Cowboys pull the plug on Lamb's season 🔌

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• Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (concussion) has yet to practice this week as he continues to progress through the league’s protocol

  • All signs are pointing towards Hurts missing his first game of the year, and it couldn’t be any more poorly timed than it is. Hurts missed the majority of the semifinals with a concussion he suffered last weekend against the Commanders, and unless he’s able to pull off some miraculous turnaround between now and game time, it’ll be Kenny Pickett suiting up for Philly against the Cowboys. Bearing that in mind, as well as the rainy weather forecast for the game Sunday afternoon, things are certainly shaping up for this to be a Saquon Barkley game. As a result of the potential QB downgrade and the weather, WRs A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith would receive appropriate downgrades – Brown moving down to a fringe WR1 and Smith becoming a WR3 play. Pickett played relatively well given the circumstances last weekend in relief of Hurts, and a good matchup against a Cowboys team with nothing to play for should have him firmly in consideration as a last-resort streaming option for the fantasy championship. Pay attention the rest of today and tomorrow to make sure Hurts is out, but it could be an overall messy game between the two division rivals when it comes to scoring fantasy points.

• Cowboys shut down WR Ceedee Lamb (shoulder) for final two weeks of the 2024 regular season

  • Lamb has been through the wringer this year, dealing with poor play from his starting QB, backup quarterback play as a result of that bad QB play, and multiple injuries of his own. With the Cowboys officially out of playoff contention this year, it’s not surprising to see that they would opt to let Lamb rest and avoid further injury – but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with the Ceedee lamb sized hole in fantasy championship rosters. With Lamb out, QB Cooper Rush has gone from a respectable streaming option against a tough Eagles defense to entirely off the fantasy radar (i.e. we’d rather start Aidan O’Connell). With Lamb sidelined, the answers to the replacement question most likely aren’t wearing blue and white this weekend – though Jalen Tolbert could be an intriguing option if he’s able to go this week. He’s battling what seems to be a minor finger injury he suffered last week against the Bucs, and if he plays, he could be in line to lead the Cowboys in target share. Also on the radar is rookie Ryan Flournoy, though he’s a desperate option after having his best game of his career last week (a two-catch performance). There’s no 1:1 replacement for Lamb, but some of this week’s top waiver additions – think Olamide Zaccheaus and – could help mitigate the damage from Lamb’s absence.

• Chargers RB Gus Edwards ruled out for Week 17 with ankle injury, J.K. Dobbins questionable; TE Will Dissly removed from injury report and will play

  • Tons of moving parts for LA’s offense ahead of a pivotal Week 17 matchup agains the lowly Patriots this Saturday. Just a week after racking up nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage in Week 16 against the Broncos, Gus Edwards has officially been ruled out in what would be a good matchup on the ground against New England. Normally, this would call for a mad dash to the waiver wire to scoop up Kimani Vidal and/or Hassan Haskins – however, in a timely development, the Chargers designated J.K. Dobbins to return from injured reserve this week and he’s considered questionable to play. Dobbins practiced Tuesday and Wednesday before ultimately missing yesterday’s practice, and it’s anyone’s guess as to what that means for his status this weekend. However, if Dobbins would suit up, there’s a chance he could be slightly limited with Vidal and Haskins waiting in the wings to pick up any necessary slack. As a result, Dobbins would be a risky fringe RB2 start this weekend if he plays. As for Will Dissly, it looks like he’ll be back this week as a fringe-TE1 streamer, so fire him up in leagues where you don’t have one of the top-8 or 9 tight ends. Stone Smartt, meanwhile, can be placed nicely back on the shelf after two serviceable weeks filling in.

Bryce Young vs TB

• He had his best fantasy game as a pro last week against a relatively tough Cardinals defense, and he had his first game with three touchdowns and no turnovers. Now, he gets the Buccaneers, who are allowing the 4th-most passing yards, the 9th-most passing touchdowns, and the 2nd-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. The game is tied for the second-highest total of the week at 49.5, and Young has been getting it done on the ground over the past few games – he has three rushing touchdowns in five games since the bye. He’s also the overall QB11 over the past five weeks, and with the Panthers playing competitive football, Young is a prime candidate to stream in the fantasy football championship.

Bo Nix vs CIN

• Nix’s rushing production has fallen slightly off a cliff in the second half of the season – from Weeks 1-9, he averaged 32.7 rush yards per game and scored four touchdowns on the ground. Since Week 10, though, he’s averaged just 9.5 yards per game on the ground with no scores in that span. Luckily, he’s been able to be efficient as a passer and tossed two or more touchdowns in five of his past six starts. He has Cincinnati this week, who are a top-8 matchup in terms of pass yards, pass touchdowns, and fantasy points allowed per game this season, and the game is tied for the second-highest implied total on the week at 49.5. Nix has been a top-15 finisher in all but two games since Week 5, and he’s never been below 14 points in that span. He’s a low-end QB1 for me.

Pollard & Spears vs JAX

• How will this backfield shake out? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, and it seems like the Titans might be dialing back Pollard’s workhorse role with nothing left to play for these last few games of the season – and with Tyjae Spears playing very well, himself. Pollard has seen his two lowest snap shares of the season over the past two games while he deals with his ankle injury, and Spears has been up over 50% of snaps over the past two games. Both games have been blowouts, so there’s still technically a chance that Pollard could have that 15-20 carry upside if the game script would be competitive – but right now, Spears is playing better, is healthier, and has a role that’s suited to capitalize on the Jaguars shoddy defense. Jacksonville is allowing the 3rd-most receptions and 2nd-most receiving yards to running backs this season on top of the 2nd-most fantasy points per game this season, so Spears is likely the safer start at this point as a mid-low RB2 with upside. Pollard is more of a flex play that will need a touchdown to come through if the roles for these two running backs over the past two games hold.

Breece Hall vs BUF

• Breece got back to his full workload last week, taking 80% of the snaps, 70% of the rush attempts, and posting a 73% route participation against the Rams. The matchup this week is great for Hall against the Bills, who give up the 2nd-most receptions and the most receiving yards per game to running backs this season on top of the 3rd-most fantasy points per game. He’s got his role back, the Jets could be chasing points with Buffalo favored by 9.5 – I like Breece as a fringe RB1 this weekend.