday.

What initially seemed fairly concerning on Thursday doesn’t appear to be much of a worry now after hearing McVay’s encouraging comments. Higbee and Henderson are both key parts of the offense, but it looks like the Rams won’t have to play without them against a stingy Bears defense.

Fantasy Football: Targets, Touches & TDs: Week 6

Tackling five backfields that create confusion in fantasy football and trying to make sense of them.

Despite the ongoing extreme makeovers with the NFL itinerary, we remain right on schedule here with your weekly serving of TT&T.

Running backs remain the most valuable point-for-point fantasy football commodities, and with that in mind this week, we’re tackling five of the league’s most baffling backfields – ones where a clear, startable fantasy back has yet to emerge.

From each of these five backfields, we’ll take a look at the key stats and metrics produced so far and use those as guideposts to try and forecast whatever fantasy value may emerge from each going forward.

Here goes, starting alphabetically with the …

Baltimore Ravens

Primary backs and stats

  • Mark Ingram: (5 games played) 45 rushes-205 yards-2 TDs; 5 targets-3 receptions-25 yards-0 TDs. 35.0 standard-scoring fantasy points/38.0 point-per-reception points
  • J.K. Dobbins: (5) 16-126-2; 10-9-73-0. 31.9/40.9
  • Gus Edwards: (5) 34-192-0; 3-0-0-0. 19.2/19.2

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Ingram: 48-230-2 (0.73 standard scoring/0.79 PPR)
  • Dobbins: 25-199-2 (1.28/1.64)
  • Edwards: 34-192-0 (0.56/0.56)

Offensive snap shares

  • Dobbins: 106/300 (35.3 percent)
  • Ingram: 99/300 (33.0)
  • Edwards: 95/300 (31.7)

Red-zone stats

  • Ingram: 7-16-1 rushing; 2-1-4-0 receiving
  • Dobbins: 2-5-2; 0-0-0-0
  • Edwards: 1-2-0; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

Major asterisk here, of course, with quarterback Lamar Jackson ranking second on the team in rushing attempts (41) and pacing the squad with 238 rushing yards – and that’s even with Jackson’s average number of attempts down 3.5 carries per contest (11.7-8.2) from last season.

The drafting of Dobbins has played a major role in knocking Ingram’s per-game touch average down to 9.6 from 15.2 a year ago, and that – and an expected touchdown regression – has caused Ingram to fall from the RB1 ranks down to sub-flex territory as he currently ranks 34th at the position in total fantasy points (standard scoring) and 42nd in average fantasy points per contest.

Ingram has been the Ravens’ back to own simply due to the fact that he’s getting the most the carries on the league’s second-best rushing team (160.8 yards per game). But Dobbins is superior in yards-per-touch (8.0-4.8) and fantasy-points-per-touch averages. Additionally, his higher usage in the passing game portends bigger and better fantasy things as the season presses on. He’s a must-add if he was somehow dropped in your league.

Edwards still will be involved as well – primarily as a late-game closer – but Ingram and Dobbins are the Ravens’ backs to own in standard-size leagues.

Detroit Lions

Primary backs and stats

  • Adrian Peterson: (4 games played) 54 rushes-245 yards-1 TD; 6 targets-4 receptions-31 yards-0 TDs; 33.6 standard-scoring fantasy points/37.6 PPR points
  • D’Andre Swift: (4) 12-42-1; 16-13-124-1; 28.6/41.6
  • Kerryon Johnson: (4) 21-71-1; 3-2-17-0; 14.8/16.8

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Peterson: 58-276-1 (0.58 standard scoring/0.65 PPR)
  • Swift: 25-166-2 (1.14/1.66)
  • Johnson: 23-88-1 (0.64/0.73)

Offensive snap shares

  • Peterson: 105/264 (39.8 percent)
  • Swift: 83/264 (31.4)
  • Johnson: 70/264 (26.5)

Red-zone stats

  • Peterson: 12-35-1 rushing; 0-0-0-0 receiving
  • Swift: 2-2-1; 3-2-16-1
  • Johnson: 5-19-1; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

The Sept. 7 signing of the 35-year-old Peterson changed the whole dynamic of the situation here as he has 10 more touches than the rookie Swift and the incumbent Johnson combined.

Given his superior rushing attempt and snap shares and red-zone work, an iron man known as Peterson has been Detroit’s most trustworthy fantasy back to date, but Swift’s sizable edge in the passing game isn’t to be ignored. The second-round pick quietly ranks 20th among all league running backs with 13 receptions and figures to become more and more involved as his adjustment to the pro game eases and his early-season health issues further fade away.

Johnson, thought be to be a rising fantasy star only a season ago, has become the odd man out.

Los Angeles Rams

Primary backs and stats

  • Darrell Henderson: (5 games played) 58 rushes-260 yards-3 TDs; 11 targets-7 receptions-92 yards-1 TD. 59.2 standard-scoring fantasy points/66.2 point-per-reception points
  • Malcolm Brown: (5) 53-213-2; 14-9-44-0. 37.7/46.7
  • Cam Akers: (3) 26-113-0; 1-1-4-0. 11.7/12.7

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Henderson: 65-352-4 (0.91 standard scoring/1.02 PPR)
  • Brown: 62-257-2 (0.61/0.75)
  • Akers: 27-117-0 (0.43/0.47)

Offensive snap shares

  • Brown: 176/336 (52.4 percent)
  • Henderson: 119/336 (35.4)
  • Akers: 40/210 (19.0)

Red-zone stats

  • Henderson: 17-35-3 rushing; 3-2-18-1 receiving
  • Brown: 10-31-2; 3-1-(-2)-0
  • Akers: 2-5-0; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

There’s definitely some interest here as the Rams have logged the league’s second-most rushing attempts (169) this season and trail only the Browns as well in overall rushing-play percentage at 51.5.

Even though Brown owns a sizable snap edge, Henderson has out-touched Brown in three of the Rams’ last four games for a 62-41 edge during that span. Akers, meanwhile, got the start in Los Angeles’ opening two games before leaving early in Week 2 with a rib-cartilage injury that kept him out of action until Sunday.

As a rookie second-round pick, Akers is the team’s shiny new object, while Brown lends a steady, veteran presence, and Henderson has been the most productive and dynamic of the trio to date. Look for a Henderson/Akers split of the workload going forward with the former drawing the slight edge in touches.

New England Patriots

Primary backs and stats

  • Rex Burkhead: (4 games played) 30 rushes-128yards-2 TDs; 17 targets-12 receptions-101 yards-1 TD. 40.9 standard-scoring fantasy points/52.9 point-per-reception points
  • Sony Michel: (3) 26-173-1; 3-2-23-0. 25.6/27.6
  • James White: (2) 8-43-0; 11-10-68-0. 11.1/21.1
  • Damien Harris: (1) 17-100-0; 0-0-0-0. 10.0/10.0
  • J.J. Taylor: (3) 16-70-0; 2-1-4-0. 7.4/8.4

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Burkhead: 42-229-3 (0.97 standard scoring/1.26 PPR)
  • Michel: 28-196-1 (0.91/0.99)
  • White: 18-111-0 (0.62/1.17)
  • Harris: 17-100-0 (0.59/0.59)
  • Taylor: 17-74-0 (0.44/0.49)

Offensive snap shares

  • Burkhead: 128/280 (45.7 percent)
  • White: 59/139 (42.4)
  • Harris: 23/75 (30.7)
  • Michel: 60/205 (29.3)
  • Taylor: 25/205 (12.2)

Red-zone stats

  • Burkhead: 8-36-2 rushing; 4-2-23-1 receiving
  • Michel: 5-18-1; 0-0-0-0
  • Taylor: 3-10-0; 1-0-0-0
  • White: 1-7-0; 1-1-(-4)-0
  • Harris: 1-5-0; 0-0-0-0

Outlook

The Pats’ backfield situation is the toughest enigma to crack – for a number of reasons.

First, there’s the sheer number of backs in the mix (five), and then there’s the Cam Newton factor, as the quarterback remains one of the league’s top red-zone rushing threats with 12 carries for 37 yards and four TDs in only three games so far. And, then, most significant of all, this is the Patriots we’re talking about, as the chameleon-like Bill Belichick and his staff change things up on a weekly basis to keep opposing defenses – not to mention fantasy general managers – off-balance.

With Michel on injured reserve, though, and the rookie Taylor seeing only a 12.2-percent snap share in the games he’s played, that whittles the usable fantasy contenders down to three.

White, who’s averaging five catches per game, remains a PPR-format flex factor while Harris – he of the preseason buzz before a finger injury knocked him out of the first three games – made the most recent favorable impression with a team season-high 17 rushes for an even 100 yards in his 2020 debut in Week 4. Burkhead is the jack-of-all trades who always figures to be active and involved to some degree, but we’ve more than likely already seen his best game this season as he accounted for a 65.8 percent (34.8) of his 52.9 PPR points in Week 3.

That leaves White (PPR) and Harris (still need to see more coming out of the Week 5 bye) as the Pats’ best RB fantasy bets.

New York Giants

Primary backs and stats

  • Devonta Freeman: (3 games played) 33 rushes-103 yards-1 TD; 7 targets-6 receptions-62 yards-0 TDs. 22.5 standard-scoring fantasy points/28.5 point-per-reception points
  • Dion Lewis: (5) 13-31-1; 16-9-55-0. 14.6/23.6
  • Wayne Gallman: (4) 15-76-0; 6-5-21-0. 9.4/14.4

Total touches-yards-TDs (fantasy points/touch)

  • Freeman: 39-165-1 (0.58 standard scoring/0.73 PPR)
  • Lewis: 22-86-1 (0.66/1.07)
  • Gallman: 20-97-0 (0.47; 0.72)

Offensive snap shares

  • Freeman: 89/188 (47.3 percent)
  • Lewis: 124/321 (38.6)
  • Gallman: 43/256 (17.0)

Red-zone stats

  • Freeman: 3-6-1 rushing; 1-1-(-2)-0 receiving
  • Lewis: 1-1-1; 2-1-4-0
  • Gallman: 1-1-0; 1-1-3-0

Outlook

We go from the toughest nut to crack (Patriots) among our five to the easiest, as Freeman is the main man here as long as he can avoid the health issues of recent seasons (18 combined games missed from 2017-19).

The last two weeks, Freeman has out-touched Lewis and Gallman combined by a 34-18 margin and has outgained them 155-88 with a 27.5-14.8 edge in PPR points.

The Giants, though, are saddled with one of the league’s worst offensive lines and overall offenses, keeping Freeman in flex-start territory most weeks instead of the RB2 ranks. 

Extra points

  • The Ravens’ aforementioned Jackson is off to a slow start, ranking 14th among quarterbacks with 113.2 fantasy points through action Sunday. Gardner Minshew (120.7), Ryan Fitzpatrick (120.3), Derek Carr (119.5) and Carson Wentz (113.6) are among the QBs with more points. Jackson still ranks second at the position with his 238 rushing yards on 41 attempts (tied for first), but he only has one rushing score so far. Jackson, though, is mainly falling short as a fantasy passer, ranking 24th (as of Sunday) with 949 passing yards and tying for ninth with nine TD tosses after leading the league with 36 a season ago.
  • Jets WR Jamison Crowder has played in only three of the team’s five games, but he’s had at least 10 targets, seven receptions and 104 receiving yards in each outing while snaring a pair of TD passes for a total of 67.5 PPR points. Crowder’s average of 22.5 PPR points per contest, though, trails only the Packers’ Davante Adams (24.1) among league wideouts.
  • Dalvin Cook, Mike Evans and Tyreek Hill are the only players to score a TD in all five weeks so far this season.
  • Meanwhile, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, Myles Gaskin, Austin Ekeler, Devin Singletary, Frank Gore, Amari Cooper and Robby Anderson were the only players with at least 60 touches or 35 receptions and one or fewer TDs through Sunday.
  • The Rams not only have a backfield fantasy conundrum but one at tight end, as well. Tyler Higbee had a monster Week 2 with five receptions for 54 yards and three TDs (28.4 PPR points), but he’s only caught 10-of-12 targets for 122 yards and no scores (22.2 points) in his other four contests combined. Gerald Everett, meanwhile, missed Week 2 but has out-produced Higbee in the other four games, catching 8-of-9 targets for 141 yards and no TDs while scoring on a 2-yard rushing TD (28.3 PPR points).

Watch: Rams TE Tyler Higbee was mic’d up vs. Bills

Tyler Higbee was wired for sound against the Bills on Sunday.

Just about every week during the regular season, the Rams have one player mic’d up for 60 minutes. In Week 2 against the Eagles, it was the always-entertaining Sebastian Joseph-Day who was wired for sound. This past week, Tyler Higbee wore a mic against the Bills.

Higbee isn’t just an underrated tight end on the field, but he’s underrated as one of the best personalities on the Rams. He wasn’t a star of “Hard Knocks” like some thought he might be, but his mic’d-up video gives a look at his energy on the field.

Check out the video from the Rams below.

It’s interesting that one of the Rams’ assistant coaches told Higbee that the Bills would be playing a lot of deep-to-short coverages, taking away big plays down the field and forcing Jared Goff to take what the defense gave him.

Higbee also welcomed Robert Woods back to Buffalo after No. 17 scored a 25-yard touchdown against his former team.