Fantasy Football Daily Notes: Cowboys in on Odell Beckham Jr., Josh Allen’s elbow injury concern, Leonard Fournette frustrated
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The news: ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that owner and general manager Jerry Jones on 105.3 The Fan said free agent Odell Beckham Jr. would look “pretty good” in a Cowboys uniform.
What it means in fantasy: Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has also recently spoken positively about Beckham. Last week, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that Odell Beckham Jr. will be fully cleared by the end of the week. Beckham suffered a torn ACL in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win over the Bengals. Among the teams interested in him are the Bills, Cowboys, Rams, Giants, 49ers, Chiefs and Packers. There is a strong chance he’ll need weeks of practice to get back to full speed and learn the playbook for his new team before making his 2022 debut. Fantasy managers should have realistic expectations when Beckham returns. Beckham could become a flex option rather than the WR1 we remember from his early days. Fantasy managers for whom that sounds appealing would be wise to stash him; Beckham is rostered in only 17.8% of ESPN leagues.
The news: Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Josh Allen‘s right elbow injury involving his ulnar collateral ligament and related nerves will limit him this week at practice.
What it means in fantasy: Allen should be able to manage the injury for the rest of the season, but he may not play against the Vikings in Week 10. Since it’s on his throwing arm, this could be a major concern as the Bills prepare for a matchup against the Vikings. Fantasy managers would be wise to pick up another quarterback in case Allen misses time. Justin Fields, Jimmy Garoppolo and Daniel Jones are excellent alternatives.
Going deeper: Before the regular season began, there was similar optimism regarding Matthew Stafford‘s elbow injury. This season, he averages only 11.7 fantasy points per game.
The news: Ravens RB Gus Edwards is expected to return following the team’s Week 10 bye.
What it means in fantasy: Edwards is expected to return to the lineup against the Panthers in Week 11 after missing Monday night’s game against the Saints due to a hamstring injury. DeSean Jackson, who played only 11 snaps against New Orleans and suffered a hamstring injury, is also expected to return according to head coach John Harbaugh.
Going deeper: Edwards and Kenyan Drake will face a Panthers defense that just gave up 211 total yards and five touchdowns to Joe Mixon on only 26 touches. Both will be very good flex options in this matchup.
The news: Tracy Wolfson of CBS reported that Buccaneers RB Leonard Fournette was “extremely frustrated” for being held out of a drive late in the first half.
What it means in fantasy: Fournette finished the game with 60 total yards on 14 touches. Rookie Rachaad White continues to eat into the veteran’s opportunity share, rushing eight times for 27 yards. Wolfson also reported that White consoled Fournette during the game telling him “we need you.” Both running backs have struggled to produce for a Buccaneers team that ranks last in the league in rushing (60.7 yards per game) and 22nd in run stop win rate. Fournette can be viewed as more of a low-end RB2 against the Seahawks in Week 10. There’s no better time than now to stash Rahaad White, who’s rostered in only 20.2% of leagues. As the rookie’s workload increases, he may become fantasy relevant right around playoff time.
The news: Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice.
What it means in fantasy: Last week, Hubbard took part in limited sessions on Wednesday and Thursday but was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Bengals after a DNP on Friday. The Panthers still don’t use D’Onta Foreman in passing situations, which is a role Hubbard would most likely fill. He can be viewed as a flex option in deeper formats. Hubbard is rostered in 30.3% of ESPN leagues.
The news: Titans WR Treylon Burks is eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 10 against the Broncos.
What it means in fantasy: Head coach Mike Vrabel wasn’t sure if Burks would be activated this week. Before being injured, he had emerged as an every-down receiver in the Titans run heavy offense that ranks sixth in rushing attempts per game with 31.1. Burks is rostered in only 22.5% of ESPN leagues. In the first four games of the season, he caught 10 passes for 129 yards and rushed for 12 yards on two carries. In the Titans’ game against the Chiefs, rookie backup Malik Willis started for an injured Ryan Tannehill, and Tennessee’s receivers failed to catch a pass on five targets. Burks is talented enough to provide the Titans passing game a spark for the rest of the season, so fantasy managers should stash him now.
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Mike Clay’s Shadow Report: wide receiver vs. defensive back matchups analysis
Seth Walder’s Next Gen Stats Advantage: Mismatches to exploit
DFS cheat sheets for DraftKings and FanDuel
• Rankings for Individual Defensive Player leagues
• Fantasy Focus podcast: Field Yates, Daniel Dopp and Stephania Bell talks the players to target in trades for a late season push, players you can drop and when you should take a risk in your league. Plus, Liz Loza joins to talk the players to watch in the NFC North! Listen | Watch
Wednesday:
Field Yate’s Fantasy Field Pass for Week 10
Mike Clay’s TNF Playbook: Falcons vs Panthers
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s positional Matchup Map
Matt Bowen’s fantasy film room
Al Zeidenfeld’s DFS Best Buys for Week 10
• Fantasy Focus podcast (10 a.m. ET)
In case you missed it:
• Week 10 fantasy football rankings at every position (PPR and non-PPR)
Matt Bowen’s streaming pickups: deeper picks for deeper leagues and emergency need
Eric Karabell’s flex and superflex rankings for Week 10
• NFL Nation’s Fantasy Fallout: beat reporters answer our most pressing fantasy questions
• Eric Karabell’s trade index and rest-of-season rankings for Week 10 and beyond
• Fantasy Focus podcast: Field Yates, Daniel Dopp and Stephania Bell recap MNF and give injury updates to stars such as Josh Allen before going through what roller-coaster players they are fading for the rest of the season. Plus, Eric Moody joins the show to discuss the players you have to add for Week 10. Listen | Watch