Fantasy football buzz: Steelers trade with Jets for Mike Williams

Everything that happens in the NFL has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football.

Our fantasy football buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the NFL.

Key links: Fantasy depth charts

Nov. 5: Steelers trade for Mike Williams

Eric Moody: The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired wide receiver Mike Williams (rostered in 23.4% of ESPN leagues) from the New York Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick. News of this trade isn’t surprising given the Jets recently traded for Davante Adams, which pushed Williams down the depth chart behind Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard.

Williams now has a chance to become the No. 2 receiver in Pittsburgh, behind George Pickens. He adds another vertical option for quarterback Russell Wilson and although injuries have limited Williams’ production in recent seasons, he can still be a fantasy producer in Pittsburgh. Williams is worth considering for managers in deeper leagues. He has averaged 87.6 receiving yards per game over his career when he has seen at least seven targets.

Nov. 5: Bengals trade for Herbert after Moss suffers neck injury

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The numbers behind the Bengals’ trade for Khalil Herbert

Take a look at some key stats for Khalil Herbert and the Bengals’ running attack.

After news broke Monday that Zack Moss will be sidelined indefinitely with a neck injury, Cincinnati acquired Khalil Herbert in a trade with the Chicago Bears. Herbert joins a Bengals backfield in need of depth and experience behind current lead back Chase Brown. Herbert was in a crowded backfield in Chicago and now has an opportunity to see an increased workload as a complement to Brown in Cincinnati.

Nov. 4: When to expect McCaffrey, Lamb and Prescott back for game action

Updates from around the NFL on Monday provided an indication of when we could see the likes of Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott back on the field and ready for game action.

Let’s start in San Francisco, where the 49ers officially opened McCaffrey’s 21-day practice window and now have three weeks activate him from injured reserve to the 53-man roster.

NFL Nation’s 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner provided more on that: “While McCaffrey and the 49ers will have time to see how he fares in practice before putting him back in any games, there has been optimism around the team that he will be available on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so long as this week goes well.”

Meanwhile, Adam Schefter reported that Prescott is expected to miss several weeks because of a hamstring injury, with Cooper Rush taking over as the starter during his absence.

The news isn’t as severe for Lamb, who has a sprained AC joint. While Lamb’s shoulder is sore, Schefter reported that the injury is not considered serious and that Lamb is expected to have a chance to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

As ESPN’s Field Yates pointed out on X, Lamb still was fairly productive during the five-week stretch of the 2022 season when Rush filled in for Prescott. In those games, Lamb combined for 31 catches, 380 yards and 2 touchdowns.