Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won't play vs. the Chargers this weekend, HC Andy Reid said Wednesday. QB Blaine Gabbert will start in a meaningless game for the Chiefs, who are locked in as the AFC's No. 3 seed. Reid also said that "some" other starters will not play on Sunday. We imagine that'll include TE Travis Kelce, RB Isiah Pacheco, and potentially WR Rashee Rice. This is an offense to avoid in Week 18 fantasy lineups.
The Commanders will start QB Sam Howell in Week 18. While he’s faced a tough stretch of defenses – Cowboys, Dolphins, Rams, Jets, 49ers – Howell’s play has fallen off over the second half of the season. Week 18 turns up a rematch with a Dallas team that defeated Washington 45-10 on Thanksgiving. Howell posted 300 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT in that one. The 23-year-old will remain a superflex-only option.
Jets QB Zach Wilson (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Patriots. QB Trevor Siemian will presumably close out this Jets season that was doomed when QB Aaron Rodgers went down in the opener. Siemian isn't a fantasy option but has at least been peppering RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson with targets.
Bengals OC Brian Callahan said he believes RB Chase Brown “has a chance to be a heavy contributor” in 2024. Callahan praised Brown’s hard running and explosiveness. Despite only 46 touches, the rookie’s tallied a pair of 30+ yard gains. Joe Mixon isn’t a lock to return in 2024, so Brown's a candidate to play a rotaitonal role next fall. He sits at RB47 in our current RB dynasty rankings.
The Browns will start QB Jeff Driskel in Week 18. Cleveland’s guaranteed the No. 5 seed, so they’ll rest Joe Flacco for a fairly meaningless matchup at Cincinnati. Driskel owns a 59.2% completion rate and 6.1 yards per attempt across 23 career appearances (11 starts). He’s not someone we’d rush to play in Week 18 DFS contests.
Jaguars WR Christian Kirk has been designated to return from IR. He's missed the past four games after undergoing core-muscle surgery. Kirk is eligible to play vs. the Titans this weekend, although it's still unclear if he'll be ready. Kirk averaged 7.6 targets, 5.1 catches, 69 yards, and 0.3 TDs over the first 11 games of the season. Per the NFL Media Research Department, QB Trevor Lawrence has completed 68% of his passes with 14 TDs vs. seven INTs in games with Kirk this year vs. a 57% completion rate, five TDs, and five INTs without Kirk.
Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo has been placed on IR with a foot injury. We'll look for more details on the injury and whether it'll impact Mingo's offseason. But his rookie campaign was alarmingly bad. Mingo caught just 50.6% of his targets and averaged 9.7 yards per catch. He ranks 88th among 88 qualifying WRs in yards per target and 84th in yards per route. Mingo will be no more than a late-round flier in 2024 redrafts and is closer to a sell-low than a buy in dynasty.
Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday that there's "no doubt" Kyler Murray is his team's QB going forward. "'Number 1' is our franchise quarterback," Gannon added. Things can change over the course of the offseason. But the 4-12 Cardinals are currently slated to pick fourth in this spring's draft, so they'd need to move up to land USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye. Murray's 2023 numbers don't jump off the page, but his play has been encouraging considering he's coming off a torn ACL and learning a brand new offense. He had his best outing of the season in the Week 17 win over the Eagles. We'll see how Murray finishes the campaign in Sunday's finale vs. the Seahawks.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Jets are releasing RB Dalvin Cook. There's no fantasy impact here, because Cook didn't touch the ball the past two games and totaled just 2 touches the week before that. Rookie Israel Abanikanda carried twice and caught four of seven targets as the No. 2 RB in last Thursday night's loss to the Browns. Breece Hall is the only member of the Jets backfield you should be paying attention to if you're playing in Week 18. The timing of this release gives Cook a chance to catch on elsewhere, but we'd be surprised if he lands a meaningful role with a playoff team. Beyond that, we're not expecting much from Cook in 2024 either. The 28-year-old doesn't appear to have much left.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said Monday that he'll consider sitting some starters in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Giants. Philly can win the NFC East only if the Cowboys lose to the Commanders -- a game in which Dallas is currently favored by 13. If the Cowboys win, the Eagles are locked into the No. 5 seed. "I'm not saying yes, I'm not saying no. I'm saying everything's discussed," Sirianni said of his starters playing on Sunday. Hopefully we have a clearer idea of the plan by the end of this week.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee dislocated his shoulder in the Week 17 win over the Giants, HC Sean McVay said Monday. McVay didn't say whether Higbee will play against the 49ers this weekend, but it'd be a surprise if he did considering the Rams have little to gain in that one. (They'll either be the NFC's No. 6 or 7 seed.) Higbee's absence would leave Davis Allen as Los Angeles' top TE.
The Rams re-signed K Brett Maher. He spent the first seven games of the season with Los Angeles, making 17 of 23 FGs (74%) and 12 of 13 XPs (92%). Maher will kick in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the 49ers -- and presumably in the playoffs if he doesn't blow this opportunity.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) will not play vs. the Rams this weekend, HC Kyle Shanahan confirmed Monday. Shanahan called McCaffrey's injury a "mild calf strain." It's unclear if CMC would be able to play if this game meant something to San Francisco, but he was never going to suit up with the NFC's No. 1 seed clinched. He'll get three total weeks to heal up before the 49ers' playoff opener. We'll see about the team's backfield plans this weekend. RBs Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are on the active roster, with RB Ty Davis-Price on the practice squad.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that he plans to play his starters in this weekend's regular-season finale vs. the Vikings. Detroit has won the NFC North, can't drop lower than the No. 3 seed in the NFC, and can only climb to No. 2 with a win plus a Cowboys loss to the Commanders and an Eagles loss to the Giants. "We want to use this as fuel," Campbell said. "I’ve got pure octane right now. I woke up and I’m ready, so we’re moving forward.” There's still some risk that the Lions pull key starters at some point during this game, especially if Dallas and Philadelphia have big leads. But we'll be projecting the starters for at least close to normal workloads in the Week 18 Rankings.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said Monday that QB Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) is "progressing well" and "definitely improving." Pederson labeled Lawrence "day-to-day" and said they'll see how he's feeling on Wednesday. With their season on the line against the Titans on Sunday, the Jags will do everything possible to have Lawrence on the field.
Saints HC Dennis Allen said Monday that RB Alvin Kamara is dealing with an ankle sprain. He wouldn't say whether he expects Kamara to be available for this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. "We’ll see how he responds throughout the week," Allen said. We'll keep tabs on Kamara's progress. His absence would leave Jamaal Williams as New Orleans' lead back against a tough Atlanta run dfense.
Dolphins Edge Bradley Chubb tore his right ACL in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. That's the second such injury of his NFL career. Chubb tore his left ACL in Week 4 of 2019. His pass-rushing production dipped the following season. Chubb then struggled through 2021 as well, but the main issue there was an ankle injury that originated in summer and got aggravated in Week 2. The timing of this injury figures to challenge the 27-year-old's (28 in June) readiness for the 2024 season. Chubb's contract should lock him in with the Dolphins for at least one more season, but there's potential for him to be a cap casualty ahead of the 2025 campaign. We'll watch for updates on his return throughout the offseason. For Week 18 (and the playoffs) of this season, Melvin Ingram figures to see the biggest playing-time boost in Chubb's absence. He's not a high-level IDP option for Sunday night's regular-season finale against the Bills.
The Eagles believe WR DeVonta Smith has just a "mild" ankle sprain, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "He’ll have more tests today, but not considered a major injury," Rapoport adds. It's relatively good news, although Smith's availability for this weekend's regular-season finale vs. the Giants remains uncertain. We'll keep you updated on his status.
Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke hurt his left ankle in the Week 17 loss to the Bears and is uncertain for this weekend's game vs. the Saints, HC Arthur Smith said Monday. The team hopes to know whether Heinicke can play by Friday. If not, it'll be back to QB Desmond Ridder. This is not a situation you should be messing with in Week 18 fantasy lioneups.
The Rams released K Lucas Havrisik. He missed five FGs and three XPs over the last nine games. We'll see who the Rams sign to replace Havrisik.
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