Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire totaled 13 carries for 37 rushing yards with 4 catches for 64 yards and a TD as a receiver in Week 15 vs. the Patriots. He appeared on 61.5% of the team’s offensive snaps on Sunday and out-touched teammate Jerick McKinnon 17 to 7. As long as Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) remains out, Edwards-Helaire should carry fantasy appeal as Kansas City’s lead runner and will have a tremendous opportunity to pay off in lineups in Week 16 vs. the Raiders (eighth-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed).
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice tallied 9 catches on as many targets for 94 receiving yards and a TD in Week 15’s win vs. the Patriots. The rookie has now caught at least 7 passes in each of the last four weeks and ranks first on the team in targets (38), receptions (32), and receiving yards (334) in that span. At this point, fantasy managers can be reasonably certain that Rice will be a WR2 in lineups for the remainder of the season. Next week, the Chiefs will face off against the Raiders (10th-toughest WR matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed).
Browns TE David Njoku continues to be QB Joe Flacco’s favorite target. The veteran pass-catcher ended Week 15’s win vs. the Bears with 10 catches on 14 targets for 104 receiving yards and a TD. Sunday’s contest is the second time in Njoku’s career that he exceeded the 100-yard mark (2021 Week 5). WR Amari Cooper was also heavily involved, hauling 4 of 8 targets for a team-high 109 receiving yards, including the 51-yard TD catch that tied the game up late in the fourth quarter. Both players are set up nicely to build on this success next week vs. the Texans (28th in pass-defense DVOA) and should be trustworthy starters in the fantasy playoffs.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs caught four balls for just 48 scoreless yards in the Week 15 win over the Cowboys. It was his fourth game among the last five with fewer than 50 receiving yards. Unlike those other games, though, Diggs' share of the passing game was not the problem in this one. He accounted for 33% of the team's targets and 51% of receiving yards. Dallas simply couldn't stop Buffalo's running game, so QB Josh Allen threw just 15 times. The Bills have leaned a bit more on the running game under OC Joe Brady -- but we certainly don't expect another game like this the rest of the way. Diggs remains a must-start for an excellent Week 16 matchup vs. the Chargers' 27th-ranked WR defense.
RB James Cook was the Bills' offense in the Week 15 win over the Cowboys, accounting for 221 of the team's 360 total yards (61%). Cook gashed the Dallas run defense all game, turning 25 carries into 179 yards (7.1 YPC) and a score. He added two catches for 42 yards, including an 18-yard TD on a corner route to the front pylon. Cook was the best player on the field in this game -- and the Bills wisely rode him. QB Josh Allen finished with just 94 passing yards on 15 attempts. Don't expect another game like this from the Bills or Cook the rest of the way. But Cook has clearly been the biggest winner from the OC change to Joe Brady. He's now averaged 17.0 carries and 4.8 targets for 141 total yards in four games under Brady. Week 16 brings an excellent matchup vs. the Chargers' 20th-ranked RB defense. The sledding will be tougher in Week 17 against New England, but Cook's passing-game role will keep him a must-start for that one.
Packers RB Aaron Jones drew 13 of Green Bay's 17 rushing attempts in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. That marked an 86.7% share of RB carries for the game. Jones led the backfield with 4 targets as well, but he actually trailed RB Patrick Taylor in routes. Jones also led Taylor by just 4 total snaps. It amounted to Jones basically taking the place of AJ Dillon -- who missed the game with a thumb injury. That's surprising because Jones has seen strong receiving usage throughout his career. Green Bay gets a high-upside RB-scoring matchup with Carolina in Week 16. That will help Jones' outlook, regardless of Dillon's status. But Sunday's usage adds some uncertainty to Jones' touch outlook.
Packers TE Tucker Kraft tallied 57 yards and a TD on 4 receptions in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. The game marked his second among the past three with 6 targets, his second straight with 4 receptions and more than 50 receiving yards, and the fourth straight game in which he led the team in routes. That all makes Kraft a solid option for Week 16, if Luke Musgrave isn't ready to return from his lacerated kidney. He's eligible to come off IR for Week 16, but we haven't yet seen an indication Green Bay expects Musgrave to play next week. We'll watch the situation ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Panthers.
The Bengals are "bracing for Ja'Marr Chase to miss time" with his shoulder injury, according to FOX Sports' Jay Glazer. Chase was originally scheduled to get an MRI on Sunday, but his shoulder was too sore. He'll get that MRI tomorrow. We should get an update on his status then.
Packers rookie WR Dontayvion Wicks started Sunday against the Buccaneers in place of Christian Watson and wound up leading the team in receiving. He tied WR Jayden Reed for the team lead at 6 receptions while tallying a team-high 97 receiving yards, 40 more than his nearest teammate. Wicks also ranked third on the team in routes, trailing TE Tucker Kraft and WR Romeo Doubs. Wicks' 7 targets trailed only Reed's 8. His playing time likely benefited from Reed leaving the game twice for a toe injury. We'll see about the statuses for Reed and Watson heading into Week 16.
Ravens S Kyle Hamilton (knee) is active for tonight's game against the Jaguars. Use him as planned in your IDP lineups.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield dominated the Packers on Sunday, throwing for 381 yards and 4 TDs on 22-of-28 passing. That 13.6 yards per attempt was 4.0 better than his previous high for the season. His total yardage set a season high by 64 and marked just the second time this season Mayfield has reached 300. The TDs unsurprisingly marked a season high as well, but it was also his sixth game among the past eight with multiple TD passes. Mayfield rebounded Sunday after completing just 48.3% of his passe in each of the previous two games and tallying 202 yards or less in three straight outings. Mayfield entered Sunday as just the QB21 in fantasy points per game (depending on your format). But his game against Green Bay was his sixth among the past nine with 20+ fantasy points. He gets an upside matchup with the Jaguars in Week 16 that might land him inside the top 12 of our QB rankings. We'll see about his Week 17 matchup with the Saints.
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin has had a challenging season that has included playing through multiple injuries. HC Todd Bowles called him banged up "more than most" coming off Week 13. OC Dave Canales said heading into Week 14 that he needed to get Godwin more involved. That led to 11 targets at Atlanta, but Godwin caught just five for 53 yards. And then he missed two of three practices this week with a knee injury before being questionable on the final injury report. The wideout then tied his season high with 12 targets in the win over the Packers, 42.9% of QB Baker Mayfield's total pass attempts for the game. Godwin caught 10 of those, two more receptions than in any other game this season and four more than he'd caught in any contest since Week 4. And he racked up a season-high 155 yards. It certainly didn't hurt that Green Bay played without S Darnell Savage and top CB Jaire Alexander. Godwin gets an even better matchup against Jacksonville in Week 16 and then a decent spot against the Saints to close the fantasy season (in most leagues). Expect him to land at least in high-WR3 territory of our rankings the next two weeks -- perhaps higher against the Jaguars. WR Mike Evans, meanwhile, seems to have suffered from the attempt to get Godwin more involved over the past two weeks. Evans has seen just 6 targets in each of those games, trailing Godwin 23-12 in total for that span.
Commanders QB Sam Howell was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams. He went 11 of 26 for 102 yards, one TD, and one INT, producing just seven points. QB Jacoby Brissett will finish this one out for Washington. We're guessing that Howell will be back under center next week -- but he gets brutal matchups the next two weeks vs. the Jets and 49ers. You should be looking for an alternative if you've been rolling with Howell as your fantasy starter.
Update: HC Ron Rivera said after the loss to the Rams that Howell remains the starting QB.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the 49ers with a heel injury. He's been battling this issue for a few weeks now. We'll see if he's able to re-enter this one. Brown did not draw a target before exiting.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson finished the Week 15 loss to Carolina with seven carries for 11 yards and one catch for three yards. His 59% snap rate was his lowest in a healthy game all season. RBs Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson combined for 19 carries and four targets. It was a major letdown and surprise after Robinson averaged 16.5 carries and 5.0 targets over his previous four games. Fantasy owners who survived this dud will need to go back to Robinson in Week 16, barring any news about an injury that we haven't heard about yet. The rookie gets a plus matchup vs. the Colts' 31st-ranked RB defense. Week 17 brings a much tougher draw vs. Chicago.
Saints QB Derek Carr played his best game of the season Week 15 vs. the Giants. Interestingly, the strong effort came with Chris Olave (ankle) sidelined. Carr hit Juwan Johnson, Jimmy Graham, and Keith Kirkwood for scores while completing 82.1% of his passes. What helped: Taysom Hill mixed in for only one pass attempt and one carry in his return from hand/foot injuries. A positive matchup helped too, but credit Carr for delivering alongside a thin supporting cast. Next week, he gets a quick turnaround with a road matchup against the Rams. We’ll see if Olave returns for that one. Even if he does, Carr will project as a clear QB2. The former Raider doesn’t need to be rostered outside of deep leagues/superflex formats.
Falcons WR Drake London mustered just two catches for 24 scoreless yards in the Week 15 loss to the Panthers. Weather was a factor throughout this one, with QB Desmond Ridder throwing for only 152 yards and one TD. But it continued the trend of Atlanta's passing game being much less productive on the road than at home throughout the season. For London, that's meant 6.0 and 89 yards per game at home vs. just 3.1 catches and 34 yards per game on the road. He hasn't reached 12 PPR points in any of his seven road games. The good news: London is back at home in Week 16 for the Colts' 11th-ranked WR defense. Then it's back on the road against the Bears in Week 17.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard racked up 22 carries for 87 yards in the Week 15 win over the Falcons. That gives him a whopping 70 carries over the last three games, which Hubbard has parlayed into 278 yards and two TDs. Carolina has leaned heavily on the run under interim HC Chris Tabor -- and Hubbard has been the beneficiary. He's totaled just four catches on four targets over these last three games, which dings his value in full PPR leagues especially. But Hubbard is at least useable as a RB3 against the Packers' 21st-ranked RB defense. Week 17 brings a tougher spot vs. the Jaguars.
Titans QB Will Levis suffered a left leg injury in overtime of Sunday's game vs. the Texans. The replay was gruesome enough that the TV broadcast decided not to show it, although Levis was able to walk off the field. We'll update his status when we know more. QB Ryan Tannehill is Tennessee's backup today.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle went off for 8 catches, 142 yards, and 1 score in Sunday’s blowout win over the Jets. His score came on a well-thrown deep ball from Tua Tagovailoa. Waddle briefly left with a chest injury but returned to easily pace Miami in all major receiving categories. Of course, an inactive Tyreek Hill helped. We’re guessing Hill returns for Week 16 vs. Dallas, putting Waddle back in the WR2 mix.
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