Everything that happens in the NFL has additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football.
Our Fantasy Football Buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the league.
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Tucker goes off for Bucs; Packers lose Jacobs; Ridley's season over
By Liz Loza
Sean Tucker owns the end zone Sunday
Tucker took advantage of an exploitable Buffalo Bills run defense, finding the end zone three times at Orchard Park in Week 11. Respected primarily for his between-the-tackles ability, Tucker not only logged 106 yards and two TDs on 19 rushing attempts, but he also demonstrated pass-catching finesse, ripping off a 28-yard receiving score. The effort resulted in a hefty 34 fantasy points. With Bucky Irving still sidelined, Tucker appears to have earned himself a larger role in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield, registering double-digit touches in three straight games. The Buccaneers take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
Josh Jacobs exits in first half
Jacobs injured a knee in the first half of the Green Bay Packers' seven-point win over the New York Giants on Sunday. The 27-year-old registered 40 rushing yards on seven totes before leaving. Emanuel Wilson led Green Bay's backfield for the remainder of the contest, recording 49 scrimmage yards and a rushing score on 12 touches. Wilson figures to command a substantial amount of waiver wire interest if Jacobs misses time. Wilson is rostered in 5.9% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Calvin Ridley suffers broken fibula, out for season
Ridley favored his right ankle as he limped off the field early in the Titans' contest versus the Texans and was later diagnosed with a broken fibula. The veteran receiver was making his first appearance since sustaining a hamstring injury at Las Vegas in Week 6. Chimere Dike was concussed and did not return to the field in Week 11. Tennessee's receiving corps figures to remain decidedly thin heading into next week' s scheduled action versus the Seattle Seahawks.
Aaron Rodgers hurts left hand versus Cincinnati
Rodgers appeared to injure his left hand/wrist after being hit in the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers' win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Mason Rudolph took over for the 41-year-old signal-caller, completing 12 of 16 throws for 127 passing yards, 1 TD and 0 INTs. Rodgers has now posted single-digit fantasy totals in consecutive outings. The Steelers travel to Chicago in Week 12.
Bhayshul Tuten clears 13 fantasy points prior to injury
Tuten split carries evenly with Travis Etienne Jr. before being forced out of the Jacksonville Jaguars' route of the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11. Tuten logged 74 yards and a score on 14 rushing attempts prior to an ankle issue. Etienne finished the outing with 73 rushing yards on 19 attempts (he failed to haul in either of his aerial targets). Trevor Lawrence's former college teammate figures to hold on to the backfield's top spot, particularly if Tuten remains limited.
Looking ahead:
J.J. McCarthy's efficiency woes continue in Week 11
The second-year QB completed just 50% of his passes (16-of-32 for 150 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) in the Minnesota Vikings' two-point loss to the Chicago Bears. McCarthy, 22, has thrown for more than 160 yards in just one game all season. He has struggled with downfield accuracy (completing 27% of passes of 10 or more yards over his past two outings) as well as when facing pressure (Chicago only pressured McCarthy on six of 32 dropbacks, but the Vikings QB was just 3-of-6 passing for 23 yards and an interception on those six pressures). The climb figures to remain uphill at Green Bay as the Packers' defense entered Week 11 with the sixth-highest pressure rate (33%) in the NFL.
What to expect from Gadsden on Sunday following quad injury
By Stephania Bell
Oronde Gadsden II's knee-to-knee contact with a Pittsburgh Steelers defender looked immediately painful as he reached for his left knee and limped off the field in last Sunday's game. He was ultimately ruled out in the third quarter and had an MRI on Monday morning.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Gadsden suffered a quad bruise, a soft tissue injury with no fracture, or bone bruising. Still, the quadriceps (front of the thigh) muscle is large and has a good blood supply. That is ultimately great for tissue healing but can also mean significant bruising (bleeding) when injured.
Regaining full strength of his quad is key to helping control deceleration so as to not put his knee at risk for secondary injury. He is off the game status report, indicating that the Los Angeles Chargers expect to have him back for Sunday's game at Jacksonville. Functionally, Gadsden does appear to have recovered quickly, as he was able to fully participate in practice Wednesday through Friday, a good sign that he should not be limited at all in his return to action.
Patriots offense runs through TreVeyon on Thursday night
By Eric Moody
TreVeyon Henderson finished Thursday night's game against the Jets with a season-high 24 touches and a season-high 32.3 fantasy points. He became the fifth rookie this season to score three or more touchdowns in a game, the most in a single year since 2012. Henderson has been the Patriots' top running back for the third straight week with Rhamondre Stevenson out, and he's making a strong case for more playing time moving forward. Over that span, he has averaged 19 touches and 24.3 fantasy points per game. He next faces a Bengals defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to running backs this season. The Patriots also have the easiest remaining schedule for fantasy running backs.
Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins saw significant increases in snaps and fantasy production with multiple Patriots receivers sidelined, each playing over 80% of the snaps and topping 60 receiving yards. Diggs had the bigger fantasy day with 11 targets and 19.5 points, his second-highest total of the season. Their roles expanded because New England leaned heavily on 11 personnel with Austin Hooper out. Once Kayshon Boutte returns, the rotation should tighten again. Now is an excellent time for managers looking to trade Diggs to do so.
Drake Maye finished with just 15.4 fantasy points in what was his lowest total since Week 4, but he remains a must-start QB1 every week. He's completing 71.9% of his passes and averaging 8.6 air yards per attempt, making him just the second player ever to hit 70% and 8.5 AY/A through his team's first 11 games (minimum 200 attempts), joining Peyton Manning in 2009. The growth Maye has shown this season in both fantasy and on film is real, and he's throwing better outside the numbers thanks to Josh McDaniels' scheme giving him clearer boundary reads and better protection, allowing him to trust his receivers and throw with earlier anticipation. Maye's now completing a league-best 76.6% of those throws with 14 touchdowns, and the Patriots have the easiest remaining schedule for fantasy quarterbacks.
Breece Hall's playing time has been rising, and he has now played at least 70% of the Jets' offensive snaps in two straight games. He has also stockpiled at least 16 touches in both contests.
The Jets completely reshuffled their wide receiver rotation with Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds on injured reserve and two new trade additions. John Metchie III, Adonai Mitchell, and Isaiah Williams all saw expanded roles, with Mitchell leading the team in targets with six. New York still ranks near the bottom of the league in pass attempts per game.
Marvin Harrison Jr. out for Week 11 following appendix surgery
By Eric Moody
Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. underwent surgery this week to address appendicitis and will miss Sunday's matchup against the 49ers, head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed. Arizona will evaluate his recovery on a week-to-week basis, but this isn't expected to be a long-term issue.
Harrison's absence comes at a difficult time for the Cardinals' offense. QB Jacoby Brissett has revived the passing attack in recent weeks, topping 19 fantasy points in four straight games with Kyler Murray still on injured reserve. However, he'll now be without his top wide receiver, Harrison, who scored at least 14 fantasy points in back-to-back games. The Cardinals are also missing receivers Zay Jones, who tore his Achilles in Week 10, and Simi Fehoko, who was placed on IR with a wrist injury.
Fantasy managers should expect Greg Dortch to step into a full-time role, while Michael Wilson could see a modest bump in targets. TE Trey McBride remains the focal point of the passing game, and is a strong TE1 play against a 49ers defense that has struggled against tight ends recently. He's seen at least 11 targets in three of his last four games, averaging 23.7 fantasy points per game over that span.
Through nine games, Harrison has 34 catches for 525 yards and four touchdowns, ranking second on the team in each category behind McBride. Arizona's wide receiver depth is now paper-thin, making McBride and Wilson the primary beneficiaries for Week 11. Check out Eric Karabell's free agent pickups to find additional receivers worth adding.
Packers' Jacobs among fantasy's most reliable RBs
By Tristan H. Cockcroft
He might be only the fifth best-scoring running back, whether by total or average fantasy points scored, and he plays for what has been an inconsistent Green Bay Packers offense, but Josh Jacobs has been one of the handful of supremely reliable fantasy players all year.
Along with Christian McCaffrey and De'Von Achane, Jacobs is one of three running backs to have finished among the top 25 weekly scorers at his position in every week thus far, and Jacobs and Achane are the only ones to finish 21st or better in every one of their teams' games. Jacobs' bye week is behind him, and while he does have a handful of tough upcoming matchups (vs. MIN, Week 12; at DET, Week 13; at DEN, Week 15; and at MIN, Week 18), he's shaping up as one of the more reliable weekly top-10 running backs in the game.
Taylor's is no 'lucky' career year
Jonathan Taylor's exceptional season has brought with it a good degree of luck, but luck is often necessary in such outcomes and it doesn't always regress in-season.
With Taylor's three touchdowns in Week 10, he has 17 for the season, for a league-leading 6.9 more touchdowns than expected. That puts him within range of the 7.0 and 6.8 differentials James Cook III and Jahmyr Gibbs had at the conclusion of last season. Cook and Gibbs are "overachieving" yet again this year, too, with 2.1 and 4.6 more touchdowns than expected so far in 2025.
It might ease your worry of a Taylor downturn to know that, from this point forward in 2024, Gibbs was the top-scoring fantasy running back and Cook the ninth-best.
Here are some other statistically-oriented insights to consider for Week 11:
Trevor Lawrence's fantasy production so far this season has fallen within range of his past seasons, his 15.9-point weekly average slightly greater than his 15.2 career mark, but he appears to have been one of the more unlucky quarterbacks in doing so. His 143 total fantasy points scored are 28 beneath his expected number, easily the widest differential among the top 15 scoring quarterbacks. Lawrence fits as more of a No. 2 or superflex option rather than even a matchups-driven starter, but it's possible, seeing that number, that he'll register some big numbers facing plus matchups in the Tennessee Titans (Weeks 13 and 18) and New York Jets (Week 15).
Only one non-running back has been a "start" as judged by my Consistency Ratings in every week -- meaning a top-10 finisher at quarterback, tight end, kicker or team defense, or a top-25 finisher at running back or wide receiver: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who finished 25th in Week 4 but otherwise has ranked no lower than 13th in any other week. Smith-Njigba has scored a wide receiver-leading 53 more fantasy points than expected in what has been a major breakthrough campaign for him.
Drake London has been the top-scoring wide receiver in each of the past two weeks, as well as in Week 6. His three such position-leading performances being more than anyone else besides Taylor. That more of them have come in recent weeks, in what has been a mostly inconsistent year for the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver -- he has three games finishing 35th or worse at the position -- offers encouragement that he can return near-top-10 positional value, at least. London has averaged 25.6 fantasy points in the past seven weeks, tops among wide receivers, and his 128.2 total points during that time ranks third behind only Smith-Njigba (139.0) and Ja'Marr Chase (137.7).
With Hunter out for the season, are there any Jaguars WRs to add?
By Eric Moody
Jacksonville WR Travis Hunter will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair the LCL in his right knee, the Jaguars announced Tuesday. The procedure did not involve his ACL, and the team expects him to return to full football activity within six months, putting him on track for training camp in 2026.
ESPN's Michael DiRocco and Stephania Bell provided more information on the injury and what it means for Hunter and the Jaguars, so be sure to check that out.
Hunter had been developing into Jacksonville's No. 1 receiver, using his playmaking and versatility to push past Brian Thomas Jr. on the depth chart.
With Hunter sidelined, the biggest beneficiary is Parker Washington (rostered in 16.9% of ESPN leagues). Since Hunter's injury in Week 7, Washington has taken on a much larger role in the passing game, leading the Jaguars in targets over the past two weeks and posting 11 catches for 123 yards and a receiving touchdown during that span.
He has also played at least 80% of the offensive snaps in each of the past three games. Washington is firmly on the flex radar in deeper leagues and should be rostered in all 12-team formats or larger. He's one of the better waiver adds available right now. Check out Eric Karabell's free agent pickups to find additional receivers worth adding.
