NFL Player News

Bodine signed a one-year contract with the Lions for $910,000 before opting out last summer. He’ll turn 29 in June.

The box score may show you more impressive stats from Ty Johnson, but Davis remains the clear back-up to James Cook when it comes to running back duties. Johnson is used almost exclusively in the passing game, and this shootout against the Lions set up better for Johnson than Davis. Davis still looks good on his touches, running hard and making defenders miss. He should be in for better gamescripts with the Jets and Patriots (twice) on tap to end the season.

Douglas saved an otherwise meager fantasy day with a three-yard score on the Patriots’ penultimate drive. It was just his second touchdown of the season. Pop’s weekly floor of three to four catches is keeping him in the WR5 range, but there isn’t much ceiling to be had with the slot receiver. He has topped 62 yards once this year and is unlikely to give fantasy managers a spike week versus the Bills next Sunday.

The Bills looked like they knew they were getting into a shootout from the start, using Johnson in pass-first sets out of the backfield on the first drive. Johnson made two huge catches on that first drive, including a sliding third-down conversion that put the Bills’ on the Lions’ 11-yard-line. Johnson later hauled in a huge 31-yard completion from Josh Allen and was a mismatch against the Lions’ linebackers all afternoon. The 27-year-old is a dynamic threat out of the backfield, but he’s the clear third option in the running game, which means next week against the Patriots might not be the best gamescript for him.

Hooper finished second on the team in catches and yards. He has at least three catches and 30 yards in five straight games. Hooper has caught every one of his targets since Week 10. The veteran tight end has established as TE2 floor but has no ceiling to speak of as the Patriots’ backup tight end.

The Bills used a heavy three-man rotation at running back on Sunday, but James Cook was able to rip off chunk plays seemingly at will. His first touchdown was an easy walk-in rush from six yards out with the defense focusing on Josh Allen, but he exploded for a huge 41-yard run in the second half that helped give the Bills a commanding lead. The Bills will continue to rotate their running backs because they complement each other so well, but Cook is their clear primary ball carrier, and he continues to get carries inside the ten-yard-line, which is huge for his fantasy value. He’s a borderline RB1 next week in what should be a strong gamescript for him against the Patriots.

Freiermuth hauled in a nine-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. Freiermuth has now scored in three-straight games, but is fantasy production is largely being carried by his scores. He’ll be a risky bet in Week 16 against the Ravens, who held him to two catches for 14 yards in their first meeting.

We do not yet know the injury’s severity but passing-down specialist Emari Demercado was already sidelined by a back injury and was fully unable to practice or play in Week 15. James Conner could have a monstrous Week 16 workload against the Panthers. Fantasy managers should closely monitor the Cardinals’ practice reports.

Boutte’s quiet day went from bad to worse in the third quarter when he tipped a low pass up into the air. The ball landed in the hands of Cardinals corner Sean Murphy-Bunting for an easy interception whose blame falls on the shoulders of Boutte. The second-year wideout has been held to three or fewer receptions in each of his past three games. He is stuck in the WR5/6 ranks for his Week 16 matchup with the Bills.

The Bills jumped out to an early lead on the Lions, which forced Detroit to have to throw early and often on Sunday, and Goff responded. With the Bills’ down multiple starters in the secondary and sitting in zone for basically the entire game, Goff just dissected the defense, finding open players all over the middle of the field. Goff was also elusive in the pocket, spinning out of multiple sacks and making plays down the field. There was not much more he could have done on Sunday, and he’ll get a chance to keep the momentum going next week against the Bears.