Breaking: Crucial Injury Updates on Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins Could Shake Up Your Week 13 Fantasy Lineup!

As the fantasy football season barrels towards its final stretch, injuries continue to shape the possibilities on our rosters. Last week’s shakeup was a stark reminder: with Josh Jacobs sidelined by a knee issue, the Packers pressed Emanuel Wilson into duty—and boy, did he deliver, lighting up the scoreboard with two touchdowns and 25.5 fantasy points in the victory over the Vikings. Now, with only a few days until Green Bay faces the Lions on Thanksgiving, all eyes are on Jacobs’ recovery. It’s moments like these where depth charts and weekly updates become gold for fantasy managers hungry for an edge. Beyond the Packers, the league’s injury landscape is a patchwork of hopeful returns and tough losses that will undoubtedly ripple through fantasy lineups. I’ll walk you through the latest on key players—quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers—and decode what these injury reports mean for your fantasy game plan. Stick around… you won’t want to miss a beat. LEARN MORE

We saw how impactful a late-season injury can be for fantasy football in Week 12. The Green Bay Packers were without top RB Josh Jacobs due to a knee injury. As a result, Emanuel Wilson stepped in as the next man up and capitalized on it for fantasy managers, scoring twice en route to 25.5 fantasy points in a win over the Vikings. We’ll be monitoring Jacobs’ status on the short week with the Packers facing the Lions on Thanksgiving. We’ll also be looking at the overall NFL injury report with fantasy analysis for key players.

Latest news and updates

Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals (toe): We came close to seeing Burrow activated off IR in Week 12. That wasn’t the case and now the expectation is Burrow will try to get on the field on Thanksgiving vs. Baltimore. It’s now or never for Cincinnati and its playoff hopes. If Burrow is back, it’s an upgrade for all the receivers. It will be interesting to see if Chase Brown maintains his volume of carries; he has 27 combined carries over the past two games. It seems like Burrow could be without one his key weapons.

Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals (head): Higgins went down hard on a catch attempt late in the team’s loss to New England on Sunday. He wasn’t able to return after suffering a concussion. Head coach Zac Taylor has already ruled Higgins out when the Bengals play on Thursday night vs. the Ravens. Ja’Marr Chase returns from suspension and should go back to heavy target volume — especially with Burrow expected back. Andrei Iosivas could see more work and is an intriguing add off the waiver wire with Higgins out. Also keep an eye on TE Mike Gesicki, who could have streaming value.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Bucs (shoulder): The Tampa Bay QB was forced from Sunday Night Football vs. the Rams in the second quarter after suffering a sprain in his non-throwing shoulder. By that point, the Bucs were getting run out of the stadium in a 34-7 loss, so there wasn’t much reason for Mayfield to risk further injury trying to return. Teddy Bridgewater came in relief and didn’t do much with 62 yards on 8 of 15 attempts. Mayfield is set to undergo an MRI on Monday, then we’ll know more about his status for Week 13 vs. the Cardinals.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Steelers (wrist): Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin anticipates Rodgers being ready for Week 13 vs. the Bills. Rodgers was held out of Week 12’s loss to the Bears due to a fractured left wrist. It’s Rodgers’ non-throwing hand so the team likely wanted a bit more time for it to heal. With Rodgers potentially back, it would provide a slight boost in value for receivers DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III. Pittsburgh should continue to lean into the run game with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, the two best fantasy starts on this team right now.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers (knee): As we mentioned above, Jacobs was out last week due to the knee injury. He had been getting limited practices in prior to Week 12 and Green Bay knew it had the short week with the Thanksgiving game vs. Detroit. There’s a chance Jacobs could have played this week if it were the playoffs. With that said, the short turnaround could mean he sits another game to get extra rest. Wilson looked serviceable in relief on Sunday vs. the Vikings. He’ll remain a very strong RB start in fantasy if Jacobs is out again.

Drake London, WR, Falcons (knee): This is rough for all parties. London missed Week 12 and there’s a chance the Falcons play it safe with their top wideout. If that’s the case, we may not see London back on the field in 2025. It would be a big blow to fantasy managers and Atlanta’s offense. QB Michael Penix Jr. is done for the season and backup Kirk Cousins threw for two TDs and 199 yards and a pick vs. the Saints on Sunday. Darnell Mooney saved his fantasy day by catching a 49-yard TD to finish with a 3-74-1 line. There isn’t much value in this Falcons passing game with London out and Cousins under center.

Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints (knee): Kamara exited in the first half of Sunday afternoon’s matchup vs. the Falcons and did not return. He had five touches for 15 yards prior to exiting. Devin Neal stepped in and got the majority of the work in the backfield. He finished with seven carries for 18 yards while also catching five of seven targets for 43 yards. If Kamara misses any time, Neal would be the last healthy back left. Kendre Miller went down for the season back Week 7. Neal would have some flex value given his involvement in the passing game from Week 12 and the Saints likely needing to pass more as six-point underdogs against the Dolphins.

Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders (elbow): We got a brief update on Daniels on Monday after the Commanders’ bye week. He’s a long-shot to play in Week 13 vs. the Broncos, but is expected to return to practice in some capacity. That feels encouraging for his prospects of making it back on the field again this season, though it doesn’t exactly feel like a smart move with Washington sitting at 3-8 on the season. With Daniels expected out again, Marcus Mariota will start against one of the toughest matchups in the NFL.

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings (concussion): The Minnesota signal caller was placed into the NFL’s protocol for this week after showing symptoms following the loss to Green Bay in Week 12. With at least two interceptions in each of the past three games, McCarthy was trending down big time before the injury. Max Brosmer is taking first-team reps and is on track to face the Seahawks in Week 13. It can’t get much worse for the Vikings offense with J.J. throwing the ball, so perhaps Brosmer could lift WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison back to fantasy relevance.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Chargers (ankle): Hampton has been on injured reserve since Week 6 due to an ankle injury. His 21-day practice window for a return has been opened, so it appears the rookie back is close to getting on the field again. We’ll have to see if the team eases Hampton back into the rotation, seemingly with RB Kimani Vidal, who has filled in admirably in a lead role.