Free Agency and Injury report week 11 2019

Week 11 was very quiet in terms of injuries and other major news bites. There were even very few insane fantasy performances in general. However, this late in the season, every FAAB dollar and every waiver selection matters even more. What do you need to know from this past week? Let's get to it.
 

Trouble in Mexico City

The Chiefs lost three players in Mexico on Monday night. Both Damien Williams and Tyreek Hill exited in the first half and did not return. Then in the fourth quarter, LeSean McCoy suffered a concussion and did not finish the game.

Tyreek Hill’s absence would catapult Sammy Watkins back into the No. 1 receiver role for the Chiefs and he’d be a locked-in starter for any game Hill misses. Mecole Hardman, who possesses comparable speed to Hill, would be much more involved in the offense. His volume wouldn’t skyrocket but he doesn’t need many touches to score fantasy points. He’ll be worth a long-shot if Hill is out.

Darrel Williams led the team in carries on Monday and he’d be likely to do the same if both Damien and McCoy were out next week. That would make Darrel a 1-2 week RB1 rental. If one of them is able to suit up, Darrel is likely on the wrong end of a committee. He’d need a touchdown to be worth starting.

Auden Tate Avoids Major Injury

Auden Tate went down when a defender rolled his neck forward during a tackle. The injury appeared serious but all of Tate's test results came back negative. This means that he avoided major injury but may still miss multiple weeks.

Tyler Boyd entered the week top-five in the NFL in targets but posted a particularly disappointing week. He did not gain a yard on his lone catch. Even if he sees increased volume with Tate out, it's hard to expect more than inefficiency and disappointment from the veteran.

John Ross would take over (and likely make much more of) the Auden Tate role if he is able to return next week.

Marlon Mack Breaking Hearts

Marlon Mack entered the week as a sneaky DFS play. He scored, went over 100 yards, and then fractured his hand, putting the rest of his season in doubt. We'll have to wait for test results to come back before we know more about the severity of his injury.

With Mack sidelined, Jonathan Williams rushed 13 times for 116 times. He also added a 31-yard catch. Jordan Wilkins has been the team's backup all season but he was unable to suit up due to an ankle injury. He did not practice all week making it unlikely that he plays Thursday against the Texans. The important thing for Wiliams is that Nyheim Hines saw just three carries. Indianapolis seems committed to keeping Hines confined to a receiving role. That makes Williams a great add off the wire this week.

Deebo Shines Again

Deebo Samuel took advantage of another week without George Kittle or Emmanuel Sanders and went for 134 yards on eight receptions. It marked Samuels' second 100-yard game, both of which have come in the past two weeks.

Emmanuel Sanders suited up this week but was pulled from the game early on after likely reaggravating the rib injury he entered the day with. If he or Kittle are out next week, fire up Samuel again. If both are able to play, Samuel becomes more a speculative flex option.

Jeff Driskel is...Good?

He's probably not but the Lions defense has had trouble stopping quality offense and Driskel does provide some rushing equity. He went for 51 yards and a score on Sunday. As long as the opposing team can score on the Lions, they'll be forced to play fast and attempt to put up points. That makes Driskel a viable play in 2QB/Superflex leagues.

Matthew Stafford's back injury is going to cost him multiple weeks so go ahead and add Driskel in those leagues.

Robert Woods Stealing Fantasy Points

In one of the most surprising inactive lists of the season, Robert Woods did not suit up on Sunday night versus the Bears. Woods was coming off a 7-95 game versus Pittsburgh and the Rams were already without Brandin Cooks due to a concussion. The Rams listed his abscesses as personal.

Because of the personal designation, Woods should be fine to play when t Rams take the field next. If this issue lingers, Josh Reynolds would be thrust into the No. 2 role on this team after being irrelevant as recently as four weeks ago. He should be owned in every league and started in many of those. Mike Thomas got most of the work as the team's third receiver but that role didn't amount to much and it certainly wasn' enough to roster the practice-squad player in fantasy.

The Worst Committee in Football Got Even Worse

Ty Johnson cleared concussion protocol and was set to return to the lead role in Detroit's backfield. Bo Scarborough had something to say about that in the best revenge-game narrative of the week. He went for 55 yards on a team-high 14 carries and found the end zone once.

Scarborough did not register a reception which would make him hard to start even if he were guaranteed to lead the backfield carries. Given how fluid the running back situation has been in Detroit, even the carries aren't guaranteed for the Alabama product.

Scarborough is certainly worth a roster spot for the potential of a significant role but he isn't coming near starter-status just yet.

The End of an Era in Chicago

Late in the fourth quarter, Chicago Head Coach Matt Nagy put Mitchell Trubisky on the pines and let Chase Daniel take the field. Daniel went ¼ for nine yards.

The truth is that quarterback Allen Robinson and co. need to jumpstart their fantasy seasons is not on the roster. Chase Daniel is a middling career-backup and Trubsiky looks set to start down that path.

The switch at quarterback may help the likes of Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Anthony Miller. However, don't expect it to be more than a moderate upgrade at most.