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.

Dynasty News: Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville

After Sunday's game, Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson told reporters that Travis Etienne Jr. will be "week-to-week" with the hamstring injury that occurred early in the game. Etienne has been trying to play through a shoulder injury for several weeks. His absence will open the door for Tank Bigsby to take on a larger workload. Bigsby has flashed potential in limited duty and will get an opportunity to vie for a larger load when Etienne returns. Keep an eye on D'Ernest Johnson, who will see an expanded role himself, especially in the passing game. Johnson makes a solid waiver wire pickup in deeper dynasty leagues.

Dynasty News: Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went on 1053 The Fan radio show and said that the team  is "saving him … I can't emphasize that enough." Former Footballguys staffer Chase Stuart tweeted, “Ezekiel Elliott joins Eric Dickerson and Thurman Thomas as the only starting RBs in NFL history to see their rushing yards per game decline in 7 straight seasons.” He followed that with, “ Ezekiel Elliott is averaging 20 rushing yards per game after averaging 38 yards per game. He is almost certainly going to be the first RB to see his rushing yards per game decline in 8 straight seasons.” Stuart's comments drive home the fact that Elliott has lost a step … or three. Jones can say what he wants about saving Elliott, but the former All Pro is a shadow of what he once was with the ball in his hands.

Dynasty News: Audric Estime, Denver

The rookie fifth-rounder was placed on injured reserve before the season with an ankle injury. Last Wednesday, the Broncos opened the 21-day practice window for Estime. He was fully healed and was activated from injured reserve late in the week. The Broncos must have liked what they saw in practice.  While the Denver backfield is crowded with Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin, the team has been looking for playmakers. Consider the big game from Tyler Badie before he was placed on injured reserve. This is a conservative Sean Payton offense that relies on its defense. This offense has been lacking big plays and may give the rookie an expanded opportunity to make a splash. Estime was hand-picked by this coaching staff, which is something of note. He gained 13 yards on his first two professional carries.  Payton is a coach who likes “his” guys. Consider how many ex-Saints players are now donning Broncos uniforms.

Dynasty News: Davante Adams, New York Jets

After the disappointing loss to the Bills Monday night, the desperate Jets traded for Adams on Monday, reuniting him with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. His presence will put a damper on the ceiling of Garrett Wilson. While this hurts Wilson in the short term, Wilson becomes a great "buy" target for rebuilding teams. Adams leaves the Raiders with minimal talent at receiver, with just Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker left at the position. 

DynastyNews: Amari Cooper, Buffalo

Not to be outdone by the Adams trade to New York, Buffalo traded for Amari Cooper a couple of hours later. This is an interesting situation for dynasty managers seeking to take advantage of an opportunity. Cooper's renegotiated contract made the trade easy for the Bills as he costs less than $1 million for the remainder of the season. We expect the Bills to extend Cooper before the offseason. He has a couple of beefed-up void years left on his contract that necessitate either an extension or release. Cooper's presence in Buffalo limits the dynasty upsiide of Shakir, Coleman, and Kincaid. His departure does open up targets for Jeudy and Njoku. Cooper is 30 years of age and this may be his best chance for a title after playing for several lacking organizations. 

Dynasty News: Nico Collins, Houston

The injury evaluation kept getting worse. Day-to-day became week-to-week, and then Collins landed on injured reserve. The Houston offense already misses Collins, and he will not be eligible to return until Week 10 at the earliest. Before the injury in Week 5 against Buffalo, Collins led the NFL in receiving yards, averaging more than 100 yards per game (567 through five contests).  While his level of play has been high in the past few years, Collins has battled frequent injuries. His injury history may have been the catalyst for the Stefon Diggs trade. While the injury is unfortunate, it does open up a great opportunity for rebuilding dynasty teams to acquire Collins for a producing veteran if the other dynasty manager needs immediate help through the meat of the fantasy season.

Dynasty News: Rashee Rice, Kansas City

After the media attention regarding the severity of Rice's injury, he will still be out of action for the remainder of the 2024 season. He has already had surgery to repair his LCL, but the good news is that his ACL, MCL, and meniscus are intact. Rice is another player to target for rebuilding dynasty managers. While he does have the possible suspension hanging over his 2025 season, Rice's talent is unmistakable, and the pairing with Patrick Mahomes II is incredible.

Dynasty News: Malik Nabers, New York Giants

Malik Nabers missed Week 6 after regressing in his concussion protocol, and now we need to worry about Week 7. He last appeared in a game on September 26 against the Cowboys on Thursday, beat reporter Dan Duggan tweeted, “Malik Nabers did much less today than yesterday in the brief open portion of practice. He only rode an exercise bike on the side today. Yesterday, he was running and doing more football-related drills.” Concussions are serious. We hope Nabrrs can quickly recover as he has a bright future ahead.

Dynasty News: Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay

Monday morning, Jordan Schultz tweeted an update on Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks, "Sources: #Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks is considered 'week-to-week' after sustaining a shoulder injury that caused him to leave Sunday's game vs the #Cardinals." His absence will not be as impactful with Christian Watson back in the lineup. Wicks has seen fewer snaps and targets than expected this season. Many dynasty managers expected big things with the way Wicks finished his 2023 season, but Romeo Doubs has played well enough to keep Wicks on the sideline in three-receiver sets. 

Dynasty News: Josh Reynolds, Denver

On Friday afternoon, Aaron Wilson tweeted, “#Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds underwent minor finger surgery and, after a successful procedure, is expected to miss at least one game and likely a few more as he works to return potentially later this month, per a league source @KPRC2” The injury was more serious than Wilson realized as Reynolds was placed on injured reserve over the weekend and will now miss at least three more contests. The short-passing game employed by Denver has lowered Reynolds' fantasy and dynasty ceilings, respectively.

Dynasty News: Luke Musgrave, Green Bay

Last Thursday, beat reporter Tom Silverstein tweeted, “#Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that TE Luke Musgrave will be placed on injured reserve. He said they hoped they would get Musgrave back at some point. He said they didn't know the extent of the injury because he had toughed it out until he couldn't go anymore.” He was placed on injured reserve Friday.  With the phrase “at some point,” we are not expecting Musgrave back until late in the season. With Tucker Kraft playing so well, Musgrave will not be missed in the Packers offense.

Dynasty News: Michael Mayer, Las Vegas

Last Friday afternoon, Ari Meirov tweeted, "The #Raiders placed TE Michael Mayer on the NFI list due to a personal issue that has already caused him to miss two games. By moving him to the NFI list, he will be sidelined for at least the next four games. Hoping it's nothing overly serious." We, too, hope that it is nothing serious.