Williams was cleared to practice this week. I am not sure when he will make his debut, but we are talking about a dynamic, exciting first-round draft pick who could be a Jaylen Waddle-like player in this league. He is a perfect addition for teams that are in great playoff shape and could use a high-upside hammer as a bench stash to put their teams over the top.
The worst part of our beloved game is the frequency of injuries. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of such a fast-paced, contact-heavy sport. It’s something that is important to remember as we approach the first full week of the preseason. Luckily for the NFL players, they have access to some of the best doctors in the world and can usually return to form at least by the next season. Unfortunately for us fantasy players, it’s not always easy to know when a player will get hurt. To another degree, sometimes your roster isn’t big enough to plan ahead for an injury. This series, the Infirmary Report, will give you advice on the injuries that have happened every week during the season. Without further ado, here is the Infirmary Report: Post Week 11 of regular season action.
Christian Watson is a touchdown machine! In Week 10 he played 85.2-percent of snaps catching 4 of 8 targets for 107 yards and 3 touchdowns. His breakout game rewarded patient fantasy managers with 32.7 fantasy points (WR2). On Thursday night versus the Titans, he added two more scores making it five touchdowns in the last two games. Watson has quickly become Aaron Rodgers preferred Red Zone target. The second-round selection out of NDSU gains 38.38 Lifetime Value points and 21 spots to vault to WR41 in dynasty.
Despite ranking in the top ten at tight end, Pat Freiermuth has failed to record double-digit fantasy totals in three of the Steelers’ last four contests. There is a chance that the fantasy manager that rosters Freiermuth isn’t thrilled to move on. However, given the lack of boom weeks, the window to buy may have cracked open enough. If there is a chance to buy into the Pittsburgh tight end then teambuilders should make a move.
Remember when I was bummed that Parris Campbell’s breakout was going to get halted because the Colts switched to Sam Ehlinger at quarterback? Well, now I feel worse because I don’t have him anywhere, and Matt Ryan is back. Campbell is finally happening! Here are his numbers in the last three games Matt Ryan has been under center for the Colts: 32 targets, 24 receptions, 203 yards, and three touchdowns. Campbell now leads wide receivers in slot snaps with 385 and is No. 4 in routes run with 347.
As we approach the final stretch of the season, I only want to invest in players that I am confident in their ability to retain fantasy relevancy into next season. Dameon Pierce is top-10 in Opportunity Share (73.6-percent) and Dominator Rating (29.9-percent) with room to grow his role in the receiving game (No. 22 in targets).
We approached our Sleeper play via correlation and game-stacking in a Jaguars vs. Chiefs contest that was projected by Vegas to be the highest-scoring game of Week 10. While the offenses did not live up to that hype, we picked out the alphas and nearly smashed the three-legger. Christian Kirk was the Jacksonville No. 1 again. He put up a season-high nine receptions on 12 targets for 105 yards, including two touchdowns. On the other side, Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving. Kelce had six receptions on seven targets for 81 yards and the receiving touchdown we needed. However, despite throwing for 331 yards on 35 pass attempts, Mahomes only needed 26 completions to get there. This ruined a 5x profit parlay cash for us by just one pass. Sheesh.
Fading a wide receiver with a 25.6-percent (No. 19) Target Share and 603 (No. 16) receiving yards is a gamble, but Michael Pittman has not finished as a top-30 WR since Week 6. This week Nico Collins gets the Washington Commanders, who allow the second-highest Average Target Distance and fourth-most Air Yards.
The Titans coaching staff are experts in ruining a party. They killed Tennessee’s Tanne-thrill ride when they thought A.J. Brown could be replaced by Treylon Burks. Tannehill’s 13 (No. 25) fantasy points per game are the lowest mark he’s seen since his 2012 rookie season. The arm talent is still there. He’s delivering a 7.8 (No. 13) Accuracy Rating and a 79.7-percent (No. 11) Catchable Pass Rate. Running under 24 pass plays per game, the veteran has only eclipsed 200 yards in three of his seven games this season. In those each of those games, he’s produced at least 19 fantasy points. Green Bay has kept anemic passing offenses at bay and can’t stop the run. This is the perfect formula for a disappointing low-end QB2 performance from Tannehill. Tannehill has big game upside, and he’s a boom-or-bust start in deeper 2QB/Superflex leagues.
The Lions entered Week 10 allowing the fourth-most QB rushing fantasy points. Justin Fields just ran all over them for 147 yards while three other QBs have passed 40 rushing yards against them. Allowing less than 24 points in a game just once this season, Detroit is a porous defense through the air and on the ground. Expect Daniel Jones to feast as a dual-threat this week.
While Higbee could see an uptick in targets this week, he faces a Saints defense that has been effective against TEs. New Orleans has not allowed more than 50 yards to an opposing TE group since Week 5. Isaiah Likely is the only TE to score a touchdown against Demario Davis and company this season.
