Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

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

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Lamar Jackson  321-35 5
 Kyler Murray 232-24 3
 Justin Fields 268-45 2
 Joe Flacco 309-3 3
Jordan Love 256-2 4
Running Backs Yards TD
Kyren Williams 20-87
2-14
3
Isiah Pacheco 18-130
7-35
1
Breece Hall 13-84
9-42
1
James Conner 26-128
1-5
2
Jerome Ford 12-64
2-57
2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
CeeDee Lamb 13-227 1
Davante Adams 13-126 2
D.J. Moore 9-159 1
Brandon Aiyuk 7-114 1
Jayden Reed 6-89 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Juwan Johnson 8-90 1
David Njoku 6-134 0
Isaiah Likely 2-42 2
Dallas Goedert 5-41 1
Sam LaPorta 7-84 0
Placekickers XP FG
Harrison Butker 1 6
Brandon McManus 2 4
Ka’imi Fairbairn 2 4
Cairo Santos 4 3
Chris Boswell 4 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Houston 6-1 1
Jacksonville 6-1 0
Buffalo 3-4 1
NY Giants 6-1 1
Cleveland 2-2 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Will Levis – Foot
QB Tua Tagovailoa – Shoulder
RB Christian McCaffrey – Calf
RB Alvin Kamara – Ankle
RB AJ Dillon – Neck
WR Tee Higgins – Hamstring
WR Devonta Smith – Leg
WR Robert Woods – Hip
WR DeVante Parker – Ribs
WR Jayden Reed – Chest
TE Dawson Knox – Head

Chasing Ambulances

QB Will Levis – Injured his foot and was carted to the locker room. Test results will be known later in the week but the final game doesn’t matter much. Ryan Tannehill will replace him if needed.

QB Tua Tagovailoa – Left the blowout loss to the Ravens with an injury to his throwing shoulder. He was ruled out since the game was already out of hand but he said after the game that he was “good, just  sore.”

RB Christian McCaffrey – Left early in the second half because of a calf injury and never returned. HC Kyle Shanahan said that he thought that McCaffrey would be “alright”, but he didn’t know if McCaffrey would be available next week. The 49ers have sewn up the No. 1 seed and will likely rest several players. McCaffrey is unlikely to be seen until the 49ers first game in the Divisional Round.

RB Alvin Kamara – He was already questionable to play with an illness, but Kamara was active and effective until he injured his ankle in the first quarter after ten rushes. It was not known if he had a high ankle sprain or not. The Saints are the current No. 9 seed and would need help to reach the playoffs next week.

WR Tee Higgins – Left the game with a hamstring injury but managed to return in the third quarter.

WR Devonta Smith – Was injured while blocking near the end of the game. He was on crutches with a walking boot after the game. The prognosis wasn’t released but there should be more information early in the week. The injury was serious enough for the boot and crutches which throws a shadow onto Week 18 when they finish up at the Giants.

WR Jayden Reed – He had already caught two touchdowns when he injured his chest during the second quarter in the win over the Vikings. He underwent CT scans after the game but his prognosis has not been disclosed. The Packers host the Bears next week and need all hands on deck since the Packers are currently the No. 7 seed.

 Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB  Jordan Love – He was likely on many benches if his fantasy owner even made the playoffs, but the Packers quarterback is looking better and erasing some of the early season fears. He threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns at the Vikings and rushed in a touchdown as well.

RB Kyren Williams – Taken as just running back depth in summer drafts, the Rams tailback has become an elite producer and fantasy team owners in large contests did very well in Week 17 when he ran for 87 yards, gained 14 yards on two catches and totaled three touchdowns.

RB James Conner – Playing at the Eagles meant lowering expectations against the No. 1 defense against running backs. Except Conner rushed for 128 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns as a visitor.

RB Justice Hill – The Ravens lost Keaton Mitchell, so they just switched back to Hill as the RB2. The third-down back ran for 48 yards on three carries and caught five passes for 64 yards and one score. Any back on that powerhouse team carries fantasy value.

WR Julio Jones – The Eagles receiver caught two passes for 34 yards in the loss to the Cardinals. But he scored on each and Philly may be without DeVonta Smith.

TE Isaiah Likely – The replacement for Mark Anderson is becoming a factor in games thanks to playing in an offense that likes to throw to tight ends. Likely made a one-handed catch on a reception and while he only caught two passes for 42 yards, he caught two of the eight touchdowns by a tight end this week.

TE David Njoku – Since Joe Flacco showed up, Njoku was a scoring machine with a touchdown in four straight games. He failed to score this week, but led the position with 134 yards on six catches.

WR Bo Melton – The Packers wideout was called up from the practice squad to help cover for all the wideout injuries in Week 17. He responded by leading the Packers with nine targets for six catches and 105 yards with a touchdown. It was the first 100-yard performance by any Packer receiver this year.

RB Najee Harris – He lost his job as a receiver out of the backfield, and was listed below Jaylen Warren on the depth chart. He never had a 100-yard game and scored just once in the last month. So right when you need him the most and trust him the least, Harris turned in a season-best 122 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

CeeDee Lamb  –  He was already well represented on fantasy playoff teams and then helped to deliver the trophy for many when he caught 13 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown. 41.7 fantasy points is a difference-maker.

Salute!

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

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Joe Flacco 309-2 3 QB Patrick Mahomes 245-2 1
RB Justice Hill 3-48
5-64
1 RB Derrick Henry 12-42 0
RB Khalil Herbert 18-124
2-5
1 RB Jahmyr Gibbs 15-43 0
WR Darius Slayton 4-106 1 WR Tee Higgins 1-19 0
WR Wan’Dale Robinson 6-55
1-24
1 WR Stefon Diggs 4-26 0
WR Julio Jones 2-34 2 WR DeVonta Smith 3-30 0
TE Juwan Johnson 8-90 1 TE George Kittle 3-29 0
PK Harrison Butker  1  XP   6 FG PK Chase McLaughlin   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 166 Huddle Fantasy Points = 41

Now get back to work…