Author: Special from InsideInjuries.com
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at home against the Cowboys, putting up 263 yards with one touchdown and two costly turnovers. It wasn’t the result owners expected against a porous Dallas defense, but this isn’t all on Cousins. Much of it has to do with the fact that Washington was completely decimated by injuries along the offensive line heading into the game. They were without three starters, including all-pro caliber players in Trent Williams and Brandon Scherff, and they lost another during the game. The only man left standing was Morgan Moses, who played on two sprained ankles.
There are those who question whether Collins will continue to get the ball regularly. AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn
The immediate outlook for Cousins isn’t great, as the line won’t likely be 100 healthy when they travel to Seattle this week. Washington then has Minnesota at home, which doesn’t look so great either. However, if you take a longer-term view, the schedule eases up for Cousins later in the season, right when his offensive linemen (and hopefully, Jordan Reed), will be back in the lineup. It’s possible that Williams doesn’t return due to the severity of the knee injury he’s been trying to play through, but Washington should get swing tackle Ty Nsekhe back soon, who played extremely well in four starts while Williams was out due to suspension. Cousins tends to get hot over a 4-5 week stretch, and it looks like he could be set up to do so later on in the season, even if things are somewhat bleak in the short-term. If he has time and a solid matchup, Cousins is as good a Fantasy quarterback as there is. He should have both of those things in a couple weeks. Try and make a move for him now, while his value is pointing downward.
Alex Collins BAL – sell high
Alex Collins finally got his fair share of the touches on Thursday night, and he knew what to do with them, racking up 143 total yards on 20 touches. He leads the league in yards per carry and is looking like a serious Fantasy option moving forward.
However, can we expect him to get this same workload moving forward? Baltimore got out to such a quick lead in the game against Miami that riding a road-grader like Collins made a lot of sense. However, when they have to play from behind, will it be buck allen, who possesses more pass-catching ability, who takes the lion’s’ share of the work?
Also, you have to factor in that Danny Woodhead is slated to return as early as Week 11. Woodhead is still a High Injury Risk according to Inside Injuries and has yet to return to the practice field, but he is expected to return not far after that Week 11 timeline. That means there will be another mouth to feed in the Ravens’ backfield, and there just isn’t enough upside for this offense to support 2-3 backs from a Fantasy perspective (especially with Joe Flacco likely out in the short-term). Getting solid value for Collins now might be the best play.
Stefon Diggs MIN – buy low
Diggs made his return from a groin injury Sunday in London. He put up a rather mediocre stat line, catching four of six targets for 27 yards, especially given the 33 points the Vikings put up. The good news is that Diggs came out of the game fine physically, and he should only continue to get healthier moving forward. He remains an Elevated Injury Risk according to Inside Injuries, but his Health Performance Factor is above average, meaning he is trending towards getting back to 100 percent.
So long as Diggs continues on a positive trajectory with his health, he should get back to the numbers he was putting up earlier in the year. He could have had a bigger game Sunday if he had reeled in a couple of close calls on deeper throws, and he generated a big gain on a deep pass interference, as well. The Vikings’ offense is running somewhat efficiently with a ragtag group right now, but they will need to feature Diggs’ talent to continue this production moving forward. Due to the injury and his quiet return, Diggs’ value is probably lower on the trade market than it should be. Go out and try to steal him now while you can.
Marvin Jones DET – sell high
Jones has caught six passes in three straight games, including a 128-yard performance on Sunday night against Pittsburgh. Jones has lacked consistency in a Lions’ uniform, but the flashes of a top end receiver have been there. Maybe these last three games are a sign of a guy that will have more consistent volume the rest of the season.
Unfortunately, much of Jones’ production can likely be attributed to the injuries to Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay in the Lions’ receiving corps. Tate returned last night, but he was limited. Golladay was supposed to return Sunday but suffered a setback in practice later on in the week and ended up having to sit out. Tate is an Elevated Injury Risk, while Golladay’s Health Performance Factor needs to improve, according to Inside Injuries, and it’s expected that both guys are close to 100 percent rather soon. Once that is the case, Tate will regain his top dog status in the Lions’ receiving corps, while Golladay will compete with Jones for playing time and targets on the outside. That picture isn’t nearly as pretty as the one Jones’ recent stretch paints. Getting something of value for Jones now might look like a great move in a couple of weeks.
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