Daily Newsletter: NFL Week 12 Early Injury Report + Preview (Nov. 20th)

Welcome to our daily newsletter! As we head into Week 12 of the NFL season, we’ve got the latest injury updates and game previews to keep you in the loop. From Brock Purdy’s shoulder concern to Jake Ferguson’s concussion, plus key matchups in the NFC West, we’ve got all the crucial info you need heading into the weekend. Let’s dive in...

Week 12 Early Injury Report

Brock Purdy- Purdy popped up early this week on the injury report with a shoulder injury. Kyle Shanahan expressed lack of concern to the media on Wednesday which is a good sign that Purdy will be fine for the huge match-up vs the Packers on Sunday. 

Jake Ferguson- Ferguson suffered a concussion in the Cowboys Monday night loss to the Texans. Given that they’re already on a short week, I find it unlikely that he will get cleared to play on Sunday. Dallas is already thin on offense and Luke Schoonmaker will step into a larger role if he does in fact get ruled out. 

Mike Evans- Evans is expected to return in Week 12 which provides a huge boost to the Buccaneers offense and to Baker Mayfield’s fantasy outlook. 

Jonathan Brooks + Adam Thielen- Both of these guys are expected to be active for the Panthers in Week 12 providing a huge boost for Bryce Young in a tough match-up vs the Chiefs. This will be our first look at Jonathan Brooks, and I would expect them to be cautious with his workload for the remainder of the season. 

D’Andre Swift- Swift sat out practice on Wednesday but I’m not concerned about that. If he misses Thursday/Friday this would be much more telling to his availability this weekend and Roschon Johnson would get a major bump if Swift becomes a scratch candidate. 

Week 12 Lookahead 

Week 12 features a ton of huge spreads, with only three games on the main Sunday slate featuring spreads of less than 5.5 points. The NFC West is going to dominate my attention this weekend, with how tightly contested the race is. Arizona comes into the week in first place at 6-4 with all three remaining teams – Rams, 49ers, Seahawks – sitting at 5-5. I’m not sure if any of these teams will qualify as wildcard teams given their records, so winning the division will be key and truly any of these teams can make that happen. We have a huge divisional match-up between the Cardinals and Seahawks on tap for Sunday with the 49ers and Rams facing off with tough opponents in the Packers and Eagles respectively. 

Cardinals vs Seahawks 

I have no current betting angle for this game, but it’s certainly the one I’m most excited for this weekend. This game has monster implications when it comes to the play-offs. According to various play-off simulators both teams' play-off chances rise or fall by over 20% depending on the outcome of this game. Seattle stole a win vs the 49ers last weekend despite losing their best offensive lineman mid-week to retirement. Arizona is neck and neck with Washington for the surprise of the NFC thus far, and have been playing amazing on defense despite limited resources. The total sits at 47.5 which is one of the better marks on Sunday and we should see plenty of points scored from two offenses that can be dynamic when they’re clicking. As of now, I’m expecting to see a heavy dose of James Conner against a Seattle run defense that has been non-existent at times this season. 

Can the 49ers Rebound?

As noted above, I’m not sure if the 49ers can make the play-offs if they don’t win this division. This isn’t a divisional game vs the Packers, but they need to stack up wins and they are basically playing play-off games every week for the remainder of the season. On top of that, Green Bay will be extra motivated in this game after the 49ers beat them in the play-offs a season ago. The market reflects that revenge narrative from the pack – this game opened as a pick ‘em but has since moved 2.5 points in favor of the Packers. I won’t be shocked to see a some buy back on the 49ers after positive Purdy injury news, but it appears fairly certain Green Bay will close as favorites here. I was lower on this 49ers team coming into the season, but it’s hard for me to expect them to just roll over and die. Since I don’t think they have a great chance at the play-offs without that division crown – I would recommend looking at them +300 to win the NFC West. They still have a game vs the Rams and Cardinals remaining while the Cardinals and Seahawks play each other twice in the final seven weeks. There should be some cannibalization among these teams and it’s still a relatively healthy 49ers roster at the end of the day. 

Written by Ben Hossler