Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 11

Well, this was an interesting NFL Sunday for yours truly, as my TV freaked out and died shortly before the first kickoff, so feel free to post your favorite Black Friday deals on 55-inch rigs in the comments. I'm also accepting donations for an OLED TV. (Only half kidding.)

Let's jump right in.

QUARTERBACK

Chicago Bears

A run-of-the-mill Jay Cutler effort Sunday was unexpectedly followed by the news that he sustained a shoulder injury – potentially a torn labrum – that'll cost him multiple games and maybe the rest of the season. That means Matt Barkley is the Bears' new starting quarterback. (Feel free to read on once the vomiting has subsided.)

Cleveland Browns

No one should envy the roller coaster of quarterbacking the Browns have been on this year – and indeed, no one does. Cody Kessler suffered his second concussion of the season Sunday, and so back in came Josh McCown. The veteran went 14-for-27 for 118 yards and a touchdown, but lost a fumble. Robert Griffin (shoulder) is nearing a return to practice, but it's unclear whether he'd take over starting duties from McCown even if he's ready to take the field. Meanwhile, the Browns just keep driving toward that No. 1 overall pick.

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck had concussion symptoms after Sunday's game and hasn't practiced since, meaning Scott Tolzien is a strong bet to draw his third career start in Thursday's game against Pittsburgh. It's hard to know what to expect from Tolzien – the Steelers have been bad on the road and have struggled in the secondary in general, but this is also a 29-year-old quarterback who's thrown one touchdown and five interceptions among 91 career pass attempts.

Los Angeles Rams

The Jared Goff era began Sunday, and it looked… well, not so different from the Case Keenum era. Goff completed 17 of 31 passes for 134 yards and zero touchdowns (or turnovers!), which is the fantasy equivalent of eating a saltine cracker for dinner.

New York Jets

Ryan Fitzpatrick (knee) has been confirmed as Sunday's starter. Enjoy, Jets fans.

RUNNING BACK

Atlanta Falcons

Tevin Coleman is widely expected to return from his hamstring injury this week, and the split he'll again create in the workload makes neither Falcons back look like an amazing play against Arizona. Both Coleman and Devonta Freeman are threats to bust a big play or score a touchdown at any time, though, so they're hard to bench unless your other options are golden.

Buffalo Bills

LeSean McCoy had to leave Sunday's game with a thumb dislocation, then had surgery on it Monday and seems to be optimistic about playing this week. However, coach Rex Ryan threw a little sand on that fire, not committing to McCoy being in the lineup against Jacksonville. In either case, it's definitely not a bad idea to own Mike Gillislee right now.

Cincinnati Bengals

Giovani Bernard tore his ACL on Sunday and is out for the season – a big blow both to the reeling Bengals and to his fantasy owners. Jeremy Hill is obviously in line for a boosted workload, and he should respond well to getting 20-plus carries per game. Rex Burkhead is expected to take on some of Bernard's pass-catching duties, but Hill's a relatively competent receiver in his own right.

Detroit Lions

The Lions inexplicably handed Dwayne Washington the ball 13 times Sunday, and they got six yards out of it. Yes, six, total. You'd figure it would take less than 13 carries to learn that's not working, but hey, you're not Jim Caldwell. Washington did catch two passes for 15 yards, though, which I guess qualifies as good news. Theo Riddick got it done through the air – eight catches for a team-leading 70 yards – but was hardly used on the ground, although his 13 yards on four carries are at least merely poor rather than pitiful. He's also reportedly dealing with an ankle ailment now, although its severity is unclear.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers took a pass-heavy approach Sunday, but James Starks dominated what carries there were, rushing nine times (for a meager 25 yards) to Ty Montgomery's four (for 17). However, Starks did some good work in the receiving game, reeling in five passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Now, though, Christine Michael is apparently up to speed and ready to contribute in game action after being signed following his unceremonious dumping by the Seahawks; he and Starks project to split the RB duties moving forward while Montgomery probably returns to more of a depth wide receiver's role.

Houston Texans

Lamar Miller took his backfield, um, back Monday night, taking 24 carries (his biggest total in more than a month) for 104 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Akeem Hunt was absolutely atrocious as his backup, netting a loss of two yards on his five carries. Alfred Blue (calf) didn't suit up.

Jacksonville Jaguars

T.J. Yeldon hurt his ankle Sunday, while Chris Ivory carried the load to mixed results – he averaged just 2.3 YPC on his 17 carries, but turned six catches into a team-leading 75 yards. Yeldon's prognosis is unclear, but he's been the fantasy equivalent of drinking dairy-free coffee creamer anyway.

New Orleans Saints

Mark Ingram departed Thursday's game against the Panthers with a potential concussion, leaving extra work for Tim Hightower, who delivered a big-time game as a result – 12 rushes for 69 yards and another 57 yards on eight receptions. That's strong stuff. Ingram's reportedly in the concussion protocol, but initial reports on him seemed positive, so don't rule him out for this week.

Philadelphia Eagles

Is your head spinning yet? Ryan Mathews left Sunday's game with a knee injury; Darren Sproles suffered a rib injury and departed too. That left Wendell Smallwood to carry the load – 13 rushes for 48 yards and four catches for another 31. Sure, those totals won't set hearts racing, but they did come on the road against the Seahawks, which is a pretty tough draw. If I had to guess, both Mathews and Sproles will probably play in Week 12; what that means for the breakdown of RB touches here is beyond my powers of prognostication.

Seattle Seahawks

C.J. Prosise suffered an ill-timed shoulder fracture Sunday, coming as it did after he'd racked up 81 yards and a score on only five touches. Thus the returning Thomas Rawls carried 14 times, and to reasonable results – 57 yards (that's a 4.1 YPC) to go with three catches for another 31. He's going to be forced into workhorse-esque carry loads moving forward. Alex Collins merits picking up as Rawls' backup and the third-down-oriented back, as Troymaine Pope apparently has a high-ankle sprain. By the way, Rawls is reportedly "banged up" following his return, but that doesn't sound like anything to worry about.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Doug Martin (hamstring) took his workhorse load back Sunday, running 24 times for 63 yards in a tough matchup on the road against Kansas City. He put some shine on the fantasy line with three grabs for an additional 42 yards. Peyton Barber saw only four carries in a backup role. Jacquizz Rodgers (knee) may be on his way back, but that doesn't matter anymore.

WIDE RECEIVER

Chicago Bears

Alshon Jeffery's PED suspension kicked in Sunday, leaving Cutler with a hodgepodge of receivers in his potential last game of the season. Tight end Zach Miller (who also got hurt, as noted below) led the team in receiving, while running back Jordan Howard got the most targets with eight (but incredibly, he caught only one). Among the wideouts, Cameron Meredith (four targets, three catches, 49 yards) and Marquess Wilson (four, one, 35) were used the most, which isn't saying much.

Cincinnati Bengals

Yes, Sunday was a disaster day for the Bengals, who lost one head of their RB hydra as well as their superstar wideout, A.J. Green. The 28-year-old hurt his hamstring, but an MRI came back with relatively positive results – apparently, he has a strain rather than a tear and could only miss a few games to the ailment. In the meantime, Tyler Boyd (six catches on eight targets for 54 yards and a touchdown Sunday) gets a huge boost as Andy Dalton's new go-to wideout, and Brandon LaFell should see some kind of bump as well.

Kansas City Chiefs

With Jeremy Maclin (groin) out for the second straight week, Chris Conley overtook Tyreek Hill in pass targets by an 8-5 tally. However, Hill was far more effective in his opportunities, catching four passes for 53 yards; Conley caught four for only 28 yards. Albert Wilson continued the trend of fours with four receptions of his own for 19 yards. All in all, we have to hope the Chiefs learned their lesson: Throw to Hill. Or Maclin, if he plays; his status for Week 12 is unclear.

Minnesota Vikings

Although Stefon Diggs didn't perform very well in Sunday's game (six catches on seven targets for 37 yards), he also played the whole game, then showed up with a knee injury on this week's practice report. Cordarrelle Patterson ended up leading the team in targets (eight), catching four for 53 yards to go with a kick-return touchdown; Adam Thielen led the team in receiving with five grabs for 65 yards and a score. Those two would stand to benefit again if Diggs is sidelined… again.

New England Patriots

Chris Hogan (back) missed Sunday's game, and that in combination with the Pats missing their top tight end led Julian Edelman to get fed 17 passes… but he caught just eight of them, netting 77 yards and a touchdown. Yeah, that's fine, but it could have been better. Malcolm Mitchell led the team in receiving, blowing up for four catches for 98 yards and a touchdown of his own. Even Danny Amendola caught a touchdown (to go with two receiving yards on two catches)!

San Diego Chargers

Travis Benjamin (knee) is practicing and could return Sunday, which is about as exciting as someone offering you a steak and then revealing that it's Salisbury steak. A continued Benjamin absence would be a boon mostly for Tyrell Williams, who came up big with his veteran teammate out before the bye.

Washington Redskins

DeSean Jackson (shoulder) returned productively Sunday, catching four of six targets for 51 yards and a touchdown, but he was overshadowed by Jamison Crowder and Pierre Garcon. Crowder saw just three targets, but he caught 'em all for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Garcon reeled in six of seven for 116 yards and a score of his own.

TIGHT END

Chicago Bears

Zach Miller had himself a terrific day Sunday, and then he broke his foot and was out for the year. Logan Paulsen now takes over as the No. 1 tight end, and although he's never done a lot on offense, there seems to be a reasonable chance he'll see some targets come his way, considering the position the Bears' receiving corps is in now.

New England Patriots

The lack of Rob Gronkowski (chest) on Sunday didn't lead to the anticipated increase in output for Martellus Bennett, who was targeted only twice, catching one for 14 yards. (Meanwhile, wideout Julian Edelman was targeted 17 times.) It could be that Bennett's ankle injury simply caused the Patriots to utilize him in more of a blocking role, as he was in on every offensive play. Gronk seems to have a pretty reasonable chance of suiting up against the Jets on Sunday.

Washington Redskins

Vernon Davis was totally marginalized Sunday, as he saw only a single target (and didn't catch it) while Jordan Reed snagged five for 79 yards. That's more like how we expected things to go before Reed's injury issues created a bigger role for Davis.