Dynasty News: Week 7

Dynasty News has been a part of Footballguys for well over a decade. Our Jeff Tefertiller combines strategy with relevant NFL news to help dynasty managers excel with their teams. It examines some of the larger happenings of the week from a dynasty perspective. The news may be injury- or performance-related.

Dynasty News: Derek Carr, New Orleans

When Derek Carr exited in the fourth quarter of last Monday's loss against the Chiefs, we had no idea the extent of his injury. He was replaced by fellow Fresno State alumnus Jake Haener, who looked out of his depth. When the reports later surfaced that Carr would miss extended action, they were closely followed by murmurs of the Saints giving rookie Spencer Rattler a chance. Rattler started against Tampa Bay and played better than expected, but still only completed 55% of his passes and threw two bad interceptions. He has always had the talent but runs very hot and cold. This offense will continue to struggle as long as Carr is sidelined. He is expected to miss at least Thursday's game versus Denver.

Dynasty News: Justin Fields, Pittsburgh

Last week, even with Russell Wilson coming back to practice, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was asked about Justin Fields. Smith said, "There's no drama to him. He doesn't try to live through his avatar or create a perception. That's probably why he was so endearing to his teammates in Chicago. ... Extremely coachable, extremely bright … Same thing as a play-caller, you get in this business, people start making excuses, rationalizing ... put whatever they want on social media or make sure certain narratives get leaked out. He's old school." It is great to see Fields has matured and is easy for his offensive coordinator to work with. Also, these statements feel like a subtle shot at Wilson. This will be an interesting situation to watch play out, especially after the easy victory over the Raiders.

Dynasty News: Aaron Jones, Minnesota

Aaron Jones has excelled in Minnesota, playing in Kevin O'Connell's offense. The Vikings are coming off a bye week it will likely be later in the week before we understand the extent of Jones' hip injury.  He suffered the hip injury in Week 5 and did not return to the game.  O'Connell called the injury “week to week,” so we should expect Ty Chandler to start the Week 7 contest against the rival Lions. O'Connell did add that it “looks like we've avoided a long-term injury.”  Let's remember that Jones is 29 years of age and has only topped 200 carries three times in his eight-year career. For reference, Jones already has 71 carries through five games, putting him at a higher workload pace than any of his previous seasons. Make no mistake, he is a catalyst for the Vikings offense. The Packers made a mistake eschewing Jones for Josh Jacobs, giving the ex-Raider $48 million over 4 years while Jones signed a one-year deal in Minnesota for just $7 million. Jones looks like the superior back of the two so far this season.

Dynasty News: San Francisco RBs

Thursday night before the game, Ian Rapoport discussed Christian McCaffrey's return from his Achilles injury. Rapoport said that McCaffrey is targeting an early November return. Dynasty Managers should circle Week 10 on the calendar for an approximate return date. Jordan Mason injured his shoulder in the second quarter and could not play through the injury. The team took X-rays that showed no fractures. With the extended time to recover due to the Thursday night game, Mason is expected to not miss extended action. Guerendo and Taylor played well in place of Mason.