Landry Jones will get the start against Cleveland next week and then the Steelers have their bye. Roethlisberger could possibly return 2-3 weeks. We'll likely have a better timetable early this week. Roethlisberger is getting increasingly beat up this year with every week.
Green Bay Packers RB Eddie Lacy (groin) suffered a groin injury during Week 9's game against the Carolina Panthers. He is listed as questionable to return.
Lacy has been an immense disappointment this year, and this injury could really make it difficult for him to get back to a full-time starter even after he returns. James Starks was outplaying him again anyway, and now Starks will likely get more work against Detroit and a chance to build more momentum.
The one back that no one was picking up out of the three new 49ers additions ended up being the one to win the job. Carlos Hyde could be back after the bye, but if he isn't Draughn is poised to have flex value in the second half of the season.
Even Jones' quiet games are huge in PPR leagues. The Atlanta offense and team is fading heading into the bye, but a week to rest and get healthy should be beneficial for Jones.
Oakland Raiders WR Amari Cooper had seven catches for 88 yards and a touchdown and was targeted a career-high 13 times in a 38-35 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.
Cooper scored on a busted coverage, but his near WR1 production this year is no fluke. He's established an everyweek WR1/WR2 who never sees your bench. Next week he and the Raiders host Minnesota.
St. Louis Rams WR Tavon Austin had four catches for 15 yards, and he had eight carries for 66 yards in a 21-18 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.
Austin remains the second-most prominent weapon for the Rams after Todd Gurley. He'll be a good boom/bust flex going forward, with a nice home matchup against the Bears next week.
Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton completed 15 of 30 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and he ran nine times for 57 yards and another score.
Newton worked his magic as a deep passer and runner to stake the Panthers to a big lead which the defense held onto in the end. Newton should be ranked as an elite QB1 against the Titans next week.
Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning is just three yards short of former Green Bay Packers QB Brett for the National Football League's all-time passing yardage mark. The record held by Favre is 71,838. Manning finished 21 for 36 with 281 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Manning is clawing back to fantasy respectability, and he should be considered a low QB1 start next week against a Chiefs defense that he usually excels against.
Watson is an established TE1 now with Drew Brees lighting up the box score to try to stay one step ahead of a leaky defense. Next week against Washington should be another good one for Watson.
Cooks got free deep easily on his long touchdown. Weeks like this might be his floor going forward with Drew Brees dealing and the Saints facing a weak second half schedule.
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles threw for 381 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Week 9 at the New York Jets, but he tossed two interceptions and lost a fumble. Bortles completed 24 of his 40 attempts.
Bortles had some horrid moments against the vaunted Jets defense, but he kept probing the Jets defense and finding holes with his top three receivers. He should be a streaming consideration next week against the easy to solve Ravens pass defense.
Tennessee Titans RB Antonio Andrews -- deemed the workhorse back by interim head coach Mike Mularkey -- rushed 19 times for 88 yards, good for an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. Andrews added one catch for 23 yards.
Andrews effort and low center of gravity made him tough to bring down. His burst is better than similarly built former Titan Shonn Greene, and the Titans might have found their lead back for the rest of the year no matter what David Cobb does. Next week brings the tough Carolina defense.
Updating a previous report, New England Patriots RB Dion Lewis (knee) left the Week 9 game against the Washington Redskins due to a knee injury. The team will not know the full extent of his injury until he has an MRI, but the hope is he has a medial collateral ligament sprain and nothing more severe.
We're looking at a multi-week absence, maybe only 2-3 weeks at best, but the severity of MCL sprains has a wide range. Don't expect the Patriots to be forthcoming about this situation.
Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson rushed 29 times for 125 yards and found the end zone once in Week 9 against the St. Louis Rams. Peterson added two receptions for 18 yards.
Peterson is going to be even more important if Teddy Bridgewater is out at Oakland next week. He's been one of the few first-round running backs to return value and avoid catastrophe.
St. Louis Rams RB Todd Gurley carried the ball 24 times but averaged only 3.7 yards per attempt, producing 89 rushing yards. Gurley salvaged fantasy value with a touchdown run, and he chipped in three catches for 20 yards.
The Vikings defense was up to the task all day against Gurley, although if this is Gurley's floor, we'll take it. Next week bring Chicago on the schedule.
Crabtree was snagging everything in sight and scored a dramatic late tying score to put his score into week-winning territory. He'll be a strong WR2 heading into a matchup with Minnesota.
Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr completed 24 of 44 pass attempts for 301 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in Week 9 at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Carr was able to use his secondary targets at big moments, but his dynamic wide receiver duo were the real stars. The Vikings come to Oakland next week as Carr has basically elevated himself to an everyweek QB1.
Walker got the majority of his production on a lucky bounce when two Saints going for the interception collided, but it counts just the same. He'll have a tougher matchup against the Panthers next week.
Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota (knee) returned to action in Week 9 after missing two games because of a knee injury. He threw for 371 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions at the New Orleans Saints.
Mariota started slow, but a lucky long touchdown that should have been intercepted by the Saints got him jumpstarted and the rookie excelled from there. He'll have quite the test against the Panthers next week.
Blount should get a small bump in snaps with Dion Lewis's injury, but he's also less likely to have touchdown drives and big second half leads setting him up for optimal value. He'll draw the Giants next week.
Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 369 yards and four touchdown passes in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers after a 77-yard effort in Week 8. Rodgers tossed his third interception of the season Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Panthers.
Rodgers struggled for a good part of the game and took a lot of hits, but he was able to wear out the Panthers defense and use all of his targets to move the ball in a frantic late comeback attempt. He had the team close to a tying score, but couldn't convert in the end. Next week brings a much easier matchup at Detroit.
Williams was the #1 fantasy running back in the first two weeks, and he's back to being elite right away as the starter. Still, his value could suffer if Ben Roethlisberger is out for a long time. Landry Jones might be serviceable, but this offense loses a lot without Big Ben.
Miami Dolphins RB Lamar Miller scored two touchdowns and finished with 44 yards rushing as the Dolphins lost 33-17 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Miller was explosive as a receiver with 97 yards on a steady dose of targets. Jay Ajayi looks like a suitable power element to complement Miller, but Miller has restored faith that he can be a low RB1/High RB2 weekly start with the Dan Campbell Dolphins.
Buffalo Bills RB Karlos Williams had two touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards on Sunday, Nov. 8, in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. His touchdowns were from 11 and 38 yards out.
Williams could get more work with the Bills on a short week and LeSean McCoy banged up. The Jets are a tough matchup, but Williams has picked up where he left off and deserves consideration.
Buffalo Bills WR Sammy Watkins caught eight passes for 168 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, as Buffalo beat the Miami Dolphins 33-17 on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Watkins was a risky start today, but Tyrod Taylor found him deep twice and he sure looked full speed against the Dolphins. He'll turn around and take a trip to Revis Island on Thursday, although Allen Robinson was able to make his way to the mainland with a good line vs. the Jets today.
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