Free Agency and Injury report week 13 2019

Week 14 brought us a number of quarterback controversies. It also saw multiple teams continue to lose options at the receiver position. This opens up the waiver wire for some interesting acquisitions as we head into most leagues' playoffs.

T.J. Hockenson’s Rookie Campaign Ends Early

The Lions placed T.J. Hockenson on IR with an ankle injury Monday.

Hockenson has not hit double-digit PPR points since Week 4. In his first game as an NFL player, he went for 131 yards and a touchdown. He has 236 yards and a touchdown in 11 games since Week 1. He has been mostly irrelevant outside of Week 1.

Jesse James will draw the start at tight end going forward but doesn’t inherit a valuable role. Ian Thomas is a better streaming option if Olsen doesn’t play this week.

Calamity Strikes on Monday Night

Stefon Diggs and Dalvin Cook were injured on the same play Monday night and only one of the two returned. Diggs blanked his fantasy owners in the second half but was on the field while Dalvin Cook scored negative points in the half by fumbling on the one second-half carry he got. Cook did not return.

The good news is that Cook was not ruled out and came out of the locker rooms and onto the Vikings’ sideline for the remainder of the game. Hopefully, he led you to a first-round bye and he comes back for Week 15.

If he does miss time, Alexander Mattison is going to break fantasy leagues. He has already been successful on limited touches this season and now he’ll take over for Cook, who was averaging 23.5 touches per game. Mattison is the obvious No. 1 waiver priority this week.

Colts Lose Another Receiver
The Colts entered Week 13 without T.Y. Hilton, Eric Ebron, Devin Funchess, and Parris Campbell. They left without Chester Rogers, their No. 2 wideout on Sunday.

If the Colts are without Campbell, Hilton, and Rogers next week, Pascal would operate the first, second, and third receiver. Their other options in three-wide sets (Ashton Dulin and Marcus Johnson) have a combined 10 catches on the year.

Jack Doyle will continue to be heavily involved as well. He posted a 6-73-1 line versus the Titans and is a great streaming option who's still available on some waiver wires.

Kalen Ballage Goes Down
Kallen Ballage is the only back in NFL history to average under 2.0 yards per carry on more than 60 carries in a season. He went down with a leg injury and did not return versus the Eagles.

Patrick Laird came in and did his best Ballage impression with 10 carries for five yards. He did catch four passes for 43 yards. Myles Gaskin was the only other back to get carries. He rushed twice for 20 yards.

Laird isn't going to get much done on the ground but he is an adept receiver out of the backfield. Because the Dolphins find themselves in a great deal of negative game-script on a weekly basis, Laird isn't a bad option in PPR leagues.

Washington Continues to Lose Receivers
Washington lost Trey Quinn to a concussion during their stunning upset over Carolina. Quinn is second on the team in targets with 46.

Steven Sims Jr. took over slot duties for Quinn but couldn't get much going. He ended with a 3-29 line.

Washington ran the ball 30 times and passed just 25. They're a slow, low-scoring offense that doesn't look to the air often. When they have looked to the air with Dwayne Haskins under center, it's been ugly. Sims isn't worth the roster spot and it's time to bench Terry McLaurin as well.

Minshew Mania is Back On
Your bulk order of mustaches regained its resale value this week as the Jags benched Nick Foles in favor of Gardner Minshew at halftime. Foles had multiple turnovers and the Jags hadn't put a point on the board yet.

Minshew faired better but only slightly as he threw a touchdown and a pick. He also averaged fewer yards per attempt than Foles.

Jacksonville's receivers are going to be difficult to sort through going forward but the good news is that they have been passing frequently in recent weeks. As a team, Jacksonville has attempted at least 40 passes in four straight games.

This week it was Dede Westbrook with a 5-60-1 line. Next week it could be any of Westbrook, D.J. Chark, or even Chris Conley. All are viable starters going forward because of the passing volume.

Greg Olsen Takes a Shot
Greg Olsen took a shot to the head that forced him to miss the remainder of his game versus Washington. Ian Thomas came in and caught four balls for 24 yards.

Last season, Thomas ended the year with an average stat line of 5-49.2-.4 over his final five games.

If Olsen misses any time while dealing with his concussion, Thomas has the experience to step into the starting role and produce. He'd be an interesting streaming option at the tight end position.

Another Kansas Kansas City Back Goes Down
Darrel Williams left versus the Raiders after suffering a non-contact knee injury. LeSean McCoy and were the only two running backs left for Kansas City and it was Thompson who got the bulk of the carries. This was likely because the Chiefs had an insurmountable lead over Oakland and Andy Reid has been adamant about getting McCoy rest.

Expect a committee between the duo going forward if neither Damien Williams nor Darrel Williams can suit up in Week 14. McCoy would be a solid flex-option while Thompson, taking over the receiving role for Darrel, would be a deep flyer.

Any player who is projected to get a decent amount of snaps on the same field as Patrick Mahomes is worth considering.