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 are not meant to be an exhaustive look at all the recent happenings around the league.
After Thursday night’s come-from-behind victory, many Washington Football Team media are asking if Taylor Heinicke has "earned" the right to start even when veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is healthy. Fitzpatrick was given an eight-week recovery time from his hip injury. The veteran quarterback chose to rehab the injury instead of going under the knife. If Heinicke continues to play as he did against the Giants, it will be a moot point. In that contest, Heinicke completed 74% of his passes for 336 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The pick was late in the game and enable New York to take the lead. On the play, Terry McLaurin got caught in traffic as Heinicke was throwing to a spot. There are several good fantasy matchups in the near future as we wait to see how Fitzpatrick’s recovery goes. Washington has six games before the bye (at Buffalo, at Atlanta, New Orleans, Kansas City, at Green Bay, and at Denver. The bye week is roughly when Fitzpatrick is expected to return. Whichever player is under center for the team will be a great option for the fantasy playoffs as Washington plays Dallas and Philadelphia twice each and at New York (Giants) in the last five games. Those are five potential QB1 games, especially against the Cowboys. Heinicke’s contract rewards him for playing time and team victories. Beat writer John Keim tweeted, “Taylor Heinicke can earn up to $1.5 million in bonuses from wins this season in games where he plays at least 60 % of the snaps. It’s $125k per win. Can earn the same next season as well as up to $250k each year in playoff wins.” He is up to $250,000 so far this season.
Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor left the loss to the Cleveland Browns in the first half and never returned. Taylor has been snakebit the past few years. Last year, he was the Las Angeles Chargers starter before having his lung punctured while getting a pain-numbing shot. Justin Herbert took over and that was the last we saw of Taylor until his strong play in Houston. Before the injury, the veteran quarterback completed 10-of-11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. He also scored on the ground. The injury was to Taylor’s hamstring. Ace beat reporter, Aaron Wilson, tweeted, “Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor's hamstring injury is significant enough (Grade 2) he could be sidelined for next four games, according to a league source. Rookie quarterback Davis Mills will start in his place. Jeff Driskel expected to be elevated from the practice squad.” The game against the Carolina Panthers this Thursday should be a bloodbath as the Panthers have an elite defense and the Texans offense is a disaster. Add in the Deshaun Watson mess and this team is destined for a top-five pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
In the victory over Philadelphia, San Francisco had its three top tailbacks leave with an injury. Elijah Mitchell injured his right shoulder on a goal-line plunge. JaMycal Hasty hurt his ankle and was diagnosed with a dreaded high-ankle sprain. Then, when he was finally going to get his chance, rookie Trey Sermon took a vicious shot to the head on his first carry, knocking him out of the game. Mitchell was able to reenter the game but was not overly efficient. Last week, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that he is hoping for Jeff Wilson to return in November, but said it could be “slightly earlier or later” than that timeline. Wilson tore his meniscus in May and is rehabbing the injury in hopes of a late-season return. With the Mostert, Mitchell, Hasty, and Mitchell injuries, Wilson should be rostered in most dynasty leagues. It is going to be a wild ride for the 49ers backfield. As for this coming week, Adam Schefter reported that the team is bringing in Duke Johnson Jr, Lamar Miller, and T.J. Yeldon for visits.
When Will Fuller missed the Week 2 loss to Buffalo, many tongues wagged. Beat reporter Barry Jackson tweeted over the weekend, “Flores, asked if Fuller will return to the team this season, won't say. ‘One day at a time. He has my support. Things happen. When they happen, they're not part of normal every day, it's a surprise from that standpoint. He's dealing with it. We'll support him.’” Fellow beat Joe Schad added more context from the coach, “Will Fuller will remain on the roster at this time, Brian Flores says … Will Fuller will not practice today and will not play Sunday due to a personal issue, Brian Flores says. Flores declines to say if he believes Fuller will return to the team this season.” It was great news to read the Cameron Wolfe tweet Monday, “Will Fuller is back in Dolphins facility today and participating in team functions again after missing end of last week and Sunday's game with a personal issue. I'm told he's in a better mind space now after recharging this weekend. Fuller will make his debut Sunday vs. Raiders.” We are hoping that the situation is behind Fuller as he is a talented football player.
Jarvis Landry was injured his knee early in Cleveland’s victory over Houston. The injury occurred when the veteran receiver caught a screen pass and was hit by multiple Texans defenders. He was primed for a great fantasy outing, especially with Odell Beckham already sidelined. Monday morning, Jeremy Fowler tweeted, “Follow-up tests confirmed a sprained MCL for #Browns WR Jarvis Landry, per source. One of the league’s most durable players has missed one game since 2014, could miss more time starting this week.” Ian Rapoport tweeted an update a little later in the morning, “#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that WR Jarvis Landry has an MCL sprain and is week-to-week. It’s relatively minor, so sounds like 2-3 weeks.” The Beckham situation is curious. He was said to be ahead of schedule and expected to play each of the previous two Cleveland Browns contests. We are hoping that the team is just being cautious with the soft Houston Texans game in Week 2. This is a situation to monitor as Beckham is one of the big-play threats for the Browns offense.
Last week, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) recommended the NFL reinstate Josh Gordon after his treatment program completion. The 30-year-old’s last appearance was in 2019 and he has only played in 28 games since 2014. We are rooting for him even though his chance of fantasy relevance is slim. Gordon sought help in December and was released by the Seattle Seahawks. He still has a lot of life to live and getting healthy is a huge step.
Adding to the losses to the Texans offense from the Browns game, rookie receiver Nico Collins also left the game early. Adam Schefter tweeted an update Monday, “Texans rookie WR Nico Collins is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a shoulder injury that he sustained in Sunday’s loss to Browns, per source.” Collins is a smooth-looking rookie with tons of upside. He is a dynasty buy. The offense will improve in time.
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