Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. returned from missing Week 16 with a shoulder injury to regain control of the team's receiving in Sunday's win over the Raiders. Pittman posted an unimpressive 5-46 receiving line on 7 targets. But he drew a target on 30.4% of the team's pass attempts and claimed 33.3% of Colts completions. WR Alec Pierce took his lone catch for a 58-yard TD to lead the team in receiving yards. Rookie WR Josh Downs followed with 53 yards on just 2 receptions. QB Gardner Minshew attempted just 23 passes, completing 15 for 224 yards on a day that found Indy running on more than half of its offensive plays. Pittman looks like the only startable Colts pass-catcher for most fantasy formats in Week 18. Indy faces Houston, which allowed Pittman 8 receptions back in Week 2. Pittman also caught 8+ passes in six straight full outings before the Week 15 game he left early.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith was on crutches and had his right foot in a boot after Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. Teams often put injured ankles in walking boots after games, so this doesn't necessarily mean that Smith is dealing with a significant injury. But he might be. We should get an update on his status within the next 24 hours.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins hurt his hamstring in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs. He's officially questionable to return, but we'd be surprised to see him back out there today. We'll keep you updated on Higgins' status going forward.
Update: Higgins, miraculously, returned for the second half.
The Raiders clearly led Indianapolis in time of possession (by 6.5 minutes) and ran 74 plays to the Colts' 53 in Sunday's loss. That led to particularly big numbers in the passing game. QB Aidan O'Connell attempted a season-high 47 passes -- just six higher than his second-biggest total, but 13 ahead of No. 3. His 30 completions and 299 yards also easily set season highs. The big volume -- and Las Vegas playing catchup late -- produced a whopping 21 targets for WR Davante Adams. He caught 13 for 126 yards and 2 TDs. WR Jakobi Meyers followed with a 6-56 line on 10 targets. Adams drew a target on 44.7% of O'Connell's attempts, claimed 43.3% of his completions, and tallied 42.1% of the receiving yards. Meyers' 10 targets, meanwhile, accounted for a just OK 21.3% target share. Expect all those numbers to fall -- probably by quite a bit -- in the regular-season finale against the Broncos.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud returned from a two-game concussion with a decent outing in Sunday's win over the Titans. He threw for 213 yards on 24-of-32 passing, with 1 TD, 0 INTs, and 1 sack taken. Stroud's 75% completion rate marked a season high, but his 6.7 yards per pass attempt marked one of his lowest averages all season. The numbers indicate Stroud didn't show any rust in the aftermath of the concussion. The shorter range of his passing for a second straight game, though -- 4.0 YPA vs. the Jets in the game he left early -- is worth noting. That was Houston's first full game without WR Tank Dell, who leads the team in average target depth for the season -- by more than 2 yards over No. 2 Noah Brown (according to Pro Football Reference). The recent trend for Stroud isn't enough to make him worrisome as a fantasy option if your league plays into Week 18. Stroud gets a fine matchup with Indy. But he probably doesn't present as much upside as he did before Dell went down.
Texans RB Devin Singletary carried 16 times for 80 yards in Sunday's win over the Titans, adding 3 receptions for 6 yards on 3 targets. That found him doubling Dameon Pierce's carry count and tripling Pierce's target count. Singletary has more than doubled Pierce in opportunities in four of five games since Pierce returned from injury. That includes a 47-15 lead for Singletary over the past three weeks. Week 18 holds a matchup with the Colts, who entered Sunday as the third-best scoring matchup for fantasy RBs. There will be upside to Singletary if you're playing Week 18.
Titans RB Derrick Henry managed just 42 yards on 12 carries in Sunday's loss to the Texans. That marked his third time in the past four games with 3.5 yards per carry or less. Henry also went without a catch for the first time since Week 3. He has finished seven of his past eight contests with 1 reception or fewer. That all makes Henry a shaky play for Week 18 vs. Jacksonville. And might we also see Tennessee give more work to rookie RB Tyjae Spears in the game's final season -- ahead of an offseason that will almost certainly see Henry leave? It wouldn't be a crazy move. We'll watch for any indication of Week 18 plans. Either way, you shouldn't be excited to play Henry in any format in Week 18.
Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins caught all 7 of his targets for 72 yards in Sunday's loss to the Texans. That beat his nearest teammate by 3 receptions and more than doubled any other Tennessee player in receiving yards. Hopkins caught Will Levis' only 2 completions among 6 pass attempts before the rookie left with an injury. Ryan Tannehill completed 16 of 20 throws in relief, targeting Hopkins with 25% of his attempts. Hopkins' 10.6 yards per catch for the game also marked his third straight outing with less than 11 yards per catch. If Levis can't go in Week 18, Tannehill should help Hopkins' catch-rate outlook but lessen his yardage upside. We'll also see whether the Titans indicate any different plan for player usage in the regular-season finale.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith got rolled up on late in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. He headed back to the locker room with trainers and did not return. The team never announced an injury. We'll update Smith's status when we know more.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa hurt his left shoulder in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Ravens. He's officially questionable to return -- but he won't be back with Miami down by 30. We'll look for further updates on Tagovailoa's status heading into Week 18's game vs. the Bills for the AFC East title. QB Mike White is Miami's backup.
Texans WR Robert Woods injured his hip in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Titans. He was deemed questionable to return but never did. Houston lost WR Noah Brown to a hip injury earlier in this game. We'll keep an eye on both WRs this coming week.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey is officially questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Commanders due to a calf. He's remained on the sidelines trying to get loose. We'll look for more info on his status. RB Elijah Mitchell has replaced McCaffrey as San Francisco's lead back.
Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed (calf) is active for today's game against the Bengals. He remains a risky IDP option after missing the full week of practice. But Sneed's available if you've been waiting for him.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (illness) is active for today’s game vs. the Chargers. He didn’t practice on Friday but should be ready for a full slate of snaps today. WR Marvin Mims (hamstring) is inactive, leaving WRs Brandon Johnson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Phillip Dorsett behind Jeudy.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (concussion, shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Bengals. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) is surprisingly inactive. That leaves only RBs La’Mical Perine and Keaontay Ingram behind Pacheco, who should be in for a big workload today.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Chiefs. It’s unclear how big a factor that shoulder will be, but Chase obviously comes with more risk than usual in Week 17 fantasy lineups. See where he lands in the Week 17 WR Rankings.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara injured his right ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Bucs. He made his way into the locker room with trainers. We'll update Kamara's status when we know more. His absence leaves Jamaal Williams as New Orleans' lead back.
Update: Kamara has been ruled out.
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (back) is active for today’s game vs. the Steelers. He missed the final two practices of the week, but we never sensed any concern about his availability for this one. Metcalf seems safe to keep in Week 17 fantasy lineups.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Steelers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this morning that the team is concerned about Walker’s shoulder after he reinjured it last week. He comes with elevated risk in Week 17 fantasy lineups.
Texans WR Noah Brown injured a hip in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Titans and is officially questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.
Update: Brown has been ruled out.
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