Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) has been activated from IR, putting him in line to play in Saturday's regular-season finale vs. the Raiders. Hardman has been out since Week 9. He'd be a flier in Week 18 fantasy lineups but is certainly in play for NFL Playoffs fantasy contests.
The Cardinals have already ruled WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) out for this week. Without Hopkins last Sunday, TE Trey McBride and WR Greg Dortch tied for the lead with 25% target share apiece. WR Marquise Brown checked in 1 target behind them. Week 18, however, will find a much tougher defense in San Francisco. Check our Week 18 fantasy football rankings to see where everyone has landed.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore (hand) did not practice on Tuesday. We don't have any details on his injury, but the rookie is seemingly in danger of missing Saturday's regular-season finale vs. the Raiders. Moore's absence could mean more snaps for WR Kadarius Toney.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 328 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday's win over the Broncos. He went 29 of 42 in a game that saw Kansas City throw on 72.4% of offensive snaps. TE Travis Kelce led the team in targets (10) and catches (7) but tallied just 43 yards. RB Jerick McKinnon (2) and TE Blake Bell caught the TDs. Mahomes closes out with a soft Raiders defense. We'll see whether playoff scenarios affect his usage outlook.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco ran for 31 yards and a TD on just 9 carries in Sunday's narrow win over the Broncos. Kansas City totaled just 16 rushing attempts, with Pacheco accounting for 75% of the RB attempts. He added 2 catches for 18 yards on 2 targets. We'll see about K.C.'s playoff scenarios for a Week 18 visit to the Raiders.
Commanders QB Carson Wentz completed 16 of 28 attempts for 143 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs in Week 17's loss to the Browns. He added 7 yards and a score on the ground, but his rushing performance didn't save fantasy managers from a dreadful day. Wentz's future is fairly uncertain as we turn the page into 2023. There's a potential out in Wentz's contract that would enable to Commanders to move on from him this offseason. It's not difficult to imagine the franchise doing so given the subpar performances we've seen from the former #2 overall pick in less than 10 healthy games. Should this occur, it would be back-to-back seasons in which Wentz blew an opportunity to be a starter after being benched for QB Jalen Hurts at the end of the 2020 season with the Eagles. We'll see if he gets another chance in 2023 but the odds of that don't seem strong.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown caught 6 passes for 61 yards in Sunday's loss at Atlanta. His 9 targets trailed TE Trey McBride and WR Greg Dortch (10 apiece), with David Blough serving as the 4th different starting QB this season. Brown gets a San Francisco matchup in Week 18 that has dominated opponent rushing. That could make Brown a decent WR3 for PPR, especially if WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) remains out. We'll see whether QB Colt McCoy makes it back from the concussion that cost him the past 2 games.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore was knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos with a hand injury. The rookie caught 3 of 4 targets for 33 yards before exiting in the 2nd half. We'll update his status when we know more.
The Cardinals have downgraded WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) to out for Sunday’s game against the Falcons. That boosts the target outlooks for WRs Marquise Brown and Greg Dortch, though all Cardinals will be catching passes from QB David Blough. There’s PPR upside to the 2 wideouts, but this isn’t an offense to get overly excited about
Browns RB Kareem Hunt (shoulder) logged full practice all week and carries no injury designation ahead of Week 17 vs. the Commanders. The veteran back has only tallied more than 10+ touches in 3 of the last 7 games. With minimal volume, it's tough to consider Hunt as anything but a desperation flex play. The Commanders' defense ranking as the 3rd-toughest matchup for opposing RBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed in 2022 doesn't help his case much either. There are likely better fantasy options than Hunt to choose from in the fantasy championship round.
Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins left Friday's practice with a knee injury that is expected to make him a game-time decision for Sunday against the Falcons, according to the team website. On top of that, Hopkins will also see his 4th QB of the season. Colt McCoy's concussion symptoms resurfaced Friday, meaning he'll miss the game. Arizona will start David Blough over Trace McSorley. Blough -- who started 5 games for the 2019 Lions -- will have been with the team less than 3 weeks come game time. The whole situation makes it tough to like any Cardinals pass-catchers for Week 17. We're not significantly downgrading the outlook for RB James Conner, however.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) suffered a setback in Wednesday's practice and won't play vs. the Broncos this weekend, HC Andy Reid said. "I'm not that worried about it," Reid added, which presumably means Hardman should at least be ready for the playoffs. JuJu Smith-Schuster remains the only reliable fantasy play in Kansas City's WR corps.
Who would have guessed that any NFL wideout would be excited to see Colt McCoy enter the huddle? Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins should feel that way when McCoy returns to action for this Sunday's game against the Falcons. Hopkins has been targeted on 37.1% of McCoy's pass attempts this season, drawing 11+ in every one of the QB's appearances. The 1st 2 came with WR Marquise Brown out, but Hopkins got 11 looks and tallied 7 catches the past 2 times with Brown back in the lineup. (Brown saw 8 targets in each of those contests.) Hopkins, of course, didn't have a target issue last week with QB Trace McSorley, who threw 10 passes his way. But Hopkins caught just 1 of those. He has caught at least 7 balls in every game that has involved McCoy. Atlanta arrives as the 6th-best scoring matchup for WRs, which obviously helps Hopkins. You'll find him prominent in our Week 17 WR rankings.
Browns RB Kareem Hunt (shoulder) practiced fully again on Thursday. He should be in line to suit up in Week 17 vs. the Commanders. Hunt is nothing more than a deep-league flex option against a Commanders defense that ranks as the 3rd-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs.
Browns RB Kareem Hunt (shoulder) was listed as a full participant in practice on Wednesday. We'll keep you in the loop if anything changes that could affect his status for Week 17 vs. the Commanders.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Wednesday that he expects WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) to return for this weekend's game vs. the Broncos, barring a setback. Hardman has been out since Week 9. He was emerging as a significant piece of the offense before going down, averaging 5.5 targets, 4.3 catches, 57 yards and .75 TDs over his last 4 games. It's unclear how big a role he'll play in his first game back, though, leaving him as a shaky Week 17 fantasy play.
The Commanders will start QB Carson Wentz on Sunday against the Browns. According to multiple reports, HC Ron Rivera told the team his decision Wednesday morning. Wentz relieved Taylor Heinicke in Saturday's loss to the 49ers, completing 75% of his throws for 123 yards (7.68 per attempt) and a TD. His last start came in the Week 6 win at Chicago in which Wentz broke a finger and required surgery. Washington threw the ball a lot more with Wentz behind center, averaging 42 pass attempts across his 5 healthy outings compared with 30.1 over Heinicke's 8 full games. Of course, the offense also barely had RB Brian Robinson Jr. for that stretch. We'd expect more of a rushing lean vs. those 1st 5 weeks -- but also likely some more willingness to throw. It's not an exciting fantasy offense either way. Wentz's time this season has been bad for WR Terry McLaurin's target share. He drew just 16% over the 1st 6 games, compared with 27.8% in Heinicke's full outings.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown played a season-low 66% of the offensive snaps in Sunday night's loss to the Bucs. We figured that was due to the groin injury that had him questionable coming in. But Brown said that he was being disciplined by HC Kliff Kingsbury after showing up late to a team meeting. We're expecting Brown to get back to full playing time in Week 17 but will keep an eye on the situation.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (high-ankle sprain) appears to be nearing a return from IR. HC Andy Reid said ahead of Saturday's win over Seattle that CEH is "working his tail off" and "getting close," according to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride. We're certainly not playing to stick Edwards-Helaire back into fantasy football lineups this season. But he could complicate the work split for RBs Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco if he gets back to the active roster for Week 17 or 18.
Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins drew 10 targets in Sunday night's OT loss to the Bucs, falling just 1 short of WR Greg Dortch's team lead. But he caught only 1 of them for 4 yards. WR Marquise Brown tallied 3 catches for 57 yards among 6 targets. Third-string QB Trace McSorley averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt on his 45 passes. We'll see whether QB Colt McCoy makes it back for a Week 17 date with the Falcons.
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