Through 12 weeks of NFL action, the injury bug has run fairly rampant. Big-name players such as Dak Prescott and Stefon Diggs have suffered season-ending injuries, while J.K. Dobbins and Brock Purdy have recently endured injuries that will greatly affect their offenses. With players popping on and off of the injury report, the question is: how do I keep track of all of the pertinent ones?
That’s where Injury Report Live comes into play. Typically streaming live on @DKNetwork on Fridays, Steve Buchanan and I and break down the latest NFL injury news and provide fantasy football solutions to injury woes. However, this week’s Thanksgiving edition of IRL will be in the form of a live article updated throughout the week with the same detailed fantasy football analysis.
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Below, Steve and I will break down the Week 13 injury report and provide cutting-edge analysis to help you set your fantasy lineups and find diamond-in-the-rough value plays—plus, DraftKings Sportsbook insights, of course.
NFL WEEK 13 INJURIES
Raiders QB Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) — KC vs. LV, Friday 3:00 p.m. ET
- Minshew is speculated to have suffered a season-ending collarbone injury in Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos.
- Head coach Antonio Pierce announced on Wednesday that Aidan O’Connell—who was dealing with a thumb injury—will start under center for the Raiders vs. the Chiefs on Friday.
- RB Zamir White (quadricep) did not participate in practice on Wednesday, but does not have an injury designation for Friday.
- RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, but does not have an injury designation for Friday.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (knee) — KC vs. LV, Friday 3:00 p.m. ET
- Pacheco was a full participant in practice Tuesday and is set to make his return after missing nine games to a knee injury suffered in Week 2.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) — JAX vs. HOU, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET
- Head coach Doug Pederson said on Friday that Lawrence is “trending toward playing” on Sunday against the Texans.
- Lawrence has not finished better than a QB10 in all but one game this season. Lawrence was the QB15 in Week 4 vs. HOU
- Would be a boost for Evan Engram and Brian Thomas Jr. – both of whom have performed well in single high coverage
- Lawrence’s $5,400 salary on DraftKings is the lowest of the season
Seahawks WR DK Metcalf (shoulder), Tyler Lockett (knee) — SEA at NYJ, Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
- Neither Metcalf or Lockett has participated in practice during the week. Their status for Friday has not been updated yet.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 367 receiving yards on 23 catches over the last three weeks.
- Jets have been very good against slot receivers, allowing just 699 receiving yards (63 per game), the 6th lowest in the league.
- Noah Fant is expected to be active for the first time since Week 8.
49ers QB Brock Purdy (shoulder) — SF vs. BUF, Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET
- Head coach Kyle Shanahan stated Purdy participated in light throwing on Monday without and issues, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
- Purdy was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday.
Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins (knee) — LAC vs. ATL, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET
- Dobbins ($6,800) suffered a knee injury in the first half of Monday’s contest vs. the Ravens and did not return to action; he is now not expected to suit up in Week 13 and is considered week-to-week, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- Gus Edwards ($4,300) took over backfield duties and could be a great value play in Week 13.
- Edwards only has 206 rushing yards on the year, but will face a Falcons defense that allows 4.4 yards/carry (19th) and a 34.1% yards over expected rate.
- So far this season, the Chargers sport a -24.5 rush EPA and only 36.7% success rate rushing when Dobbins is not on the field.
- For as cheap as $4,300, Edwards is worth a shot, allowing you to pay up at another skill position. But don’t expect Edwards to have a field day filled with explosive plays.
Colts WR Josh Downs (shoulder) — NE vs. IND, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET
- Downs ($5,400) is considered week-to-week after suffering a right shoulder injury late Sunday’s game vs. the Lions—is a “long shot” to play in Week 13, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Shane Steichen said on Wednesday it is “going to be tough” for Downs to play this week.
- If Downs sits, Michael Pittman Jr. ($5,200) is in line to pull in the most receptions for the Colts after seeing seven targets in Week 12 (his most on the season).
- However, Pittman Jr. and Anthony Richardson’s chemistry has been sub-par. Pittman Jr. has been targeted 72 times to Downs’ 78, despite playing one more game than the sophomore.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) — BAL vs. PHI, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET
- Smith was a non-participant in practice on Wednesday.
Lions RB David Montgomery (shoulder) — DET vs. CHI, Thursday 12:30 p.m. ET
***THURSDAY NOTE: David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St Brown will be active for today’s game vs. the Bears.
- Montgomery ($6,500) suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s win over the Colts and was listed as a non-participant in Monday’s practice; limited participant on Tuesday.
- Head coach Dan Campbell feels good about the back’s chances of suiting up vs. the Bears.
- If Montgomery does not suit up, fire up Jahmyr Gibbs ($7,500) all the way. The Bears have missed 22.0% of their tackles on designed runs this season (9th-lowest), and are allowing 4.8 yards/carry to opposing running backs (26th)—a kind matchup to Gibbs’ 5.8 yards/carry average on the season.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown (knee) ($8,000) was also a non-participant on Monday and limited participant on Tuesday. He says he is planning to be ready for Thanksgiving day action, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com.
- If St. Brown is somehow on a snap count or sits on Thursday, Jameson Williams ($6,100) is an intriguing play. Williams is still a boom-or-bust guy, but is averaging 9.9 yards after the catch per reception this season (the most among wide receivers with a least 20 receptions). He also has been most efficient in the intermediate part of the field (10-19 air yards), racking up 141 YAC and +53 YAC over expected in the intermediate, per Next Gen Stats.
- Chicago’s secondary is very solid, but still has allowed 5.3 YAC per reception on intermediate targets this season (2nd-most).
- St. Brown has aligned in the slot on 33.7% of snaps (career-low), which is still a significantly higher amount than Williams (24%).
- The Bears’ DB Kyler Gordon is Chicago’s primary slot defender, and has allowed just 18 receptions for 175 yards on 25 targets (5th-lowest in league).
- SUMMARY: Montgomery and St. Brown are trending towards suiting up, however, be weary of paying up for a WR such a St. Brown in a matchup with a sticky secondary.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (back/foot) — DAL vs. NYG, Thursday 4:30 p.m. ET
- Lamb ($7,300) was a limited participant on Tuesday—the Cowboys WR1 played through the same back/foot injury in Week 12 vs. the Commanders, finishing with 10 receptions, 67 yards and 16.8 FPTS. Lamb has been targeted on 34.6% of routes run since Week 7, a huge increase from the first few weeks.
- Should we roster Lamb if he suits up on Thursday? The thing is, $7,300 is an insane price to gamble with a backup quarterback. Cooper Rush is sporting a 61.1% completion percentage and a 79.1 passer rating in 2024 and has struggled under pressure. Rush has averaged just 4.3 yards per attempt under pressure (2nd-fewest among 39 eligible QBs), but faces a Giants D-line that is inconsistent with the pressures they generate.
- Brian Burns has generated 5 or more pressures in five games this season (T-6th most) but has failed to generate a single pressure in two games this season, including the Week 4 matchup vs. the Cowboys.
- In season-long fantasy, Lamb is still a great option to start, even with him playing through injury. New York’s secondary has struggled against deep passes (20+ yards) this season, allowing a league-high 77.3 CMP%, and has struggled at defending perimeter wideouts, where Lamb lines up 46% of the time.
- TE Jake Ferguson (concussion) ruled OUT vs. Giants
- Ferguson missed Sunday’s matchup vs. the Commanders and will miss Thursday’s battle with New York due to his concussion. With his absence, Luke Schoonmaker ($3,400) is in an interesting spot with a very cheap salary.
- The TE pulled in 3/4 targets and a touchdown for 14.5 FPTS in Week 12; however, the Giants are currently allowing the least amount of fantasy points to TEs in 2024. Take that with a grain of salt, because Schoonmaker ran the third-most routes and collected the second-most receiving yards vs. the Commanders.
- For as cheap as he is, it’s worth taking a shot as a receiver that could hit paydirt again against a defense allowing a TD on 51% of red zone attempts.
Packers WR Romeo Doubs (concussion) — GB vs. MIA, Thursday 8:20 p.m. ET
Doubs ruled OUT vs. Miami
- Doubs ($4,600) suffered a head injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers and was a non-participant in Monday’s practice.
- Doubs has been a trusted target for Jordan Love, earning the highest target share (17.1%) amongst GB receivers, and his absence leaves targets to be divided amongst a room of young talent.
- NOTE: Jordan Love is a gunslinger who has thrown deep (20+ air yards) at the 2nd-highest rate this season, and the Dolphins are have allowed the 6th-highest completion percentage (43.8%) against deep passes.
- Dontayvion Wicks ($4,200) and Christian Watson ($4,900) will draw ownership for this Thursday night matchup, but proceed with caution. Wicks owns the most red zone targets amongst Packers wide receivers, but sports a 29% drop percentage on catchable targets.
- Christian Watson ($4,900) can be a deep-downfield threat…emphasis on can. Watson is only handling a 12.5% target share (5th amongst Packers) and has only pulled in four receptions of 13 targets over 20+ yards—one notably dropped just steps from being a home run into the end zone vs. the 49ers. Watson is also only averaging 7.3 FPTS per game.
- Plus, the Dolphins are giving up the third-fewest yards to wide receivers this season.
- I would lean towards slot-specialist Jayden Reed ($5,700), who has racked up 344 receiving yards on deep targets this season (4th-most) and 203 more than any other Packers receiver (Christian Watson, 141), per Next Gen Stats. Reed has only pulled in five receptions the past two weeks, but provides plenty of upside to make him a viable option at a reasonable salary for Thursday’s matchup.
Check back here throughout Thanksgiving week to stay up to date with the latest NFL Week 13 injury news + fantasy analysis.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $700K PLAY-ACTION [20 ENTRY MAX]
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
