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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
David Dorey

Tunnel Vision

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Trevor Lawrence  368-7 4
 Jalen Hurts 217-77 3
 Russell Wilson 247-57 3
 Jared Goff 330-9 3
Patrick Mahomes 352-(-3) 3
Running Backs Rush
Receive
TD
Jerick McKinnon 6-22
7-112
2
Christian McCaffrey 14-119
2-34
2
Miles Sanders 17-144
1-11
2
Austin Ekeler 15-45
8-59
1
Tony Pollard  10-42
4-20
2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Jerry Jeudy 8-73 3
Justin Jefferson 11-223 0
Ja’Marr Chase 10-119 1
JuJu Smith-Schuster 9-74 1
Mike Williams 6-116 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Evan Engram 11-162 2
David Njoku 7-59 1
Chigoziem Okonkwo 6-45 1
Dalton Schwartz 6-87 0
Dawson Knox 4-41 1
Placekickers XP FG
Ka’imi Fairbairn 2 3
Eddy Pineiro 3 3
Riley Patterson 3 3
Mike Badgley 4 2
Cameron Dicker 2 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Chiefs 6-1 1
49ers 0-3 0
Bills 4-2 0
Jaguars 4-4 0
Ravens 2-3 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Kenny Pickett (PIT) – Concussion
QB Mike White (NYJ) – Ribs
QB Tyler Huntley (BAL) – Concussion
QB Russell Wilson (DEN) – Concussion
QB Brock Purdy (SF) – Oblique
RB Dameon Pierce (HOU) – Ankle
RB Jeff Wilson (MIA) – Hip
WR Tyreek Hill (MIA) – Ankle
WR Corey Davis (NYJ) – Head
WR Tee Higgins (CIN) – Hamstring
WR Tyler Boyd (CIN) – Finger
WR Deebo Samuel (SF) – Ankle
TE Daniel Bellinger (NYG) – Ribs

Chasing Ambulances

It has been a rough two weeks for quarterbacks.

QB Kenny Pickett – The rookie was slammed down on a sack and was cleared to return after being examined for a concussion. He returned for a series but Mitchell Trubisky took over when they decided to rule him out and place him in the concussion protocol.

QB Mike White – The Jets quarterback absorbed a huge hit to his ribs and left the game. He returned and took an even more brutal shot to his ribs. He was brought to a hospital after the game to be evaluated. If he cannot play against the visiting Lions this week, Joe Flacco will step in for the start.

QB Tyler Huntley – He was already filling in for Lamar Jackson and then was hit hard and had his head snap back in the third quarter. Huntley remained on the ground for a few seconds and was eventually ruled out. Lamar Jackson is still out with a sprained knee, so undrafted free agent rookie quarterback Anthony Brown would draw the start if Huntley doesn’t pass the protocols. HC John Harbaugh suggested that Huntley may be back for this week’s game against the Browns, but he stopped short of guaranteeing it.

QB Russell Wilson – The first time that Wilson finally looks productive, he was concussed. The threw three touchdowns in a comeback bid against the Chiefs that fell short. Wilson looked very woozy and disoriented after the hit, and the severity of the concussion will impact his ability to play against the Cardinals this week. Brett Rypien would replace him if needed, but the timing is cruel given how good he finally looked.

QB Brock Purdy – He injured his oblique at some point in the game and left at the start of the fourth quarter because the game was already well in hand. He wasn’t pulled because of the injury but will be tracked until he practices this week.

RB Dameon Pierce – He was concussed with 11 minutes left to play in the loss to the Cowboys and HC Lovie Smith lamented afterwards that the loss was tied to his absence. The Texans intercepted Dak Prescott at the DAL 4-yard line with 5:45 left to play but four plays couldn’t punch it in and they turned it over on downs. The Cowboys drove 98 yards for the win. Pierce was replaced by Rex Burkhead and Eno Benjamin who combined for five carries for two yards. The Texans probably wouldn’t beat the visiting Chiefs this week, but he’d certainly make it better.

RB Jeff Wilson – He was carted to the locker room with a hip injury in the second period and never returned. His status will be determined during the week. Raheem Mostert would see more work if Wilson remains out and Salvon Ahmed or Myles Gaskin could also be involved.

WR Tyreek Hill – He injured his ankle at the end of the first half but returned in the second half while still limping and icing the ankle between series. The Dolphins play at the Bills this week so Hill will probably play even if he has to hop on one leg down the field. Even if he doesn’t practice, he won’t be ruled out until the last minute since he is such a critical part of the offense.

WR Deebo Samuel – The 49ers’ dual threat was bent backward awkwardly with his leg trapped under him. He was carted from the field and did not return. HC Kyle Shanahan later said that there were no broken bones but that the team wasn’t certain of the extent of the injury. He said, “If it’s a high ankle, that’s usually some time.” More should be known after test results are known but initially it throws doubt onto him playing at Seattle this week at the least.

WR Tee Higgins – He tweaked his hamstring in pregame warmups and wanted to play but the coaches would not allow him. He will get an MRI to determine how severe the injury is and an update should be known by the Wednesday injury report. Trenton Irwin replaced Higgins and caught two passes for 58 yards and a 45-yard touchdown.

WR Tyler Boyd  – He dislocated his finger in the win over the Browns and the initial prognosis is that he’ll likely miss several weeks but not the season. Trent Taylor is his backup and he caught a 34-yard pass on his four targets in the game.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

 QB Baker Mayfield (LAR) – His comeback in the final three minutes of the win over the Raiders was impressive and unexpected. But he still only ended up with 230 passing yards and one score. Granted, he will get to learn plays now but the problem is more about the receiver talent that he has to use.

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE) – Facing one of the top secondaries in the league, DPJ was the main target for Deshaun Watson when he turned 12 targets into eight catches for 114 yards. Amari Cooper was limited to two catches for 42 yards despite his seven targets.

RB Joe Mixon (CIN) – He was injured in Week 11 and remained out until yesterday. Samaje Perine was a fantasy gold mine for those three weeks but once Mixon returned, the workload reverted to the previous sharing. Mixon ran 14 times for 96 yards while Perine only rushed four times for 22 yards but did get the touchdown. Mixon caught two passes while Perine only caught. Perine is now just touchdown-dependent for any fantasy value.

WR Chris Moore (HOU) – With both Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins out, Moore stepped up against the Cowboys with ten catches for 124 yards and is the replacement for Collins. Amari Rodgers is the starting slot receiver and caught four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown in his first playing time as a Texan.

WR DJ Chark (DET) – He’s finally caught fire in Detroit with over 90 yards in each of his last two games. He logged six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown as the lead receiver in the win over the Vikings on Sunday.

WR Jameson Williams (DET) – The rookie that debuted last week with no catches, had his first NFL reception against the Vikings when he was wide open and scored a 41-yard touchdown on his only catch in the game.

RB J.K. Dobbins (BAL) – He was on injured reserve since Week 6 with a knee injury and returned on Sunday against the Steelers. The backfield remains a committee, but his first game back produced 15 runs for 120 yards and a touchdown. Gus Edwards gained 66 yards on his 13 carries, so Dobbins wasn’t given a full load. But he did more in that game than his four previous starts combined.

RB Jerick McKinnon (KC) – The Chiefs’ third-down back produced a season-high seven catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns at the Broncos and added 22 yards on six carries.   Isiah Pacheco still ran 13 times for 70 yards and caught three passes for 23 yards. But McKinnon was the weapon that kept the Chiefs in the game. It was reminiscent of his impact during the playoffs last year when he averaged 16 fantasy points in those three games.

Huddle player of the week

Jacksonville Jaguars At Tennessee Titans

Evan Engram  –  The Jaguars tight end never met expectations in New York after lodging a big rookie year and then far less in any other season. On Sunday at the Titans, he turned in a career-game with 11 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns as the highest-scoring fantasy player for the week.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Trevor Lawrence 375 4 QB Derek Carr 148 0
RB J.K. Dobbins 120 1 RB Travis Etienne 32 0
RB Chuba Hubbard 99 1 RB Saquon Barkley 48 0
WR Chris Moore 124 0 WR Tee Higgins nope 0
WR Zay Jones 77 1 WR D.J. Moore 6 0
WR Marquise Goodwin 95 1 WR CeeDee Lamb 33 0
TE Evan Engram 162 2 TE Mark Andrews 17 0
PK Ka’imi Fairbairn   2 XP   3 FG PK Ryan Succop  1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 154 Huddle Fantasy Points = 19

Now get back to work…

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