Fantasy Sports

O’Connell in a Tuesday presser appeared ready to move on from Josh Dobbs after his Monday night meltdown against the Bears. Dobbs threw for 185 yards, one touchdown, and four picks, appearing out of sorts throughout. O’Connell said the team would choose a starting quarterback for Week 14 (after the team’s bye) based on which signal caller could best get the ball to Justin Jefferson, who is returning from a hamstring injury. “We’re going to make sure that whoever is playing quarterback is aware and understands the intent behind plays where either Justin is the primary [target], or based upon coverage, based upon the defensive look, how to quickly and efficiently get to the right place to go with the football,” O’Connell said. That puts rookie QB Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens firmly in play to take over for Dobbs in Week 14 against the Raiders. Both QBs should be monitored in superflex formats.

Mayfield attended Wednesday’s practice after injuring his ankle in Week 12 against the Colts. He missed some snaps but re-entered the game, hobbled and clearly playing through discomfort. “He’s banged up, seems like a week where he won’t do much,” Auman said. Though the Bucs should attack Carolina on the ground, Mayfield should suffice as a solid floor play in superflex leagues against a Panthers defense allowing the tenth highest drop back EPA since Week 9.

Pitts, who hasn’t seen more than five targets in a game since the middle of October, most recently ran a route on just 66 percent of the Falcons’ drop backs in Week 12, catching both of his targets for 22 yards. Smith said MyCole Pruitt and Parker Hesse were better fits for what the Falcons were trying to do against the Saints last Sunday (run the ball). In the run-first Atlanta offense, Pitts is not a viable fantasy option in 12-team leagues. Maybe next year.

Howard went down with an apparently serious knee injury in Week 12 against the Jaguars. He’ll require season-ending surgery. It’s a massive blow for a Houston offensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s 14th best pass blocking unit.

Walker was listed as not practicing for the second straight day with an oblique injury. He missed a Week 12 Thanksgiving loss to the 49ers and is now in danger of missing the Seahawks’ second straight Thursday game. Wednesday’s practice will determine Walker’s status, but Zach Charbonnet is slated to start in another tough matchup against the Cowboys in Week 13.

The Patriots are bringing back Grier just as quickly as they let him go. Right before their Week 12 game against the Giants, they released Grier and proceeded to let Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe battle it out. Unfortunately neither did well against a lowly Giants’ team and the Patriots quarterback room is now in shambles. Don’t be shocked if you see Grier in action soon, the last time we saw him he was having a solid preseason with the Cowboys.

This comes as a surprise in the football world as many people didn’t even know Taylor left Week 12 with an injury. The Colts hope to have him back in 2-3 weeks and will look to avoid putting him on IR. Zack Moss will go back to being the Colts’ RB1 for the time being. He’ll be a reliable high-end RB2 in that role until Taylor returns.

After getting in a full practice on Monday, Parsons popped up as a DNP on Tuesday with an illness. Normally this wouldn’t be much of an issue, but the Cowboys play on Thursday night against the Seahawks. While it would be surprising for an illness to keep Parsons out of the game, it’s possible that he may play at less than 100 percent, which could limit his snaps or effectiveness. It’s certainly a situation to monitor over the next 24-48 hours.

Leonard reportedly had another visit lined up with the Eagles prior to heading to Dallas, so this isn’t a surprise. It’s still possible that the veteran could reach an agreement with the Cowboys, but he appears to be in no rush to sign on the dotted lined. While the 28-year-old linebacker still appears to be working his way back from injury, he played on 70 percent of the Colts’ defensive snaps this season and totaled 65 tackles and two TFLs, so he will be a solid addition for whoever signs him.

The Vikings played it safe with their superstar receiver and it looks like it’ll pay off. With the Vikings having a bye in Week 13, it’ll give Jefferson even more time to rest his hamstring. It looks like we could see him back in Week 14, just in time to push you through to the fantasy playoffs.