Isiah Pacheco, the running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, returned to practice on Wednesday, playing in a limited role for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury in Week 2 that necessitated in-season surgery. He was still restricted on Thursday. According to reports, he suffered ligament damage in his ankle in addition to a fractured fibula. Pacheco’s Week 11 matchup with the Buffalo Bills is not something fantasy managers should anticipate.
“As Andy Reid had indicated yesterday, Pacheco [is] back at practice,” says Stephania Bell of ESPN. He probably won’t be playing in games again this week. For a running back, a fibula fracture or repair is difficult, and [Pacheco] will require some time to become used to football-related exercises.
Against a Buffalo defense that gives up 1.8 yards before contact per running attempt—the third-highest among NFL teams, according to Pro Football Focus—fill-in starter Kareem Hunt may be started as a volume-based RB2.
Samaje Perine, a passing-down expert, continues to be in charge of the two-minute drill and the third- and fourth-down roles. Kansas City is presently rated as a 2.5-point away underdog, according to PFF Scores & Schedule, which should give Perine a higher-than-normal snap share. In deep leagues, he may be started as a PPR flex option.
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WR DK Metcalf (MCL) and TE Noah Fant (groin) of the Seattle Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers.
Time and Date: Sunday at 4:05 p.m. Eastern
Despite supposedly recovering during the team’s Week 10 bye, Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant is still out due to a groin issue. He is not expected to play in Seattle’s (4-5) divisional matchup with the San Francisco 49ers (5-4) in Week 11. D.K. Metcalf, Seattle’s top perimeter wide receiver, is anticipated to make a full recovery from his multi-week MCL sprain.
Seattle’s slot receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who serves as quarterback Geno Smith’s only inside, lay-up-target option, stands to gain from Fant’s absence even though Metcalf should gain a usable target share.
With 1.2 more yards per coverage snap than any other club, San Francisco’s pass defense gives up the fewest yards per coverage snap to opposing perimeter wide receivers in the league (5.65) but the most yards per coverage snap to opponent slot receivers (10.38). In Week 11, Smith-Njigba has WR1 upside.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid (knee)
Time and Date: Sunday at 4:25 p.m. Eastern
In Week 11 of The Injury [Pro]ne Podcast, Edwin Porras, a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), discusses Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid’s knee injury. Modeling “the exact mechanism that we saw with [Los Angeles Rams wide receiver] Puka Nacua,” who sustained a bursa sac injury and maybe a PCL sprain in an August training camp event, Kincaid fell squarely on his kneecap with his leg twisted. After landing on the knee again in the same way, Nacua worsened the injury in Week 1 and was later diagnosed with a PCL sprain.”
Players who fall hard on their kneecap run the risk of sustaining impact-related injuries, but the power of the contact also stresses the connective tissue in the rear of the knee, endangering the PCL and the Semimembranosus bursa, among other structures. At 26 seconds into this linked footage, Kincaid obviously crashes hard on his left kneecap, much like Nacua did.
Kincaid is expected to miss “a week or two, at least,” according to Dr. Porras. Additionally, according to Banged Up Bills, “Kincaid has been recovering from a left knee injury that, based on the tape job back on October 30, looked to be tendinitis.” Today’s problem was brought on by a hit to the knee, but the fall today could have made preexisting knee problems worse.
Slot receiver Khalil Shakir is most likely to directly profit from Kincaid’s absence since he is most likely to be out of the lineup; this dynamic is comparable to that of Fant and Smith-Njigba, as previously mentioned.
However, it’s crucial to remember that Kansas City’s patchwork No. 2 perimeter CB position is their coverage vulnerability, since unheralded perimeter starter Jaylen Watson is presently on injured reserve. Kansas City’s three-deep safety rotation primarily covers tight ends and slot receivers.
No. 2 perimeter wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist) has already been ruled out, but No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper (wrist) has an opportunity to play after practicing in a restricted capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. Compared to Watson’s backups, Mack Hollins, the fourth-ranked wide receiver, deserves DFS and deep-league flex consideration.
Fantasy managers who are desperate for a tight end could check their free agency pool to see whether Tucker Kraft, the tight end for the Green Bay Packers, was cut during his team’s Week 10 bye week. He can be found in 26.5 percent of ESPN leagues and 30.0 percent of Yahoo! leagues. With an average of 10.7 PPR points per game compared to Kincaid’s 8.2, Tucker is a better player even when Kincaid is healthy.Week 11’s top five NFL injuries and backup plans
