The Browns signed K Riley Patterson to their practice squad. He'll step in if K Dustin Hopkins' hamstring injury costs him further time. Patterson was dumped by the Lions a week ago after missing a pair of XPs in a three-game stretch. But he connected on 15 of 17 FGs this year.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said Monday that WR Jaylen Waddle's injury, which was originally announced as a shin, is "more of a high-ankle sprain." If it's a true high-ankle sprain, Waddle will likely miss multiple weeks. We'll look for more on his status, but fantasy owners should plan on being without Waddle in Week 17.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco suffered a concussion in the second half against the Raiders and has been ruled out for the game. The timing (Monday afternoon) cuts down on Pacheco's chances of making it back for a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Bengals in Week 17. If Pacheco's out, that would leave Clyde Edwards-Helaire to lead the backfield against a soft Cincinnati defense. (Jerick McKinnon's on IR.) The Bengals allowed 397 total yards to the Steelers and 424 to the Vikings over the past two weeks. CEH would merit low-RB2 consideration if he's set to start for K.C. in Week 17. We'll watch Pacheco's status throughout the week.
Eagles LB Nicholas Morrow (abdomen) is inactive for today's game against the Giants. That leaves Philly down its top two LBs, with Zach Cunningham already ruled out. Expect Shaquille Leonard to lead the position in playing time. Undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren looks like the next guy up. He has yet to play a snap on defense this season, though, so shouldn't be in anyone's IDP plans. Leonard makes for a solid LB3-level play.
The initial outlook on Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson's injured knee is "not good," a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hockenson is getting an MRI on the knee today, so we should learn more soon. Fantasy owners should be planning on Hockenson missing the rest of the season.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) has been placed on IR. He's out for at least the final three games of the regular season, plus Kansas City's playoff opener. RB Isiah Pacheco is in for a heavy workload while McKinnon is out.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (quad, illness) is inactive for today's game vs. the Chiefs. That leaves the backfield to Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah. See where those guys sit in the Week 16 RB Rankings.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport labeled Vikings WR Jordan Addison "week-to-week" with the ankle injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Vikings. The rookie is scheduled for additional testing on Monday. It's worth noting that HC Kevin O'Connell said after yesterday's game that Addison might be able to push through this injury. But, at least for now, fantasy owners should plan on being without Addison in Week 17 lineups.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence's right shoulder injury is not believed to be serious, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Lawrence is scheduled for additional testing on Monday, so we should get another update on his status soon. It doesn't sound like he'll be out long, but Lawrence certainly isn't a lock to play in Week 17. Stay tuned.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (quad, illness) won't play vs. the Chiefs today, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. That will again leave the backfield to Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah. White racked up 85 total yards and a score on a 70% snap rate last week -- but that came with positive game script in an easy win over the Chargers. The Raiders are 10.5-point underdogs today, so White is at risk of losing more snaps to Abdullah. See our updated projections for the Raiders backfield.
Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott tallied 12 carries for 27 rushing yards in Week 16 vs. the Broncos. Though the veteran didn’t shine as a runner, he did thrive in the receiving game on Sunday night. Elliott concluded the contest with 9 catches on 11 targets (both team-highs) for 33 yards and a score. All said, he finished the week with 21 PPR points and turned in a fourth-straight game with at least 16 touches. Assuming Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) is out of the lineup again in Week 17, Elliott will be in a position to be an RB2 candidate going up against a Bills defense that ranks as the 13th-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
There was a lot of chatter entering Week 16 surrounding the potential increase in Vikings RB Ty Chandler’s workload. Sunday’s game against the Lions didn’t see the second-year back dominate in the box score (8 carries, 17 rushing yards), though there is some good news that came from the contest. Chandler did find the end zone, which salvaged his fantasy contributions to a small degree, and teammate Alexander Mattison was almost completely uninvolved (2 carries, -1 yard). It’s clear that HC Kevin Stefanski’s comments from earlier in the week proved to be truthful. Chandler has certainly become the Vikings' RB1. Fantasy managers who survived and advanced to Week 17 should be comfortable going back to Chandler in lineups. The Packers rank 23rd in run defense DVOA this season and as the 10th-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. It’s a good spot for him to net low-end RB2/flex-level value.
Browns QB Joe Flacco completed 27 of 42 passes for 368 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 16 vs. the Texans. This is the third consecutive game in which he’s thrown for at least 300 yards with multiple scores. Since becoming the starter in Week 13, Flacco ranks first among QBs in passing yards per game (326.8) and attempts per game (43.8). That’s the kind of volume that leads to fantasy production you can rely on, even though he’s thrown 7 INTs in that span. Next week’s game presents a tough challenge against the Jets (third in pass defense DVOA), but that should not dissuade you from tossing Flacco out in superflex/2QB lineups.
Browns WR Amari Cooper exploded in Week 16 vs. the Texans, hauling in 11 of 15 targets for a career-high 265 receiving yards and 2 TDs. The veteran’s yardage total on Sunday ranks as the highest recorded mark in 2023, and his 51.5 PPR points stand as the second-highest score single-game score this season. TE David Njoku didn’t post the same kind of eye-popping numbers as Cooper did in this contest (6 catches, 44 yards), though he did find the end zone and extended his TD streak to three games. Both players will have their work cut out for them in Week 17 against the Jets (third in pass defense DVOA), but the strong rapport they’ve built with QB Joe Flacco should be enough to propel fantasy managers toward securing a championship. Start Cooper and Njoku next week confidently.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne carried a season-low six times for a season-low 12 yards in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. He added just 19 more yards on 3 receptions (among 3 targets). That marked Etienne's third straight game with 35 rushing yards or fewer. Etienne gets a positive rushing matchup with Carolina in Week 17 but will be tough to get excited about even in that spot. Check back to see where he lands in our updated Week 17 RB rankings.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley racked up 6 receptions for 90 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. That marked his biggest production since Week 11 against the Titans. That followed three straight games of 53 receiving yards or less for Ridley. So do we ignore it as an outlier? No. Ridley has drawn 9+ targets in three straight games and 8+ targets in five of the past six. He was bound for some regression. Next comes a Panthers defense that has allowed the third-fewest PPR points to WRs on the season. But Carolina sits just 17th in pass-defense DVOA and allowed TD receptions to Packers WRs Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks in Sunday's loss to the Packers. Ridley figures to land in WR2 territory in the final Week 17 rankings.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield threw for 283 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's win over the Jaguars. He completed 74.3% of his passes, Mayfield's second straight game with at least 74% completions. It was also his third straight game with at least 2 TDs and seventh among the past nine games. Mayfield gets the Saints in Week 17. He completed 78.1% of passes for 246 yards and 3 TDs in their Week 4 meeting. Mayfield sits inside the top 12 in our early Week 17 QB rankings.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton sustained a concussion in the first quarter of Sunday night's game vs. the Patriots. He'll finish this one without a catch. This is the first documented concussion for Sutton. We'll track his progress through the protocol this coming week.
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin drew a team-high 11 targets in Sunday's win over the Jaguars. He caught six for 78 yards. Godwin trailed WR Mike Evans in receptions and yards and watched Evans catch both of the team's passing TDs. This marked the third straight game in which Godwin drew 11+ targets and led the team. He's a comfy PPR option for a Week 17 home date with the Saints.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson rushed a team-high 12 times for 72 yards in Sunday's win over the Colts. He added team highs in targets (10), receptions (7), and receiving yards (50). That followed his 7-carry, 1-catch Week 15 but marked his fourth game of 19+ touches among the past six contests. Robinson didn't find the end zone, watching RB Tyler Allgeier log the team's only rushing score. That came from 31 yards out, though. Robinson got all four RB opportunities from inside the 10-yard line for the game. That's good. It's less good that Allgeier garnered 9 carries and Cordarrelle Patterson 7 to Robinson's 12. Week 17 takes the Falcons to Chicago to face a defense that ranks third in rush DVOA.
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