The Steelers placed DL Cameron Heyward in the concussion protocol after Saturday's loss to the Colts. That'll challenge his availability for next Saturday's matchup with the Bengals. We'll watch Heyward's progress through the week.
Colts RB Zack Moss "plans to try to play" Sunday against the Falcons, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. X-rays on the shoulder Moss injured against the Steelers on Saturday were negative, but he'll still need to progress through the practice week to be ready. We'll certainly be watching for details on that progress. In the meantime, Trey Sermon is worth a look on the waiver wire. He worked a little ahead of Tyler Goodson after Moss went down in Week 15 and would be the preferred fantasy option if Moss can't go. Don't look to Sermon as a strong fantasy play, however.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Monday that QB Mason Rudolph will start Saturday's game against the Bengals. Actually, he said, "As I stand here today, Mason Rudolph is the guy with the ball," according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. Tomlin also didn't rule out QB Kenny Pickett being ready to return. Tomlin said that Pickett would not only need medical clearance following surgery for his high-ankle sprain but also need to show he can protect himself and "be sharp," according to Dale Lolley of Steelers.com. We'll keep an eye on the situation throughout the week, but there's not a whole lot of fantasy value to squeeze from this pass offense either way. Here's hoping you have better lineup options at QB, WR, and TE for Week 16.
Buccaneers LB Devin White entered Sunday questionable with a foot injury. So when he turned up inactive against the Packers, that seemed to be the reason. But Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Bucs coaches told White ahead of the game that he wouldn't start. He responded that he "couldn't go," and was thus a healthy scratch. Barring some public change on that story, it's tough to see why Tampa would go back to White for Week 16. So don't plan to have the veteran LB available for IDP use. K.J. Britt took White's spot but collected only 6 tackles (3 solo, 1 tackle for loss). Lavonte David should be the only Bucs LB in your fantasy considerations the next two weeks.
Titans RB Derrick Henry assessed his future following Sunday’s loss to Houston. Henry is slated to hit free agency in 2024. “Yeah, definitely today you had that feeling [that it could be the end of my career with the Titans]," said Henry. "I had hope of kind of slipping in there [the playoffs], and then being eliminated with three games left. I've been here my whole career. Definitely wanted to go out strong, which that isn't the case.” Per ESPN's Turon Davenport, the Titans have $91.8 million in projected cap space, so money isn't an issue. Henry, though, might want a change of scenery at 30 years old (in January). Tennessee ends the season against Seattle, Houston, and Jacksonville.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Seahawks QB Geno Smith (groin) is a "long shot" to play against the Eagles tonight. FOX Sports' Jay Glazer had a similar report just before the 1 pm ET games kicked off on Sunday. Smith hasn't been ruled out yet, but "he's gotta improve a lot from now until game time to be able to play," per Rapoport. It'll be QB Drew Lock under center for Seattle if Smith is out. Lock played well vs. the 49ers last week, throwing for 269 yards, two TDs, and two INTs on a 71% completion rate and 8.7 yards per attempt. But he also has three seasons of underwhelming play for the Broncos on his resume. Lock would certainly add some downside to Seattle's offense tonight.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said after Sunday night's win over the Jaguars that RB Keaton. Mitchell's left knee injury is expected to end the rookie's season. The team hasn't yet supplied details of the injury, but that's likely awaiting a Monday MRI. The rookie left the field with a lot of help, though, putting no weight on the joint and rode a cart to the locker room. We'll see what kind of return timeline Mitchell faces once the details become clear. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill worked near evenly after Mitchell left in the fourth quarter. Each had four carries before Edwards handled all three runs on Baltimore's final possession to run out the clock. Both will likely land in RB3 territory of our rankings for a Week 16 matchup with the 49ers. A Week 17 home date with the Dolphins looks a bit more RB-friendly.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence entered the concussion protocol after Sunday night's loss to the Ravens. HC Doug Pederson said Lawrence sustained the injury on one of his scrambles during the team's final drive. Lawrence obviously faces high risk of missing next Sunday's matchup with the Buccaneers, though a number of players have recently returned after less than a week in the protocol. (Whether that should be the case ... we'll leave to the neurologists.) If Lawrence can't go, C.J. Beathard would fill in for what should be an upside passing matchup. That would downgrade the key Jacksonville pass-catchers but not doom their fantasy outlooks. We'll watch the situation throughout the week.
Ravens TE Isaiah Likely caught 5 of 6 targets for 70 receiving yards and a TD in Week 15 vs. the Jaguars. The second-year pass-catcher has stepped up well in the place of injured teammate Mark Andrews (ankle) over the past three weeks, leading the team in receptions (14) and receiving yards (193) and ranking second in targets (19) in that span. He’ll have a tougher time next week vs. the 49ers (fourth in pass-defense DVOA in 2023), though Likely will remain within the TE1 discussion because of his usage.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley hauled in 5 catches on 12 targets for 39 receiving yards in Week 15 vs. the Ravens. The veteran wideout nearly caught a 13-yard TD late in the fourth quarter of play, though the pass was ruled incomplete by the officials and held up following a Jaguars challenge. Sunday night marks the third consecutive contest in which Ridley has been held to under 10 PPR points. Despite a stellar Week 16 draw vs. the Buccaneers (third-best WR matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed), his inconsistencies will make it difficult to trust Ridley next week in the fantasy playoffs.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence completed 25 of 43 passes for 264 yards with 1 TD in Week 15’s loss vs. the Ravens. He and the offense struggled at several points on Sunday night, including mishandling a hurry-up situation at the end of the first half that failed to yield a score and Lawrence’s two lost fumbles in the contest. Following the game by Jaguars HC Doug Pederson, it was revealed that Lawrence had been entered into NFL concussion protocol. Week 16’s matchup vs. the Buccaneers (seventh-best QB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed) is a good spot for Lawrence to bounce back, but it’ll be vital to follow the team’s injury reports this week regarding his availability.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones injured his left hamstring in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's game vs. the Ravens. He's been playing through a right knee injury. Jones is officially questionable to return to this one, but we doubt we see him again. We'll track his status this coming week.
Titans RB Derrick Henry logged a ridiculously low 10 total yards in Sunday's OT loss to the Texans. It wasn't because of a lack of touches, though. Henry carried 16 times, his fourth straight games with at least that many rushing attempts. He also caught a team-high four passes on 4 targets. Both tied his season highs. But Henry ran for just 9 yards and managed a single receiving yard. Perhaps Houston just figured out how to defend him. If that's the case, he'll be unhappy to see the Texans again in Week 17. And we'll have to be wary of that matchup. In between comes a positive spot against Seattle. Rookie Tyjae Spears nearly equaled Henry's playing time against the Texans, logging 33 snaps to Henry's 34. He beat Henry 18-13 in pass routes and took his 9 carries for 30 yards (3.3 per rush). Spears remains just a handcuff for fantasy, though.
Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell injured his left knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's game vs. the Jaguars. He took a cart back to the locker room and was quickly ruled out. This has the looks of a significant injury, but we'll update Mitchell's status when we learn more. His absence leaves Baltimore's backfield to Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins caught just two passes for 21 yards in Sunday's OT loss to the Texans. That came despite a team-leading 9 targets that accounted for 34.6% of QB Will Levis' pass attempts and led his nearest teammate by five. It was Hopkins' third straight game with 9+ targets and fifth such game among eight since Levis took over. The WR sports just a 46.3% catch rate over that span, though. He gets a positive matchup with Seattle in Week 16 before a rematch with Houston ... which was also a positive matchup. Hopkins ran more of his routes from the slot Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus, drawing a 36% target route from there but logging just one catch. We'll see if that lack of success alters any Week 16 usage. Hopkins remains a startable fantasy asset but comes with a low floor.
Texans TE Dalton Schultz didn't post big numbers (4-58 receiving on 5 targets) in Sunday's OT win over the Titans. But he had a good day. His 34 routes tied for second on the team, found him on the field for 85.7% of Houston dropbacks and dominated No. 2 TE Brevin Jordan (7 routes, 17.5%). The game marked Schultz' return from two weeks down for a hamstring injury that knocked him out of the previous contest. The role could make him a key contributor in Week 16 against the Browns, who reached Week 15 as the third-best scoring matchup for TEs and third-worst for WRs. Schultz will push for a top-12 spot in our Week 16 TE rankings.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride finished Week 15 vs. the 49ers with 10 catches on 11 targets for 102 receiving yards. The second-year pass-catcher has been nothing short of dominant over the past several weeks. Since QB Kyler Murray returned to play in Week 10, McBride leads all TEs in receptions (7.3) and receiving yards (85) per game and ranks second in PPR points per game (17.3). In that span of five games, he’s also dipped below 60 receiving yards in a game just one time. There’s no doubt that McBride belongs entrenched in fantasy lineups the rest of the way.
Texans WR Noah Brown dominated targets in Sunday's win over the Titans. His 11 looks marked 30.6% of the team's total pass attempts and more than doubled his nearest teammate. WR Robert Woods tied two others with 5 targets, catching three for 30 yards. He and Woods actually trailed rookie WR Xavier Hutchinson in routes, though. Hutchinson ran a route on 87.5% of Houston dropbacks, leading Brown by one route and Woods by five. Hutchinson went catchless on 3 targets. Brown has room to stay relevant against the Browns in Week 16. But he'll likely have to compete with WR Nico Collins, who missed Sunday's game but seems to be trending toward a Week 16 return. We'll watch the whole situation as we set our Week 16 rankings. Don't expect Hutchinson or Woods to be relevant over the final two fantasy weeks outside of deep leagues.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott finished the Week 15 loss to the Bills with 134 passing yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT. He added 27 yards on four carries -- which wasn't nearly enough to salvage his fantasy day. The 134 passing yards were a season low. Prescott's 3.9 yards per attempt marked a season-low. And it was his first game since Week 1 without a passing TD. Buffalo's defense deserves a ton of credit, getting consistent pressure with four-man rushes and covering well on the back end. But Prescott continues to struggle on the road this season. He's now averaging just 216 passing yards and 1.1 TDs across seven games on the road (vs. 304 yards and 2.9 TDs at home). Prescott has finished as a top-12 fantasy QB in just two of those seven road games. He's back on the road in Week 16, although it's in Miami for a game with shootout potential. Prescott returns home for Week 17 for the Lions. If you've been rolling with him all season -- and you survived this Week 15 dud -- stick with Prescott these final two weeks.
Texans RB Devin Singletary controlled the backfield in Sunday's win over the Titans, rushing 26 times for 121 yards and posting a 4-49 receiving line on 5 targets. Singletary took 26 of 28 RB carries for the game and ceded just 1 backfield target to Dare Ogunbowale. RB Dameon Pierce, meanwhile, played just 4 snaps. That marked a season low -- but only trailing his Week 14 by four. Pierce has seen his role shrink significantly since returning from three games lost to injury. The previous two down weeks came in losses, though, including a lopsided defeat to the Jets. Houston did fall 13-0 behind Tennessee early in the second quarter Sunday and trailed 13-3 at halftime. So perhaps game script played into his usage again. But the dramatic difference between his snaps and Singletary's (58) clearly make the latter the favorite to lead the backfield over the final two weeks. Singletary gets a challenging spot against Cleveland in Week 16 before a rematch with the Titans. He should push for a low-RB2 spot in our RB rankings each week. Pierce looks like a handcuff at best.
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