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Ryans added, “I’m not worried about Joe,” to reiterate his confidence in his veteran running back. There haven’t been any reports of an injury to Mixon, but his absence is intriguing when considering they have worked out a handful of veteran backs over the last few days, and recently signed Cam Akers. The team appears unconcerned about Mixon at this time, giving us little to go on here. Unless we hear otherwise, we’ll assume Mixon will be back practicing with the team soon and that this is little more than a blip on the training camp radar.

Rodgers having perhaps the worst game of his professional career won’t stop the Jets from rolling him out in Week 18 to put the finishing touches on a wildly disappointing season. The NFL’s leader for career sacks taken threw for 112 yards on 18 attempts in Week 17’s loss to the Bills but needs just one more touchdown pass to reach 500 for his career. The decision to start Rodgers doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as he’ll undoubtedly be chasing his 500th career touchdown pass in what may be the final game of his NFL career. Rodgers and the Jets will have a chance to play spoiler to the Dolphins, who kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Browns on Sunday.

Currently sitting on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Patriots have everything to lose by pulling off a win in Week 18 against the Bills — who don’t have much to play for next week, with the Chiefs already sitting on the top seed in the AFC. In addition to losing the draft pick, the Patriots also do not need to risk the health of Maye, who has taken some brutal hits over the season and appeared at one time to be concussed in last week’s loss to the Chargers before being cleared to return by team doctors. It would not be at all surprising if the Patriots opted to sit a handful of key players in hopes of preserving their top pick and the health of their team heading into next season.

Rivera, 62, was let go by the Commanders after leading the team to a 4-13 win last season. Rivera’s downfall in Washington could be largely blamed on the team’s poor roster construction over the years, as the head coach/general manager spent four years piecing together a bottom-five roster that saw all of its first-round picks traded/released before the end of the 2024 season. During his nine seasons as head coach of the Panthers, Rivera led the team to three double-digit win seasons and an appearance in the Super Bowl during the 2015 season, but things didn’t go nearly as well in Washington. Rivera’s only playoff appearance with the Commanders came in 2020, when the Commanders went 7-9 and were the best team in a bad NFC East division. Rivera is unlikely to have full autonomy over any roster he takes over, but he could have one more coaching run in him if he can get the right quarterback in the building.

Ryan led the Jets to a 46-50 record during his six seasons as their head coach (2009-2014) and led them to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. A strong start led to a tumultuous ending, as the Jets went just 12-20 in Ryan’s final two seasons, but his tenure with the team has been the best of any coach the Jets have hired since firing Ryan after the 2014 season. Ryan’s coaching style wore on people at times and likely played a role in the Bills dismissing him in 2016 after going, but his reputation as a player’s coach is also well-noted. Ryan’s presence would immediately improve whatever defense he takes over, but he would need to find an immediate answer to the team’s quarterback woes, something he could not do during his first stretch with the team.

Crowder has played sparingly following his return from injured reserve, a trend that held true in Week 17 even with Dyami Brown absent from the game-day roster due to injury. It is clear that Olamide Zaccheus is the preferred weapon alongside Terry McLaurin as the team prepares for the postseason.

His Week 17 performance goes down as his second consecutive modest-output game after being confined to a 5-60-1 line against the Eagles a week ago, with both games paving the way for Olamide Zaccheaus to be featured through the air. We can’t fault McLaurin for either performance considering the matchups he had to overcome, this time in the face of one of the true lockdown corners remaining in the league. It is unclear how the Commanders will handle personnel decisions in what now amounts to a meaningless game against the Cowboys in Week 18.

Ertz’s first score came in the third quarter to bring the team within three points while his second walked the game off in overtime to lock up the team’s first playoff berth since they made the postseason in 2020 with a losing record by winning the division. He also made a ridiculous catch in the fourth quarter to extend what would be a touchdown drive by pinning the ball between his legs. The veteran tight end is unlikely to see immense weekly volume but has enough of a connection with quarterback Jayden Daniels to see sporadic spike weeks such as this one. It is unclear whether Ertz will suit up in Week 18 against the Cowboys considering his veteran status and the fact the team locked up a playoff spot this week.

Zaccheaus has become one of quarterback Jayden Daniels’ top targets in the previous two games without Noah Brown on the field, the latter of whom was sent to injured reserve during the team’s Week 14 bye. A week after scoring twice, Zaccheaus provided quite the encore while returning 22.5 PPR fantasy points against the Falcons. It’s enough of a wave to ride into Week 18, assuming he plays considering the Commanders locked up a playoff berth with the win. Should he suit up, it’ll come against the vulnerable Cowboys secondary on the road.

The meager fantasy production comes one week after the veteran back lost two fumbles for the Commanders in a game they would ultimately win over the Eagles. Many assumed the absence of Austin Ekeler would vault Robinson into a workhorse role for the Commanders, but the presence of Chris Rodriguez, who scored in this one, and Jeremy McNichols have proved those predictions false. After locking up a playoff berth and seemingly having nothing left to play for, there is the possibility the Commanders rest key starters in Week 18 against the Cowboys. That could provide more run for Rodriguez, who managed 16 yards on five carries and a score in Week 17.

That now marks four elite fantasy outings in a row for the electric dual threat quarterback, with this one clinching a playoff spot for the Commanders in the NFC. Down 17-7 at the half, Daniels emerged from the locker room on a clear mission to will his team to victory, eventually scoring 17 unanswered points to hold a 24-17 lead with under five minutes to play. The Falcons would drive the field while converting two fourth downs to know the game with just over a minute remaining before a missed field goal by the Falcons as time expired sent the game to overtime. The Commanders would win the toss and not allow the Falcons to see the ball again, with Daniels completing a walk-off touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz for the second time in the game to send the team to the postseason. Up next for the Commanders are the Cowboys in Week 18 with seemingly little left to play for.