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We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most for you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations. These are many of the major stories and not meant to be an exhaustive look at all of the recent happenings around the league.
New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles told reporters on Monday that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will need surgery on his left thumb "at some point." Fitzpatrick injured his left (non-throwing) hand. Sunday night, Bowles told Alex Flanagan that Ryan Fitzpatrick is dealing with a ligament issue is his left hand so it makes sense that surgery will be required to fix the ligament. Fans will soon see if Geno Smith is capable of leading the Jets to the playoffs.
Carlos Hyde could be shut down for the season very shortly. A recent article in CSN Bay Area stated, “Hyde has a stress fracture on the outside of his foot, a source said. The only way the injury will heal is through rest or surgery. He can continue to play through the pain, but would likely require surgery after the season.” This was written by beat writer Matt Maiocco. At the very least, we expect Hyde to miss a few games. Beat writer Matt Barrows tweeted later this week, “Speculation: We won't see Carlos Hyde on a football field again until the 49ers play Seattle Nov. 22. That's one week after their bye.” This is a long time to keep the star player on the shelf. The team could go ahead and place Hyde on Injured Reserve if there is a need to preserve the spot on the active roster. The 49ers offense is lost without a strong running game. The game against the Rams Sunday proved how difficult it is for Colin Kaepernick to carry the offense. First, Reggie Bush tore his left MCL in an accident on the sideline while returning a first quarter punt. Bush will be a 31 year old returning from major knee injury. The odds are not in his favor. Then, rookie Mike Davis fractured his hand in the game. This left Kendall Gaskins to lead the ground game. It was an ugly day for the 49ers offense.
Steelers star LeVeon Bell left the game against the Bengals in the first half. It was later reported as a “badly torn MCL, along with other damage” according to Adam Schefter on Twitter. He was placed on Injured Reserve on Monday. We expect Pittsburgh to throw the ball often, mixing in DeAngelo Williams to keep the opposing defense honest. But, make no mistake, the offense will rest on the shoulders of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Bears running back Matt Forte injured his knee (MCL) in the third quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings. He is expected to miss at least two games. Expect rookie Jeremy Langford to see the majority of the touches. Langford flashed potential in the preseason and this could give him an audition for the starting gig with Forte a free agent after the season.
Last week, we wrote about how Titans rookie tailback David Cobb will be activated for the Week 9 game. The Cobb steam is picking up. Beat writer Paul Kuharsky recently said that he believes Cobb could be the bell cow when he returns. Now is the time to make a move for Cobb. Tennessee has little in the way between Cobb and the starting gig. Neither Antonio Andrews nor Bishop Sankey should be considered a threat. A healthy Marcus Mariota would help Cobb's chances of success.
Few teams have the drama of the Dallas Cowboys. Even with the Greg Hardy saga playing out, running back Joseph Randle is trying to get his share of the news headlines. While out of action with an oblique injury, Randle did not like being told that Darren McFadden has past him on the depth chart. Then, the NFL announced that Randle violated the NFL's personal conduct policy stemming from a domestic violence incident last February. The details of the situation are not pretty. So, with all of this swirling, Randle decided to go AWOL. No, we doubt he liked being told of the demotion or the possible suspension. But, we feel that a healthy Randle is better than a healthy McFadden. This is a crazy situation, even for Dallas. We will know if Randle is in the doghouse when he is healthy to return to action. Who knows, McFadden might be injured by then and we know the team cares more about putting players on the field than taking a moral stand. At this point, we must conclude that owner Jerry Jones enjoys feeding the circus atmosphere in Dallas.
Saints tailback Khiry Robinson is out for the year, according to head coach Sean Payton. Payton went on to tell reporters that Robinson has already had surgery to fix a broken tibia. This is disappointing for the talented Robinson. The Saints will rely on Mark Ingram more now than ever before.
It was disappointing to read Monday that Chargers star pass catcher Keenan Allen is out indefinitely with a kidney injury. There was no timetable placed on his return to action. Allen makes a great buy low for teams who can spare a middling WR2 for a few weeks.
Many dynasty owners are wondering why rookie DeVante Parker does not have a larger role now that he is healthy. Coach Dan Campbell was recently asked what is keeping Parker from more playing time. Campbell replied, "It's all about catching up on his fundamentals … He'll flash. And when he flashes, you know what's to come but they are few and far between right now. When he's ready to go, we're going to cut him loose and let him go and you'll see a lot of him. So if he's not there, he's not ready." We take this quote as actually a positive for Parker. The coach has high expectations on the rookie. The good news is the injury scare on Thursday night was nothing serious.
Indianapolis rookie receiver Phillip Dorsett had surgery last Thursday on his fractured leg. He suffered the injury in Week 7. Dorsett is hoping to return to the field for the last month of the season. Dorsett said of the injury, "I don't think (there is) any nerve or ligament damage," Dorsett said. "Just a clean fracture." We expect Dorsett to have a larger role next season. The Colts offense is not an easy one to learn. Just ask Donte Moncrief, who has blossomed in year two. Dorsett is a player to buy in dynasty leagues.
On Sunday night, the news kept getting worse for fantasy owners. It was confirmed that Ravens receiver Steve Smith tore his right Achilles tendon in the game against the Chargers. Smith had contemplated retirement but was waffling before the injury. At this point, we lean toward Smith returning to action in 2016. But, let's remember that an Achilles injury is not an easy one to return to full strength. Baltimore will be anxiously awaiting rookie Breshad Perriman's return to action from his knee (PCL) surgery early in the year.
While the news could be much worse, the Tennessee Titans will miss receiver Kendall Wright for a week or two. Wright sprained his MCL, according to Adam Schefter. This will force the Titans into showcasing rookie Dorial Green-Beckham since the receiving corps has little talent sans Wright and Green-Beckham.
Marqise Lee has been an enigma during his short career. The second-year pass catcher has been slowed by injuries almost since draft day. This past week, Jaguars coach Gus Bradley was asked about Lee's return to action from the hamstring injury, Bradley responded, "I wouldn't put a timeframe on him." Lee has missed the last five games and does not look close to returning to the field.
On Monday afternoon, the Denver Broncos acquired veteran tight end Vernon Davis and a 2016 seventh-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2016 and an additional sixth-round pick in 2017. Davis is a large upgrade over Owen Daniels and Virgil Green. We do not expect huge fantasy numbers, but there will be opportunity to finish in the Top 12 at the position most weeks.
Feel free to email me (Tefertiller@Footballguys.com) with feedback. Also, I am on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/JeffTefertiller), LinkedIn, and Google+, so you can ask me questions on one of these as well.
