Browns QB DeShone Kizer was benched for the 2nd half of Sunday's game against the Jets. The rookie completed just 8 of 17 1st-half passes for 87 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT. QB Kevin Hogan is in the game for Cleveland. We're guessing that the Browns will go back to Kizer next week, but he obviously can't be trusted in any fantasy lineups right now.
Seahawks RB Eddie Lacy is expected to start today's game against the Rams, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That doesn't necessarily mean Lacy will finish with more carries than RB Thomas Rawls, but it does make him the slightly better Week 5 fantasy bet.
Vikings QB Sam Bradford (knee) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Monday night's game against the Bears. HC Mike Zimmer was non-committal on Bradford's status on Saturday. We'll see if we get an update tomorrow morning, but Bradford can't be in fantasy lineups at this point.
Vikings QB Sam Bradford (knee) admitted that his Week 3 status remains in question. "... A lot of it depends on how my knee responds when we go out there and practice this week,” he said. “Hopefully, it’ll continue to get better.” Bradford did practice on Wednesday -- but that doesn't mean much considering he put in 3 limited practices last week. We'll continue to monitor his progress.
Cowboys RB Darren McFadden is inactive for tonight's game against the Giants. He wasn't listed on the injury report, so it looks like he's a healthy scratch. Alfred Morris will serve as Ezekiel Elliott's backup tonight. He's not a fantasy option, of course. But it's now unclear who the Elliott handcuff is.
Cleveland.com reports that the Browns will release K Cody Parkey, which means that 7th-round rookie Zane Gonzalez has won the job. Gonzalez won the Lou Groza Award last season as the nation's top kicker and finished his college career as the FBS career leader in FGs made and points scored by a kicker.
Chiefs RB Spencer Ware suffered a right knee injury in the 1st quarter of Friday night's game against the Chiefs. He left the field on a cart and the team quickly ruled him out for the game. That obviously doesn't bode well. Any missed time would deliver a huge boost to RB Kareem Hunt's fantasy outlook. Hunt was already sharing 1st-team work with Ware in the 3rd preseason contest. We'll keep an eye out for further updates.
Cowboys RB Darren McFadden took all 19 snaps with the 1st-team offense in Saturday night's preseason game. He carried 6 times for 28 yards, but the usage is what's important. McFadden is clearly locked in as Dallas' #2 RB -- and the lead back during Ezekiel Elliott's suspension. The Cowboys face a tough rushing schedule over their first 6 games, but volume and supporting cast will make McFadden a solid fantasy starter.
The Ravens have signed WR Jeremy Maclin to a 2-year deal. A cap casualty in Kansas City, Maclin joins a Ravens squad that's missing a whopping 345 targets from a year ago. He figures to compete with Mike Wallace for the target lead this year -- although Breshad Perriman could also have a say in that battle if he takes a step forward. Maclin endured a disappointing, injury-stricken 2016 campaign but posted an 87-1,088-8 line the previous year. He's still only 29. And he has experience in Ravens OC Marty Mornhinweg's system, playing for Mornhinweg in Philadelphia for his first 4 NFL seasons. Maclin averaged 65 catches, 863 yards and 6.5 TDs across those years.
Giants HC Ben McAdoo on Monday told reporters that RB Paul Perkins is the team's backfield starter, according to Pro Football Talk. That's no shocking revelation, but it's notable that McAdoo talks about the 2nd-year back that way rather than saying he'll need to earn the top job. Perkins followed an impressive run at UCLA by not leading the Giants in carries until Week 16. But he did finish the year starting over Rashad Jennings, including the playoff loss at Green Bay. The team drafted Clemson RB Wayne Gallman over the weekend, but he doesn't bring NFL-starter talent. And Jennings remains unsigned. RB Shane Vereen is still around and should claim plenty of receiving work -- if he can stay healthy (a big "if"). But early fantasy drafters should treat Perkins as the top back in what could easily be a top-10 scoring and yardage offense.
The Titans used the #5 overall pick on WR Corey Davis. He was a stat-compiling machine at Western Michigan, leaving as the NCAA’s record holder for career receiving yards (5,278). After posting a 67-941-6 line as a true freshman, he topped 1,400 yards and 12 TDs in each of his final 3 seasons. He certainly squared off against some weaker competition in the MAC but also averaged 5.8 catches, 77.9 yards and .6 TDs in 9 games against “Power 5” conferences (ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12). An ankle injury prevented Davis from working out in the pre-draft process, but he looks plenty athletic on film. He’s also 1 of the most advanced route runners in the class. Davis has a shot to quickly become Tennessee’s #1 WR, bumping Rishard Matthews to the #2 spot. QB Marcus Mariota’s stock is on the rise.
The 49ers on Saturday agreed to terms with RB Tim Hightower. The veteran joins Mike Davis, Raheem Mostert and DuJuan Harris -- who re-signed earlier this week -- behind starter Carlos Hyde. If you're looking for a Hyde handcuff, Hightower looks like the current best bet. He carried 229 times and caught 34 passes as New Orleans' #2 back over the past 2 seasons. We'll see what the new coaching staff thinks of Davis and whether the Niners add another RB in the NFL Draft.
The Giants have signed QB Geno Smith, per the New York Post's Brian Costello. Not surprisingly, Smith didn't garner much (any?) interest as a starter. So he'll settle for a backup gig behind 36-year-old Eli Manning. If Smith makes a good impression with his new club, perhaps he'll be considered as Manning's eventual successor. That seems like a long shot, though.
The Cowboys have re-signed RB Darren McFadden to a 1-year deal. A fractured elbow limited him to just 3 games last year, but it looks like he'll get another shot at Dallas' backup job. The Cowboys are reportedly looking to trade RB Alfred Morris. While McFadden is no threat to Ezekiel Elliott's workhorse role and won't be a standalone fantasy option, he'll be 1 of the highest-upside handcuffs in 2017 fantasy drafts.
The Patriots have acquired WR Brandin Cooks from the Saints, sending a 1st- and a 3rd-round pick and getting back a 4th-rounder. Cooks caught 162 passes over the past 2 seasons, topping 1,100 yards in each campaign and scoring 17 TDs over that span. He finished among the top 13 WRs across fantasy formats in each of those seasons. The Pats control his rights for the next 2 years, including a team option for 2018. Cooks lands in 1 of the few offenses that approximates the efficiency of New Orleans and figures to quickly challenge Julian Edelman for the team target lead. His fantasy outlook doesn't change drastically from what it's been with the Saints. Other WRs in New England will have more trouble finding regular opportunities. Back in New Orleans, Michael Thomas should grab a larger share of targets, while Willie Snead stands to gain if the team doesn't add anything more than Ted Ginn to the corps this offseason.
Packers WR Jordy Nelson fractured 2 ribs in Sunday's game against the Giants, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Will take an incredible effort to play" vs. the Cowboys this weekend, Rapoport adds. HC Mike McCarthy said that Nelson will spend the week rehabbing before potentially practicing on Saturday. At this point, though, we're assuming he won't play in Dallas. That'll leave Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison as Green Bay's top 3 WRs. TE Jared Cook could also pick up extra targets.
Cowboys HC Jason Garrett confirmed to ESPN's Ed Werder that he won't rest starters in tonight's game against the Lions. Dallas has clinched the NFC's #1 seed and could limit or hold out some guys in the regular-season finale. But doing so tonight would mean 3 weeks off between games. QB Dak Prescott, RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR Dez Bryant and TE Jason Witten are all safe to use in Week 16 fantasy lineups.
Jaguars RB T.J. Yeldon is done for the day with an ankle injury. He carried just twice for 5 yards before exiting. Chris Ivory will operate as the lead back the rest of the afternoon.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (calf) admits that he won't be at 100% for this weekend's game against the Bears. "It'll be about pain management on Sunday, but the good thing is I'll be out there," he said. "I'll be out there and ready." Rodgers tweaked that calf on the 3rd play of last week's game but still chucked for 246 yards and 3 TDs. The injury obviously adds some risk to his Week 15 outlook -- especially with a high of -1 degrees currently forecasted for Chicago on Sunday -- but Rodgers remains a solid QB1.
The forecast for today's Bengals-Browns game calls for 1-3 inches of snow and winds of 10-20 mph. We start to worry about the passing games when winds get over 15 mph, so this is a slight concern. Both teams figured to go run-heavy anyway, and the weather will only push them farther in that direction.
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