Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth injured a knee in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Browns and was quickly ruled out. That often portends a serious injury, but we'll update Freiermuth's status when we know more.
Bears QB Justin Fields will miss Week 18 with a hip injury. Per HC Matt Eberflus, an MRI showed a hip strain for the young QB. In his place, Chicago will roll out Nathan Peterman. The 28-year-old owns a career completion rate of 52.5% on 141 attempts. The Vikings defense figures to be a chalky option in DFS formats.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth logged 3 receptions on 6 targets for 36 yards, leading all pass-catchers in Week 17 vs. the Ravens. WR Diontae Johnson wasn't too far behind with 35 yards and 2 catches on 7 targets. Sunday's win came mainly through the efforts of the Steelers' rushing attack and defensive contributions. This game wasn't a banner day for anyone whose primary responsibility is catching the ball. Week 18 will give this group an opportunity to bounce back in a fairly neutral matchup vs. the Browns.
Steelers RB Najee Harris totaled 111 rushing yards on 22 carries in Sunday's win vs. the Ravens. Harris also contributed a pair of catches for 12 yards and 1 TD as a receiver in Week 17. Rookie RB Jaylen Warren was effective in spelling Harris, logging an additional 76 yards on 12 carries on the ground and 3 receptions for 22 yards through the air. Fantasy managers playing into Week 18 will be thrilled to start Harris in a plus matchup vs. the Browns next Sunday. The Browns' defense ranked 30th in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA entering Week 17 and didn't do much to stop Commanders RB Brian Robinson on Sunday.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson scored twice on the ground in Sunday's 3-point loss to the Chiefs. He totaled 27 rushing yards on 4 carries, including the TDs from 16 and 4 yards out. Wilson added 222 yards and a TD (plus an INT) passing, finding TE Albert Okwuegbunam for a 25-yard score. WR Jerry Jeudy led the team in targets (8) and catches (7) but collected just 38 yards. WR Courtland Sutton followed with a 4-44 receiving line on 6 looks. Denver closes out vs. the Chargers at home in Week 18.
Bears QB Justin Fields ran for 132 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's lopsided loss at Detroit. It was his 3rd game of more than 100 rushing yards this season. Fields stunk as a passer, though, completing just 7 of his 21 attempts for 75 yards, 1 TD and an INT. His lone score went to TE Cole Kmet, 1 of just 4 Bears to catch any passes. Kmet led the team with 27 yards on 2 catches. Fields also took 7 sacks for the game and lost a fumble. He'll get another upside matchup in Week 18 against the Vikings but will be tougher to trust after 2 straight poor outings -- in real and fantasy football terms.
Lions S Kerby Joseph (back) and S DeShon Elliott (shoulder) sat out Wednesday's practice to open Week 17. Joseph played every snap of Saturday's loss at Carolina and seems like the better bet to rebound. Elliott missed Week 16 after leaving the previous game early and doesn't currently appear in our Week 17 IDP rankings. We'll keep an eye on the status of both safeties through the week.
The Broncos have fired HC Nathaniel Hackett, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. So Hackett doesn't even make it a full season in Denver. His tenure was a disaster from the start and ends with an embarrassing 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas. We'll see who the Broncos tab as their interim HC, but we doubt the move has much of a fantasy impact over the final 2 weeks of the season.
Update: Senior assistant coach Jerry Rosburg has been named Denver's interim HC, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The 67-year-old has spent much of the last 2 decades as a special teams coordinator and has no head-coaching experience at any level.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson went just 15-of-27 passing for 214 yards in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Rams. He tossed 1 TD vs. 3 INTs and took 6 sacks in the game. Wilson gave way to QB Brett Rypien for the team's final 2 possessions (1 of which produced a Rams pick-6). We'd bet on Wilson returning to the lineup for Week 17 against the Chiefs but would hope to not have to use him in fantasy football lineups.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth tallied 7 catches for 66 yards among 8 targets in Saturday night's win over the Raiders. The numbers marked a big rebound from his target-less Week 15 at Carolina. It was Freiermuth's most targets and receptions since Week 11. The TE trailed only RB Najee Harris in targets for the game. WR Diontae Johnson added 5-64 receiving on 7 looks. WR George Pickens caught all 5 of his targets for 57 yards and the go-ahead TD. Pittsburgh gets a Week 17 rematch with Baltimore, which has played the run much tougher than the pass for most of the season.
Steelers RB Najee Harris totaled 95 yards in Saturday night's win over the Raiders. He managed just 53 yards on 16 carries (3.3 per rush) but added 6 receptions for 42 yards on a team-high 9 targets. The targets also marked a season high for Harris, with his receptions tying a season high and his yardage a new personal best. RB Jaylen Warren chimed in just 6-23 rushing and 2-7 receiving on 2 targets. Harris gets a difficult rushing matchup with the Ravens in Week 17. He managed only 33 yards on 12 carries in a Week 14 loss to the division rival.
Bears QB Justin Fields threw for just 119 yards and a TD in Saturday's loss to the Bills. He added a surprisingly low 11 rushing yards on 7 carries. We'd bet on a rebound for Fields in a Week 17 visit to the Detroit (in the dome).
The Lions have ruled S DeShon Elliott (shoulder) out or Saturday's game against the Panthers. C.J. Moore should start in Elliott's place. He filled in when Elliott left last week's win over the Jets.
Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) practiced fully on Thursday. The second-year back does not carry an injury designation for Week 16's game vs. the Raiders on Saturday. The Raiders' defense ranks as the 3rd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs this season. This certainly bodes well for Harris. The issue is the Steelers' o-line, and their deficiencies relegate Harris to RB2-level status for fantasy purposes.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (foot) fully practiced all week and doesn't carry an injury tag ahead of Saturday vs. the Raiders. With teammate WR Diontae Johnson (toe) looking iffy for Week 16, Freiermuth might see a boost. The second-year player is considered a pretty solid TE option in fantasy lineups. If the weather in Pittsburgh ends up being crummy, QB Kenny Pickett may look Freiermuth's way a good bit.
Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) did not practice on Wednesday. The second-year back was a limited participant yesterday, however. This development should give fantasy managers some pause. That said, we do have tomorrow's report to give us better clarity. Jaylen Warren and Benny Snell Jr. would potentially stand to benefit from a Harris absence on Saturday. Keep an eye out on the waiver wire just in case.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson did not practice on Wednesday as part of a veteran rest day. There is no concern about him missing Saturday's Week 16 game vs. the Ravens at this point. We'll keep an eye on this one for good measure just in case.
Pat Freiermuth (foot) logged full practice participation on Tuesday. Another full practice today will go a long way in giving the second-year player the green light for Saturday's game vs. the Raiders. We'll keep tabs on this front as more information trickles out. Freiermuth was quiet last week against the Panthers, but is a potentially fantasy viable option in Week 16 should he suit up to play.
Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) practiced in a limited fashion on Tuesday. Saturday’s game vs. the Raiders is just around the corner, so check back once we learn more information regarding Harris’ availability. The Raiders present the 3rd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs. If Harris does play, he warrants RB2 consideration in fantasy playoff lineups. With how good of a matchup this is, and with the weather in Pittsburgh potentially being rough, teammate Jaylen Warren may see work suitable for a possible flex consideration as well.
Lions S DeShon Elliott left Sunday's win over the Jets with a dislocated shoulder. HC Dan Campbell told reporters Monday that the team is awaiting results from testing on the joint. We'll see whether Elliott is available for this Saturday's game at Carolina.
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