Eric Karabell ESPN Senior Writer
The New Orleans Saints lost another game on Sunday without standout running back Alvin Kamara, and there remains a lack of clarity whether he will return to the active lineup for a big Thanksgiving night tilt against the Buffalo Bills. Kamara, who suffered a sprained MCL in the Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, was a limited participant in practice last week, and he missed Sunday's 40-29 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Injuries are always a part of football -- much to the chagrin of fantasy managers -- and Kamara represents the biggest statistical name whose status for Week 12 remains uncertain. Oh sure, we could include Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray and WR DeAndre Hopkins, both of whom missed Week 11, but they get their bye week along with the Kansas City Chiefs. Yep, no Patrick Mahomes during Thanksgiving weekend, and these are not even the final bye weeks of the season. They last until Week 14!
Regardless, Kamara entered Week 11 averaging 19.8 PPR points per contest, a figure topped by only two active running backs, Indianapolis Colts MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor (who scored five touchdowns on Sunday) and underrated Los Angeles Chargers pass-catcher Austin Ekeler. Kamara is so valuable. Recently reacquired veteran Mark Ingram II has actually performed quite well in his absence, averaging 18 PPR points in the two games, but he is not as talented as Kamara, the key cog in the offense. It would be a happier Thanksgiving for Saints fans and fantasy managers -- anyone watching, really -- if he suits up Thursday. Fantasy managers do have other things to focus on in this critical Bills-Saints matchup. The Bills come off a home trouncing by Taylor's Colts, ceding first place in the AFC East to the surprising New England Patriots. QB Josh Allen has averaged a rather ordinary 15.5 PPR points the past three games, throwing five interceptions in this span, though nobody would advise Allen investors to sit him, of course. The Bills struggle to run the football, and fantasy managers generally avoid their RBs, Zack Moss and Devin Singletary, especially because Matt Breida has joined the fray as well.
Saints fill-in QB Trevor Siemian, meanwhile, has actually averaged 20 PPR points in his past three games, though much of it has come in the final quarter of games with the team trailing. Fantasy managers should not play Siemian over Allen, perhaps not even at all, but he has not been the team's problem lately, though there will be calls for Taysom Hill. The Saints allowed 40 points in Philadelphia, and the team's D/ST has scored only 8 PPR points in fantasy since Week 9. That is bad. The Bills permitted 41 points to the Colts, and their D/ST scored a terrible minus-4 points, but the unit played well prior to the outing.
Gobble, gobble
Lots of football on Turkey Day, and each of the six teams in action lost on Sunday! Anyway, the great tradition of American football on Thanksgiving started with the Detroit Lions way back in 1934, and the Dallas Cowboys joined them as annual home participants just as the Super Bowl era was beginning. The winless Lions (hey, at least they have a tie!) host the Chicago Bears to start things off Thursday, and there remains modest mystery about which quarterbacks will start.
Detroit's Jared Goff strained an oblique in Week 10 and sat this past Sunday. Chicago's Justin Fields left Sunday's loss early due to a rib injury. The Lions' Tim Boyle versus Bears' Andy Dalton might not be appointment television, but enjoy Lions RB D'Andre Swift and Bears WR Darnell Mooney instead. We await further word if Bears struggler Allen Robinson II (hamstring) suits up, but his fantasy managers probably know he does not belong in active lineups.
Meanwhile, in the second game of the day, the Cowboys host the Las Vegas Raiders, and neither team is coming off an offensive explosion from Sunday. The top Dallas scorer in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs was nearly K Greg Zuerlein, until the final minutes of the game. QB Dak Prescott scored a paltry 2.64 PPR points, in part because the Chiefs' Chris Jones had 3.5 sacks, but also due to his receiving corps. Amari Cooper (COVID-19/reserve list) sat out Sunday and will miss Thursday's game as well, and CeeDee Lamb (concussion) left early and might not be ready in a short week. Add WR Michael Gallup if you still can.
The Raiders have lost three consecutive games and failed to reach 20 points in each of them. In fact, QB Derek Carr last reached 20 PPR points in Week 6, and RB Josh Jacobs has fallen out of RB2 favor, averaging a mere 11 PPR points the past three games. The wide receiver corps, other than Hunter Renfrow, is struggling. Newcomer DeSean Jackson has one catch in two weeks, and he fumbled it away. Other than TE Darren Waller, fantasy managers might simply want to avoid Raiders.
Others on the injury list
With six of 30 active teams in Week 12 playing on Thursday, fantasy managers should not utilize Thursday options in the flex spot. They might need the flexibility later in the week, especially with so many injury situations to monitor. At quarterback, in addition to Goff and Fields, we presume the Baltimore Ravens get star Lamar Jackson back from his illness in time to face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night. Jackson was a 50-50 call for Week 11, and he missed the game, as did his teammate WR Marquise Brown (thigh). The Ravens beat the Bears anyway.
The struggling Los Angeles Rams, coming off a pair of notable, prime-time losses and their bye week, face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, despite a toe injury. He might not have RB Aaron Jones (knee) back, especially because the Packers have their bye in Week 13 and could opt to rest him further. Other situations to watch include the New York Jets and RB Michael Carter (ankle), the San Francisco 49ers and RB Elijah Mitchell (finger) and the Tennessee Titans with WR A.J. Brown (hand, chest).
Monday night madness
Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson struggled in his first game back after finger surgery in Week 10, and fantasy managers gave him a pass. Things hardly improved in Sunday's 23-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. That makes consecutive games with fewer than 10 PPR points, a career first. Those opting to sit Wilson and WRs DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for Monday's road contest at Washington can make a strong case. The Seahawks have little running game sans Chris Carson (done for the season), and there could be major changes when this season ends.
As for Washington, fresh off a surprising road conquest of the Carolina Panthers, QB Taylor Heinicke comes off his best game of the season, as he tossed three touchdown passes and scored 23.14 PPR points. He is hardly a safe option in fantasy, but WR Terry McLaurin and RB Antonio Gibson are. For those rostering pass-catching RB J.D. McKissic, he has failed to reach double-digit PPR points in three of four games and has done so only four times this season.
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