NFL Player News

Wright went down late in the first half before being ruled out at halftime. Craig Steltz is now in the game at free safety for the Bears.

Strange began his second NFL season as a backup and a blocker but was thrust into the starting role in Week 2 when Evan Engram suffered a hamstring injury in pre-game warmups. Strange went for 65 yards in that game and then scored a touchdown in two of his next three starts, giving him three TE1 performances before Engram returned. Strange resurfaced late in the season when Engram got hurt again, catching 11 passes for 76 yards in Week 15. Both numbers were career-highs. Strange may have done enough to push Engram for snaps in 2025, but he is unlikely to have a fantasy-relevant role heading into Week 1 of his third season.

Dowdle ends his productive 2024 with another workhorse game and touchdown score. He finishes with 235 carries for 1,079 yards, two rushing touchdowns and two fumbles, adding 39 receptions for 249 yards and three receiving touchdowns. Entering 2024 with a murky backfield, the Cowboys decided not to add much and Dowdle eventually took over with what became a fantasy RB2 season. He wasn’t the most efficient or explosive, but did enough to maintain a lead role for a non-playoff team. The Cowboys could be looking to add to the backfield after ignoring the running back position last offseason, giving Dowdle competition. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on the situation as Dowdle is an RB2 with this exact role next season, but he did not do anything special to make it out of the offseason unscathed.

It was a forgettable end to a forgettable season for Pitts. For the third straight year, the former first round pick was among the most disappointing players in all of fantasy football. New Falcons OC Zac Robinson, like Arthur Smith before him, had little idea of how to properly utilize Pitts, who is neither a tight end nor a wideout. Targeted on a humble 15 percent of his pass routes, Pitts managed 45 receptions in 2024, below his 53-catch total from 2023. He had a career-high four touchdowns, one of which came from Michael Penix. Pitts, who had just two games with more than four catches this season, will likely be over-drafted by fantasy gamers once again in 2025 because he was highly touted coming out of college four years ago.

Bellinger stepped into a starting role after rookie Theo Johnson landed on injured reserve with a season-ending foot injury. Assuming Johnson is healthy next season, Bellinger will return to his normal role as a lightly-used backup, giving him little-to-no fantasy upside in 2025.

Jennings entered the game 77 yards short of 1,000 on the year. Inconceivably, he committed personal fouls on back-to-back plays in the second quarter and was ejected 25 yards shy of 1K. Not smart, especially with the Niners making a concerted effort to get Jennings there. He had seven more looks than any other player. 27-year-old former seventh-rounder Jennings — who spent his 2020 rookie year on the Niners’ practice squad — was surprisingly signed to a two-year, $15.39 million extension in May. He immediately showed why, breaking out in Brandon Aiyuk’s absence even after the 49ers used a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall. All of Jennings’ 77/975/6 were more than double his previous career highs, save for the touchdowns. After two mid-season hot streaks, Jennings did look like more of a role player down the stretch, but he’s proven beyond a doubt he can be one of the league’s best No. 3 wideouts, and a No. 2 in a pinch. With the 49ers’ receiver room uncertain amidst Aiyuk’s knee woes and Deebo Samuel’s decline, Jennings could remain a top-36 option in 2025.

He was checked for a concussion after a rough hit over the middle by Daryl Worley, but returned to action late. Metchie simply hasn’t developed into more than a lower-tier receiver on the wideout depth chart. He’d be an unlikely source of fantasy value in the playoffs if he finds any.

Washington closed the year with his third and most exciting touchdown. He caught the ball near the end zone, had it knocked out of his hands, and then re-caught it mid-air as he fell into the paint. A solid Week 18 propelled him to a 32/390/3 receiving line on the year. Just like in 2023, Washington didn’t play much early in the season but stepped up after multiple Jacksonville wideouts went down with various injuries. Washington is under contract for two more seasons and will return as a depth piece in 2025.

The Bills were resting almost all of their starters, so it was Morris who got all the tight end snaps with both Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox on the bench. Morris figures to go back to his bench role for the postseason.

Schultz finishes the regular season never having more than five catches or 66 yards in a game. Given how banged up the Texans receiving corps has been, it’s kind of an indictment of either Schultz, Bobby Slowik, or both of them that he wasn’t more involved down the stretch. Schultz will remain touchdown-or-bust in Wild Card Round DFS and playoff best ball leagues.