Houston, we have a problem... 🤕

This was one of the most unbelievably brutal weeks for injuries that I can remember us having in a long time. So many big names.

What’s in store:

• Houston, we have a serious problem. Tank Dell’s 2023 season is over, and that’s a total bummer.

• The Patriots just lost their last semblance of competence on offense. They’re calling it an ankle sprain with no timetable for a return set just yet.

• Tyler’s top waiver wire targets: Week 14. Weather the injury storm with these players to save your playoff push.

• Deebo Samuel does Deebo things vs Philadelphia. If you’re a fan of efficiency, then you’re going to love what he did yesterday.

• Texans star rookie WR Tank Dell suffers fractured fibula vs Broncos, expected to be placed on IR

  • Of all the injuries to happen in today’s games - and there were many - this one hurt the most by far. Dell was caught up in the pile on a Dameon Pierce touchdown run in the first quarter of the game and had to be carted off the field. The injury will likely put an end to what was shaping up to be one of the best seasons by a rookie wide receiver in recent memory, and fantasy managers will be left without one of their most productive receivers the rest of the way as teams punch their tickets to the fantasy playoffs. With Dell out, Nico Collins took full control of the targets in the Texans’ passing offense with 12 targets, 9 catches. 191 receiving yards, and a touchdown. He’ll likely profile as a low-WR1/high WR2 the rest of the way with little competition for targets in the Texans offense moving forward. Meanwhile, despite his quiet outing yesterday, Noah Brown will be a much safer play moving forward and will qualify as a serviceable flex the rest of the way assuming Dell’s 2023 season is done.

• Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson exits game vs Chargers with ankle injury, could miss multiple weeks

  • The Patriots are officially deeper in the trenches than any other offense in the league right now with Stevenson, their best player, likely to be sidelined for a few weeks with an ankle injury. We’re officially at the point in the season where multi-week injuries can have the chance to be death sentences for fantasy football players given that the fantasy season extends only to Week 17, so the potential for Stevenson to essentially miss the rest of the season is very real. Ezekiel Elliott picked up the slack almost exclusively in relief of Stevenson after he left, totaling 22 opportunities on the afternoon and putting up a respectable 13 PPR fantasy points considering the Patriots put up a bagel against the Chargers in the elements. He’ll be worth a pickup on the waiver wire for the next few weeks as a potential low-RB2 the rest of the way, but fantasy managers would be best served just avoiding the Patriots offense altogether for fantasy purposes.

• Commanders RB Brian Robinson exits game vs Dolphins with hamstring injury

  • Robinson was well on his way to his signature 8-11 fantasy points on the afternoon before leaving the game with the hamstring injury and giving way to Antonio Gibson. Robinson was not targeted in the game even with the Commanders being down big from the jump and now faces an uncertain immediate future as the final two weeks of the fantasy regular season wind down. The good news for Robinson and his fantasy managers: he was already slated to miss Week 14 with Washington having their bye next weekend. That could give Robinson enough time to recover if the injury isn’t serious and be back for Week 15, but little is known about the exact severity of the injury at this time. The Commanders have been a tough watch on offense over the past few weeks and face the Rams, Jets, and Niners in the final three weeks of the season, so fantasy managers shouldn’t get hung up on waiting for Robinson to return this season to save their fantasy teams.

1. Ezekiel Elliott (RB - New England Patriots) - Elliott had already been serving as a sort of 1B to Rhamondre Stevenson's 1A in the rushing game, but Stevenson went down in Week 13 with what looked to be an ugly injury (currently believed to be an ankle sprain). We don't have an exact timetable for Stevenson's return, but one would anticipate he'll miss at least the next 2 weeks and by that point (Week 16) it may be in the Patriots' best interest to not rush him back. Elliott should serve as the workhorse back once again for the foreseeable future. He's already shown some production this year (7+ points in 8 of 12 games) but will likely remain a high-volume, low-efficiency option for the meantime. An RB2 option while Stevenson is out.

2. Tyjae Spears (RB - Tennessee Titans) - Derrick Henry went down early in the 4th quarter, paving the way for Tyjae Spears to step in as the definitive lead back in Tennessee where he would go on to end the day with 16 carries for 75 yards (4.7 YPC) and 4 catches (6 targets) for 13 yards. It appears to be a short-term injury for Henry, with the potential that the star RB doesn't even miss time. If he misses next week, you have yourself an RB2 with RB1 upside. If he doesn't miss next week, you still have yourself a solid RB4 who has established himself to have a somewhat enticing floor on his own (6+ points in 8/12 games). It's worth a gamble on an elite handcuff as a worst-case scenario.

3. Elijah Moore (WR - Cleveland Browns) - The WR position isn't so undesirable now in Cleveland with Joe Flacco at QB. For the first time since Deshaun Watson's season-ending diagnosis, we saw a Browns WR exceed the 12-point threshold. That was Elijah Moore in Week 13 with 4 for 83. The positive? 12 targets. Under Joe Flacco in 2022, the Jets threw a league-high 188 times in 4 games and had a WR exceed 12+ points in each of those games. With Amari Cooper (head) injured and Moore definitively serving as Flacco's go-to target in his absence, I'm prioritizing Moore as a waiver wire option this week with short-term WR2 potential while Cooper is out and long-term WR3 upside while Flacco is at QB.

4. Quentin Johnston (WR - Los Angeles Chargers) - Are we finally starting to see the emergence of the Chargers' 2023 1st Rounder? He's shown spurts of potential followed by returns to below-average production throughout his rookie year, but Week 13 saw him in a different type of role with season-highs in targets (7), catches (5), and yards (52) even despite less-than-ideal playing conditions. This may have been another rise before the fall (as he's done this year), but the potential is there for this to be the first step in Johnston becoming a league-winner for fantasy. We've seen it happen several times over the last few years with rookie WRs taking massive strides at the end of their rookie season. Johnston could follow suit.

5. Curtis Samuel (WR - Washington Commanders) - I probably sound like a broken record as Curtis Samuel has found his way onto the waiver wire targets list for what seems like over half the season, but he still remains available in a majority of leagues and he continues to be productive. Even despite a horrific offensive showing for the Commanders against Miami, Samuel still paced Washington in targets (5), catches (4), and yards (65) and managed another 10+ point performance (his 6th this season), drawing his total to 6 of 11 healthy games at that threshold. He's not going to be a player to go out and win your matchup for you, but he'll give you a serviceable floor if you need a FLEX. Not a bad option to have on your bench should you run into injury problems.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel entered Sunday’s game against the Eagles averaging eight opportunities per game in his last three games since San Francisco’s Week 9 bye, and he got more of the same treatment against Philadelphia yesterday. Deebo Samuel racked up just seven opportunities on the afternoon (four targets, three rush attemtps) – but the production this week far exceeded what we had seen from him over those three games prior.

From Weeks 10-12, Deebo Samuel averaged just 15.8 fantasy points per game and eight opportunities per game. In week 13, Deebo Samuel scored 35.8 PPR fantasy points on just seven opportunities – registering an unbelievable 5.11 fantasy points per opportunity metric against the Eagles porous pass defense. Samuel has been on a scoring tear since the 49ers bye, finding paydirt five times in the past four games after scoring just twice in the 49ers first eight games (he missed two due to injury).

What’s even more impressive was Deebo’s touchdown efficiency in yesterday’s game against the Eagles. Of his seven touches on the afternoon, three of them were touchdowns – meaning essentially every other opportunity he earned went for a touchdown. That level of efficiency obviously isn’t something Deebo will be able to keep up in a 49ers offense that also features Brandon Aiyuk, CMC, and George Kittle – but at the very least, it proves that Samuel still has the elite ceiling he showed when he originally broke out back in 2021.