A Brutal, Injury-Riddled Sunday for Fantasy Football in Week 13

by Peter Overzet

5 hours ago

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Knockaround:

I knew things were too quiet on the injury front.

The past couple weeks have been mercifully devoid of major injuries, but that all changed yesterday.

Let’s pick up the pieces from a bloody Sunday …

Taysom Hill is likely done for the year. Two weeks after endearing himself to fantasy nation with a monster 40-point outing, the Saints’ Swiss Army knife is feared to have suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Saints are basically a Final Destination franchise at this point. What a bummer.

Christian McCaffrey’s season is up in the air. After an electric run, CMC had his right knee slammed to the ground vs. the Bills. He did not return to the game and HC Kyle Shanahan said CMC suffered a PCL injury that could be a season-ender. We’ll keep you posted as his situation becomes definitive, but in the meantime, Jordan Mason is firmly back on the menu.

Other injuries to monitor: Ladd McConkey (knee), Dallas Goedert (knee), Rashod Bateman (knee), Noah Brown (ribs), Calvin Austin III (concussion), Demarcus Robinson (hand).

For more info on what happened to Trevor Lawrence (concussion), check out my full Week 13 recap column below …

What else is in today’s newsletter?

Pete’s Week 13 recap: The Russ game
Watercooler: A big boy TD

Week 13 Fantasy Football Takeaways

by Pete Overzet

It's time for Pete's Pick 6—a weekly recap column where I round up all of the best fantasy (and brouhaha) action from Sunday's games and spotlight the biggest winners and losers.

Let's dig in …

🍿 The Russ Game

If you told me that someone threw for 414 yards in the Steelers/Bengals game I would have bet my life savings it was Joe Burrow.

Luckily for my nearly 2-year-old child, her college fund is still intact because I was not offered that deal by any time-traveling devils.

But it is indeed true that Mr. Unlimited chucked the ball 38 times for 414 yards and 3 TDs in an impressive 44-38 road win over Cincy. He finished the day with a 126.3 passer rating and is now 5-1 as a starter.

His big day resulted in nice fantasy performances for the entire offense, specifically George Pickens (3-74-1), Pat Freiermuth (6-68-1), and Najee Harris (16-75-1; 6-54).

Regardless of what you thought about Russ heading into the season—I'm looking at you, Sean Payton—it's time to accept the new reality. Russ is a playoff QB and … I hate to say it … deserves an extension.

Let the record show that Justin Fields is the once who iced the game, though.

🤝 The Buck stops here

Even after last week's explosion for 152 scrimmage yards, there was still some lingering doubt about Bucky Irving being in a timeshare. Against the Giants, he split carries evenly with Rachaad White. He lost a couple goal-line touches to Sean Tucker.

But we got confirmation on Sunday that this is no longer a timeshare. It's now Bucky's backfield.

He racked up 29 touches, 205 all-purpose yards, and 1 rushing TD in the Bucs’ overtime win over the Panthers.

Over the past three weeks, he's amassed 62 touches for 424 yards, 3 TDs, and a glorious 72.44 fantasy points.

I don't think this needs to be said, but I'm all for stating the obvious to avoid any confusion—Bucky is the 2024 league winner.

And the cherry on top? Go check who the Bucs play in Week 17, AKA fantasy championship week.

🥊 A brawl in Jacksonville

During the second quarter of the Jags/Texans game yesterday, Azeez Al-Shaair pelted Trevor Lawrence at the end of a scramble with one of the dirtier hits you'll see in this modern version of the NFL.

The cheap shot naturally led to a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams after Evan Engram and a few other teammates retaliated. Al-Shaair was ejected (as was Jacksonville defensive back Jarrion Jones), and three unnecessary roughness penalties were handed out.

Lawrence did not return to the game after a presumed concussion—he appeared to go into a fencing posture—although the good news is that he was seen leaving the locker room on his own accord.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of punishment the league hands out to Al-Shaair, who had a similarly dangerous hit on Caleb Williams earlier this year.

3 More Week 13 Highlights

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