Everything that happens in the NFL has some 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 NFL.
Key links: Fantasy depth charts | Scoring Leaders | Weekly Rankings
Dec. 6: Who's in, out, or questionable for Sunday?
New York Jets running back Breece Hall is not expected to play on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Rookie Braelon Allen is most likely to take over Hall's carries. Allen is currently projected for 12.2 PPR points.
The Philadelphia Eagles have ruled out tight end Dallas Goedert for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.
Wide receiver Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid are currently questionable to suit up for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the team announced Friday. In positive news, Amari Cooper was not listed on the updated injury report, and is expected to play.
Pittsburgh Steelers wideout George Pickens was limited in practice due to a hamstring injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Bucky Irving, who has touchdowns in three straight games, participated in practice, but is listed as questionable for Sunday due to a hip injury. If Irving were to be inactive, Rachaad White would take over the lion's share of backfield opportunities.
New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers is questionable for Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints with a hip flexor injury.
CeeDee Lamb is planning to play on Monday night after he was a limited participant in practice due to a shoulder injury. If he plays, he would see one of his best matchups of the season against a Bengals defense struggling against opposing wide receivers, according to Tristan H. Cockcroft's matchup rankings.
Running back Zamir White was ruled out by the Las Vegas Raiders for Sunday, while Alexander Mattison and Jakobi Meyers are both questionable.
The Seattle Seahawks have listed running back Kenneth Walker III as questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
For more, check out our weekly cheat sheet, with insight on every single game this weekend.
Stephania Bell examines how Christian McCaffrey potentially injured his knee vs. the Bills.
Dec. 5: Hall misses his second consecutive practice
Tristan H. Cockcroft: Breece Hall, who was questionable for Week 13 but played through a knee injury, missed both Wednesday's and Thursday's practices with the same ailment. That's a significant enough development, especially coupled with the fact that he logged season lows with his 61% rate of offensive snaps played and 12 total touches in the New York Jets' 26-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, that there's concern he might not play on Sunday.
Oddly, the Jets gave third-string running back Isaiah Davis 11 offensive snaps and four total touches in that one, effectively playing him ahead of Hall's usual backup, Braelon Allen. Allen, who has 62 rushing attempts for 229 yards and two touchdowns for the season, remains the logical fill-in should Hall be sidelined, though the shift in roles in Week 13 signals a possible time share between the two. That Hall himself has shared time with Allen to a greater degree than initially anticipated -- it's one of the things that has contributed to a disappointing season for the fantasy first-round pick, with the other being the Jets' overall struggles -- only further supports such a strategy.
Consider Allen a high-end flex if Hall is scratched, valued in the range of players like Nick Chubb or Gus Edwards, neither of whom has a favorable matchup.
Dec. 2: 49ers lose their top two RBs
San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey left Sunday night's snowy contest with the Buffalo Bills early in the second quarter with a knee injury, and on Monday 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that McCaffrey did in fact injure his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). It is expected to be a six-week recovery and McCaffrey is being placed on injured reserve, likely ending his season.
That isn't the only big news coming out of 49ers camp on Monday, however, as Shanahan also announced that Jordan Mason suffered a high ankle sprain and is being placed on IR.
Rookie fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo, a speedy running back who scored Sunday night in the blowout loss to Buffalo, is expected to move into the starting role.
McCaffrey's injury continues a trend for No. 1 overall fantasy draft picks. According to ESPN Research, this will be the fifth consecutive season fantasy's No. 1 pick will finish outside of the top 30 in scoring at his position, all of which were impacted by injuries.
Details from Stephania Bell
Christian McCaffrey: PCL injuries most often result from a direct blow or fall on the front of the knee, forcing the tibia (shin) posteriorly relative to the femur (thigh bone). McCaffrey did take a hard fall directly on the front of his right knee on a shoestring tackle by Bills safety Taylor Rapp and exited briefly. He tried to return but slid to the ground purposefully on his next carry when his knee would not cooperate and ended up leaving for good. He was spotted on crutches after the game, wearing a protective brace on his right knee. Like all ligament injuries, the severity can range from mild to severe and the recovery time varies accordingly. Even in significant PCL sprains, surgery is rarely required if it is an isolated injury (Shanahan indicated McCaffrey's injury would not require surgery). Once healed, other factors such as positional demands (notably sharp deceleration and directional changes for a running back) and injury history, particularly to the involved area (for McCaffrey, there is obviously the recent bilateral Achilles tendinitis to consider) are a part of the equation when determining readiness to return to play. Given the timing and with only five weeks of the regular season remaining, McCaffrey's already brief season has come to an abrupt conclusion.
Jordan Mason: Although high ankle sprains have a recovery timetable that varies depending on degree of injury, the decision to place him on IR suggests a moderate sprain. With only five weeks remaining in the season, it appears Mason's 2024 campaign is likely over.
Bell on other injury updates
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Lawrence suffered a head injury on Sunday when Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made contact with the head and neck of the quarterback as he attempted to slide. Lawrence was able to eventually stand and transfer to a cart, which took him off the field and to the locker room for further evaluation. Lawrence had returned after missing three weeks (two games plus a bye) with a significant AC sprain to his non-throwing arm. Coach Doug Pederson told reporters Monday that no decision has been made about whether Lawrence will return this season.
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys: Lamb aggravated the AC sprain to his right shoulder (originally suffered in early November) during the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game and sat out the fourth quarter as a result. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated the team expects to have Lamb available when the Cowboys play their Week 14 game on Monday Night Football.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Irving limped to the locker room at halftime but was able to return and finish the game on Sunday. After the game, Irving was still limping and sporting a wrap around his left hip and midsection. On Monday, he told reporters he was feeling much better, but it would not be a surprise to see him limited in practice sessions to start the week.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: McConkey suffered a knee injury late in Sunday's game and did not retake the field. After the game, McConkey told reporters he would learn more on Monday, presumably after undergoing further evaluation when the Chargers are back home.
Nov. 30: Dobbins, Ekeler headed to IR, out at least four weeks
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh hinted earlier in the week that star running back J.K. Dobbins would be set to miss some time with a knee sprain. We now know it will be at least four weeks. While Dobbins should be back in time for the NFL playoffs, that might not do fantasy managers any good right now. Gus Edwards, Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins are the backs behind Dobbins, with Vidal possibly set to see the biggest leap in playing time, as the best pass-catcher of the three.
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler was also placed on IR Sunday as he deals with his second concussion of the 2024 season. This puts Ekeler out until at least Week 18, effectively ending his fantasy season. Look for Jeremy McNichols to step into Ekeler's role as the pass-catching running back for Washington. He has thrived in the role in the past, registering nine touches, 74 yards and two touchdowns in Week 4 against the Cardinals.
Nov. 29: Bowers making case to finish season fantasy TE1
Tristan H. Cockcroft: Though his team ultimately came up short in the Las Vegas Raiders' 19-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday, Brock Bowers continued his assault on the record books with 30.2 PPR fantasy points. It's the second time in three weeks he has exceeded 30 points in a game, matching Mike Ditka (1961) as the only rookie tight ends in history to reach that threshold twice.
What's more, Bowers now has 197.5 points through his first 12 games of the season, narrowly trailing Ditka's 197.9 points through that many contests of his rookie campaign on the all-time tight end leaderboard. To put Bowers' stunning start further into perspective, Sam LaPorta, the 2023 rookie tight end sensation who led the position in scoring, totaled only 171.9 points through the Detroit Lions' first 12 games.
Bowers' remaining schedule gives him an outstanding chance at breaking the single-season rookie tight end record for fantasy points, held by LaPorta (239.3 last season). Bowers will need to average 8.4 points over his final five games to surpass LaPorta, and he has an extremely favorable schedule with which to do it (@TB, ATL, JAX, @NO, LAC). He'll be an outstanding candidate to be a consensus No. 1 fantasy tight end for at least the first four of those games.