NFL Player News

Thomas was a constant safety valve for QB Devin Leary, and he led the team in catches. He was also the clear target in the red zone. His first touchdown was a perfect high point on a lob which he brought down, and for his second Thomas found the gaps in the zone and was available for a bullet from Leary for a 27-yard score. He didn’t have the biggest plays, but he was the safe option all game. Thomas is up to six touchdowns on the year, and has had great games now back-to-back. He draws Louisville next week.

Johnson was added to the injury report after being held out of practice on Friday. Players typically don’t miss games because of illnesses, but the late addition does put Johnson at an increased risk of missing Week 16. Johnson has seven pass breakups and two interceptions this season.

O’Connell’s return provides the requisite stability for Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers to return reliable fantasy value against the bottom-barrel Jaguars pass defense. O’Connell himself could flirt with mid-tier QB2 numbers in this fantasy-friendly matchup. He practiced in full on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Fellow backup running back Travis Homer is listed as doubtful. Johnson was stealing goal line work from D’Andre Swift before suffering a concussion that sidelined him for two weeks. He should reclaim that role in Week 16 while also seeing some work on passing downs, putting him on the RB3/4 border. His return puts Swift at risk of falling out for the RB2 ranks versus Minnesota.

The Bills’ defense is fairly banged up at this point. Joining Rapp in the questionable column are S Damar Hamlin, LB Matt Milano, CB Rasul Douglas, LB Baylon Specter and LB Dorian Williams. Depending on the game-day inactive list, the Patriots’ offense could have an easier time than expected.

Otton is averaging 2.5 catches for 36 since Mike Evans returned to the lineup and a bum knee isn’t going to help his cause. Even if he suits up, Otton is buried in the TE2 ranks for Week 16. Ko Kieft and Payne Durham would see extra reps at tight end if Otton is out, though neither would crack to the top 24 fantasy tight ends.

Garrett popped up on Thursday’s injury report with a back issue, but whatever he is dealing with appears minor after the team removed him from the report on Friday. The Browns will have their star pass-rusher ready to go in an AFC North tilt between two teams who are playing out their schedules as disappointing seasons draw to a close.

There isn’t super notable outside of the fact that Dorian Thompson-Robinson may not go the distance against the Bengals. The second-year quarterback has thrown for 540-1-7 in 12 career games while completing 51.4 percent of his passes. He’s almost certainly a downgrade from the turnover-prone Winston, and could test Stefanski’s patience enough for him to pivot back to Winston mid-game if he deems it necessary. Neither quarterback should be counted on from a fantasy perspective.

Per Ulbrich, the team will take things all the way down until kickoff with Williams, meaning he will officially be listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week. Williams has six sacks and eight TFLs this season. Losing him would be a massive blow to a Jets defense that has already collapsed since firing defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh.

Whether or not Tillman plays comes down to him clearing the concussion protocol. The second-year receiver has missed the last three games with a concussion he suffered in Week 12 and will miss a fourth-straight game if he can’t get cleared before Sunday. Even if he’s active, Tillman will be hard to trust as anything more than a WR4 with Jameis Winston back on the bench.

Hall was cleared from the injury report entirely for the first time in a few weeks, indicating that he is in a better spot health-wise than he was heading into Week 15’s game against the Jags. Hall only ran nine times for 30 yards in that game while catching two passes. His role could grow in Week 16, but fantasy managers should still treat him as an RB2 with the expectation that Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis each get a few touches.