| | | | Sunday, September 18, 2022 | | I can't remember a week this early in the season with as many injury questions as we're facing heading into Week 2, and even at 11 am on Sunday morning, we're facing a ton of uncertainty. In fact, I'd argue we have more uncertainty right now than we did Friday afternoon -- which is the opposite of how it's supposed to work. | | That's why we're here. Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and Dave Richard are on CBS Sports HQ to answer your questions and get you the latest up-to-date injury news live until kickoff. And if you want more direct answers to your questions, I've got two more ways for you to win: Go to Twitter and use the hashtag "#AskFFT", where our whole team will be answering questions all morning; and go to the FFT YouTube channel to chat with Adam Aizer, Frank Stampfl and I starting at 11:30. We'll be there right up until kickoff answering as many questions as we can, so make sure you're in the chat early to get your questions in. | | For more Week 2 help, here's the rest of our preview content to get you ready: | | Week 2 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WRStarts, sits and sleepers for every game Week 2 Cheat Sheets: PPR | Non-PPRWeek 2 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE Week 2 Rankings: Jamey | Dave | HeathMy Updated Week 2 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | | | | For the rest of this morning's newsletter, I've got updates on the latest injury news as well as answers to your questions in an #AskFFT mailbag -- email me at [email protected] throughout the week to get your emails included. | | Week 2 Injury Report | | | | | | Quarterbacks | | Dak Prescott (thumb) is out for Sunday's game and will likely miss at least a few more weeks beyond that -- the hope is he misses three weeks and can be cleared to return. Cooper Rush is set to start for the Cowboys in Prescott's absence, and the hope is he can just keep them afloat, so don't expect much for Fantasy.Jameis Winston (back) is good to go for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers after being limited in practice, per Sunday reports. Zach Wilson (knee) is still out, and he's expected to miss another game based on his initial injury timetable. However, he was limited in practice this week, a good sign for his chances of returning quickly. Joe Flacco was unimpressive, as he tends to be, in Week 1. | | Running backs | | J.K. Dobbins (knee) is not expected to play today despite making it through this week in practice. That suggests that, despite being a "full participant" in practice, Dobbins may not have been cleared for contact just yet. It looks like a Week 3 debut against the Patriots is in the cards for Dobbins, with Kenyan Drake in the RB3 range for this week's matchup against the Dolphins. D'Andre Swift (ankle) is questionable but expected to play against the Commanders despite being limited in Friday's practice and sitting out the prior days. One Sunday report did indicate the Lions "may have to be selective about his usage," which is the kind of vague report that drives Fantasy analysts. I'm downgrading Swift slightly, but he's still a high-end RB2 -- he splits touches even when healthy. Alvin Kamara (ribs) looks like he's trending toward not playing, and if he is, early Sunday reports indicate he'll be severely limited. Mark Ingram is also on the injury report, but it sounds like he's going to play and should be the primary starter for the Saints against a tough Buccaneers defense. Ingram was the starter for two games without Kamara for the Saints last season and he had 30 carries and 15 targets, so he's in the RB2 conversation based on workload alone. Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is good to go for Sunday's game against the Saints, and he's a must-start option even against a tough matchup. Given the Buccaneers injury issues at receiver, he could be even more involved in the passing game than usual. Kenneth Walker (hernia) was not listed on the injury report for Week 2, so he's clear to make his return. What Walker's role might look like coming off surgery in his first NFL game remains to be seen, but I'm expecting him to be a clear No. 2 to Rashaad Penny. He's worth stashing, not starting. Damien Williams (ribs) was placed on IR, so he'll miss at least the next four weeks. It's not clear what the hierarchy behind Cordarrelle Patterson will look like -- Tyler Allgeier will likely be active after being a healthy scratch last week, but is Avery Williams still ahead of him in the pecking order? I'm adding Allgeier where I've got a roster spot to play with, but he isn't worth starting this week for sure. Brandon Bolden (hamstring) is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, which should push Ameer Abdullah into a more prominent pass-catching role if you're really desperate. It could also give rookie Zamir White a path to being active for game day, though you'd have to be even more desperate to consider starting him. Dontrell Hilliard (hamstring) is out for Monday's game against the Bills, which should push rookie Hassan Haskins into a larger role -- but you probably have better options. | | | | Wide receivers | | We'll start with the Buccaneers receivers, with Chris Godwin (hamstring) the only one ruled out for Sunday's game. Mike Evans (calf) and Russell Gage (hamstring) are expected to play, and we don't have much indication that they'll be limited, which is good news. We cannot say the same about Julio Jones (knee), who is dealing with a bruise and got just one limited practice in Friday. He looks like a true game-time decision, and it's hard to trust him. Evans is more of a WR2 for me this week against a Saints defense that has given the Bucs fits over the past few years; Gage is in the WR3/4 range, and Jones is ranked behind him as a boom-or-bust play. Tee Higgins (concussion) is expected to play after getting a full practice on Friday. I'm treating him as a high-end WR2, assuming he plays. Gabe Davis (ankle) is questionable for Monday's game against the Titans, and at this point, it looks like a true question mark. The good news is, there are two games Monday night, so you have a bit more flexibility than usual for the late kickoff, but there aren't exactly a ton of options you should feel good about if you need them -- Titans rookie Kyle Phillips played a promising role in his NFL debut last week, but he's questionable with his own shoulder injury. If Davis doesn't play, Isiah McKenzie would likely see full-time snaps and becomes a much more interesting play. Michael Pittman (quad) has been ruled out for Sunday's game after being a mid-week addition to the injury report. It's not clear if this is likely a long-term injury, but it's not a great sign after Pittman opened the season with 129 yards and a touchdown. Alec Pierce (concussion) is also out for Sunday, and it's not like the Colts had a ton of depth at WR when everyone was healthy. Parris Campbell, Mike Strachan, and Ashton Dulin all figure to see bigger roles, but I wouldn't want to trust any of them in a 12-team league if I could avoid it. None are ranked inside of my top 40 at WR. Allen Lazard (hamstring) is expected to make his season debut Sunday night against the Bears, and given the Packers struggles last week moving the ball through the air, he's definitely got an opportunity to assert himself as the team's top WR. I'm not expecting him to be consistently productive, but he's in the WR3 range for me. Rondale Moore (hamstring) and Andy Isabella (back) are both out for Sunday's game against the Raiders, which should push Greg Dortch into a prominent role again. He had nine targets in Week 1 as the team's primary slot option and is worth starting over any of the Colts healthy options -- and I might just go ahead and start him over Gabe Davis rather than playing the waiting game there. Michael Gallup (knee) is still out for Week 2, but he's getting close after getting up to a limited practice with some team reps this week. He remains worth stashing, though you'll likely have to continue to be patient with him until Prescott is healthy enough to play. Kadarius Toney (hamstring) is questionable but expected to play after being limited over the final two days of practice. Whether he'll play anything like a full complement of snaps even if fully healthy is in doubt, seeing as he was running as the team's fourth or fifth WR for Week 1. He remains worth stashing, but he also needs to prove healthy and effective and carve out a bigger role after what appears to have been a pretty disappointing training camp. Wan'Dale Robinson (knee) is out for Sunday's game. | | Tight ends | | George Kittle (groin) is very much in question for Sunday against the Seahawks, with one report indicating there is a chance he can play while another expressed more pessimism. At this point, I'm treating Kittle as if he won't play, and if he does, he'll have a limited role. He can still wind up worth starting in a limited role, but I don't think the risk is worth it. | | #AskFFT Mailbag | | Send your questions to [email protected] to be included next week | | John: Can you really trust Derrick Henry at Buffalo on Monday night? Or do I run out Henderson vs. Atlanta, or possibly Jamal Williams if Swift doesn't play? My other option is Travis Etienne, he didn't look great in Week 1. | | That Bills defense looked pretty fearsome in Week 1, but since when do we care about matchups with Derrick Henry? You didn't draft him in the first round to start playing matchups, and while I do like Henderson in what should be a good matchup against the Falcons, I couldn't bring myself to sit Henry for him. It's fair to have slightly lowered expectations for Henry, given the matchup, but he's also still one of a few backs with a nearly guaranteed 18-plus touch workload – Henderson definitely doesn't have that, though I do expect him to get the majority (and perhaps the vast majority) of the RB touches for the Rams. They're pretty close in my rankings, but Henry is the guy. | | Peter: Trying to decide on the following for flex: Jarvis Landry, Allen Lazard or David Montgomery. I'm at a loss. My team has ended up full of Buccaneers (long story) and I'm feeling a bit cornered right now. | | As you can see from the injury report segment, there's a lot to be concerned about with the Bucs right now. But I think you might be overthinking this one: Montgomery still had 17 carries and four targets in Week 1. It was a little concerning to see Khalil Herbert get a valuable drive to help close out a win. Still, I think that was mostly because it was just his turn – the Bears were seemingly going with two drives for Montgomery, one for Herbert, and I expect to see something like that trend continue. That should still give Montgomery a significant role, enough to make him worth starting over Landry and Lazard for me. | | Jason: Who is the better start? Najee Harris or Cordelle Patterson? I am concerned with Harris' injury. Patterson had a big week last week, but will it last? | | I certainly share your concern about Harris, both with regards to some risk of re-injury as well as performance concerns – this Steelers offense still looked pretty mediocre last week, so Harris might need big volume to remain a must-start option, which is harder to project with a foot injury he's already suffered a setback from. That being said, I'm still starting him over Patterson, who likely won't see another 22 carries this week. I don't doubt Patterson could be more efficient than Harris, but I'm still projecting Harris to have a pretty significant edge in terms of touches, and that's enough to tip it in his favor, especially with both facing what should be pretty tough matchups. | | Saul: Would you start Rashaad Penny or Travis Etienne for RB2? | | You could make a case for Week 1 actually being pretty promising for Etienne, given his snap and route participation – he also had multiple red zone targets and very easily could have had two touchdowns with better execution. However, James Robinson looks like the lead rusher for the Jaguars, and I'm not sure Etienne is as good of a pass catcher as we might have hoped coming into the season. Robinson looked like himself, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it was a 65-35 split in favor of Robinson moving forward, while I expect Penny to be the clear lead back even with Walker active. Penny is a fringe RB2 for me, while Etienne is more like a fringe RB3. | | Daniel: I'm in a 12-team, full PPR league, and I need one WR, and one Flex from the following: Michael Pittman, Tee Higgins, AJ Dillon, Miles Sanders, Kadarius Toney, Albert Okwuegbunam. | | Well, Pittman is out, so that makes things easier. I'm going with Higgins, assuming there isn't a surprise inactive announcement Sunday morning – and I don't expect there will be. He's a high-end WR2 for me, so the second spot comes down to Sanders vs. Dillon, and that one's very close. Like, it could not be closer – Dillon is RB22, Sanders is RB23 in my rankings. In non-PPR and even half-PPR, Sanders gets the edge, but in full, I'm going with Dillon in a coinflip. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | Win up to $100,000 | ✔Scores & Highlights
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