The Week That Was Football: The Injuries From Week 12
Big name injuries highlight this week’s Football Week That Was.
For 2014, The Week that Was: NFL will focus on injuries and their effects.
C.J. Anderson: Ronnie Hillman out. Montee Ball out. Worry? No. C.J. Anderson took the reins and he may never look back. C.J. put up 195 yards of total offense, got into the end zone once and might have a second time but did the right thing and took a knee to run out the clock. Bottom line here is that if you own one of the injured Broncos RBs and are counting on them to come back for the fantasy playoffs, you better have a plan B as CJ could be the man in Denver down the stretch.
Emmanuel Sanders: After suffering a concussion on a vicious hit last week, Sanders defied the odds, suited up and promptly proved that he was just fine. Sanders caught 9 balls for 125 yards and even rushed for three more. Going forward you can be totally certain that Sanders will get his looks no matter who is at TE, no matter whether Welker plays and no matter how often they run the ball. Start with absolute confidence.
Bishop Sankey: According to reports, Bishop Sankey may have suffered a concussion. Of course, that is bad news for Sankey but not major news for fantasy owners. Sankey was ineffective again, carrying the ball 10 times for just 37 yards and lost a fumble in the process. If you are in a TD heavy league, Shonn Greene is worth a look for three reasons. One, Sankey could be hurt. Two, Greene gets the goal line carries anyway. Three, the Titans get the Jets, Giants and Jaguars weeks 14-16. Guys like this make all the difference between whether you win or lose your standard league after injuries strike.
Giovani Bernard: After missing games with a panoply of woes, Giovani Bernard returned to action, carrying the ball 17 times for 45 yards while reeling in two passes on three targets for 22 yards. Not great, not terrible but not nearly as good as his teammate Jeremy Hill who scampered for 87 yards and a TD on 18 carries (4.8 yards per carry as compared to Gio’s 2.6). Bottom line here is that assuming both RBs are healthy next week Gio is in danger of being used as a third down back who gets about half the touches Hill gets. Plan accordingly.
Julius Thomas: Julius Thomas missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. My gut says he plays next week but who knows. That Jacob Tamme and Wes Welker did very little in this game shows you that the balls that would have gone to Thomas go to the starting two WR (D.Thomas and Sanders) and not to some surprise injury replacement. Bottom line here is that there is no diamond in the rough just waiting to be mined in the Denver receiving corps. I expected Tamme to see more looks. He simply did not.
Larry Fitzgerald: Larry Fitzgerald missed the Cardinals game in Seattle with his MCL injury. I think the Cardinals at 9-1 going into the game made the right call in letting Larry heal. In fact, it would not surprise me at all if Fitz missed next week’s game against Atlanta that the Cardinals should win without him. One thing worth noting here – even with Fitz out, Michael Floyd caught no passes. Yes, Zero catches despite the Fitz injury. Where have you gone Michael Floyd? Seriously!
Ryan Mallett: According to reports, the Houston QB may have suffered a torn pectoral muscle before yesterday’s game. In his two starts, he averaged just 200 yards per game and just 1 TD and 1 INT per game. If you are playing Mallett in anything other than a 16 team 2 QB league, you have issues. That said, the likely return to Ryan Fitzpatrick could be good news for DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson owners as Fitz, while not great, was more productive and prolific than Mallett.
Final Thought: Injury news changes quickly so make sure to check back right here at fantasyalarm.com for all the news you need to know.
Player News
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala says free agent QB Aaron Rodgers “is not going to play just for the sake of playing.”
Kinkhabwala has had conversations with Rodgers and executives around the league trying to sign him. Based on those conversations, she says, “it’s extremely clear Rodgers is not going to play just for the sake of playing.” He remains unsigned with the 2025 NFL Draft on the horizon and multiple teams needing quarterback help. The Steelers are the most likely fit, but it seems Rodgers won’t force it if he does not find a good fit. This explains why Rodgers has been interested in the Vikings and has not yet signed. The 41-year-old may be headed for retirement if a situation he prefers, like the Vikings, does not want him back. His options remain limited and Rodgers may call it a career if he still does not like his options later in the offseason.
Bears signed LB T.J. Edwards to a two-year, $20 million extension.
Edwards’ extension includes $16.6 million guaranteed. The Bears originally signed him to a three-year, $19.5 million contract two seasons ago and he has outplayed that salary. Edwards has four interceptions, 6.5 sacks, and 20 tackles for loss in two seasons starting for Chicago in the middle of the field. He gets a raise as the Bears lock up another important part of their defense after extending CB Kyler Gordon earlier in the week.
Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams visited the Falcons on Wednesday.
Williams posted on his Instagram that he visited the Falcons facility on what was the last day of pre-draft visits. The 20-year-old is a Georgia native, played at the University of Georgia, and is expected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Falcons have a need for an edge rusher and hold the No. 15 pick. They may look to keep Williams in-state and add his skillset to their pass-rushing group. Williams tallied five sacks last season and has explosive production for any team looking to add an edge rusher in the first round.
Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart “won’t fall out of the first round.”
Schultz reports his sources are indicating that Dart will not fall out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He continues that the Giants are a candidate to trade up from pick No. 34 into the first round to take Dart if they do not take a quarterback at pick No. 3. The Saints are also an option with pick No. 9 or a trade up from pick No. 40. Dart is generally considered the third quarterback to come off the board after Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, so a team in need of a franchise quarterback may take a chance on him after Ward and Sanders are selected. Teams could look to gain a fifth-year option on Dart and trade into the first round if he is not taken earlier.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Raiders LT Kolton Miller is not participating in the voluntary offseason program and seeks an extension.
Miller was the Raiders’ first-round pick in 2018 and has started 107 games over seven seasons for the team. He is set to enter the final year of his current contract in 2025, making $12.25 million. Though he is not technically holding out yet since the offseason program is voluntary, Fowler notes Miller is seeking an extension. He finished last season with an 80.6 PFF grade, No. 14 among offensive tackles. Miller has been the Raiders’ franchise left tackle for seven years now and both sides will certainly discuss an extension as training camp nears.
Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten said he had a private workout with the Commanders’ running backs coach.
Tuten didn’t name him directly, but Anthony Lynn is currently the Commanders’ running backs coach and run game coordinator. The Commanders were hampered by injuries to both Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler last year. Robinson Jr. missed three games and played through some of his injuries while Ekeler missed five contests and was limited to just 112 touches. Tuten crushed the combine with a 4.32 Forty at 5'9/206. He handled 200 touches in back-to-back seasons at Virginia Tech while topping 1,100 yards from scrimmage in both campaigns. He would offer the Washington backfield a good mix of durability and home run potential.