Dynasty News, Week 9

Photo: USA Today Sports

Here's a quick rundown of the top dynasty news that matters.

QB Kirk Cousins, Minnesota

Cousins left Sunday's game against Green Bay with what was initially called an ankle injury but was later disclosed as a torn Achilles. After the Justin Jefferson injury, Cousins was carrying the Vikings offense before the injury. With a 4-4 record and a shot at the playoffs, the Minnesota brass have decisions to make. Before injury, Cousins led his team to a commanding lead. Rookie Jaren Hall replaced him and salted the victory away. Hall is an uninspiring player with limited weapons with four games until the bye week. The injury led Minnesota to trade for Arizona quarterback Joshua Dobbs Tuesday. Cousins ends his 2023 campaign with 2,331 passing yards and 18 touchdowns in eight games. Dr. Deepak Chona tweeted context on the injury and how it is different from the one Aaron Rodgers suffered, "The Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins Achilles comebacks are actually very different. Rodgers tore his LEFT. Cousins tore his RIGHT. Throwing forcefully means pushing off the back leg (right side), and that's likely to be much weaker on Cousins post-Achilles. The veteran passer should be ready by the start of the 2024 season but there is doubt as to which uniform he will be wearing. Cousins is a free agent after this season, coming off the injury. The Vikings have three choices: 1) re-sign Cousins to a short-term deal, 2) let him walk in free agency and only get a future third-round pick as compensation, or 3) try to trade the injured quarterback while injured (something that rarely happens). At 35 years of age, Cousins could cash in on one more contract. The team has shown him no loyalty, and there are teams like San Francisco and Atlanta who could use a veteran passer.

QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis

Promising rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson was lost for the season a few weeks ago. Last week, Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted an update, " … #5 QB Anthony Richardson's surgery today in LA was a success! It was a long procedure and his shoulder injury has been repaired. No new surprises were found during surgery - they just repaired what was expected. Anthony is doing well and thanks everyone for the support. (There is presently no date for his return.)". Indianapolis has a loaded offense for the future with Richardson guiding the ship.

QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants

The health status of Daniel Jones has been a rollercoaster. New York has been without their starting quarterback for a couple of weeks, and there was no anticipation of his return before Tyrod Taylor was injured Sunday. Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport gave a combined update Sunday morning, "#Giants QB Daniel Jones' neck injury caused significant lack of strength in his left arm. The strength is coming back, and the injury isn't season-ending. But it needs to fully heal to avoid an increased risk of re-injury." The Giants offense was atrocious against the Jets. With backups Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito under center, New York had 7 passing yards on 14 pass attempts. Taylor left the game with a painful rib injury. Then, late Sunday, beat reporter Ryan Dunleavy broke the news that Jones was actually cleared to return Sunday morning. He should practice on Wednesday. This situation begs many questions. First and foremost, was Jones hurt all along, or did the team actually prefer Taylor and the Jones injury veiled their preference? Lastly, if Jones was cleared Sunday morning, why did he not play against the Jets, even if only after Taylor left with the injury? New York has a 2-6 record and three consecutive road games next up on the schedule. This team might soon be playing for a top quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

QB Deshaun Watson, Cleveland

The saga surrounding Deshaun Watson's shoulder injury seems only to get more clouded every week. Last Thursday, Watson spoke to reporters and told them he knew his shoulder "wasn't right" early in last week's game but continued to play. Watson said, "Got a little taste, three or four series. At the end of the day, it wasn't right." Watson's arm strength and accuracy were lacking in the game, with throws missing their intended target by several feet. He was eventually knocked out of the game after a big hit. He missed Sunday's game and may miss more contests just to let the shoulder heal. Tom Pelissero tweeted more on the injury, "Deshaun Watson has a strain in his subscapularis muscle, which causes pain and weakness in the rotator cuff. It's a real injury that takes time to heal; Watson was injured one month ago today vs. Tennessee." Adam Schefter added context, saying, " … This type of injury in baseball normally causes pitchers to miss 4-6 weeks." There is added scrutiny to the situation with Watson's trade and contract. Over the Cap's Jason Fitzgerald tweeted, "By the end of this year Watson will have earned about $91.4M. Thus far, he has only started 10 games and thrown for 1,785 yards and 11 tds. Last year, Jacoby Brissett started 11 games and threw for 2,608 and 12. He earned just under $5M. #Browns." While P.J. Walker is playing okay, the Browns playoff hopes rest on Watson's injured shoulder. Coach Stefanski has done a great job keeping Clevland competitive after Nick Chubb's injury and now the Watson situation.