If you're disappointed in the fantasy output from 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw in Week 13, there's a good explanation. He got ejected midway through the third quarter after an altercation with a security guard on the Eagles' sideline. It doesn't seem as though Greenlaw's likely to face further discipline for the incident. So go back to considering him a potential weekly starter for Week 14 and beyond.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard dominated backfield work in Week 13 vs. the Buccaneers, tallying 25 carries for 104 yards and 2 TDs. Miles Sanders registered just 8 carries for 23 yards on 31.9% of Carolina’s offensive snaps. Sanders had seen at least 50% of the RB carries the previous two weeks, but that shifted dramatically in the first game after Carolina fired HC Frank Reich and RBs coach Duce Staley, among others. Reich and Staley were outspoken supporters of Sanders after the Panthers signed him in free agency, but Hubbard has outperformed the import all season. Carolina's remaining schedule ranks sixth-toughest for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed, which hurts. But Hubbard will be worth RB2 consideration if he continues to control the backfield the way he did against the Bucs. Sanders can be dropped in most fantasy leagues, if you see something more interesting on the waiver wire.
Buccaneers RB Rachaad White handled 20 carries for 84 rushing yards and a TD in Week 13 vs. the Panthers. The second-year back also recorded 3 catches for 22 yards. The 23 touches were White's second-most this season. But he has reached 20 carries in three of the past five games and fallen short of 17 touches in just three games all season. The Buccaneers' remaining schedule ranks seventh-toughest for RBs, but White's usage has been game-script resistant. Five Bucs losses have seen White fall short of 15 carries. He has caught at least three passes in each of those, including 6+ receptions in each of the past three such games. White's also averaging 99.9 total yards per game since Week 7. Don't be scared by the difficulty of his matchups. Start White confidently (in most cases) the rest of the season.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton converted just 2 of his 7 targets for 77 receiving yards in Week 13 vs. the Texans. Fortunately, one of those catches was his ninth receiving TD of the year, which ranks third among NFL wideouts in 2023. Sutton's unlikely to continue scoring TDs at his current pace. But he has been the team's clear leader in end-zone opportunities, and QB Russell Wilson has been playing with solid efficiency. The Broncos’ remaining schedule ranks third-easiest for WRs, and Week 14’s showdown vs. the Chargers presents the veteran with the third-best WR matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Keep Sutton in your starting plans going forward.
Texans WR Nico Collins ended Sunday with a 9-191-1 receiving line, reaching new career highs in receptions and receiving yards in Week 13 vs. the Broncos. This is the third time in 2023 that Collins has eclipsed the 100-yard mark and found the end zone in the same game. It’ll be vital for Houston’s offense that he maintains this success in the aftermath of rookie WR Tank Dell leaving the contest in the first quarter with a broken fibula. Fantasy managers were already starting Collins in lineups, but those seeking a Dell replacement should look no further than Noah Brown. While he didn’t record a catch on either of his 2 targets, Brown paced Collins with 100% route participation and snap rate in Week 13, clearly serving as the Texans' WR2. Plus, he’d recorded back-to-back 100+-yard efforts that yielded top-6 PPR finishes between Week 9-10 prior to being sidelined by a knee injury. Keep an eye out for Brown on the waiver wire.
RB Devin Singletary's stranglehold on the Texans' backfield has seemingly slipped away. Singletary logged 8 carries for 36 rushing yards with 1 catch for 4 yards as a receiver in Week 13 vs. the Broncos. The veteran appeared on only 45.6% of the team's offensive snaps on Sunday. By contrast, he'd seen the field on 75+% of Houston's offensive snaps in four straight games dating back to Week 8. It was teammate RB Dameon Pierce who led the way in the contest, finishing the day with 15 carries for 41 rushing yards and a TD. It appears the second-year back has resumed his leading duties after missing three games due to an ankle injury. With Pierce back to a more prominent role, it'll be challenging to trust either him or Singletary as much more than flex options in Week 14. Fortunately, they'll be facing off against a Jets defense that's allowed at least 130 rushing yards to opposing offenses in nine of 12 games in 2023.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith enjoyed a third straight strong outing Sunday, with TE Dallas Goedert (forearm) still out. Smith tallied a team-high 9 receptions for 96 yards on 11 targets in Sunday. He has reached 8 targets in a game six times this season. Half of those have come in the three games since Goedert went down. Philly expects to get Goedert back for Week 14 against the Cowboys. That could challenge Smith's target share. But it'll be tough to bet against Smith after five straight top-18 PPR finishes. He gets a challenging matchup with Dallas in Week 14 before a softer finish: three slightly positive matchups with the Seahawks, Giants, and Cardinals.
Niners QB Brock Purdy threw for 314 yards and 4 TDs in Sunday's lopsided win at Philadelphia. He hit Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Deebo Samuel (twice) for scores. It marked the fourth time in the past five games that Purdy threw for at least 296 yards (third game over 300) and the third game among the past four with at least 3 TD passes. Sunday's game marked a rebound from his QB25 fantasy finish in Week 12 against the Seahawks. Purdy gets a rematch with Seattle in Week 14, but we're not downgrading him. Two of the past four QBs to face the Seahawks have thrown 3 TD passes and finished among the top 3 fantasy QBs for the week. After that comes even better matchups with the Cardinals and Commanders in weeks 15 and 17, sandwiching a tough Week 16 spot vs. Baltimore.
On Sunday evening, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery on Monday. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, effectively making backup Mitchell Trubisky the starter. The Steelers are set for a quick turnaround, with their next game coming Thursday night vs. the Patriots. Consider Trubsiky as a low-end QB2 option.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett will miss an "extended period" with his ankle injury, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac. We'll look for a more detailed diagnosis and timetable for Pickett's return, but it sounds like it'll be QB Mitchell Trubisky under center for the Steelers for the foreseeable future. He's completed 63.8% of his passes at 6.7 yards per attempt over the past two seasons in Pittsburgh. Trubisky will be a bottom-barrel QB2 in fantasy football but probably won't be a significant downgrade from Pickett for the offense.
Packers LB De'Vondre Campbell (neck) is active for tonight's game against the Chiefs. S Rudy Ford (biceps, groin) and S Darnell Savage (calf) are also active. It'll be Savage's first game since Week 7. CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) is inactive for the fourth straight game.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa had a nice Week 13, with 280 yards and 2 TDs in a blowout victory over the Commanders. But that score kept him from doing more. Tagovailoa attempted just 24 passes for the game, including going a mere 6-for-9 in the second half. He got pulled with 11:23 remaining. That obviously limited the QB's fantasy scoring for the game. More worrisome, though, is the remaining schedule. Tagovailoa looks good for a Week 14 matchup with Tennessee, which remains much tougher on the run than the pass. But his final three fantasy weeks are the toughest in the league for QB scoring by a wide margin. Try to secure a platoon for partner for the final three weeks.
Packers WR Jayden Reed (chest) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Chiefs. He got in just a limited practice on Friday and was listed as questionable. But Reed played through this chest injury on Thanksgiving, racking up 50 total yards and a score. The bigger concern for Reed might be that WR Dontayvion Wicks (knee) is also active. He’s played between 33% and 44% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps in his last four games and could eat into Reed’s playing time a bit, as well as WR Christian Watson and WR Romeo Doubs’ playing time.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts headed to the locker room during the second half of Sunday's game vs. the 49ers for a concussion check. We'll update his status as soon as we know more. QB Marcus Mariota is Philly's backup.
Update: Hurts returned in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic's Jeff Howe reports that the "initial belief" is that Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson "will miss time, possibly multiple games," with the ankle injury he suffered in the Week 13 loss to the Chargers. Stevenson is scheduled for additional testing on the ankle on Monday, so we should get another update on his status then. But fantasy owners should plan on being without Stevenson for at least Week 14 -- and potentially the rest of the fantasy season. His absence leaves Ezekiel Elliott as New England's lead back and an unexciting but-useable fantasy play.
The final numbers from Sunday's blowout win over the Commanders suggest Dolphins RB De'Von Achane took over the backfield in his second return from a knee injury. The rookie tallied a 17-73-2 rushing line, leading the team in carries, yards, and TDs. And he ranked third among Dolphins in receptions (3) and receiving yards (30). Raheem Mostert trailed at 11-43-1 rushing, catching his lone target for 8 yards. But usage looked very different before and after halftime. According to Pro Football Focus, Mostert played 19 of Miami's 29 offensive snaps in the first half, compared with Achane's 12. Mostert hit halftime with a 9-3 carry lead and 1 target to Achane's 2 -- and Miami leading 31-7. Mostert played just 4 more snaps after the break, compared with Achane's 23. The rookie scored both of his TDs in that span. Mostert's TD came in the first half. So what's the takeaway? Expect both RBs to remain plenty involved and carry weekly TD upside. The remaining four matchups in most fantasy schedules don't look good for RB scoring (10th-worst schedule in the league by our adjusted fantasy points allowed). But the slate looks even worse for passing points. So consider Mostert and Achane weekly starting options the rest of the way. Jeff Wilson Jr., meanwhile, garnered only 4 carries even in a blowout victory. He's safe to drop in most fantasy formats.
Browns WR Amari Cooper exited in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams for a concussion check. We'll pass along an update when we get one.
Update: Cooper has been diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out. We'll track his progress through the protocol this week, but consider him unlikely to be cleared in time for Week 14's game vs. the Jaguars.
Rams WR Puka Nacua injured his ribs and shoulder on a diving catch in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Browns. He's officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update.
Update: Nacua returned for the start of the second half.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin managed no receptions on just 3 targets in Sunday's blowout loss to the Dolphins. And he wasn't happy about it. "I ran a lot of cardio today," he told reporters after the game. It's been a disappointing season for Washington's top wideout. Despite his offense leading the league in pass attempts entering Sunday and ranking ninth in passing yards, McLaurin was working on a career-low 57.8 yards per game. That's obviously coming down even further after Sunday's 0. WR Curtis Samuel tied with RB Antonio Gibson, and WR Jahan Dotson for the team lead with 5 targets. Samuel and Gibson caught four passes apiece, while Samuel led the team with 65 receiving yards. Washington's WRs don't look likely to help you a whole lot the rest of the way. After a Week 14 bye, the Commanders get the league's third-toughest schedule for WR scoring over the final three fantasy weeks. That includes matchups with the Jets and 49ers in the final two rounds of most fantasy playoffs.
Colts RB Zack Moss managed just 57 scoreless yards in the Week 13 overtime win over the Titans. Tennessee entered this one ranked second in run defense DVOA and held Moss to 2.7 yards per carry. That's the bad news. The good news? Moss handled all 19 Colts RB carries. He also drew three targets -- although he lost two to RB Tyler Goodson and one to RB Trey Sermon. Still, it was strong usage for Moss without Jonathan Taylor, who will likely miss at least two more games. Week 14 brings a bad Bengals run defense. Expect to find Moss ranked as a top-15 RB for that one. He gets a tougher Week 15 draw vs. the Steelers but will still be a volume-based RB2 play.
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