11/09 MON. (6:24amET)
Today:
-- Week 10: W.A.R. Report research notes day.
-- Week 9: Game Reports...TNF starts us off midday.
-- Week 9 MNF: FFM Private Discord chat will be live.
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-- Two Scouts Talking YouTube Video
This past week/s:
Emmett Johnson: https://youtu.be/QcIIeDj-SoY
Mike Washington vs. Ashton Jeanty: https://youtu.be/G-fyDdx7b-U
Travis Hunter: https://youtu.be/FcLBUPIbcOw
Seth McGowan: https://youtu.be/CyQLmD3b9Bg
Tremble/TJH: https://youtu.be/1iSevcxR_n4
JJ McMcCarthy: https://youtu.be/4ZKSVSeD6Es
Omar Cooper: https://youtu.be/hp7Ye87ubCM
Woody Marks: https://youtu.be/BtLIcmlu5oo
Dohnte Meyers: https://youtu.be/EEIw3IGX_zQ
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NEW DISCORD NOTIFICATION SYSTEM/INVITE: FFM Discord Notification System
*This is not a chat room. It is a one-way channel for FFM notifications about newly posted items and critical breaking news.
== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==
MNF Preview thoughts...
-- Two (6-1) teams facing off with BUF at MIN. That caught me a little by surprise because neither of them feels like a (6-1) team.
Which side of this Jekyll and Hyde matchup is going to prevail?
Is it the team with all the offense and no defense? Buffalo.
OR
Is it the team with all defense and no offense? Minnesota.
My gut feeling is because this is a game at Minnesota, a home crowd which is gonna be rocking beyond belief, you have to give the edge to the home team and the strong defensive team.
I think Minnesota’s defense has been more dominant than the Buffalo Bills have been with their offense, in the league so far this season.
But I think it's close and it wouldn't shock me if Buffalo pulled off a tough road win, but my gut tells me this is a lean-slightly-to-Minnesota event.
And eventually some offense is gonna figure out how to combat what Brian Flores is doing, and then once it's been laid bare, other teams will start copying it and beating the Vikings. But that's just speculation because up to this point no team has really dominated the Vikings on offense since the first half of Week 1 against Green Bay, and then they spent the rest of the game squashing the Packers.
-- Not since Opening Day, and really in the first 2+ quarters of that game, has a quarterback been able to go off on the Minnesota defense. The longer we go on, no one has yet to really figure out how to crush it, period.
To be fair, they've been very lucky with the opponents that they've played and the QB situation those teams have been in. But they did hold Chicago down, albeit in the rain, and then Caleb got hurt as he was about to go in for a touchdown play to take the lead...but it was still low-scoring nonetheless even if Chicago would have won and Caleb had not gotten hurt. Last week was a stronger test with Jared Goff, and it was another game where Minnesota held down the QB in the passing game, but opponents could run all over them on the ground.
If Buffalo wins it might be Josh Allen rushing for 50+ yards perhaps, as well as James Cook booking 100+. You can run on the Vikings...but you can’t throw on them...but will the great Josh Allen break that ‘spell’?
-- The sneaky player of this game for ‘output’, in my book, is: Aaron Jones...Buffalo has a weakness with RBs in the passing game. Maybe Jordan Mason gets a taste, but usually it’s more to Aaron Jones. But the problem with this is...Wentz has hardly thrown passes to the RBs in his two game appearances this season. He almost has to as part of the game plan here.
-- On the speculation front, I suspect this is going to be the last game Minnesota plays without their new QB and RB that they acquire via trade. I do think they're going to acquire Jonathan Taylor but whether they get Daniel Jones is a huge question because of finances and 2027 impacts/cut costs. Reuniting with Kirk Cousins isn't out of the question either.
The Vikings defense is so good and their record is so strong out of the gates, Minnesota has to pay up for offense to pair with that defense. They are desperately trying...but they're also just bidding against themselves because nobody else is after quarterbacks like they are, so the other teams are gonna hold up the Vikings for all they can get because--they can.
-- Updated ‘my top 10 teams’ will post tomorrow after the live watch of all teams in Week 9. Could there be a change at the top? We’ll see. Someone is aiming for a takeover of the #1 spot: https://x.com/NFLunhinged/status/2119489814646882775?a=Kwj-XWNgp8Z3lYbF1SY&s=20
-- I don’t think everything is OK between these two since the playoffs/broken ankle incident: https://x.com/ZacStevens/status/2119657243868123523?a=L-0syS-_ba4gfak8Tgc&s=20
It doesn’t seem to be hurting their win-loss ratio.
-- Sports Cards Giveaway winners...
The cards HAVE BEEN SHIPPED!!
Thank you for the messages confirming their receipt. I think we got three of the cards confirmed received in pristine condition. When the other two winners get a chance, drop me a note so I can make sure to know that ‘mission accomplished’.
==NFL Trade Rumors==
-- Schefter: Giants inquire about Ravens RB Justice Hill
-- The Colts save $11.6M in 2027 by trading Daniel Jones today. They save $38M in 2027 by cutting him in March with a post-June 1st designation. That difference is simply not worth a 6th or 7th round pick.
-- @ProFootballTalk: The Colts are expected to take the best offer they get for RB Jonathan Taylor before the trade deadline arrives on Tuesday.
-- JT ‘good bye’: https://x.com/MySportsUpdate/status/2119578295448784911?a=iSxsXSUmLFR9QLGYVK0&s=20
==Injury Center/Ward==
-- Omar Cooper: https://x.com/Fantasy4Casts/status/2119536931788960088?a=4fU9W9x0vGLFVnJv8Tc&s=20
-- Great... Freaking Ferguson: Sean McVay said Terrance Ferguson pulled his hamstring during practice on Friday and will likely be out for "another couple [of] weeks."
"You can't make it up, can you?" McVay said. McVay said Ferguson was going to be a "big part" of the gameplan today.
-- Off X: Teammates seemed a little concerned about Rhamondre Stevenson's knee injury. Didn't see him in the locker room.
-- Ladd: https://x.com/AdamKoffler/status/2119541956493689186?a=U7zYEUwxK0ASAF17kWg&s=20
-- Key Player Injury Issues Watchlist from Sunday Week 9:
Quarterbacks
- Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) — Patrick Mahomes hyperextended and sprained his right throwing elbow during the second quarter against the Jets after getting hit while delivering a throw. Although he returned with a heavy sleeve to finish the first half and game, he will undergo Monday imaging to determine the extent of ligament laxity, making his practice status worth monitoring ahead of Week 10.
- J.J. McCarthy (New York Giants) — McCarthy suffered an acute right hip injury on a hard hit in the first half against Philadelphia, going down in severe pain while attempting to throw on the sideline before heading into the locker room. He was able to re-enter after halftime, but medical analysts on X note that a hip pointer or labral irritation will leave him severely limited in practice early this week.
- Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns) — Watson cleared the league's concussion protocol late in the week but was held out of Sunday's game against New Orleans due to lingering post-concussion symptoms. Cleveland's medical staff will evaluate his neurological baseline this week before deciding if he can reclaim starting duties from Shedeur Sanders for Week 10.
Running Backs
- Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers) — Jacobs exited Sunday's game against the Patriots in the second quarter after just four carries due to a hand injury. He is undergoing X-rays and imaging on Monday to rule out a fracture or structural sprain, leaving his Week 10 availability in question.
- Tyler Goodson (Dallas Cowboys) — Goodson suffered a knee injury in the second half of Sunday's loss to Arizona and was listed as questionable to return before being shut down. The Cowboys will run an MRI on Monday to evaluate ligament and meniscus stability, putting him in danger of missing Week 10.
- Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) — Skattebo was downgraded to inactive Sunday morning after failing a pregame workout due to a worsening hamstring strain. With multi-week soft tissue reinjury risks flagged by medical accounts on X, he is considered week-to-week.
- Kyle Monangai (Chicago Bears) — Monangai was held out of Sunday's contest against Tampa Bay due to compound thumb and toe issues. The Bears expect him to use Chicago's upcoming bye to heal with a targeted return for Week 11.
Wide Receivers
- Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs) — Worthy suffered a non-contact left hamstring injury while running a deep route against the Jets and was ruled out. Video doctors on X immediately pointed out high deceleration grabbing consistent with a moderate-to-severe strain, making a multi-week absence likely.
- Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) — Nacua gave the Rams a scare after landing awkwardly on his knee and spending time in the medical tent against Washington. He returned to finish the game, but head coach Sean McVay announced he will undergo diagnostic MRI testing on Monday to check for underlying structural irritation.
- Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) — Waddle suffered a concussion following a violent helmet-to-helmet hit against the Panthers and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He enters the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, making him a long shot on a short turnaround for Week 10.
- Ladd McConkey (Los Angeles Chargers) — McConkey battled acute back spasms before kickoff against Houston and aggravated the issue mid-game, forcing him out as questionable to return. Back spasms often require several days of rest and anti-inflammatories, clouding his early practice participation this week.
- George Pickens (Dallas Cowboys) — Pickens was a surprise late scratch Sunday morning after aggravating a hamstring issue in Friday's practice. He is undergoing further soft-tissue scans Monday to evaluate whether he will miss additional time.
Tight Ends
- Will Kacmarek (Miami Dolphins) — Kacmarek suffered a quadriceps injury during the first half against Carolina and was unable to return. Miami will evaluate the severity of the strain this week to see if he can suit up for Week 10.
Offensive Line
- Steve Avila (Los Angeles Rams) — Avila aggravated an existing left hamstring injury during Sunday's game against Washington and was quickly ruled out. Given that he reinjured the same muscle he managed throughout the practice week, he is facing a probable multi-week absence.
- Jaylon Moore (Kansas City Chiefs) — Moore sustained an ankle injury against the Jets and was downgraded from questionable to doubtful before sitting out the rest of the game. Kansas City will run an MRI on Monday to check for a high-ankle mechanism.
==Interesting Stats Center==
-- Braelon Allen: 36 snaps, 8 carries, 15 routes, 2 targets (to be fair he got the lead when the game was out of hand/over/garbage time)
Breece Hall: 27 snaps, 15 carries, 8 routes, 4 targets
-- Christian Gonzalez is no longer a shutdown corner categorized for us, and I stripped that from him in our system a few weeks ago because it wasn’t looking good--he may have rushed back from injury and isn’t 100% but isn’t telling anyone?: https://x.com/NextGenStats/status/2119594502499533106?a=P_Vfh-hCI5TsSMJpEgM&s=20
-- PPR fantasy points ...
Weeks 1-4:
-Kyren Williams (89.7, RB5)
-Blake Corum (22.2, RB43)
Weeks 5-9:
-Kyren Williams (69.4, RB13)
-Blake Corum (72.4, RB10)
-- @GuruFantasyWrld: Say goodbye to “workhorse” Quinshon Judkins.
Outsnapped by Dylan Sampson in back-to-back games (47-25 this week).
Has not run more than 10 routes or seen more than 2 targets in a game since Sampson returned in WK7.
RC NOTE: Game flow has a lot to do with it...but it’s real.
-- Checking in on the top WR signings of the offseason (before Week 9 games):
Alec Pierce - 4 years, $114M
72 total yards. 7 Games Missed.
Wan’Dale Robinson - 4 years, $70M
262 total yards. 3 TDs.
Romeo Doubs - 4 years, $68M
261 total yards. On Injured Reserve.
Mike Evans - 3 years, $42M
420 yards + 3 TDs. Injured.
Rashid Shaheed- 3 years, $51M
163 total yards.
Honorable mention AJ Brown (trade)
101 yards. 3 Games Played.
-- @doug_clawson: Patrick Mahomes air yards/att last 4 games (PFF)
3.6, 4.7, 4.7, 3.6
He's the only QB on record (last 20 years) with under 5.0 air yds/att in 4 straight games on 30+ att. Nobody else has even done that in 3 straight within a season
-- Thiry-seven? https://x.com/barstoolsports/status/2119628663314678155?a=adqBJCyHv7rIxKLlkqI&s=20
RC vs. Ross Coffee bets (through Wk9):
More targets this season...
41 = Raymond (RC)
29 = D. Swift (Ross)
== QUOTES & QUOTABLES ==
-- BigBlueGoonie: If you don’t think JJ McCarthy is hitting Jaylin Hyatt for a 40+ yard go ball, you’re probably right, but you lack the childlike whimsy of a dreamer and people can tell when they look at you
-- @ChasingSnyder: I’ve followed the NFL religiously my entire life. I’ve never seen a fall off like the Chargers my entire life. Same head coach and same quarterback with back to back trips to the playoffs and out of the blue they turn into the worst team in the league. How did it get here?
-- HC Ben Johnson on WR Zavion Thomas’ 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty in the 1st quarter which halted their momentum: “Yeah, I don’t know if he played on offense after that.”
-- Five turnovers? https://x.com/CoachspeakIndex/status/2119668511601819869?a=DhH-RKXiIYIUZM2jwjU&s=20
-- Malik Nabers drama, justified anger from Nabers if you listened to the coverage: https://x.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/2119586489952592307?a=X0mslEEmKbR3o6lwdRM&s=20
Your moment of Zen for this day...
-- Unsportsmanlike penalty explanation like you’ve never seen: https://x.com/NFLonFOX/status/2119548066265280652?a=CWmB-xRrNgzcSBbscm8&s=20
-- I need to follow this plan: https://x.com/Schultz_Report/status/2119531550459257112?a=jjEibB4yXmjnsD34DYk&s=20
-- One of the all-time greats, Jerry Stiller: https://x.com/Ducnghia16/status/2118908802560864646?a=i8GKPNRTz-0ln0_OrLg&s=20
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