Lions WR Jameson Williams set career highs with 7 targets and 4 receptions in Saturday night's win over the Broncos. They produced just 47 yards for a non-descript fantasy outing. But Williams' 72.2% route rate also marked a career high. That continued a positive trend for the second-year wideout since the bye. Williams' rate dipped to 48.7% in Week 14. But before that he had topped 60% in three straight games. His 54.6% coming off the Week 9 bye was also a season high to that point, following rates below 50% in three of his first four appearances this season. Williams now has just one career game with more than 2 receptions and has never put up more than 53 receiving yards in a game. So this isn't enough to make him a Week 16 starter in most fantasy football leagues. But the former 12th overall pick might be cheaply available in dynasty leagues without trade deadlines, given the still-disappointing production vs. his draft capital. Williams will be just 23 when his third NFL season begins.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta scored 3 TDs in Saturday night's blowout win over the Broncos. We obviously can't expect production near that level most of the time. But LaPorta's 5 TDs over the past four games have all come on red-zone targets, including three from inside the 10-yard line. Half of his red-zone targets for the season have come in that span, including six of his seven looks from inside the 10. QB Jared Goff, meanwhile, has seen increased passing volume in that area over the past five games. That span includes his only two contests with at least 5 attempts from inside the 10-yard line. The Lions get not-easy matchups with Minnesota and Dallas the next two weeks. But neither reaches the level of being a scary fantasy-scoring matchup. And the Cowboys (in Week 17) have been a positive matchup for TE scoring. Of course, you probably don't need a reason to keep LaPorta in your fantasy football lineup the rest of the way.
Packers RB A.J. Dillon (thumb) is not expected to play against the Bucs today, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That'll leave Green Bay's backfield to Aaron Jones, Patrick Taylor, and Kenyan Drake, who was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday. It's uncertain how big a workload the Packers are willing to give Jones in his first game since Week 11, but Dillon's absence certainly adds upside to Jones' fantasy profile.
Packers RB Aaron Jones (knee) is expected to play vs. the Bucs today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. No word yet on whether RB A.J. Dillon will play through his broken thumb. Dillon's absence would add upside to Jones -- although we'd be surprised if the Packers gave Jones a huge workload in his first action since Week 11.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin (knee) is expected to play vs. the Packers today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. HC Todd Bowles labeled Godwin a game-time decision, but he was a full participant in Friday’s practice. It's tough to know what that means for Godwin's health today. Consider him a slightly riskier WR3 play than usual.
Bears WR D.J. Moore (ankle) is expected to play vs. the Browns today, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms. Moore was a full-go in Friday's practice, so we're not expecting the ankle to be a significant factor today.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown (heel) is expected to play vs. the 49ers today, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Brown only got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday, so it's safe to assume that he's still not at 100%. He's just a low-end WR3 in a tough spot against San Francisco. WR Michael Wilson (neck) is also expected to play today, per Schefter.
Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks (illness) is expected to play vs. the Bills today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Cooks only got in a limited practice on Wednesday, but we're expecting him to play his usual role today, barring any further reports on his status.
Rams WR Tutu Atwell (concussion) is "unlikely" to play vs. the Commanders this afternoon, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Atwell was a full participant in Friday's practice but evidently hasn't been cleared for game action yet. He should be back for Week 16. Atwell's absence today leaves Demarcus Robinson as the Rams' No. 3 WR against the Commanders' 32nd-ranked WR defense.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter both call Saints WR Chris Olave (ankle) a game-time decision for today's meeting with the Giants. But Rapoport adds that "there is not a lot of optimism that he can go." That's not a surprise after Olave missed practice all week. With WR Michael Thomas still on IR, Olave's absence would leave Rashid Shaheed as the best fantasy bet in New Orleans' WR corps. A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden, Keith Kirkwood, and Marquez Callaway would round out the group. Olave's absence could also mean bigger roles for TE Taysom Hill and RB Alvin Kamara in the passing game. We've removed Olave from the Week 15 Rankings and updated Saints projections.
The Dolphins are not expected to decide on WR Tyreek Hill's status for Sunday's game against the Jets until pre-game warmups, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Hill will ultimately determine whether he's healthy enough to play, Schefter adds. Miami, of course, still has lots to play for. And Hill is gunning for a 2,000-yard season. So it wouldn't be surprising to see him push to play. We'll keep you updated on the situation.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) is likely to be medically cleared to play in Week 16, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's still unclear if Rodgers will return for a Jets team with a slim chance at the playoffs. But the fact that he's set to be cleared just a little more than three months after tearing his Achilles is borderline miraculous. We're still betting against Rodgers playing again this season, but he'll be ready to go for the 2024 campaign.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder in Saturday's win over the Vikings. Chase is scheduled for additional testing, but "the hope is that maybe he won't miss any time," according to Garafolo. We'll look for more details on Chase's status and track his practice participation this coming week.
X-rays on Colts RB Zack Moss' right arm came back clean, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. That's significant after Moss broke that arm in training camp. Moss was having trouble gripping the football, per Garafolo, which is why he was unable to return to Saturday's win over the Steelers. We'll look for more information on Moss' status going forward. RB Jonathan Taylor (thumb) also has a chance to return for Week 16. If both Moss and Taylor are out, Indianapolis would be down to RBs Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson.
The Steelers didn’t get much going in their 30-13 loss vs. the Colts in Week 15, but their backfield situation is starting to take an interesting turn. RB Jaylen Warren (10 carries, 40 rushing yards) appeared on a season-high 68.9% of the offensive snaps on Saturday and out-touched teammate Najee Harris 15 to 12. On top of that, the second-year back led the Steelers in receptions (5) and ranked second on the team in targets (6). Warren had appeared on no greater than 52% of the snaps at any point this season before Saturday, so the fact that Pittsburgh went away from the typical 50-50 RB split is highly notable. The Steelers’ remaining schedule ranks 10th-best for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Warren stands to be a solid mid-tier RB2 should this trend continue.
Lions WR Josh Reynolds (back) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Broncos. He was added to the injury report on Thursday and limited again in Friday’s practice but got the green light for this one. Reynolds is only in play in the DFS Saturday slate.
Lions K Riley Patterson is a healthy scratch for tonight's game vs. the Broncos. Detroit will instead roll with K Michael Badgley, who was just promoted from the practice squad. If you were hoping to use Patterson in fantasy lineups this week, Badgley is a fine replacement.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith (groin) is listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Eagles. He was limited in practice all week. HC Pete Carroll on Saturday labeled all his questionable players game-time decisions, but he added that Smith made it through the week with no setbacks, per The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta. We're projecting Smith to play on Monday, but the late kickoff makes it a tricky situation for fantasy owners. We'll look for further updates on Smith's status before Sunday's games kick off.
Colts WR Michael Pittman took a vicious hit to the head in the second quarter of Saturday's game vs. the Steelers. He eventually made it off the field under his own power but went to the locker room for a concussion check. We'll update Pittman's status when we know more.
Update: Pittman has been ruled out with a concussion. This is his second documented concussion. We'll track his progress through the protocol this coming week.
Colts RB Zack Moss injured his right arm at the end of a 16-yard TD catch in the second quarter of Saturday's game vs. the Steelers. This is the same arm that Moss broke back in training camp. He's officially questionable to return to this one. His absence leaves Indianapolis with RBs Tyler Goodson and Trey Sermon. Stay tuned for an update on Moss' status.
Update: Moss has been ruled out.
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