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Maybe McCarthy will turn it around next start and maybe these reps are necessary, but it sure feels awkward to watch Sam Darnold perform well again in Seattle while McCarthy putters around needing major fourth-quarter comebacks to crack the 100-yard mark. The fact that media members are already asking about a benching for McCarthy says a lot more than the box score has, and the box scores were already suggesting some dire things about McCarthy’s performance. It’s hard to suggest that an O’Connell-coached quarterback is a true bottom-rung superflex QB2, especially in a week where we’re talking about Shedeur Sanders starting, but the circumstances are whispering it strongly.

Well, hard to argue with the results after a 4/83/1 line on eight targets against the Falcons helped lead to a 30-points explosion, but a bit of a weird flex since Legette has been useless for most of the fantasy season. This does give Legette some FLEX appeal in Week 12 against the 49ers, but it also comes with the warning that he exited Sunday’s game with a hip injury that bears monitoring this week.

Kincaid missed Week 11’s game due to his hamstring injury and could be at risk of missing Week 12 due to the short turnaround to prepare for Thursday night. Backup Dawson Knox saw only three targets in place of Kincaid while running a season-high 28 routes, per PFF. Fantasy managers shouldn’t count on Knox as a spot start if Kincaid were to miss another game.

Gay was already on the hot seat entering Week 11’s game against the Dolphins. The veteran kicker has gone 9-for-10 on field goal attempts inside of 50 yards this season, but is just 4-for-9 on kicks of 50-plus yards this season. His two missed field goals in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins were the final straw, with his last miss coming on a wide right attempt from 55 yards out that had plenty of distance to get through. Gay signed a one-year contract with the Commanders this offseason after spending the last two years with the Colts. With the Commanders now entering their bye week, we would expect them to bring on a handful of players to compete for the kicking job ahead of Week 13.

The Niners continue to push back the return for Aiyuk, who is still working his way back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in 2024. 49ers general manager John Lynch said last week that the team still plans to get Aiyuk on the field at some point this season, but the timeline for his return remains a mystery. In addition to Aiyuk, the Niners also said they won’t be opening Jacob Cowing’s return window until after their Week 14 bye. Cowing has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.

As Panthers beat writer Joe Person notes, this is par for the course for Canales, who doesn’t offer injury updates during Monday’s presser. Young played through his injury in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, and churned out a career-high 448 yards in the victory. It was undoubtedly his best game as a pro, and gave the Panthers a much-needed win as they aim to keep pace with the Buccaneers in the NFC South. Given how he played on Sunday, it seems unlikely that this injury would sideline Young for Week 12’s game against the 49ers, but his status will be one to monitor throughout the week.

It’s not often a player clears concussion protocol less than 24 hours after entering it, so this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Stefanski said he will wait until Wednesday to discuss how the team is preparing for the Raiders in Week 12, but things could be shaping up for Shedeur Sanders to make his first career start if Gabriel is unable to clear protocol. We’ll have a better sense of where things are headed once the Browns release their first injury report on Wednesday.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Penix aggravated a bone bruise and knee sprain he suffered earlier in the season, but also added, “there has been damage to the ACL, which could mean a full reconstruction.” There’s still some uncertainty regarding Penix’s ACL injury, but we expect a more definitive diagnosis once Penix has had a chance to seek a second opinion — which he is reportedly in the process of doing. Regardless, it sounds like this is shaping up to be a season-ender for Penix, who has thrown for 1,982-9-3 this season while completing 60.1 percent of his passes. For now, Penix is out for a minimum of four games, putting Kirk Cousins in the driver’s seat going forward.

Something similar was reported on Sunday morning, but speaking on Monday, Ryans confirmed that Stroud may not return this week. The Texans’ QB1 remains in the league’s concussion protocol, but the Texans playing on Thursday night only adds to the complications. Stroud has missed two straight games due to his concussion, but the Texans have managed to go 2-0 in his absence with Davis Mills under center. Mills has thrown for 566 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in his two starts this season, but shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a desperation play in 2QB/superflex leads if he draws the start. Ryans said S Jalen Pitre, who is also in the concussion protocol, is uncertain for Thursday night’s game.

Were it not for an injury to Tyrod Taylor earlier this season, this may have happened much sooner than Week 12. However, the injury to Taylor in Week 8 bought Fields some extra time, and the Jets won back-to-back games in Weeks 8 and 10, generating some hope that the team may be turning a corner. That hope, however, was quickly dashed in Week 11’s loss to the Patriots, when Fields, who struggled mightily in Week 10 despite the victory, threw for 116 yards and one touchdown while also losing a key fumble late in the game. Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets this offseason and carries a $22 million dead cap hit in 2026 if released. The Jets will likely take on that hit as they look to again rebuild their QB room in 2026.