NFL Player News

The Panthers did everything they could in the offseason to support Young after a disastrous rookie campaign. They spent big on interior linemen, added multiple pass-catchers, and inked offensive guru Dave Canales as their next head coach. Despite their massive investments to improve Young’s situation, they got the same player we saw in 2023 in this game. Young opened the festivities by sailing a pass over Diontae Johnson’s head for an interception on the first play of the season. Things would spiral downward from there as he took four sacks, missed a number of easy throws, and threw a second interception over the course of the game. Young struggled to diagnose pressure, compounding his inability to throw under pressure. He punched in a short rushing touchdown in garbage time, though that too almost went haywire as he fumbled the ball just after breaking the plane to enter the end zone. Andy Dalton took over for the final drive, and given Young’s complete lack of improvement, this doesn’t feel like the last time we’ll be writing about Dalton getting snaps. He is not on the fantasy radar heading into his Week 2 matchup with the Chargers.

The Steelers play on Saturday after the Ravens play host to the Browns. A Ravens victory would mean the Steelers have nothing to play for in their season finale, which could open the door to the team sitting several starters in preparation for the playoffs. Speaking Monday, Tomlin said he hasn’t thought much about sitting his starters and added that he doesn’t anticipate doing so at this time. It’s possible things will change after the conclusion of the Ravens and Browns game, but for now, the Steelers appear to be going about business as usual.

Holder didn’t hold back in his reporting of Richardson’s back spasms, saying that there are “communication failures” within the organization while adding “to characterize [Richardson’s back inury] as ‘soreness’ was ridiculous.” The Colts were eliminated from postseason contention following Sunday’s loss to the Giants and will play out the remainder of their season in next week’s game against the Jaguars. Whether or not Richardson starts in the finale is to be determined, but with little to play for, it could be Joe Flacco making one more start in what could be the final game of his career.

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.