2023 Fantasy Football Diehards

The Facts: According to NFL RedZone, Bengals WR Tee Higgins is questionable to return due to a hamstring injury. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Bengals Teammates Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd will receive more targets while Higgins is out.

The Facts: According to the NFL RedZone broadcast, Saints RB Alvin Kamara suffered an injury. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: We will provide more information as it becomes available.

The Facts: Titans QB Will Levis has been carted to the locker room, per NFL RedZone. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Backup QB Ryan Tannehill has entered the game.

The Facts: Panthers QB Bryce Young needed to be evaluated by the medical staff in the first half of Sunday's game. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Young is heading to the medical tent.

The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... Wilson has been benched. HC Sean Payton informed the team today that he is benching Wilson and will go with Jarrett Stidham as the starting quarterback on Sunday against the Chargers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: It’s a stunning move given what the Broncos gave up to acquire Wilson in a trade with the Seahawks, but it’s not stunning given that Wilson has failed to deliver: The Broncos are about to miss the playoffs in Year Two with Wilson, just as they did in Year 1. What Payton’s long-term plans are at the quarterback position aren’t clear, but what is clear is Wilson hasn’t gotten the job done, and Payton doesn’t want to risk Wilson suffering a serious injury and making it harder to move on from Wilson in the offseason.

The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... The Commanders are officially making a quarterback change for Week 17. HC Ron Rivera announced at his Wednesday press conference that Jacoby Brissett will make his first start of the season against the 49ers, with second-year QB Howell moving to the bench. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Howell has started all 15 games for the Commanders this year, but he’s had some significant struggles over the last three weeks. In that span, he’s completed just 40.9 percent of his passes for 285 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.

The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... HC Brian Daboll announced on Wednesday that Taylor will get the start at quarterback against the Rams in Week 17. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Taylor replaced Tommy DeVito for the second half of the Giants’ Christmas loss to the Eagles and helped give the team a shot at coming back from a 17-point deficit, so it’s not a great shock that the Giants made this call. After facing the Rams, the Giants will wrap up the season with another game against the Eagles and then head into an offseason that will be devoted to trying to turn things back around after their disappointing 2023 campaign.

The Facts: Lawrence’s status for this week’s game against the Panthers remains up in the air on Tuesday. HC Doug Pederson said that Lawrence has been diagnosed with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder after being injured in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers. Pederson said that Lawrence is “doing better today than he did yesterday,” but that he doesn’t expect Lawrence to practice on Wednesday. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: “It’s a little bit early,” Pederson said, via the team’s website. “He may do a little something tomorrow, but I would doubt that. It’s a little bit too soon, but we’ll see as the day, as the week, goes on. ...” It’s the third straight week that Lawrence is dealing with an injury as he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 14 and a concussion in Week 15. The Jaguars, Colts and Texans all have 8-7 records, but the Jaguars will win the AFC South if they win both of their remaining games and having Lawrence at his best would be good reason to feel confident about their chances of doing that. The repeated injuries and their concurrent four-game losing streak aren’t doing much to inspire that kind of confidence, so they’ll be hoping for some good news in the coming days in Jacksonville.

The Facts: HC Kevin O'Connell announced that Hockenson suffered a season-ending ACL and MCL injury. Reported by Vikings.com

Diehards Line: This is obviously not the news we were hoping for. Time will tell if Hockenson is able to be ready for the start of the 2024 season. A brutal injury for the Vikings and fantasy managers.

The Facts: Purdy left Monday's game against the Ravens after suffering a stinger, Josh Dubow of The Associated Press reports. Reported by CBSSports.com

Diehards Line: Purdy jogged to the medical tent early in the fourth quarter and had a conversation with coach Kyle Shanahan after exiting. His replacement, Sam Darnold, then took the field with the 49ers' offense following that conversation. The decision to appeared to be cautious with the MVP candidate as he remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the game. Purdy completed 18 of 32 passes for 255 yards and zero touchdowns, while also throwing four interceptions before exiting.