NFL Player News

His normal playing weight is about 215. “I think (losing the five pounds) will help me finish my runs,” said Gore. One concern for fantasy owners: Niners head coach Mike Nolan says he wants Gore to have less touches overall this year to reduce his wear and tear.

Love left the game after taking a hit to the funny bone in the second quarter. The Packers, who were only playing for seeding, opted to have Love miss most of the rest of the game after getting stretched out on the sideline. We wouldn’t be stunned if Love wound up on the injury report this week, but it looks like the Packers have dodged a serious injury.

The Bills wanted to keep their rookie on the field in Week 18 since he missed five weeks due to injury just a short time ago. Coleman was targeted aggressively down the field by both Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White, but he was unable to win any of his jump balls. Some of that can be attributed to the inaccurate passes he was seeing from two backup quarterbacks, but Coleman was also going up against reserve cornerbacks and wasn’t able to win his contested catches. With a fully healthy receiving corps, Coleman should be operating behind Khalil Shakir, Amari Cooper, and Dalton Kincaid in the postseason, but the Bills will hope he can come down with some of those tough catches in the playoffs.

Watson suffered a non-contact injury to his right knee that sent him tumbling to the ground. He was eventually carted off the field and appeared to be in tears, leaving many to speculate the worst ahead of the Packers’ NFC Wild Card round. LaFleur clearly isn’t rushing to reveal the nature of Watson’s injury, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the worst was confirmed in the coming days. If Watson can’t go, Dontavyion Wicks would stand to see more work come playoff time.

Johnson saw some work as a passing-downs specialist, but his role waned in the back half of the season. He was even a healthy scratch for a few weeks before returning to the lineup in December. He finished the year with 239 yards on 44 touches. Johnson is a depth option on offense but also brings special teams expertise to the table. That should be enough to get him another one-year deal in free agency this spring.

Despite this game not being meaningful for Buffalo from a standing’s perspective, they were intent on getting Samuel involved after the veteran missed plenty of time this year due to injury. Most of Samuel’s catches were screens or short routes where they hoped he could make defenders miss in space. The overall numbers aren’t impressive, and the workload isn’t indicative of what we should expect in the postseason, but it’s important for Buffalo that Samuel appears healthy enough to be a contributor for them in the playoffs.

Davis was the primary ball carrier for the Bills in a game where most of their starters were firmly planted on the sideline. The rookie’s statline isn’t eye-popping, but he ran well behind a backup offensive line and hauled in a two-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter on a fourth down conversion. The fourth-round pick has been a hit for Buffalo this season and remains a solid part of their running back rotation for the playoffs.

Johnson played 22 snaps, but all four of his targets came in the first half and he got a red zone look from Davis Mills on a ball that was well behind Johnson. It seems plausible that Johnson is Houston’s No. 2 receiver in name heading into the playoffs. What that is actually worth for fantasy managers in DFS or playoff best ball leagues is: Probably not much. It’s not like the production came with C.J. Stroud.

Brown also added a carry for eight yards. He was used in a versatile way, also getting a passing attempt on a second quarter trick play. Olamide Zaccheaus was wide open, but dropped a perfect pass from Brown on the play. He has had some gadget and deep-play ability throughout the regular season. Brown is a boom-or-bust Best Ball play for Wild Card Weekend.

Etienne opened the year as the unquestioned lead back for Jacksonville, but it didn’t last long. Every Tank Bigsby chunk play earned the second-year back more work, slowing chipping away at Etienne’s role. Etienne eventually missed two games with a hamstring issue, giving Bigsby a pair of showcase games. He didn’t disappoint and forced a backfield-by-committee for the remainder of the season. Etienne averaged 3.7 yards per carry a year after running at a 3.8 clip. With Bigsby stealing goal line work, his touchdown total plummeted from 12 to two. He finished the year with a measly 558 rushing yards. Etienne’s RB1 days are long gone, and RB2 numbers even seem out of his reach in 2025. He will likely go off early draft boards as a low-ceiling RB3.

So much for that. The Patriots’ plan to move on from Bill Belichick but not really with one of his most trusted lieutenants predictably did not pan out. It was ol’ Bill, of course, who haunted the 2024 proceedings, as this roster simply was not ready for prime time. Horribly understocked on offense, it suffered from the loss of Belichick’s unmatched defensive acumen on the other side of the ball. As for Mayo, he had trouble picking a lane in too many critical areas, including at quarterback to begin the year. Mayo seemed to grow increasingly frustrated and bewildered as the season wore on, never giving the sense he had the right answers. He was in a tough situation, but one where he decidedly did not rise above his circumstances. The attention now turns to another sort-of Belichick acolyte, Mike Vrabel. 38-year-old Mayo, who has never even served as a defensive coordinator, faces an uncertain coaching future.