Injuries objectively suck. To this day it’s unclear why God hasn’t turned them off. Anyone who plays Madden of NCAA Football and does NOT turn off injuries is a monster in my humble opinion.
Of course, injuries continue to be a rather large part of fantasy football analysis, which is why Fantasy Life will continue to grind each and every fantasy-relevant issue throughout the season.
What follows is a breakdown of every fantasy-relevant injury ahead of Week 13. Check out the late Friday edition of The Fantasy Life Podcast for a full breakdown of the issues from Fantasy Life lead betting analyst Matthew Freedman and myself.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers (Achilles, out), Jets
It’s pretty wild that Rodgers is back to practice at all, although the “need to be in the running for a playoff spot” part of the comeback equation doesn’t look promising.
Specifically, The New York Times gives the Jets under one percent chance of making it into the postseason. Tim Boyle will once again be under center in Week 13; it’s not surprising that the Jets are only implied to score 15.75 points – tied for the second-lowest mark on the slate.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson (concussion, out), Browns
Joe Flacco could actually help things – because the bar literally could not be lower. Whether it be Deshaun Watson, DTR or P.J. Walker: Cleveland has offered arguably the single-worst passing environment for its pass-catchers in fantasy land this season.
Browns team passing marks
- PFF pass grade: 46.5 (32nd)
- Yards per attempt: 5.7 (31st)
- Adjusted completion rate: 67.8% (32nd)
- Passer rating: 66.0 (32nd)
Flacco isn’t a suggested start or anything in his own right, but it’s possible that the likes of Coop, David Njoku and maybe even Flacco’s former teammate Elijah Moore get going just a bit in upcoming matchups against beatable secondaries in the Rams, Jaguars and Bears.
Will Levis (ankle, not listed), Titans
Levis threw four TDs in his electric NFL debut, but has just two in four games since. While this week’s matchup is winnable enough against the Colts’ 27th-ranked scoring defense, it’s tough to be overly excited about a banged-up rookie QB who has failed to lead the offense to more than 17 points in four consecutive contests.
Levis is nothing more than a low-end QB2 inside of this ever-Derrick Henry-centered offense.
Running Back
Raheem Mostert (ankle/knee, not listed), De’Von Achane (knee, not listed), Dolphins
Mostert has scored more PPR points than anyone not named Christian McCaffrey this season and is coming off back-to-back performances with 20-plus touches.
While the Commanders don’t exactly suck against the run, they are indeed the league’s single-worst scoring defense. Fire up the speedy veteran as the RB1 that he’s been all year.
And then there’s Achane, who should also find himself in far more lineups than not. However, the rookie did only total 12 and 11 touches in his last two healthy games – failure to operate at his usual 100% explosive self could be problematic without the guarantee of hefty volume.
Achane is Fantasy Life’s consensus RB22; just realize it’d make sense if head coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t exactly go out of his way to feed him touches down the stretch should the game get out of hand.
Breece Hall (hamstring, questionable), Israel Abanikanda (illness, questionable), Dalvin Cook (shoulder, questionable) Jets
Hall practiced in full on Friday and seems to be on the right side of this designation. He continues to demand RB1-worthy utilization, but the low-scoring Jets offensive environment has sadly rendered both Hall and Garrett Wilson as mid-second-tier options despite their respective upper-echelon talent.
Hall is the Fantasy Life consensus RB15 despite the low-key tough matchup against the league’s third-worst defense in PPR points per game allowed to the position.
Travis Etienne (ribs), Jaguars
Has played through some pain in recent weeks, although you wouldn’t have guessed it just based on the box score touch counts. Overall, ETN has totaled 41 combined carries and receptions over the past two games.
Only Christian McCaffrey (8) and Josh Jacobs (8) have more games with 20-plus touches than Etienne (7); fire up the Jaguars’ lead back as the upside RB1 that he’s been all year against the Bengals’ league-worst defense in yards before contact allowed per carry.
Jonathan Taylor (thumb, out), Colts
Zack Moss is locked in as an upside RB2 at worst in fantasy leagues of all shapes and sizes. We got a solid four-game sample of Moss functioning as the team’s undisputed No. 1 RB back in Weeks 2 to 5:
Up next is a Titans run defense that has usually funneled production to the air in recent years, but that sure wasn’t the case back in Week 5 when Moss torched them for 23-165-2 rushing and 2-30-0 receiving lines.
The prized handcuff is locked in as a top-15 option at the position; I would start Moss ahead of guys like Breece Hall and Rhamondre Stevenson thanks to the reality that the scoring upside in this Gardner Minshew-led attack isn’t nearly as bad as what most RBs with backup QBs under center are being forced to endure.
David Montgomery (foot, not listed), Lions
Has maintained borderline RB1-level production since returning from injury despite a less-than-stellar role:
Competitive matchups against the Chargers (41-38), Bears (31-26) and Packers (22-29) led to Jahmyr Gibbs receiving most of the pass-down work, leaving Montgomery to make the most out of his average of 13 carries per game.
Fire up the 26-year-old veteran as a TD-dependent RB2 who gets to operate inside an offense that has scored the sixth-most TDs in the league through 12 weeks of action.
Aaron Jones (knee, out), AJ Dillon (groin, not listed), Packers
Dillon will continue to work as the lead back and should see the heavy majority of raw touches, but Quadzilla isn’t exactly locked in as a volume-based RB2 due to the reality that Patrick Taylor is stealing all sorts of fantasy-friendly pass-down work.
Dillon is Fantasy Life’s consensus RB27 behind guys like James Conner, Joe Mixon and Jerome Ford ahead of his Sunday night matchup against the Chiefs.
D’Andre Swift (ankle, not listed), Eagles
Playing through a bit of pain, but has still looked explosive and has racked up at least 15 touches in every game since his disappointing Week 1 debut.
Goal-line opportunities don’t figure to be plentiful inside an offense with the league’s premiere rush TD scorer playing under center, but Swift continues to warrant weekly upside RB2 treatment at worst – even in tough matchups like the one he has on Sunday against Fred Warner and the 49ers’ fifth-ranked defense in PPR points per game allowed to opposing RBs.
Kareem Hunt (groin, not listed), Browns
Played just 26% of the offense’s snaps in Week 12 after hitting a season-high 43% mark in Week 11. The efficiency has been pretty brutal all season both in terms of yards per carry (3.2) and per target (6.6); Hunt is a TD-dependent RB3 playing inside an offense that has totaled just 25 points over the past two weeks.
Maybe Joe Flacco provides a spark, but man, when your fantasy hopes rely on Joe Flacco in the year 2023, that’s not good!
Ezekiel Elliott (thigh, questionable), Patriots
Zeke wasn’t exactly knocking on the RB2 door before the Patriots’ Week 11 bye, but Rhamondre Stevenson saw a meaningful increase in usage in Week 12.
Elliott is nothing more than a TD-dependent RB3 inside of offense implied to score just 17.25 points – the fourth-lowest mark of Week 13.
Jerick McKinnon (groin, questionable), Chiefs
Isiah Pacheco remains locked in as the Chiefs’ lead running back, THE running back, ya’ll. He’s set up to potentially boom; Kansas City boasts the slate’s third-best mark in combined explosive run play rate.
It’s going to be cold and potentially rainy at Lambeau Field come Sunday evening – what better way to alleviate some pressure off the team’s up-and-down passing game to further embrace the man who runs like the ground has taken everything he’s ever worked for?
It'd hardly be surprising if Pacheco makes the most out of a touch total that will likely start with the number two.
Kendre Miller (ankle, out), Saints
It continues to be the Alvin Kamara show in New Orleans. Don’t be surprised if Taysom Hill continues to see all sorts of rushing usage as well with Jamaal Williams averaging a brutal 2.9 yards per carry this season.
Wide Receiver
Tyreek Hill (ankle, not listed), Dolphins
Real question: Would you be THAT surprised if Tyreek Hill goes for 300-plus yards against the Commanders’ terrible and man-heavy secondary?
The one that literally just fired their defensive coordinator a week ago? The one that made Tommy DeVito look like a capable NFL QB? Get your popcorn ready, fantasy managers and Dolphins fans.
A.J. Brown (thigh, not listed), DeVonta Smith (knee, not listed), Julio Jones (knee, not listed), Eagles
AJB has totaled just 111 receiving yards in three games since snapping his six-game streak with at least 125 yards.
Of course, doubting one of the game’s most-talented all-around players inside of this ever-lethal offense isn’t something we at Fantasy Life have any interest in doing; AJB remains a locked-in top-five play at the position and carries his usual boom potential against a 49ers defense that has low key allowed the 10th-most PPR points per game to the position this season.
Keenan Allen (quad, questionable), Chargers
Has been playing through a lot of pain in recent weeks, yet has peeled off 11-175-2, 10-116-1 and 14-106-0 receiving lines in his last three games after a mid-season slump of sorts.
Allen remains a recommended WR1 start anytime he’s healthy enough to suit up – the only concern is an improving Patriots defense that has shut down the Colts and Giants (lol) in their last two games.
Tank Dell (calf, questionable), Noah Brown (knee, questionable), Texans
Dell (WR12 in PPR points per game) and even Brown (WR20) have dominated when on the field for the better part of the last six weeks. If all are active, this will mark the first time in a while that the Texans will have all four of their top WRs to suit up.
Sep 17, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) shouts after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Brown will probably be the odd man out – he’s also far from guaranteed to play after being downgraded to a DNP on Friday – but he did manage to displace Dell briefly atop the depth chart to start the season. It’d make the most sense if Robert Woods loses the most routes of anyone; just realize there’s a bit more uncertainty here than usual with all parties involved approaching full health.
Chris Olave (concussion, questionable), Rashid Shaheed (thigh, out), Saints
Olave’s absence would leave Derek Carr with household names like A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood, and Lynn Bowden as his top-three receivers. It’d also make a lot of sense if Juwan Johnson (season-high 85% route rate in Week 12) is more or less featured as a full-time receiver.
Still, Olave did manage to get in a full practice on Friday, indicating he has a legit chance of clearing the protocol by Sunday. We should know for sure by Saturday afternoon; if active he’ll be his usual upside WR2 self and poised to see a LOT of volume with so many banged-up bodies scattered around this offense.
Or maybe the Saints just say f*ck it, let’s give the ball to Taysom 20 times and see what happens. The 33-year-old “Mormon Missile” (his real nickname I swear) has racked up nine, three, 15, 10, nine and eight touches in his last six games, generally making good things happen as a rusher and receiver alike.
Guys like Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Sam LaPorta deserve no doubt starting treatment ahead of Hill this week, but after that I struggle to put anyone other than Trey McBride and maybe Evan Engram ahead of the Saints’ do-it-all vulture thanks to the heightened expectation that he’ll see double-digit touches inside of this banged-up offense.
Tee Higgins (hamstring/ankle), Bengals
Said he plans to play on Monday night against the Jaguars. This would normally be great news for fantasy managers … but Jake Browning remains under center.
Facing off against this Jacksonville defense is certainly a bit more manageable of a task than his previous dates against the Ravens and Steelers; just realize the Bengals are implied to score a week-low 15.25 points for a reason. Higgins is a dicey WR3 play especially if we don’t get confirmation that he’ll for sure have his usual allotment of snaps before Sunday.
Diontae Johnson (illness, not listed), Calvin Austin (ankle, not listed), Allen Robinson (foot, not listed), Steelers
Johnson isn’t believed to be dealing with anything serious; the bigger concern is if the Steelers feel like making a playing time point after his embarrassing viral display of effort last week.
Kudos to Kenny Pickett for playing better than usual last week, but expecting a full-fledged turnaround simply because Matt Canada left the building is probably wishful thinking (maybe not though?).
The target-hog veteran comes in as the Fantasy Life consensus WR28 and isn’t someone who needs to be jammed into lineups of all shapes and sizes.
Marquise Brown (heel, questionable), Michael Wilson (shoulder, out), Zach Pascal (personal, questionable) Cardinals
Kyler Murray remains a solid low-end QB1, but nobody else other than Trey McBride needs to be in fantasy lineups.
I’d like to think Brown will get going sooner rather than later, but the second-team all-unrealized-air-yards WR simply isn’t getting much help out there: Brown has received the position’s fourth-lowest rate of catchable targets (65.5%) among 57 WRs with at least 50 targets this season.
Him being at less than 100% after not practicing all week obviously doesn’t help matters.
Wilson’s continued absence is good news for Greg Dortch and Rondale Moore, who have both enjoyed full-time roles in three-WR sets during his absence. Both are worthy FLEX options for bye-week-riddled teams in dire need of help.
Amari Cooper (ribs, not listed), Marquise Goodwin (concussion, out), Browns
Cooper’s end-of-season upside might actually be helped by having Joe Flacco under center. Reminder: Mr. Elite put up some serious volume-induced numbers during the first three weeks of 2022.
- Week 1: 309 pass yards-1 TD-1 INT
- Week 2: 307-4-0 (!)
- Week 3: 285-0-2
Don’t get carried away – Cooper is just the Fantasy Life consensus WR31 this week – but it’s not like things can get much worse inside of a Browns passing game that ranks 32nd in more advanced metrics than not.
Chris Godwin (neck, questionable), Buccaneers
Mid-week downgrades are never good, especially with Godwin being downgraded to a DNP on Friday.
He’ll tentatively be expected to have his usual WR2 role ahead of Sunday’s smashable matchup against the Panthers if active. Of course, Godwin hasn’t been doing a lot of smashing recently, finishing with under 60 yards in five consecutive games.
Godwin is more of a middling WR3 than someone who deserves every-week starting treatment as long as most of the passing game’s production continues to simply revolve around Mike Evans.
Treylon Burks (concussion, questionable), Titans
Burks practiced in full on Thursday and Friday, indicating he should be ready to resume his role as the No. 2 WR inside of this run-first attack, but it’s not a given that he’ll immediately see an every-down role alongside Deandre Hopkins.
The Titans could choose to rotate Burks with guys like Chris Moore, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Kyle Philips; he’s not a recommended start despite the winnable matchup against the Colts.
Demario Douglas (concussion, out), Kayshon Boutte (shoulder/illness, out), Ty Montgomery (illness, not listed), Patriots
DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton should work inside three-WR sets inside of this now Bailey Zappe-led attack.
Expectations couldn’t be lower for any WR involved – none are recommended fantasy starts despite the Chargers’ 30th-ranked defense in PPR points per game allowed to the position this season.
Jerry Jeudy (groin, not listed), Marvin Mims (hamstring, not listed), Broncos
Kudos to Russ and company for ripping off five consecutive wins, but even this hot stretch hasn’t exactly included a major turnaround on offense.
Maybe Jeudy finds a way to replicate his 2022 end-of-season goodness – he does have a winnable enough final stretch of matchups against the Texans, Chargers (x2), Lions and Patriots – but that would almost just drive the knife even deeper into fantasy managers considering he’s impossible to trust as anything more than a low-ceiling FLEX at the moment.
Mims isn’t a realistic fantasy option as a low-volume No. 3 WR in this run-first attack.
Jayden Reed (chest, questionable), Dontayvion Wicks (knee, questionable), Packers
Reed is tentatively expected to keep playing through some pain while doing his best 2014 Randall Cobb impression. His limited practice on Friday is a great sign for his availability after back-to-back DNPs to start the week.
Any sort of uncertainty around his status or workload is problematic with the Packers taking on the Chiefs on Sunday night football. Tentatively fire up the talented rookie as the upside WR3 he’s been for the better part of the last month; just realize he’s not exactly set up great against the league’s eighth-best defense in limiting PPR points per game to the position.
Tight End
Trey McBride (groin, questionable), Cardinals
Managed to get in back-to-back limited practices to end the week and is tentatively expected to suit up Sunday. This Kyler Murray-led offense is hardly the Hollywood show at the moment:
Targets with Murray under center in Weeks 10 to 12:
- Trey Mcbride (25 targets)
- Marquise Brown (19)
- Greg Dortch (16)
- Rondale Moore (14)
Up next is a road trip to Pittsburgh to face off against T.J. Watt and company. Good luck to PFF’s 28th-ranked offensive line, but Vegas doesn’t seem too confident in this group: Arizona is implied to score just 17.75 points – tied for the fourth-lowest mark on the week in front of only the Jets, Panthers and Bengals.
Kyler remains a solid low-end QB1, but nobody else other than McBride needs to be in fantasy lineups.
Dalton Schultz (hamstring, out), Texans
Brevin Jordan suddenly looks like an every-down TE inside of the game’s most prolific passing attack in terms of yards per game.
Of course, it’d make sense if C.J. Stroud simply focuses more of his efforts than usual on the team’s talented group of WRs; Jordan isn’t anything more than a deep league bye fill-in or low-cost DFS dart, but the matchup is admittingly spectacular against the Broncos’ league-worst defense in PPR points per game allowed to the position.
Dallas Goedert (forearm, doubtful), Grant Calcaterra (ankle, questionable), Eagles
It’s encouraging to see Goedert return to practice, but a full-time role doesn’t seem guaranteed even if he’s ultimately healthy enough to suit up.
He’ll be a dicey borderline TE1 if healthy enough to suit up; I’d still prefer to start guys like Juwan Johnson and Pat Freiermuth due to the uncertainty surrounding just how healthy Goedert is at the moment. Jack Stoll isn’t a viable fantasy play if Goedert sits as expected.
Durham Smythe (ankle, not listed), Dolphins
Continues to see a low-volume near full-time role inside of an offense (understandably) far more concerned with getting the football to its electric WRs and RBs than TE.
Hayden Hurst (concussion, out), Tommy Tremble (hip, doubtful), Panthers
Ian Thomas and Stephen Sullivan will likely form a fairly evenly split committee inside of one of the game’s single-worst passing attacks; neither are viable fantasy options in fantasy leagues of all shapes and sizes. If you’re still reading this far though – have a great weekend! Definitely get something productive done, but take some time to appreciate YOU and just like have a great time, man (or woman).
Other
- Dolphins OT Terron Armstead (knee/quad, questionable), OT Kendall Lamm (back, questionable), G Lester Cotton (illness, questionable), G Robert Jones (knee, questionable)
- Browns DE Myles Garrett (shoulder, not listed), CB Denzel Ward (shoulder, out)
- Chargers OT Zack Bailey (back, out), OT Trey Pipkins (wrist, questionable)
- Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (groin, questionable), LB Zach Cunningham (hamstring, out), S Justin Evans (knee, out)
- Packers CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder, questionable), OLB De’Vondre Campbell (neck, questionable), FS Rudy Ford (biceps/groin, questionable), CB Robert Rochell (calf, questionable), S Darnell Savage (calf (questionable), CB Eric Stoke (hamstring, doubtful)
- Buccaneers LB Lavonte David (groin, out), LB Devin White (foot, out), DB Jamel Dean (ankle, out), LB SirVocea Dennis (illness, doubtful), DT Mike Greene (calf, out)
- Panthers S Vonn Bell (shoulder, out), S Jeremy Chinn (quad, questionable), CB Jaycee Horn (hamstring, questionable), CB Troy Hill (hip, questionable)
- Saints DE Cameron Jordan (ankle, questionable), S Marcus Maye (shoulder, out), LB Pete Werner (shoulder/oblique, out)
