Eagles EDGE Josh Sweat went to the hospital after leaving Sunday's loss to the Saints on a stretcher with a neck injury. He was treated and released by the end of the night, though. He said afterward via Twitter that he expects to return this season. HC Nick Sirianni didn't offer details at his Monday press conference, saying the team is taking it day-by-day with Sweat's injury. We wouldn't bet on him making it back for the Week 18 game against the Giants, which Philly still needs to land the top playoff seed and a Round 1 bye.
Bills S Jordan Poyer (knee) is active for tonight's game against the Bengals. He was questionable after getting in just 1 limited practice. On the Cincinnati side, DE Sam Hubbard (calf) is inactive.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that he's still not sure if QB Lamar Jackson (knee) will be ready to play vs. the Bengals this weekend. "I don’t have an expectation until I hear more today,” Harbaugh said. "I’m just going to listen to the doctors and to Lamar and we’re prepared." The Ravens have clinched a playoff spot, but the Bengals would lock up the AFC North title with a win over the Bills tonight. That might ultimately impact whether Jackson plays this weekend. Stay tuned.
Niners LB Dre Greenlaw left Sunday's win over the Raiders with a back injury. HC Kyle Shanahan said Greenlaw would have a Monday MRI to determine the extent.
Giants DL Leonard Williams left Sunday's win over the Colts with a neck injury. He missed time earlier this season with a neck issue. We'll keep an eye on this one to see his Week 18 status. Don't be surprised if he sits, though, with a playoff berth sewed up.
Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed suffered a hip pointer in Sunday's win over the Broncos, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Sneed is considered day-to-day. We'll watch his status heading into Saturday's game against the Raiders.
Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks tore his right ACL in Sunday's win over the Jets, HC Pete Carroll announced Monday. The late-season timing could threaten the start of Brooks' 2023 season. It might also affect the team's offseason decision on the 5th-year option for the former 1st-round picks. We'll keep an eye on all of that for a guy who has turned into 1 of fantasy's top-scoring LBs over the past 2 years. For Week 18, Tanner Muse is the next man up at LB. Expect Seattle to play more extra-DB alignments, though. Brooks and Muse combined to play just 66% of the snaps against the Jets.
Responding to a question about RB Gus Edwards playing 9 snaps on Sunday night, Ravens HC John Harbaugh expressed regret. “I wasn't happy about that, Harbaugh said. “Gus should have played more.” J.K. Dobbins out-carried Edwards 17-3, a week after Dobbins held a narrow edge (12-11). Edwards won’t be a recommended Week 18 fantasy play against Cincinnati.
Titans HC Mike Vrabel named QB Joshua Dobbs his starter for this weekend's must-win game vs. the Jaguars. It was the only logical move after Dobbs looked like a functional NFL QB in Thursday night's loss to the Cowboys -- something that hasn't been said about QB Malik Willis this season. Of course, the Titans will ride RB Derrick Henry as far as he can take them this Sunday.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that the Eagles expect QB Jalen Hurts (shoulder) to play vs. the Giants this weekend. After losing the last 2 weeks, the Eagles still need to win that one to clinch the NFC's #1 seed. Hurts got in limited practices last Thursday and Friday and reportedly threw it well. But Rapoport suggests that he wasn't able to gain full medical clearance to play. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress but will be projecting Hurts in our initial Week 18 Rankings.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth logged 3 receptions on 6 targets for 36 yards, leading all pass-catchers in Week 17 vs. the Ravens. WR Diontae Johnson wasn't too far behind with 35 yards and 2 catches on 7 targets. Sunday's win came mainly through the efforts of the Steelers' rushing attack and defensive contributions. This game wasn't a banner day for anyone whose primary responsibility is catching the ball. Week 18 will give this group an opportunity to bounce back in a fairly neutral matchup vs. the Browns.
Steelers RB Najee Harris totaled 111 rushing yards on 22 carries in Sunday's win vs. the Ravens. Harris also contributed a pair of catches for 12 yards and 1 TD as a receiver in Week 17. Rookie RB Jaylen Warren was effective in spelling Harris, logging an additional 76 yards on 12 carries on the ground and 3 receptions for 22 yards through the air. Fantasy managers playing into Week 18 will be thrilled to start Harris in a plus matchup vs. the Browns next Sunday. The Browns' defense ranked 30th in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA entering Week 17 and didn't do much to stop Commanders RB Brian Robinson on Sunday.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett completed 15 of 27 passes for 168 yards and 1 TD in Week 17's win vs. the Ravens. The rookie hasn't been much of a fantasy factor this season and his performance on Sunday night is more impressive in real life than anything else. Pickett has yet to throw for multiple TD passes in a game through 11 NFL starts and only has 4 games with over 200 passing yards. Still, he's shown flashes of promise at times and will be a fun name to watch in 2023 and beyond as he continues to learn and improve.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews roped in all 9 of his targets for 100 yards in Week 17's loss vs. the Steelers. The veteran hadn't recorded a game of 10+ PPR points since Week 12 vs. the Jaguars prior to Sunday. Fantasy managers who found their way to the championship round despite Andrews' lack of production were certainly happy to see this resurgence. Fellow TE Isaiah Likely is the only other Ravens' pass-catcher who recorded multiple receptions, hauling 3 of 5 targets for 13 yards and 1 TD. Week 17 is a reminder that despite a shoulder injury and QB Lamar Jackson missing time this season, Andrews remains a top-flight fantasy asset.
Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins tallied 93 yards on 17 carries in Sunday night's loss vs. the Steelers. This season has been one of ups and downs for the 3rd-year back recovering from an ACL tear in 2021. After a slow start to the year and some missed time, Dobbins has rushed for 90+ yards in 3 of 4 games since returning in Week 14 vs. the Steelers in their 1st matchup. It's safe to say Dobbins is slowly regaining his pre-ACL form. He'll certainly be a name to watch in 2023 as he becomes even further removed from injury.
Ravens QB Tyler Huntley completed 14 of 21 passes for 130 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Sunday's loss vs. the Steelers. Huntley has now thrown for under 200 passing yards in every game since taking over for the injured QB Lamar Jackson (knee) as the starter in Week 14 with nary a multiple TD performance. Fantasy managers playing onto Week 18 should not consider Huntley a viable option vs. the Bengals. We've seen enough this season to suggest he is merely a stand-in game manager. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't add much fantasy value to lineups.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw for just 212 yards in Sunday's win over the Rams. It was a fairly efficient outing, though, with lower passing volume than usual. Herbert threw just 28 times, his fewest of the season and 14.3 fewer than his per-game average entering the week. Herbert completed 21 (75%) and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt. The 2 TDs marked a big improvement over the previous 4 games, though, doubling his TD total for that span. It was just Herbert's 7th multi-TD game of the year. He'll close out the regular season against a Denver defense that's been toughest in the league on QB scoring.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler ran for 122 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's win over the Rams. Ekeler carried just 10 times for the game, adding 4 catches for 39 yards. The team also mixed in RB Joshua Kelley for 9 carries and RB Larry Rountree for 10. Rountree's use came in the 2nd half, perhaps motivated by a knee issue that limited Ekeler to start the practice week. The Chargers finish the regular season at Denver. Ekeler went for limited yardage -- 83 total on 14 carries and 16 targets -- in the 1st meeting. That came back in Week 6, though, against a much different Broncos defense.
Rams RB Cam Akers ran for 123 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. That marked his 2nd straight game of more than 100 yards rushing but just the 2nd time all season that a Rams RB has exceeded 65 rushing yards. Unfortunately, RB Malcolm Brown claimed the team's lone TD. Akers closes out the season with a Seattle defense that hit Week 17 as the 2nd-best scoring matchup for RBs by adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Packers RB Aaron Jones racked up 111 yards on 14 carries in Sunday's win over the Vikings, averaging 7.9 per rush. That marked a steep turn from most of his production since a Week 10 shin injury. Jones had been averaging just 4.0 per rush since then, compared with 5.6 per carry through Week 10. Jones added meager receiving production -- 2 catches, 2 yards on 3 targets -- and ceded rushing scores to RB AJ Dillon and QB Aaron Rodgers. Dillon checked in just 2 carries short of Jones (going 12-41-1 rushing). Week 18 will pit Jones and the offense against a Lions defense that has been up-and-down as a scoring matchup. He managed just 45 total yards on 9 carries and 2 catches in the 1st meeting.
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