Fantasy Football Daily Notes: Hollywood Brown MNF return possible, Heinicke supplants Wentz?

Read ESPN’s fantasy football Daily Notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.

The news: The Cardinals have designated WR Marquise Brown to return from injured reserve.

What it means in fantasy: Brown’s 21-day activation window opens with this move. He will be ineligible to return for the remainder of the season if he is not brought back onto the active roster within that timeframe. Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury hinted recently that Brown could play against the 49ers on Monday. DeAndre Hopkins‘ return to the lineup has revived Arizona’s offense. Brown could boost everyone’s fantasy production. He can be viewed as a WR2 upon his return. Hopkins is still firmly on the WR1 radar. He has averaged 11.5 targets and 21.9 fantasy points this season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also reported on Wednesday that Kyler Murray could miss “another week or so” with a hamstring injury.

Going deeper: After reuniting with former college teammate Kyler Murray, Brown tallied 485 yards and three touchdowns on 43 receptions. In six games this season, he averaged 18.3 fantasy points.

The news: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported “many around the league” expect Taylor Heinicke to retain the Commanders’ starting job.

What it means in fantasy: Since Wentz is still on injured reserve with a finger injury, Commanders coach Ron Rivera named Heinicke as the starter against the Texans in Week 11. Washington is 3-1 in the games Heinicke has started and his presence under center has revitalized Terry McLaurin’s season to the delight of fantasy managers. The receiver has averaged nine targets and 16.5 fantasy points in the past four games.

The news: Chargers coach Brandon Staley said Mike Williams and Keenan Allen will participate in individual drills on Wednesday.

What it means in fantasy: This news is very encouraging for the Chargers and fantasy managers. The Chargers have had Williams and Allen on the field together for 55 snaps this season. An ankle injury has kept Williams out of the past two games while Allen has played in two games this season. Herbert needs all the receiving playmakers he can get this week to keep up with a Kansas City Chiefs team that has averaged 423.1 total yards and 30 points.

The news: Ravens TE Mark Andrews and RB Gus Edwards returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday.

What it means in fantasy: Andrews has been dealing with shoulder and knee injuries, and he missed the Saints’ game in Week 9. Before being limited by injuries, Andrews averaged 19.1 fantasy points from Weeks 1 through 6. Edwards missed the Ravens’ Week 8 against the Buccaneers with a hamstring strain. With him back in game action, the Ravens will be able to deploy their favored offensive philosophy of wearing down opponents with its running game; Baltimore ranks sixth with 30.4 rushing attempts per game. In Week 11, Andrews can be viewed as a high-end TE1 while Edwards can be viewed as a flex option.

The news: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Bengals are hopeful Ja’Marr Chase will return in Week 12 against the Titans.

What it means in fantasy: A hairline fracture in Chase’s hip has kept him out of two games. While the Bengals believe he will return for the stretch run, he is not yet ready. Chase stayed in Cincinnati during the bye week for treatment. He’s still using crutches for precautionary purposes, but on Monday, he walked around without assistance. In the three games before the injury, Chase averaged 11 targets and 25.7 fantasy points.

The news: Chiefs WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman did not practice on Wednesday.

What it means in fantasy: Smith-Schuster took a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit on Sunday against the Jaguars and was quickly ruled out. According to the league’s five-step return-to-participation protocol, every player and every concussion is unique, so there is no set return date for players.

An abdomen injury prevented Hardman from practicing on Wednesday, nor had he participated in any of the three practices leading up to Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. If Smith-Schuster or Hardman are ruled out, Kadarius Toney’s involvement in the Chiefs’ offense should continue to grow. He finished with 90 total yards and a touchdown on six touches Sunday. Toney can be viewed as a flex option with upside and is rostered in only 53.7% of ESPN leagues.

Going deeper: The Chiefs lead the league with 313.9 passing yards and 2.8 passing touchdowns per game. Kansas City ranks third with 41.0 pass attempts per game.

The news: ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reported that QB Andy Dalton will still start for the Saints against the Rams on Sunday.

What it means in fantasy: In the past two games, Dalton has scored a total of 17.9 fantasy points. His margin for error against the Rams will be very small. It’s tough to have confidence in Dalton or Jameis Winston in Week 11. Chris Olave can be viewed as a low-end WR1 and Alvin Kamara as a low-end RB1.

The news: Texans WR Brandin Cooks did not practice on Wednesday because of a hip/wrist injury.

What it means in fantasy: On Sunday against the Giants, Cooks caught four of seven targets for 37 receiving yards after missing Week 9 against the Eagles. The Texans rank 24th in the league with 199.4 passing yards per game. Against the Commanders in Week 11, Cooks will be hard to trust as more than a flex option. Nico Collins was limited in Wednesday’s practice, but he led the Texans with 10 targets against the Giants and is rostered in only 8.5% of ESPN leagues.

The news: Rams QB Matthew Stafford returned to practice on Wednesday while QB John Wolford did not practice on Wednesday.

What it means in fantasy: There is a strong chance that Stafford clears the concussion protocol in time for the Rams’ Week 11 matchup against the Saints. Since the veteran quarterback has averaged just 11.7 fantasy points per game this season, he should not be trusted in lineups, especially without Cooper Kupp. If you need a streamer, consider Jimmy Garoppolo, Jared Goff or Taylor Heinicke.

Going deeper: Over the past two regular seasons, Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp have combined for the most completions (217), touchdowns (22) and yards (2,760) of any quarterback-receiver duo in the league.

The news: Commanders RB J.D. McKissic did not practice on Wednesday because of a neck injury.

What it means in fantasy: McKissic has missed two games with the neck injury and is on track to sit out for a third straight game. Both Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson Jr. are on the RB2 radar against the Texans on Sunday. The Texans’ defense allows a league-high 181.8 rushing yards per game. Over his past five games, Robinson has averaged 16.8 rushing attempts and scored double-digit fantasy points three times. He is rostered in only 60% of ESPN leagues. Gibson has scored 15 or more fantasy points in three of his past four games.

The news: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy “has a chance” to play on Sunday against the Raiders.

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What it means in fantasy: Jeudy did not practice Wednesday and has been called day-to-day by coach Nathaniel Hackett. His practice reports on Thursday and Friday will be revealing. Before Jeudy’s injury against the Titans in Week 10, he had two consecutive games with 16 or more fantasy points. Hackett also mentioned that KJ Hamler will miss the next few games with a hamstring injury. If Jeudy is ruled out, Courtland Sutton can be considered a WR2 against a Raiders defense that allows the seventh most passing yards per game.

The news: ESPN’s Field Yates reported that the Chiefs were among four teams that put in a claim for RB Eno Benjamin.

What it means in fantasy: This is further evidence that the Chiefs are not satisfied with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, which could also explain Isiah Pacheco’s increased role in the backfield lately. Edwards-Helaire wasn’t given a single rushing attempt or target and played four total snaps in Week 10 while Pacheco played 55.5% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps and finished with 82 rushing yards on 16 attempts. He’s rostered in only 33.2% of ESPN leagues.

The news: ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported WR Christian Watson will continue to be “a major part of the game plan going forward.”

What it means in fantasy: Fantasy managers with Watson on their teams should be very excited by this report. He played on 84% of snaps against the Cowboys on Sunday, had a season-high eight targets and scored 32.7 fantasy points. Watson also made history, becoming just the sixth rookie in the past 20 seasons with 100 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in a game. Watson is a great flex option in Week 11 against a Titans defense that has allowed the second-most passing yards (272.6). He is rostered in only 41.1% of ESPN leagues.

The news: Bears TE Cole Kmet did not practice Wednesday as he recovers from a thigh injury suffered against the Lions.

What it means in fantasy: Speaking to the media on Monday, Kmet said he didn’t think it was serious and was ready to play. Keep an eye on practice reports. Kmet has amassed 13 targets over the past two games and has scored 20-plus fantasy points in both. He has reached the end zone five times over the past three games and is now tied for the second-most TE touchdowns this season.

The news: Eagles TE Dallas Goedert was placed on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury.

What it means in fantasy: Goedert suffered the injury Monday night against the Commanders. He will miss at least the next four games. Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson are two options to consider for fantasy managers looking to stream the position.

Going deeper: Goedert was one of Jalen Hurts’ most reliable pass-catching options with 544 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns, second on the team in both categories. His absence opens up a 21% target share for other Eagles receivers.

The news: Browns TE David Njoku did not practice on Wednesday.

What it means in fantasy: Njoku hasn’t played since Week 7 because of an ankle injury. The Browns’ practice report should be monitored on Thursday and Friday ahead of their game against the Bills on Sunday. Harrison Bryant is a solid contingency plan for fantasy managers if Njoku is ruled out. Last week, Bryant scored 10.5 fantasy points against the Dolphins.

Field Yate’s Fantasy Field Pass: Replacing Kupp, how to value Taylor, McCaffrey, Mitchell

Mike Clay’s TNF Playbook: Packers vs. Titans

Tristan H. Cockcroft’s Week 11 positional matchup map

Matt Bowen’s fantasy film room Tee Higgins, D’Andre Swift among Week 11 upgrades, downgrades

Al Zeidenfeld’s DFS Best Buys for Week 11

• Fantasy Focus podcast (10 a.m. ET)

Friday:

Mike Clay’s Playbook: projections and analysis for every game

Eric Karabell’s Week 11 hot seat

• Daniel Dopp and Liz Loza’s Fantasy Improv: the lighter side of fantasy

• Fantasy Focus podcast (10 a.m. ET)

In case you missed it:

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 dish out the latest injury updates before talking the most interesting players for the rest of the season including some players who you need to consider for your flex spot. Plus, we break down the news or noise around the league. Listen | Watch

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