We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most to you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations. These are many of the major stories and not meant to be an exhaustive look at all the recent happenings around the league.
The Miami Dolphins are in for a wild ride at the quarterback position. After beating the Bears last week with Brock Osweiler under center, Cinderella turned into a pumpkin against the Lions on Sunday. Ryan Tannehill is out a few weeks with a shoulder injury. He has struggled with injuries since arriving from Texas A&M. The team can save $13 million by letting the former first-round pick walk in the offseason. Early Sunday, Ian Rapoport said "it's hard to see" Tannehill returning this week. Back to Osweiler. Those who have followed his career know that it would only take time for him to have one of these games. We can foresee Miami letting Tannehill walk, keeping Osweiler as the backup, and drafting a quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft. The flaw in the logic is the Dolphins will be drafting in the middle of the first round and the top quarterbacks will be gone.
The Buffalo Bills signed Derek Anderson because of the Josh Allen elbow injury. The reason Anderson played over Nathan Peterman was best said by Dianna Russini. She said that coach McDermott "is in danger of losing the locker room" if Peterman got another start. Allen will miss multiple weeks at a time the Bills need him most. McDermott will need to rely on his defense even more than expected.
The Sony Michel injury against Chicago Sunday was ugly. His ankle was trapped under the defender late in the first half. James White dominated touches as Kenjon Barner ran tentatively and was largely ineffective. Michel was slow getting up to speed this season after getting his knee scoped in August. Details of the injury will come out as the week progresses. On Monday, Adam Schefter reported Michel has avoided structural damage and is considered week-to-week.
The trade of Carlos Hyde from Cleveland to Jacksonville for a fifth-round pick was curious for both teams. This seems like a small return for Hyde considering he is under contract for two more years. Hyde is a solid between-the-tackles runner who has lost a step of explosiveness. The trade opens up touches for rookie Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson Jr. But, for the Jaguars, Hyde moves T.J. Yeldon to a third-down role. The Jaguars are looking to fill the void of Leonard Fournette, who is out of action with a hamstring injury. The bruising runner is expected back Week 10 (after the Week 9 bye), but the bigger picture is the focus on the running game. Jacksonville wants to assert a strong running game and keep the pressure off quarterback Blake Bortles. Michael Silver offered context on the situation. He tweeted, “Jags' decision to trade for Carlos Hyde stemmed from mounting frustration inside the building--and particularly among coaches--about Fournette's prolonged absence. Built the offense around him, hamstring issue continues to linger.” He followed it up with, “More on the Carlos Hyde trade: The Jaguars initiated the talks yesterday. At one point the Browns broached the idea of trading for a receiver, but the Jags are thin at the position and were unwilling to part with any of theirs. Jags are in win-now mode, thrilled with the deal.” Jacksonville lost Marqise Lee earlier in the season and lost both Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns to free agency this past offseason. Having just Keelan Cole, Donte Moncrief, and Dede Westbrook at the position, it is easy to see why the Jaguars were unwilling to give one of these pass catchers in the deal. It also cements the view that extra firepower was needed in the running game.
Ian Rapoport reported last week that Marshawn Lynch will miss at least a month with a groin injury. Lynch was placed on injured reserve Monday afternoon, meaning he will miss most of the fantasy games remaining, if he is able to come back at all. For a bad offense, this makes Jon Gruden’s task of being respectable even more difficult. Quarterback Derek Carr has been abysmal, and so has the play-calling. This leaves Doug Martin, DeAndre Washington, and Jalen Richard to anchor the running game.
Last Thursday, Devonta Freeman was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury that requires surgery. Sadly, the veteran just returned from a three-game absence with a knee injury before injuring his foot and groin in the Week-5 game against Pittsburgh. Freeman must miss eight games before returning. Tevin Coleman and Ito Smith are left to pick up the slack, and neither has been overly impressive this season.
The Thursday night victory over the Cardinals was great for the Broncos. It did come at a cost as rookie Royce Freeman suffered a high-ankle sprain in the contest. While Denver has spoken optimism to the media for Freeman’s availability for the upcoming game against Kansas City, these types of injuries usually take a few weeks to heal. The extra time between games will benefit, too.
In last week’s column, we opined that it would take a first-round pick to pry Amari Cooper from the Raiders. On Monday, the Cowboys took them up on the offer. It is an odd trade for Dallas and Oakland. For the Cowboys, with a 3-4 record, the risk is high after spending a second-day pick (Gallup) in this year’s draft. That pick could be Top 12. One curiosity is that Dallas values positions differently than most in the league. For the Raiders, sitting at 1-5, trading away good players under contract for the future seems like a lacking long-term strategy. The 24-year old Cooper will likely continue to languish with poor quarterback play.
After a solid 2017, Ted Ginn Jr has been up and down this year. After injuring his knee in Week 4, the 33-year old receiver tried to persevere but was eventually placed on injured reserve. Ginn must miss at least eight weeks of action. The Saints drafted TreQuan Smith to be the future and the future is now. Also, Cameron Meredith becomes fantasy viable. New Orleans hopes to get Ginn back before the playoffs.
In deeper leagues, it is now time to start looking for Mike Wallace on the waiver wire. He was placed on injured reserve with a broken leg earlier this season (Week 2) but is getting close to returning. Philadelphia offensive coordinator Mike Groh told reporters, "Hopefully, Mike's progressing and we get a chance to get him back here this season." He can return in Week 11, which is coming soon. With the injury history of Alshon Jeffery, Wallace could be a fantasy flex option down the stretch.
Just as he was starting to emerge, Quincy Enunwa went down to injury, later diagnosed as a high ankle sprain. We expect him out for a couple more games. Jermaine Kearse will man the slot while Enunwa is out. The Jets are desperately thin at the wide receiver position.
Texans speedy receiver Keke Coutee exited the Week 7 game against Jacksonville after aggravating his hamstring injury. Coutee had been battling hamstring issues for a few months. With Deshaun Watson struggling, he will need a quick recovery. Coutee has already been ruled out for Week 8.
Even though he is doing everything possible to return this season, Jason La Canfora reported Sunday that there is a remote likelihood that Chargers tight end Hunter Henry will be able to return this season. Henry has yet to be placed on injured reserve so there is hope. The hope is dwindling as time rolls on.
With Tyler Eifert already on injured reserve, the Bengals are eagerly awaiting Tyler Kroft to return from his foot injury. Contrary to reports at the time, Kroft was not placed on injured reserve. C.J. Uzomah has played well with the two Tylers out, but Kroft should be stashed for a late-season playoff push in tight end-premium leagues.
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