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| Sunday, October 23, 2022 |
| The gap between the Friday injury reports and Sunday morning inactives can often be a time of relative tranquility for Fantasy players, but that hasn't been the case this season. And it definitely isn't the case for Week 7, with a ton of big injuries still being tracked as of this morning. |
But it's not just injuries that are going to lead to tough lineup decisions. We've got Christian McCaffrey set to make his 49ers debut just three days after being traded, making both him and Jeff Wilson pretty big question marks for Fantasy without knowing what kind of role they're facing. And then we got a report Sunday morning that Isaiah Pacheco is going to start for the Chiefs ahead of Clyde Edwards-Helaire after getting first-team reps this week during practice. |
My preference would be to avoid the Chiefs backfield if I can, with Rapoport's report noting that Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire will likely split work, "with a splash of [Jerick McKinnon]." In a backfield averaging just 19.5 RB carries per game, I just don't think I'm particularly excited about the prospect of a continued split, whether Pacheco is the lead. He is absolutely a must-add, but he's more like an RB3 this week -- I think I'd start both 49ers back over him. You can check out my latest rankings in today's newsletter to help make those calls. |
Of course, we've got our typically packed injury report to deal with, including the expected return of Gus Edwards -- which comes as J.K. Dobbins is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a cleanup procedure on his knee. As Heath Cummings said on Twitter, there are "about a dozen mystery box RB situations", which makes setting your lineups even tougher than usual. |
The Fantasy Football Today team is here to help. Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and Dave Richard are live on CBS Sports HQ right now going over everything you need from every angle, including the latest up-to-date injury news live until kickoff. |
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| For more Week 7 help, here's the rest of our preview content to get you ready: |
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| Quarterbacks
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None of these come as a surprise this week, and it's not clear what kind of timetable we're looking at for Wilson. He's reportedly dealing with a Grade 2 tear, and while it's possible he plays through it in Week 8, the Broncos also have a bye in Week 9, and it might make sense to rest him through that. Brett Rypien is set to start for the Broncos, and I've learned my lesson about saying, "Well, it can't get worse," even with how bad the Broncos offense has been. It's a downgrade for the Broncos pass-catchers, though Courtland Sutton is still a viable WR2/3, I think. |
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| Jones is questionable, but at this point, it seems like he's going to start -- he got all of the first-team reps in practice Saturday after missing three games with the injury. Jones isn't relevant in most leagues, and he's just a fringe QB2 in this one. If you can avoid using him, that's probably for the best, just in case, there is some kind of unforeseen setback between now and Monday night. |
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| Both Tagovailoa and Pickett cleared the concussion protocol and are expected to start Sunday night, while Prescott is making his return following his five-game absence due to thumb surgery. Tagovailoa and Prescott are top-10 QBs for me, though there is always risk in the first game back from a multi-week absence. |
| Running backs |
There are all kinds of situations we're watching, but I'll just say this to kick off: I don't really have much interest in the Baltimore backfield. Yes, the Ravens are a very good rushing team and they've got a great matchup against the Browns, but they also spread carries around, and that seems especially true with Gus Edwards (knee) and Justice Hill (hamstring) coming back from injuries. I think I expect Kenyan Drake to be the lead back, but I don't think you can expect much more than a dozen carries or so in a best-case scenario. Drake is a fringe RB3, while Hill and Edwards are in the 40-50 range. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the three ended up being the lead back, and it might just be a hot-hand situation. |
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| Swift's injury is obviously a big deal, and pre-game reports say he won't play despite having the extra time off from the bye week. I have real concerns about his ability to hold up to the kind of workload we want him to get. He's obviously a talented player, with a top-five upside for Fantasy, but I'm viewing him as more of a top-15 back when he gets back, given those questions. |
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Technically, all three of these guys aren't even on the injury report this week, so they're going to play. I expect Taylor to get his typical role, and he's back to being a top-three back in Fantasy. Hines should get a few opportunities in the passing game, and while there's little to get excited about with him, I do think I'd start him over the Ravens, Chiefs, Panthers, and Commanders running backs in PPR. |
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| Wide receivers |
Keenan Allen is probably the biggest question mark at wide receiver heading into Week 7. He practiced on a limited basis all week, but he's going to be a game-time decision -- he wants to test it out before the game, but told reporters earlier in the week he's considering sitting this one out to give himself an opportunity to fully heal in the team's bye next week. I would probably prefer to avoid the headache since we likely won't know Allen's availability until 3 p.m. after most players have already locked. If he plays, he's a high-risk, high-reward WR2. |
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The first four are probably the only players you really need to worry about. If Waddle and Lockett are active, you're probably starting them, but there's some risk there; Bateman is more like a WR3, because he typically doesn't play a full snap share even when healthy. However, this Baltimore offense really misses his big-play abilities, and he's got high upside every week playing with Lamar Jackson, even on a snap count. |
Josh Reynolds is a fringe WR3/4 if he plays, with DJ Chark already placed on IR with his own ankle injury. I don't know how much the Lions will lean on Reynolds with a healthy Amon-Ra St. Brown back to full strength, but Reynolds has 269 yards and a touchdown on 19 catches over the past three games so he's not the worst option. |
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| None of these guys really matter most weeks, which is just fine with me. That means I don't have to write as much. |
| Tight ends |
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It would be a surprise if Andrews were unable to play. The other situation to know about is Pat Freiermuth (concussion), who has been cleared to play Sunday night and should be viewed as a top-12 TE. With Waller out, Foster Moreau is also in the top-12 TE discussion -- he averaged 3.7 catches and 41.3 yards in six games without Waller last season, which somehow puts him in the top-12 TE discussion. |
| Rankings Updates |
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