Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Commanders are expected to start QB Taylor Heinicke against Dallas in the season finale. But he adds that rookie QB Sam Howell "is also slated to play." Take this news as an admission from HC Ron Rivera that he was wrong to start Carson Wentz in the Week 17 loss to Cleveland. With Washington now eliminated from playoff contention, though, it would seem to make more sense to just play the rookie the whole way. The reported plan, of course, makes both QBs unusable in fantasy football lineups. And the whole situation adds risk to Washington pass-catchers. We're not changing our outlook for RB Brian Robinson Jr., though. Check out the adjusted Week 18 fantasy football rankings.
Responding to a question about RB Gus Edwards playing 9 snaps on Sunday night, Ravens HC John Harbaugh expressed regret. “I wasn't happy about that, Harbaugh said. “Gus should have played more.” J.K. Dobbins out-carried Edwards 17-3, a week after Dobbins held a narrow edge (12-11). Edwards won’t be a recommended Week 18 fantasy play against Cincinnati.
Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins tallied 93 yards on 17 carries in Sunday night's loss vs. the Steelers. This season has been one of ups and downs for the 3rd-year back recovering from an ACL tear in 2021. After a slow start to the year and some missed time, Dobbins has rushed for 90+ yards in 3 of 4 games since returning in Week 14 vs. the Steelers in their 1st matchup. It's safe to say Dobbins is slowly regaining his pre-ACL form. He'll certainly be a name to watch in 2023 as he becomes even further removed from injury.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw for just 212 yards in Sunday's win over the Rams. It was a fairly efficient outing, though, with lower passing volume than usual. Herbert threw just 28 times, his fewest of the season and 14.3 fewer than his per-game average entering the week. Herbert completed 21 (75%) and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt. The 2 TDs marked a big improvement over the previous 4 games, though, doubling his TD total for that span. It was just Herbert's 7th multi-TD game of the year. He'll close out the regular season against a Denver defense that's been toughest in the league on QB scoring.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst (calf) put in a full week of practice and isn't listed on the final injury report for Monday night's game vs. the Bills. He'll play in that one after missing the past 3 games. Hurst has averaged 5.5 targets, 4.2 catches and 35 yards over 11 healthy games this season, ranking 8th among TEs in PPR points over that span. But the matchup against Buffalo's 2nd-ranked TE defense leaves Hurst outside our top-12 TEs for the week.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst (calf) Hurst was a full-go in Thursday's practice. This news puts him on track to return from his calf injury for Monday night's game vs. the Bills. While the game figures to be a high-scoring affair, Hurst's individual matchup is tough against the 2nd-ranked TE defense.
The Chargers plan to activate EDGE Joey Bosa (groin) from IR ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams, HC Brandon Staley told reporters Friday, according to NFL Network's Bridget Condon. Getting Bosa back can certainly only help the defense, but he hasn't played since Week 3. So it'll be tough to trust Bosa in IDP lineups right away. We won't be adding him to the Week 17 IDP rankings.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst (calf) fully participated in practice on Thursday. We'll keep tabs on his status ahead of Week 17's game vs. the Bengals on Monday night. Check back tomorrow for an update.
The Seahawks placed TE Will Dissly on IR with a knee injury, ending his regular season. Dissly has averaged 2.5 targets per game this season, so his absence is just a slight boost to TE Noah Fant's fantasy value.
As expected, Chargers S Derwin James won't be suspended for the hit that got him ejected from Monday night's win over the Colts. The play did put him -- as well as WR Ashton Dulin -- into the concussion protocol, though. So James will have to pass through that before getting back onto the field. We'll see whether he can do so ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams.
The Raiders confirmed Tuesday that they'll shut LB Denzel Perryman for the final 2 games after he dislocated his left shoulder in Saturday night's loss at Pittsburgh. Undrafted rookie Luke Masterson looks like the best bet to lead Vegas LBs in playing time after seeing 84% playing time against the Steelers. Masterson has delivered 10+ tackles in 2 straight contests, so he'll carry tackle upside Sunday against the 49ers.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw for just 235 yards on 24-of-31 passing in Monday night's win at Indianapolis. It was his lowest yardage total since Week 10 (at San Francisco) and his 2nd-fewest attempts of the season. L.A. leaned run over a 2nd half it controlled. Herbert dropped back 22 times vs. 12 designed runs in the 1st half. For the game, he logged just 5 more dropbacks (36) than team run plays (31). We'd bet on a Week 17 rebound in passing volume against a Rams defense that sits 7th in Football Outsiders' run-defense DVOA and 21st against the pass.
Chargers S Derwin James was ejected from Monday night's game against the Colts for a hit in the 2nd quarter. He lowered his helmet and drove head-first into Colts WR Ashton Dulin, who left the field immediately after for a concussion check. We wouldn't bet on the league adding a suspension, so expect to have James back for Week 17.
The Commanders removed QB Taylor Heinicke from the 2nd half of Saturday's loss to the 49ers, replacing him with Carson Wentz. Heinicke completed 13 of 18 throws for 166 yards (9.2 per attempt), 2 TDs and 1 INT. He also lost a fumble. Wentz completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards (7.7 per attempt) and 1 TD. HC Ron Rivera told reporters after the game that he's not sure who he'll start in Week 17 against the Browns.
Ravens RBs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards split the rushing work evenly in Sunday's win over the Falcons. Dobbins edged his teammate by 1 carry (12-11), but Edwards led the way in yardage this time. He racked up 99, averaging 9.0 per rush with a long run of 37. Dobbins tallied 59 yards (4.9 per carry). Baltimore gets a tougher rushing draw against the Steelers in Week 17, which will make it tough to love either member of this split situation.
Chargers S Derwin James (quad) got back to full practice participation Friday for the 1st time since Week 13. That should put him in line to start Monday night against the Colts. We probably won't get the game-status report for that one before the 1 p.m. ET kickoffs on Saturday, but we'd recommend trying to wait on James instead of playing a lesser guy in 1 of those games.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst (calf) is out for Saturday's game vs. the Patriots. He was limited in practice all week and originally listed as questionable. So, unless he suffered a setback, Hurst seemingly has a good chance to return for Week 17. Mitchell Wilcox gets another game as Cincinnati's lead TE but would be a desperation fantasy play.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst (calf) practiced in a limited fashion all week and is listed as questionable for Saturday's showdown vs. the Patriots. Should the TE receive the green light to play in Week 16, he is best viewed as a mid-TE2 option. There are likely better options available for fantasy managers looking to advance in the playoffs though.
Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins (knee) was listed as “non-injured/rest” on the injury report all week and does not carry an injury designation for Week 16 vs. the Falcons. No major update here, but as a matter of good housekeeping, we're just letting you know he's good to go. Dobbins has gone for 120+ rushing yards twice since returning in Week 14. We're not predicting another gigantic performance, but it's worth mentioning that given the third-year back has only played in 6 games this season because of his knee issue. Consider Dobbins a low-end RB2/solid flex option in your lineups.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst (calf) practiced in a limited fashion for the 2nd day in a row on Wednesday. The final practice report for Saturday's game vs. the Patriots will come out tomorrow, so stay tuned as we learn more. Hurst's availability could go either way for Week 16.
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