I hope everyone in FANation had a happy Thanksgiving, even if the football games were less than compelling. In addition to football and turkey, Thanksgiving was full of injury news regarding availability for Week 12, so let’s take a look at some players you should look at adding as a result. The players below are listed in the order I would seek to add them. Each player is listed along with his ownership percentage in Yahoo! leagues.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, BUF (48%) – This, boys and girls, is how you go from being an up-and-coming NFL head coach to a complete joke in just 10 short days. Tyrod Taylor is a flawed passer, and he isn’t running quite as much as in years past, but he takes care of the ball, and that has value. Taylor has thrown 15 interceptions in 1095 passing attempts in three years with Buffalo. The Chiefs have been a great matchup for opposing quarterbacks, last week’s wind-blown game against the Giants notwithstanding. In fact, the entire remaining schedule looks pretty inviting for Buffalo, which makes his benching last week even more egregious.
Zay Jones, WR, BUF (10%) – Kelvin Benjamin and Jordan Matthews are both dealing with injuries, and Jones has played well of late when one of those two are out. Jones caught six of seven targets for 53 yards and a touchdown with Benjamin out Week 9 and he caught four of seven targets for 68 yards last week with Matthews out.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, IND (20%) – Brissett was a full participant in practice Thursday, and it looks like he will play Sunday. Brissett has two touchdowns in each of his last three games, and the Titans have allowed eight passing touchdowns over their last three games.
Jaron Brown, WR, ARI (6%) – With John Brown and J.J. Nelson both nursing injuries, Jaron Brown could be Arizona’s clear No. 2 receiver Sunday. In the two games John Brown has missed this season, Jaron Brown caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Just keep in mind those games were with Carson Palmer at quarterback and they didn’t come against the Jacksonville defense. Ricky Seals-Jones would be worth considering at tight end as well if Nelson and Brown are out.
Paxton Lynch, QB, DEN (3%) – The Broncos officially named Paxton Lynch their starter on Wednesday, and while I’m not exactly expecting great things from him, he does have two really good receivers. There isn’t a scary matchup on the schedule the rest of the way, and if Lynch even comes close to his billing as a first-round draft pick, he could have some fantasy value down the stretch.
Bruce Ellington, WR, HOU (6%) – Will Fuller V still hasn’t practiced this week, but with the Monday night game, there no guarantee Ellington will get the start. Ellington caught six of seven targets for 63 yards last week with Fuller out.
Player News
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Dolphins released LS Blake Ferguson.
The team also waived CB Ryan Cooper Jr., DT Neil Farrell and OL Chasen Hines. Ferguson has been the team’s long snapper for five seasons and earned a three-year contract extension just before the 2023 season. He should be able to find work snapping footballs farther than the average snap elsewhere in the league.
DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman believes rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa “could make his earliest impact on special teams.”
It’s not much of a surprise, as most rookies cut their teeth with special teams duties. Twentyman mentioned return duties as a possibility, though the former Razorback never returned kicks or punts in college. At 6'4/212 with 4.43 wheels, TeSlaa is an explosive athlete who never translated his physical traits to on-field production at Arkansas. The Lions clearly saw potential for him to do so in the pros and traded two future third-round picks to move up to No. 70 overall for him. It’s going to be a slow burn for TeSlaa in the pros, making him a dynasty-only fantasy option.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.