The Texans have claimed S Kareem Jackson off waivers from the Broncos. Denver dumped the twice-suspended veteran, opting to continue with P.J. Locke next to S Justin Simmons. Jackson could see immediate time for a Houston defense that lost Jimmie Ward to a quad injury against the Browns. It's not yet clear how long Ward will be out. We'll watch for specifics on Jackson's Week 17 role.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed that Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson tore his right ACL and MCL in Sunday's loss vs. the Lions. That ends Hockenson's phenomenal season. The veteran pass-catcher posted a position-leading 127 targets and 219 PPR points (a career-best) through Week 16. We'll see about his chances of making it back for the start of 2024. But his long-term dynasty value should still largely remain intact. Be sure to keep up with us throughout the offseason as more information becomes available. Hockenson's injury likely means more playing time for TEs Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt. They saw near-identical playing time against the Lions, with Mundt getting the edge in snaps (23-21) and targets (3-2). The presence of both makes neither especially attractive for fantasy purposes. WR K.J. Osborn probably gains the most fantasy relevance.
Jets QB Zach Wilson (concussion) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Browns. QB Trevor Siemian will get the start. He mustered just 4.4 yards per pass attempt against the Commanders' league-worst pass defense last week and is not a viable Week 17 starter even in Superflex leagues.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said Tuesday that QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) is "progressing" but "sore," per insider Mia O'Brien. "We'll see where he's at tomorrow," Pederson added. It sounds like there's a chance that Lawrence is able to play vs. the Panthers this weekend, although he'd be very tough to trust in fantasy lineups. We'll track his status the rest of the week.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that QB Mason Rudolph is "scheduled" to start in Week 17 He added that the team will see where QB Kenny Pickett's mobility is at the end of the week. So it sounds like Pickett has a chance to return but that the team isn't expecting him to be ready. Rudolph threw for 290 yards and 2 TDs Saturday in his first start of the season. Pittsburgh will visit Seattle this Sunday. We'll bet on Rudolph falling short of his Week 16 numbers, but the Seahawks present a similarly generous defense. They rank 24th in total DVOA, 24th against the pass, and 22nd against the run.
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire looks likely to lead the Chiefs' Week 17 backfield against the Bengals. Isiah Pacheco left Monday's loss to the Raiders with a concussion, and Jerick McKinnon landed on IR ahead of that game. CEH managed just 6 yards on 4 carries against the Raiders, just to make sure you remember his limitations. But he did post 42 receiving yards in catching all three of his targets. CEH will be worth a pickup where available this week because K.C. faces a soft Bengals defense. Cincinnati allowed 397 yards to the Steelers and 424 to the Vikings the past two weeks. The Bengals have allowed seven opponents to reach 400 total yards this season and yielded 24+ points in five of their past seven games.
WR Rashee Rice posted unspectacular numbers Monday, in a game that saw the entire Chiefs offense disappoint vs. the Raiders. But his 6 receptions for 57 yards didn't kill your fantasy lineup. And Rice's 12 targets marked a season high as well as 27.3% of QB Patrick Mahomes' total pass attempts for the game. Rice has now seen 9+ targets in five straight games, earning a 26.2% target share over that span while averaging 7.6 catches and 78.2 yards per contest. Rice should remain glued to your lineup for a high-upside matchup with the Bengals in Week 17. He'll get another positive spot against the Chargers in Week 18, if your league plays that week.
Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez racked up 58 yards and 2 TDs on 10 carries in Sunday's loss to the Jets. After the game, though, he had a boot on his right foot. ESPN's John Keim says Rodriguez "rolled" that ankle, but we haven't seen any other details on the injury or his Week 17 outlook. We'll watch the whole backfield -- including whether Brian Robinson Jr. will be ready -- throughout the practice week. Whoever's playing will get a challenging matchup with the 49ers.
Raiders WR Davante Adams let you down big time with just 1 reception for 4 yards in Monday's loss to the Chiefs. His 6 targets marked the fewest he'd seen in a game since Week 6 and his third-lowest total of the season. But if your team survived that performance and advanced anyway, don't overrate Adams' rough day in making your Week 17 lineup decisions. The bad game came just a week after Adams delivered an 8-101-1 receiving line against the Chargers and marked the first time since Week 9 that he finished a game with fewer than 5 receptions. The Chiefs have been the fifth-toughest scoring matchup for WRs this season, by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. And the defense has been legitimately tough against the pass, ranking fifth in DVOA. Adams gets a more favorable matchup with the Colts in Week 17. Indy has also been a negative scoring matchup for WRs (ninth-toughest) but ranks just 14th in pass DVOA. Expect Adams to settle in WR2 territory of our Week 17 rankings.
Raiders RB Zamir White racked up 145 yards on 22 carries in Monday's win over the Chiefs. He had just seven rushes for 33 yards at halftime but loaded up in the fourth quarter, as Vegas ran out the clock. White tallied 64 of his yards on just his final three runs to get to the 2-minute warning. That followed his solid 17-69-1 effort (plus 3 receptions for 16 yards) in the Week 15 beatdown of the Chargers. But RB Josh Jacobs seems likely to be ready for Week 17. He was officially questionable for the K.C. game, though it didn't sound like he actually got close to playing. Jacobs managed just one limited practice for Week 16, sandwiched between two missed days. White belongs on a fantasy roster heading into Week 17, but don't expect him to be usable unless Jacobs remains out. White's past two weeks have made his dynasty outlook much more interesting, after he had basically done nothing through nearly his first two seasons. Consider White more of a "hold" than a "buy," though. He's no lock to take over the backfield even if Jacobs leaves in free agency.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker handled 16 of 19 team carries in Sunday's win over Tennessee. That’s strong volume, considering Walker's missed practices and questionable status (ankle) entering the weekend. Still, he managed just 3.4 YPC while matching Zach Charbonnet in targets (2). Walker’s now caught exactly 1 pass in five of his past seven matchups. Week 17 turns up a Steelers matchup that’s slightly favorable.
49ers QB Brock Purdy suffered a stinger in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game vs. the Ravens. He's been cleared to return, according to ESPN's Lisa Salters, but Purdy has remained on the sidelines with San Francisco trailing by 14. We'll look for more info on Purdy's status, but it sounds like we should expect him to be available for Week 17's game vs. the Commanders.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers (foot) is active for tonight's game vs. the 49ers. He put in full practices on Friday and Saturday, so we’re not expecting the foot to be a significant factor.
Giants QB Tommy DeVito was benched at halftime of Monday's game vs. the Eagles. He produced just three points and 55 passing yards in the game's first 30 minutes. After a few surprisingly competent starts, DeVito has bottomed out the past two weeks. QB Tyrod Taylor will play the second half vs. Philadelphia and figures to start the final two games of the season. He should bring a bit more stability to the Giants' offense.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has been diagnosed with a sprained right shoulder, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "It’s not believed to be a major injury to his throwing shoulder, but it’s unclear how this affects his availability this week," Rapoport adds. Lawrence has yet to miss an NFL start through three years, including playing the week after a high-ankle sprain and a concussion this season. We'll track his status throughout this week, leading up to Sunday's game vs. the Panthers
The Browns signed K Riley Patterson to their practice squad. He'll step in if K Dustin Hopkins' hamstring injury costs him further time. Patterson was dumped by the Lions a week ago after missing a pair of XPs in a three-game stretch. But he connected on 15 of 17 FGs this year.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said Monday that WR Jaylen Waddle's injury, which was originally announced as a shin, is "more of a high-ankle sprain." If it's a true high-ankle sprain, Waddle will likely miss multiple weeks. We'll look for more on his status, but fantasy owners should plan on being without Waddle in Week 17.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco suffered a concussion in the second half against the Raiders and has been ruled out for the game. The timing (Monday afternoon) cuts down on Pacheco's chances of making it back for a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Bengals in Week 17. If Pacheco's out, that would leave Clyde Edwards-Helaire to lead the backfield against a soft Cincinnati defense. (Jerick McKinnon's on IR.) The Bengals allowed 397 total yards to the Steelers and 424 to the Vikings over the past two weeks. CEH would merit low-RB2 consideration if he's set to start for K.C. in Week 17. We'll watch Pacheco's status throughout the week.
Eagles LB Nicholas Morrow (abdomen) is inactive for today's game against the Giants. That leaves Philly down its top two LBs, with Zach Cunningham already ruled out. Expect Shaquille Leonard to lead the position in playing time. Undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren looks like the next guy up. He has yet to play a snap on defense this season, though, so shouldn't be in anyone's IDP plans. Leonard makes for a solid LB3-level play.
The initial outlook on Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson's injured knee is "not good," a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hockenson is getting an MRI on the knee today, so we should learn more soon. Fantasy owners should be planning on Hockenson missing the rest of the season.
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