Browns K Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Jets. Riley Patterson will kick in his place but is not a strong fantasy option with Cleveland's implied total at just 21 points.
Browns WR Amari Cooper is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Jets. He's on the injury report with "rest" and a heel. We'll look for more information on Cooper and get Cleveland's inactives around 6:45 pm ET tomorrow. Cooper, of course, is coming off a monster Week 16 but draws the league's No. 1 WR defense on Thursday.
Jets K Greg Zuerlein (quad) is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Browns. Austin Seibert will kick for New York is Zuerlein is unable to give it a go. You should not be messing with this situation in Week 17 fantasy lineups.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel confirmed on Wednesday that WR Jaylen Waddle has a high-ankle sprain. "It's tough to rule him out for this week [due to his toughness]," McDaniel added. "It's a high ankle sprain. It's not overly severe. But [high-ankle sprains] are tough when you make a living on cutting." We'll track Waddle's status over the next few days, but consider him unlikely to play against the Ravens on Sunday.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence said he won't do much at Wednesday's practice with his right shoulder "still sore but feeling better," according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Lawrence reportedly said he can't yet say whether he'll be ready to face the Panthers on Sunday. We'll keep track of the QB's progress throughout the week.
Update: Lawrence officially did not practice on Wednesday.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos will be benching QB Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the season's final two games. You might remember Stidham playing the same role last year for the Raiders, who benched Derek Carr. And the reasoning on Wilson looks the same. Wilson is already guaranteed $39 million for 2024, but another $37 million would become guaranteed if Wilson can't pass a physical in March. So the Broncos don't appear to be done with Wilson like the Raiders were with Carr. Rather, they're trying to maintain some "financial flexibility," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Even if they'd like to trade Wilson, his contract basically prevents such a move. According to Spotrac, Denver would absorb $85 million in dead cap by unloading Wilson. So expect him to be the 2024 starter. As for the final two weeks of this year, Stidham will likely present a passing downgrade. WR Courtland Sutton has been just about the only usable piece for most fantasy football leagues lately, though. His injury leaves Jerry Jeudy as the expected Week 17 target leader. You'll find him low in WR3 territory in our Week 17 rankings.
Giants QB Tyrod Taylor will start this weekend's game vs. the Rams, HC Brian Daboll said. Taylor played reasonably well in relief of QB Tommy DeVito in Philadelphia on Monday, throwing for 133 yards, one TD, and one INT in the second half. He completed 64% of his passes at 7.4 yards per attempt with two TDs and 0 INTs in starts against the Bills and Commanders earlier this season. Taylor is just a low-end QB2 for Week 17, but he should bring more stability to the offense than DeVito.
The Commanders named QB Jacoby Brissett the Week 17 starter. Brissett has provided a spark over the past two weeks, totaling 224 yards and 3 TDs on a 78.3% completion rate. We’re not excited about the former Colt as a fantasy starter – especially against the 49ers. But Brissett raises the outlook for Washington’s WR corps, most notably Terry McLaurin. See where he and Brissett sit in our updated Week 17 rankings.
The Buccaneers started LB K.J. Britt in place of Devin White once again Sunday against the Jaguars. But Britt played just 3 snaps for the team while White took the other 63. That followed three straight inactive games for White and two weeks of at least 90% playing time for Britt. The down stretch for White started with an injury but then included the LB reportedly telling the team he couldn't go in Week 15 after being told Britt would keep getting playing time. Back in his old role against Jacksonville, White delivered cross-category production. He tallied a meager 4 tackles (2 solos) but added a half-sack among 2 QB hits, plus an INT among 2 passes defensed. According to FOX Sports' Greg Auman, co-DC Kacy Rodgers said before the game that White and Britt would both play "big roles" in the game. That it only proved true for White and he delivered a nice performance should mean a similar role in Week 17. You'll find White back in our LB rankings this week.
Monday night’s game vs. the 49ers gave fantasy managers a chance to see how the Ravens would split their RB workload after rookie Keaton Mitchell sustained a season-ending ACL injury in Week 15. Baltimore ended up favoring Justice Hill, who saw a team-high 13 touches and logged his second-highest snap share (62%) of the season. Teammate Gus Edwards was also involved (70 total yards, 1 rushing TD) and saw all three of the Ravens’ RB touches from inside the five-yard line on Monday night, per PFF. Managers looking ahead to Week 17 can feel good about starting both Hill and Edwards as RB3/flex options, though it’d be better to lean toward Edwards if you’re picking between them. They’ll be set to face a Dolphins defense that ranks as the sixth-toughest matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed, though Miami is tied for seventh-most red zone rushing TDs allowed (14) this season. Banking on Edwards, the goal-line option, is the more optimal play.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert roped in 7 of 9 targets for 71 receiving yards vs. the Cowboys in Week 16. Monday evening’s contest marks the second game in a row that he’s seen 9 targets in a game. Since returning from a broken forearm in Week 14, Goedert ranks second on the Eagles in target share (23.4%) and will look to ride this momentum into Week 17 vs. the Cardinals. Though Arizona ranks as the fifth-toughest TE matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed this season, Goedert has seen a hefty amount of involvement in the Eagles’ passing game of late. He should be able to find his way into low-end TE1 status based on volume, but just be sure to temper expectations.
Eagles RB D’Andre Swift is continuing to trend upward. He tallied 20 carries for 92 yards and a TD in Monday night’s victory vs. the Giants. While he saw no work in the passing game for the second time this season, Swift’s usage is ramping up much closer to his season average of 16.9 touches per game. He’d seen a pair of flop games between Week 13-14 in which he received 21 touches combined, but those were blowout losses in which the Eagles’ offense operated within heavily negative game scripts. The team’s last two contests have produced much closer outcomes and have rewarded Swift as a result. This will be important to remember ahead of their Week 17 matchup vs. the Cardinals. Arizona ranks as the second-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed and 31st in run defense DVOA in 2023. This is the kind of spot where Swift should be able to post borderline RB1 numbers for managers in fantasy championships. Don’t hesitate to fire him up in your lineup.
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.
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