NFL Player News

Johnson III (6'2/260) was a three-star prospect coming out of Sumter, SC and was ready to produce right out of the gate, starting nine-of-12 games his freshman year while earning honorable mention All-SBC honors. He showed continued improvement each year at Georgia Southern, receiving All-Sun Belt recognition in all four seasons, including first team status in 2019 and 2020. A true havoc creator at the lower FBS level, Johnson III finished his career with 36.0 TFL and 16.5 sack, including 14.5 TFL in his final season. He only pushed out 19 bench reps but plays with heavy hands and an aggressive mentality. Johnson III is primarily a face-up pass rusher, as his tight hips impair his ability to challenge on the edge. Johnson is an average athlete, as his 5.07 RAS indicates.

Cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) will also be active after both players missed last week’s game against the Patriots. Safeties Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp have both been listed as questionable for the week, as have Curtis Samuel and Cam Lewis. Things appear to be trending in the right direction for the Bills as they look to get healthy ahead of the playoffs, with several key defensive starters on the mend.

When asked about the possibility of 2024 being his final season in the league, Bitonio said, “We’ll see how we’re doing in a couple of weeks after the season. It’s very hard to make a decision when you’re in the middle of [the season].” Bitonio, who has one year left on his contract, did say that he doesn’t envision himself joining another team — which would only happen via trade or his release, but it’s clear the direction of the franchise has taken its toll on a handful of the Browns’ top players as of late. Myles Garrett most notably voiced his displeasure with the franchise which has led some to speculate he could be a potential trade candidate this offseason. It’s shaping up to be another interesting offseason in Cleveland, but two of the team’s top players departing will only make the turnaround that much more difficult.

Big if true. Dobbins hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in Week 12’s loss to the Ravens, but would slide into a heavy workload if he’s activated this week. Gus Edwards (ankle) has already been ruled out of Saturday’s contest, and rookie Kimani Vidal only saw a 12 percent opportunity share from Weeks 13-16. The Patriots have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs in their last five games. Dobbins would profile as a volume-based RB2 if active.

Conner was hit with a questionable tag after the Cardinals’ final practice of the week, but Breer reports the team expects him to play against the Rams, who are still battling for their playoff lives in the NFC. Rookie Trey Benson’s (ankle) status is considered “up in the air,” according to Breer, but even if he is active, it’s hard to imagine him having much of an impact with Conner also on the field. Conner will profile as a fringe RB1/RB2 against a Rams defense that’s allowed the 12th-most PPR points per game to opposing RBs since Week 12.

Allen had the most targets of any Chicago receiver, but came nowhere near his 9/141/1 game against the Lions. Tough to come close to that receiving yardage when your team only throws for 122 yards, to be fair. Fantasy managers can at least take a smidgen of solace in five receptions, but obviously this isn’t what anyone had in mind. Allen will finish his first year with the Bears in a meaningless Week 18 contest against the Packers.

Odunze broke loose for what would have been a touchdown connection on a throw from Caleb Williams, but the score was wiped out on a blatant holding penalty. Odunze didn’t pick up his first catch in the game until the final drive on a day where neither team could throw or pass or do anything but punt. Odunze will hope to finish his rookie year on a strong note in Week 18 against the Packers.

Moore was the top receiving option for the Bears, and the only receiver for either team to go over 50 yards. The 27-year-old picked up exactly a third of his production on an 18-yard connection with Caleb Williams, but outside of that it was just dinks and dunks in a horrific offensive game for both clubs. Moore should again be the top target for Williams in Week 18 against the Packers.

The Seahawks targetted Tyler Lockett on the first offensive play of the game on a three-yard connection, but for the rest of the game he was used as he has been for the overwhelming majority of 2025. Lockett was once a fantasy stalwart, but the 32-year-old has no value heading into the season finale against the Rams.

Sure the weather was bad and it was on short rest, but this was still a very disappointing game from the man they call JSN. Outside of some middle screens, he was a complete non-factor as neither Seattle or Chicago felt like playing a football game that accurately represented offensive competency. It’s the first time Smith-Njigba has gone under 50 yards since Week 7 against the Falcons, and it’s beyond reasonable to expect a much better effort in Week 18 against the Rams.

Metcalf did not build on his strong Week 16 game against the Vikings (8-95-1) and was a non-factor on a night where the Seahawks only were able to throw for 160 yards. The 27-year-old wideout was at least efficient in his targets, but fantasy managers would have gladly taken some volatility if it resulted in more than three targets. The Seahawks will (probably) try and get Metcalf more involved in a Week 18 clash against the Rams to end the campaign.