Chargers RB Austin Ekeler has averaged 7.2 catches per game for the season, 6th highest in the league. That rate has climbed to 7.8 per contest over the past 8 games. That aspect is what keeps him high in our Week 15 fantasy football rankings, in spite of facing a Tennessee defense that ranks #1 in Football Outsiders' run-defense DVOA.
Commanders RBs Brian Robinson (quad) and Antonio Gibson (foot) were limited in practice this week, but neither guy is on the final injury report. They should both be ready for their usual roles vs. the Giants on Sunday night: Robinson the lead ball-carrier, Gibson mixing in on early downs and handling most of the pass-catching work.
Commanders RBs Brian Robinson (quad) and Antonio Gibson (foot) were limited in Wednesday's practice. We haven't heard anything to suggest that either guy is in danger of missing Sunday night's game vs. the Giants, but we'll keep an eye on them over the next few days.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith confirmed on Monday that rookie QB Desmond Ridder will take over as the starter going forward. He called the decision to bench QB Marcus Mariota "performance based," but added that Mariota is likely heading to IR with a knee injury. Mariota can be dropped from all redraft rosters. Ridder is unlikely to climb beyond QB2 status in Atlanta's run-heavy offense.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler managed only 35 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's matchup with a soft Raiders defense. It marked his 3rd outing among the past 4 games and 5th among the past 7 with less than 40 rushing yards. As usual, Ekeler made up for it with 67 yards on 5 receptions (among 6 targets). He did not find the end zone in a game that included just 1 offensive TD for his team. RB Joshua Kelley added 30 yards on 7 carries as the only other RB contributor.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin caught 8 balls for 105 yards and a TD in Sunday's tie with the Giants. His 12 targets led the team and constituted 29.3% of QB Taylor Heinicke's total pass attempts. WR Curtis Samuel followed with 6 receptions for 63 yards. WR Jahan Dotson added a 5-54-1 receiving line. The rookie's 9 targets ranked 2nd on the team. Washington now gets a Week 14 bye, then a rematch with the Giants.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. followed his best rushing performance of the season with his 2nd most efficient outing in Sunday's tie with the Giants. He ran 21 times for 96 yards, a 4.6-yard average. That trails only his 5.8 vs. Atlanta in Week 12 and was just his 2nd game this season with 4.0+ yards per rush. Robinson added 2 catches for 15 yards on 2 targets. he matched RB Antonio Gibson's reception total, while beating his backfield mate by 12 rushes. Robinson now gets a Week 14 bye before a rematch with the Giants. After that comes a tough spot vs. San Francisco, but then a top-notch rushing matchup with the Browns.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler racked up 15 targets and 11 catches in Sunday's late win over the Cardinals, snagging a 1-yard TD with 15 seconds left that set up the game-winning 2-point conversion. Ekeler needed that receiving production to make up for a mere 5-20 rushing line. Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller carried 2 times apiece and combined for 4 targets. It was Kelley's 1st game since a Week 6 knee injury landed him on IR. Kelley played 6 more snaps than Spiller but also less than one-third of Ekeler's total. Next comes a generous Raiders D.
The Commanders threw for just 138 yards in Sunday's win over the Falcons, running 37 times vs. just 23 dropbacks. WR Terry McLaurin led the team in targets (6), catches (4) and receiving yards (48), while no teammate exceeded 24 yards. TE John Bates checked in next with 3 catches for 24 yards on 4 targets. He and RB Brian Robinson Jr. caught QB Taylor Heinicke's 2 TD throws. Logan Thomas continued to lead TEs in routes but trailed Bates by 1 target and logged just 1 catch for 7 yards. WRs Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel combined or 0 catches on 1 target.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson delivered his 1st career 100-yard game in Sunday's win over the Falcons, rushing for 105 on 18 carries. He added 2 catches for 20 yards, including a 14-yard TD. Robinson reclaimed the rushing lead from Antonio Gibson after trailing his teammate there in Week 11. Robinson still ran half has many pass routes as Gibson, according to Pro Football Focus, and beat him by just 4 total snaps. We'd credit the production -- at least in large part -- to the matchup. Sunday marked the 1st time this season that Robinson averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry. And his 2nd-best mark in that category came last week against Houston. Robinson's 3rd straight game of 15+ carries does at least make him a potential volume play in Week 13 against the Giants. We'll see how he fares there before a Week 15 rematch with the Giants (after Washington's bye). Gibson totaled just 9 carries for 32 yards and 3 catches for 22 against Atlanta.
Chargers CB Michael Davis (knee) is active for today's game against the Cardinals. He's a low-level IDP but has been a full-time player over the past 3 games.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler caught just 2 passes for 17 yards in Sunday night's loss to the Chiefs, setting season lows in each category. But he carried a season-high 19 times for 83 yards (4.4 per rush) and a TD. It was Ekeler's 6th game among the past 7 with at least 1 rushing score. Isaiah Spiller followed him in the backfield, drawing 4 carries (11 yards) and 2 targets (2 catches, 11 yards) in roughly one-third of Ekeler's playing time. Sony Michel totaled just 5 snaps and converted a 3rd-and-1 with his only carry. The Chargers find positive rushing matchups each of the next 2 weeks -- but challenges beyond that -- according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs.
Panthers S Jeremy Chinn (hamstring) is active for the 1st time since suffering his injury back in Week 4. We don't yet know just how much he'll play, but there's room for him to jump back into a full-time role with several other safeties missing. CB Jaycee Horn (foot) is also active.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Marcus Mariota will remain the Falcons' starting QB for the "foreseeable future." Atlanta still has a shot to make the playoffs, and it sounds like Mariota will remain under center until that's no longer the case. A source does tell Rapoport that the Falcons "love the development" they've seen from QB Desmond Ridder. There's still a good chance we see the rookie in the final game or 2 of the season.
The Panther have activated S Jeremy Chinn (hamstring). That doesn't necessarily mean he'll play Sunday against the Ravens. Interim HC Steve Wilks on Friday called Chinn a game-time decision. But this at least makes it possible for the safety to return to the lineup. Even if he plays Sunday, Chinn might find his role limited. Wilks called his return from injury a "work in progress." That said, the team is down S Juston Burris and will likely miss S Myles Hartsfield. So they might need to play Chinn full time -- or at least find added motivation to do so. Chinn will be a risk-reward option for IDP lineups, barring clear statements on his intended usage.
Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks called S Jeremy Chinn "a work in progress" in his return from a hamstring injury and deemed the safety a game-time decision for Sunday against the Ravens, according to NFL.com. That makes Chinn risky even if active, but we'll watch his status Sunday. If Chinn sits again, he won't be replaced by S Juston Burris (out: illness, concussion) and probably not by S Myles Hartsfield either (doubtful: ankle). Carolina has also ruled DT Matt Ioannidis (calf) out. CB Jaycee Horn (foot) is questionable but finished the week with 2 full practices.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is done for the season with the knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game. That makes room for rookie Trey McBride to lead the position in Arizona the rest of the way. Ertz's target shares have been variable since WR DeAndre Hopkins returned, so don't consider McBride a high-level fantasy option. But he's a talented pass-catcher who could present some value for deeper formats.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler tallied 18 opportunities in Sunday night's loss to the 49ers. He gained 24 yards on 6 carries and caught 7 of 12 targets for 39 more yards. It was his 2nd lowest yardage total of the year, trailing only the Week 3 loss to Jacksonville. The NBC crew said after the game that the team hopes to get Keenan Allen and/or Mike Williams back ahead of a Week 11 home date with the Chiefs. That would certainly be good for the offense on whole.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the left knee injury he suffered in Sunday's win over the Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The team believes Ertz's ACL is intact, but he's scheduled for an MRI on Monday. We should get another update then, but Ertz owners need to start making other plans at least in the short term. Rookie TE Trey McBride will step in as Arizona's lead TE for however long Ertz is out. He's worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues, although we wouldn't trust him in Week 11 fantasy lineups.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz exited in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams with a left knee injury. He's officially questionable to return, but Ertz was carted back to the locker room, so don't expect to see him back out there. His absence leaves rookie Trey McBride as Arizona's lead TE.
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