We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most to 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 the recent happenings around the league.
Shock waves were sent around the NFL and fantasy leagues, Sunday, after Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a knee injury. He was injured in the third quarter of the victory over the Rams. The win came at a steep cost as Wentz tore his ACL in the contest and will now be forced to root on his teammates. Nick Foles succeeded Wentz in the contest but was far from his Chip Kelly-infused 2013 form. Philadelphia will need Foles to throw down the field with accuracy, something we have not recently seen from him. We expect the impact on the Eagles’ receivers to be noticeable, with more short passes and few shots down the field.
Robby Anderson owners were sad to see Josh McCown go down to injury on Sunday. The loss of McCown meant the entrance of Bryce Petty to the lineup. So, when Rich Cimini tweeted Monday, “Josh McCown will have season-ending surgery on his left hand, Todd Bowles said. #Jets” it will result in Petty under center this week … just in time for the fantasy semifinals and quarterfinals. McCown looked for Anderson down the field often and has been instrumental in the fantasy success of the speedster. With Jermaine Kearse and Quincy Enunwa joining Anderson on the field, New York has a solid corps of receivers. The Jets would be smart to re-sign McCown, even if drafting a rookie early in round one.
Still the team’s leading rusher for the running back position, Chris Carson was hoping to make it back to the field this year. He was placed on injured reserve earlier in the year with a broken leg with the hope he could return late in the year. Coach Pete Carroll told reporters this past week that Carson had a hiccup in his return. He said, "Chris had a little setback. We were looking to find the time when we could put him back on the practice field. We were looking with real optimism. But I don’t know if that’s going to happen." Carson and Mike Davis have outplayed their counterparts in the Seahawks backfield and could become a formidable duo in the coming years.
Last Thursday, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said on NFL Radio that first-round pick John Ross was concealing an injury to his shoulder and has now been shut down for the season and has been placed on injured reserve. Adam Schefter tweeted on the subject, “Bengals placed first-round pick John Ross on IR with a shoulder injury. In three games, the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft failed to catch a pass and lost a fumble.” Interestingly, this injury was to the other shoulder than the one which was surgically-repaired earlier in the year. For a team lacking weapons outside of A.J. Green, Cincinnati will need Ross healthy next season.
While not a shock, the release of Kenny Britt still made the news last week. Cleveland cut him nine months after signing a four-year, $32.5 million deal. Britt cleared waivers due to this monster contract. Mo team wanted to take that on for a player at his caliber at this stage in his career. The guaranteed portion of the contract has run out so there will not be any cap consequences to the move. Interestingly, this move came on the same day as John Dorsey was announced as the new general manager. Dorsey made a name for himself in Green Bay and Kansas City and has ample draft picks and salary cap to improve the Browns. Dorsey replaced Sashi Brown as head of the Cleveland front office. Back to Britt. While still young enough to play, many question his desire and effort at this stage in his career. The Browns are set at receiver going forward with Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman. Britt, and his reported poor attitude, were no longer needed.
Last week, the Texans placed tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz on injured reserve for the second time this season. Both times, it was for concussions. This past summer, Fiedorowicz signed a contract with $10 million in guarantees. This is great timing for the 26-year old. Fiedorowicz joins fellow tight end, Ryan, Griffin, on injured reserve. This leaves Stephen Anderson, a converted wide receiver, as the de facto starter in Houston. Beat writer, Aaron Wilson, tweeted, “Bill O'Brien on Stephen Anderson: 'He's got a versatile skill set. If we had won that game, we would have got a game ball. He's a tough guy, very smart player. We can do different things with Stephen'” and “Bill O'Brien on C.J. Fiedorowicz third concussion: 'No discussion with him yet. Have to let the player get back to feeling normal. We'll sit down and talk about where he's thinking about things. C.J. been a really top-notch football player. We expect to have him in the future.'” The Texans added MyCole Pruitt to the active roster for depth at the position. Wilson tweeted on Pruitt, “Bill O'Brien on promoting tight end MyCole Pruitt: 'Made some plays for us on the scout team. He's earned right to be up.'” Anderson has a chance to earn a role for next season as Fiedorowicz’s career is in jeopardy after the three concussions in a short period of time.
Writer Jeff Dickerson met with injured Bears tight end, Zach Miller. Dickinson reported that Miller has undergone 8 surgeries on his left leg. For those that may not remember, Miller was in a New Orleans hospital for many days after the game the injury occurred. The 33-year old tight end will be a free agent after the season and has little chance of playing again. According to Dickerson, Miller has "no timetable to resume a normal life," but is confident it will happen. We are just hoping Miller can live a long, normal life free from football complications.
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