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• Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby misses practice for second-straight day with ankle injury, status for Week 11 up in the air

  • The Jaguars running back has yet to practice this week after unsuccessfully attempting to thug it out through the same ankle injury last week. That resulted in him playing on just 23% of snaps in Week 10 and posting 0.4 PPR fantasy points against the Vikings last week. With Mac Jones under center, it’s unfair to have high expectations at all for anyone in this offense – however, with Bigsby potentially out of the picture, RB Travis Etienne could sneakily become a fringe RB2 start based on his projected volume alone. Etienne looked as healthy as he had all season on limited action last week, though that didn’t translate to production right away – he finished as the overall RB39 with just 44 scoreless yards. The matchup against the Lions is also quite difficult, so it’s important to remember that Etienne is nothing short of a desperation play hinging on his workload. However, fantasy managers in need of an RB2 with the likes of James Conner, Tyrone Tracy, Rachaad White, and Bucky Irving on bye could turn to Etienne to fill the void as a one-week rental. Pay close attention to practice reports later today to have the best understanding of Bigsby’s injury, and fire up Etienne as floor play should the third year runner end up being out.

• TEs Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid both miss practice Thursday with shoulder, knee injuries, respectively

  • The Lions tight end was on his way to what likely would have been his best performance of the season last week before he suffered the shoulder injury that has him trending in the wrong direction this week. He officially has yet to practice ahead of the Lions matchup against the Jaguars this weekend, and unless he’s able to at least be a limited participant in today’s practice, fantasy managers will likely be forced to find an alternate option on the waiver wire. LaPorta has been a fringe starter all season but was beginning to look more like the consistent fantasy producer he was in his rookie season as of late. TE Brock Wright can be a desperation add, but given the amount of talent elsewhere, fantasy managers would be counting on a touchdown for Wright to be useful in lineups. Meanwhile, Kincaid seemed like more of a long shot to suit up this weekend after sustaining a knee injury that kept him from finishing the game last week. Like LaPorta, he has yet to practice this week and is trending in the wrong direction for Buffalo’s high-stakes matchup against the Chiefs. Given that the Bills have their bye in Week 12, it could make sense for the team to rest Kincaid so that he’s able to get right for the stretch run. Dawson Knox could be worth a start as a fringe TE1 against a Chiefs defense that is one of the best matchups for tight ends in fantasy so far this season.

• Steelers added RB Jaylen Warren to the injury report with a back injury Thursday, officialy listed as DNP

  • A few things to note here: Warren wasn’t even listed on the injury report to begin the week on Wednesday. Not only was he added to the injury report midweek yesterday, but he didn’t practice at all. That’s certain to raise some eyebrows, especially considering he was a full participant on Wednesday. At this point, we can only speculate what might have happened between yesterday and the day before, but Pittsburgh is calling it a back injury for Warren going into the weekend. It appears at this time that there’s a chance Warren ends up not suiting up against the Ravens, but Friday’s injury report will shed the most light on the situation and whether or not fantasy managers should have a backup option ready. Warren had earned season highs in snaps share, rush attempts share, and route participation last week as he made his way back from another injury that cost him two games earlier this year. If Warren is unable to go, Najee Harris would receive a considerable upgrade against a tough Ravens run defense in Week 11. Cordarrelle Patterson could also be in line for additional touches, though he likely won’t be useful in any lineups outside of the deepest leagues.

Start of the Week: George Pickens (WR, PIT)

• The Ravens were getting toasted in the passing game going into last week’s Thursday night matchup against the Bengals, but Ja’Marr Chase’s 55 point performance only widened the gap even further between Baltimore and the next best matchup for wide receivers in fantasy football. 

• Jon Harbaugh’s defense is allowing the most pass attempts, yards, and touchdowns per game, as well as the most receiving yards, touchdowns, fantasy points, and 20+ yard receptions per game. Pickens also happens to be riding a three-game hot streak with Russell Wilson under center, posting a 27% target share and 18.0 PPR points per game in that span.

• The Ravens and Steelers are also tied for the highest total of the week at 48.5, indicating that there will most likely be points in this one. Pickens is the clear No. 1 in the Steelers offense, and with the Ravens being very stout against the run, we should be seeing plenty of Russell Wilson dropbacks in this one.

Start: Courtland Sutton (WR, DEN)

• Sutton and Calvin Ridley are almost the same receiver, except Sutton enjoys much better, more calculated quarterback play from standout rookie Bo Nix. And like Ridley, he’s riding a hot streak of his own after coming out the gate cold: his 32% target share and 20.1 PPR points per game dwarf his 22% target share and 8.7 PPR points per game from Weeks 1-7.

• He draws a very favorable matchup this week against the Falcons, who are allowing the 4th-most touchdowns and 5th-most receptions to WRs on the year. They’re also allowing the 7th-most fantasy points overall and the 3rd-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the left side over the past four games where Courtland Sutton runs the majority of his routes.

• Sutton’s floor is still down in the WR3 realm, but his production over the past three games has been perfectly sustainable. And with next to no target competition around him, Sutton should continue to be Nix’s safety valve against the Falcons. He’s a solid WR2 with upside this week to be a low WR1.

Start: Jakobi Meyers (WR, LV)

• Since Week 3, Jakobi Meyers is averaging a 30% target share and 15.6 PPR points per game. That’s on an offense also featuring Brock Bowers and some horrific QB play from a platoon of signal callers.

• Meyers has been doing this his entire career, and he’s capitalizing on his status as the top receiver in Las Vegas. Minshew is the lesser of two evils under center between him and Desmond Ridder, and should be able to prop up Jakobi Meyers even in a less than ideal matchup against the Dolphins.

• Despite being a tough matchup on paper, Miami has loosened up a bit over the past four weeks, going from 26th to 11th in fantasy points per game allowed to WRs. Miami is also favored in this game by a touchdown, which likely means another day of high-volume passing offense wire to wire for Antonio Pierce’s crew.

• Meyers fits in as a fringe WR2 with high-end WR2 upside given his propensity for earning targets and a matchup that promotes moving the ball through the air much more than on the ground.