The Loop Fantasy Football Report Week 9: Last-minute moves
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UPDATE: 7:38 a.m. Sunday
The big news this morning is a new timeline for a guy who already missed Week 9: Lamar Jackson.
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Turns out the Baltimore quarterback’s broken thumb will keep him out until Christmas at the very least. But with the Ravens likely out of playoff contention by then, we’d bet he’s done for 2026. You might want to cut him in non-keeper leagues,
Good news for Detroit, and The Loop’s fantasy team, as WR Amon-Ra St Brown is good to go today. Could have a big day in Miami.
Others cleared to play include Tampa Bay wideout Emeka Egbuka.
Ruled out so far this morning: Cleveland QB Deshaun Watson and Chicago RB Kyle Monangai.
UPDATE: 5:11 a.m. Saturday
There has been a lot of injury news since our last post, most notably “an emergency medical emergency” for New England running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Henderson is out indefinitely after an “emergency involving unexplained neurological symptoms,” so Rhamondre Stevenson will be the Patriots’ No. 1 RB for a while.
San Francisco’s injury problems persist. Three of their top receivers are out again this week: Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and Christian Kirk. So, it’s good for the Niners that they’re getting back Demarcus Robinson from injured reserve in time for their game against Las Vegas.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold is sidelined by, among other things, a cracked rib. Drew Lock is a little healthier and will start against Arizona. And Deshaun Watson’s concussion means the undertalented Shedeur Sanders will start at QB for Cleveland against New Orleans.
A slew of notable receivers have been ruled out: Seattle’s Rashid Shaheed, Philly’s Devonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, New England’s A.J. Brown, Arizona’s Michael Wilson and Washington’s Treylon Burks.
We’ll be back tonight with the last-minute moves. We’ll be traveling on Sunday, so that will be our final post of Week 9.
ORIGINAL POST: 3:25 p.m. Monday
Tuesday is Election Day across the United States, and roughly 10 percent of all fantasy football mavens will elect to spend the day foraging for a quarterback.
The comeback from an injured hamstring for Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson lasted exactly one play, until he smashed his thumb into a Buffalo Bill’s helmet. He’ll next be seen in an operating room.
So, it’s time to hit the waiver wires again. Forget about early season surprises such as Kirk Cousins or Bryce Young, as they’ve likely been claimed long ago. And forget about Snoop Huntley, as Jackson’s backup also left Sunday’s game injured.
Who’s left? In most leagues, you can probably find this not-so-fantastic five:
Geno Smith (Jets) — This veteran journeyman has looked good the past three weeks, with 829 passing yards and six touchdown passes. But the Jets’ matchup this week against Kansas City is not ideal.
Deshaun Watson (Browns) — For those who don’t have any morals standards for their roster, Watson has topped 300 passing yards the past two games and added a TD run. This week’s foe, New Orleans, is less than imposing.
Malik Willis (Dolphins) — The former Packer is finally showing some promise, with 556 passing yards, five TD passes and two TD runs the past three games. His Week 9 foe, Detroit, is still a below-average defense.
Gardner Minshew (Cardinals) — The Week 8 miracle worker ran up 188 yards and three TDs in the final 24 minutes after Jacoby Brissett was benched. But he’ll be no help this week if he gets the start against Seattle.
Cam Ward (Titans) — Former No. 1 pick had his career-best game against Cincinnati with 304 passing yards and two TDs. But he’ll be no help this week, as the Titans are on their bye week.
Sitting starsIt’s been a tough season for Baltimore RB Derrick Henry without his quarterback, and it won’t get any easier Thursday night against the Jaguars. … Same goes for Ravens WR Zay Flowers. … Cincinnati RB Chase Brown hasn’t scored since Week 1, and he probably won’t versus Atlanta. … You can forget about starting any of the Eagles’ receivers against the Giants, or the Commanders’ pass catchers versus the Rams. … And we’re guessing Buffalo QB Josh Allen will have a less-than-stellar Monday night in Minneapolis, though you all should start him against the Vikings’ defense anyway.
Matchup gameWe have a hunch the Vikings are going to try to make disgruntled receiver Justin Jefferson happy next Monday night against Buffalo. … Unfortunately for Minnesota, the Bills’ James Cook could have a big night. … Two rookie runners we like this week are Vegas’ Mike Washington against San Francisco and Miami’s Ollie Gordon II versus Detroit. … Cleveland tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has been hot lately, and he won’t cool off against the Saints. … And Jets WR Adonal Mitchell is becoming a Geno Smith favorite and will post good numbers against the Chiefs.
Injury watchArizona lost two running backs Sunday: Jeremiah Love and Bam Knight. So, Tyler Allgeier could see his busiest day in Week 9 against Seattle. … Green Bay receiver Christian Watson came back after getting hurt last Thursday. Will he be 100 percent this week? … Jets RB Breece Hall is set to return, but he’ll have to share the workload with red-hot Braelon Allen. … Will two star running backs, the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey and the Giants’ Cam Skattebo, return healthy from their bye week? … Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.
Deepest sleepersIndianapolis is very likely to be unloading Jonathan Taylor very soon. So, who would then be the Colts’ top running back? It will be either Seth McGowan or D.J. Giddens. They combined for 11 carries for 72 yards in mop-up time Sunday in Jacksonville. Not terrible, but neither is likely to lead anybody to a fantasy championship.
The Thursday pickJaguars at Ravens (+8½).
Pick: Jaguars by 21
Breaking newsWe’ll be updating our column, based on the latest injuries and innuendo, right up until Sunday’s kickoff. Go to TwinCities.com/theloop.
You can hear Kevin Cusick on Thursdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on X — @theloopnow. He can be reached at [email protected].