The last thing your Fantasy teams need at this point are hurdles to slow you down. It's Week 11 -- four teams are on bye and the injury bug is biting folks all over the place. Don't worry, we've got the latest to help keep you a step ahead:
Devonta Freeman (foot) and Austin Hooper (knee) are both set to miss Sunday's game at Carolina and will probably be sidelined further (Hooper especially could miss a month). Much has been made about Brian Hill replacing Freeman -- he's scored in each of the last two weeks and has some solid skills to fill in as Atlanta's lead (but not only) running back. The matchup is particularly good. Hooper will see his reps get split between veteran blocker Luke Stocker and rookie pass-catcher Jaeden Graham. You can do better than those guys.
Three 49ers are doubtful: George Kittle (knee, ankle), Matt Breida (ankle) and Robbie Gould (right quad). Raheem Mostert figures to take the second-most snaps at running back for the 49ers (and first-most if he has the hot hand) while Ross Dwelley and Chase McLaughlin will fill in at tight end and kicker, respectively. You should know Mostert (knee) is questionable to play but he practiced on a limited basis all week.
Ty Johnson (concussion) has a chance to get cleared after practicing in full on Friday. His return would hurt the upside of J.D. McKissic. You'd have to be flea-market desperate to start either of these guys against the Cowboys.
Stunningly, the Patriots don't have any marquee-type Fantasy players on their injury report (unless you could Matt LaCosse or Gunner Olszewski). That's a welcomed sign coming off of their bye week.
Jacoby Brissett (knee), Christian McCaffrey (foot), Adrian Peterson (toe), Phillip Lindsay (wrist), Amari Cooper (knee/back), Dede Westbrook (neck/shoulder), Gerald Everett (wrist) and Jack Doyle (shoulder) all got in some practice this week and are slated to play.
Notables who will miss Week 11 include Adam Thielen (hamstring), T.Y. Hilton (calf), A.J. Green (ankle), Chase Edmonds (hamstring) and Brandin Cooks (concussion).
Key offensive line injuries: The Rams' offensive line was already shaky, but losing two starters to injury last week will press some third-stringers into action against Khalil Mack and the Bears. It could seriously stifle Todd Gurley. .... The Jets will be without starting center Ryan Kalil (knee) and right guard Brian Winters went on IR. Left tackle Kelvin Beachum (ankle) and guard Alex Lewis (elbow) are questionable. It's not the best news for Le'Veon Bell -- more on him below.
Key defensive injuries: ... James Bradberry is back after missing last week's game, but fellow Panthers cornerbacks Donte Jackson (hip, questionable) and Ross Cockrell (quad, out). It's a little bit of good news for the Falcons passing game.
Williams didn't practice on Friday or Saturday. The only thing coach Andy Reid said about on Saturday was that Williams was "excused for a personal situation" and that he "should be back" to travel with the team to Mexico City. We may learn about his availability on Sunday since plays on Monday. If he ends up not playing, LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams figure to be in line to run and catch the ball for the Chiefs. Williams may particularly be useful off the bench.
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The Eagles listed Howard as a limited participant all week, but coach Doug Pederson told the media that he's not cleared for contact as he's suffering from a stinger. Since that's the case, Fantasy managers should assume Howard won't play. Rookie Miles Sanders is assumed to have a larger workload if Howard is ruled out with Boston Scott and maybe Jay Ajayi filling in as complementary runners. Finding emergency replacements for Howard won't be easy, but you could see if you can snag Raheem Mostert (22% owned in CBS Sports leagues), Peyton Barber (45%), Kalen Ballage (58%) or, if you're completely desperate, DeAndre Washington (2% owned) or Scott (0% owned).
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Jeffery didn't even practice this week, a telling sign considering he and the Eagles are coming off of a bye. It's almost better this way -- Jeffery wouldn't have been a good starting option anyway against the pesky Patriots pass defense. Nelson Agholor was in a spot like this when he was the Eagles' only capable receiver and shined (15-plus non-PPR points in Weeks 2 and 3). That's all well and good, but the Patriots figure to be a tough matchup for the predominantly slot receiver. Better waiver-wire replacements include Deebo Samuel (67% owned in CBS Sports leagues), Dede Westbrook (62%) and Cole Beasley (39%), but that might be about it. You may be better off with Agholor (18%) over Auden Tate (44%), Taylor Gabriel (14%), Ted Ginn (19%) or Hunter Renfrow (20%).
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Sanders didn't practice all week, putting him on the doubtful side of questionable, but he told reporters he intends "to try to play". It's possible he sits out, or is active but plays sparingly, or is active and plays the whole game. We may learn more by Sunday morning on his status, but your best bet is to have a backup receiver ready in case he does not play. Deebo Samuel would be a sensational replacement option, and late-Sunday or Monday receivers like Mecole Hardman, Auden Tate, Hunter Renfrow, Andy Isabella or Taylor Gabriel also would fit in.
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How's this for timing: The Bears release running back Mike Davis, don't replace him with a veteran option and then watch their rookie powerhouse roll his ankle in practice. Montgomery sat out Thursday and was limited on Friday. So if he does play, he'll run behind a disappointing offensive line against a very stout Rams run defense. Seems unpleasant. You should only start Montgomery out of desperation, and that's if he does play. Tarik Cohen would be the Bears' top back if Montgomery sits out. Last-minute emergency running backs to chase in case Montgomery is made inactive on Sunday night include Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson, Darrel Williams and Ryan Nall, the Bears' third-string running back (who's a powerhouse like Montgomery).
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The Texans' high-flying receiver practiced on a limited basis all week and is a game-time decision. If he plays, he'll return in time to play against the vaunted Ravens pass defense. If he doesn't play, it's probably because the Texans want to hold him out until next Thursday against the Colts. Baltimore's allowed just three 100-yard games and six touchdowns to receivers this year, but they have been buzzed for seven 40-plus-yard pass plays, tied for seventh-most. Fuller, as you may know, has one game with more than 10 Fantasy points in any format -- a three-score fiesta against the Falcons in Week 5.
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Yes, the Jets really listed three separate issues for Bell. Yet he was able to practice twice this week on a limited basis. It's probably not a great idea to start a sore-chested, sore-kneed and sick running back playing behind a bad offensive line, but here we are hoping for Bell to notch his third-straight game with at least 16 PPR points. The Redskins defense is good but not great. If the Jets play Bell, which is expected to be the case, he should still be fine for Fantasy, albeit more reliable in PPR formats.
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We've seen Brown on the injury report plenty of times before. Like last week, for example. Then he was activated and caught some clutch throws from Lamar Jackson for a big Fantasy game. With limited practices on Wednesday and Friday, Brown looks like a safe bet to play on Sunday against the Texans' 25th-ranked pass defense. He's got No. 2 receiver upside in what figures to be a high-scoring game.
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There's no surprising us this week -- Stafford will sit out as he continues to rest his back after it was reported he had some broken bones. Sounds painful! Jeff Driskel will start for the Lions. Should he start for your Fantasy team? Sounds painful! The top streaming quarterbacks are led by Kyle Allen (72% owned in CBS Sports leagues), Jacoby Brissett (70%), Nick Foles (49%) and Sam Darnold (33%).
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So who should you sit and start this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 11 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
