NFL Player News

“Simple. No underlying meanings. It is what it is. It’s a meritocracy out there,” Harbaugh added. If there were any deep-league Chark believers left out there, we think you can let go of the rope.

The 31-year-old Henry rushed 325 times for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns, producing regular season career-bests in yards per carry (5.9) and missed tackles forced (80). Henry also caught 19-of-21 targets for 193 yards and two touchdowns. He finished as the overall RB4 in PPR scoring, totaling 336.4 points. Henry’s age would be a red flag for most running backs but given his astonishing successes in his first season playing alongside Lamar Jackson, fantasy managers should once again treat Henry as a high-end RB1 on draft day.

Likely delivered jarringly volatile results in his third NFL season, finishing as the PPR TE16 (123.7 points). He holds the agonizing distinction of producing five weekly TE1 finishes, bookended by six weekly finishes outside the position’s top 30. Likely caught 42-of-56 targets for 477 yards and six touchdowns on the year. Likely notably improved his yards per route run average by more than one-third of a yard, closing the season with a 1.71 average. Perhaps most importantly, Likely (nine) finished second only to Mark Andrews (10) for the team-high in playoff targets while leading the team in receiving yards (126) during that span. Andrews’ waning season-long efficiency coupled with Likely’s late-season productivity could give Likely the inside track for the team’s No. 1 tight end role in 2025. Fantasy managers should strongly consider drafting Likely accordingly.

Bateman caught 45-of-67 targets for 756 yards and nine touchdowns en route to the PPR WR40 finish. His latter three receiving statistics are all regular season career-highs. Bateman remains a somewhat volatile producer week-to-week but intriguingly closes 2024 with his second-best yards per route run average (1.72). Fantasy managers should expect him to build on this strong showing next year. Bateman’s field-stretching role is made easier by wide receiver Zay Flowers and tight end Isaiah Likely’s continued development, giving Bateman decent odds of breaking into the WR3 ranks in 2025.

Andrews closes 2024 as the overall TE6 in PPR scoring (188.8 points), catching 55-of-69 targets for 673 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing four times for five yards. The Ravens’ veteran tight end scored just 22.0 PPR points in Week 1-5, dogged by rumors of an off-field injury. He bucked the trend thereafter though, producing four TE1 finishes in Weeks 6-10, including two finishes in the top three. Andrews can still be drafted as a mid-tier TE1 next season but fantasy managers should note that Andrews’ per-route efficiency has steadily ticked downward in each of the last three seasons, ultimately dropping from 2.18 yards per route run in 2021 to 1.88 this season. His 2024 average is still among the position’s best but his decline must be acknowledged nonetheless. The Ravens’ No. 2 tight end Isaiah Likely also has a chance to assert himself as the team’s preferred option.

Jackson finished as the overall QB1 in fantasy scoring (434.4 points) by completing 316-of-474 passes for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and two interceptions. His 8.8 yards per passing attempt leads all NFL quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks. Jackson unsurprisingly thrived on the ground as well, rushing 139 times for a position-high 915 yards and four touchdowns. He likewise leads NFL quarterbacks in both missed tackles forced (45) and explosive run plays (37). Jackson’s 2025 outlook could be mildly impacted if offensive coordinator Todd Monken accepts a head coaching role elsewhere but the 28-year-old quarterback will not fall out of the elite QB1 tier. He remains a game-breaking player in both the NFL and fantasy football.

Coleman did little in the box score but had a big impact on the game just before halftime, miraculously avoiding an offensive pass interference call while pushing Ravens cornerback Tre’Davious White down to the ground near the Ravens’ own 12-yard line. White mildly reacted to Coleman mid-fall and somehow earned himself a defensive pass interference call. Josh Allen ran the ball in for a four-yard touchdown three plays later. Coleman is a boom/bust DFS flex option against the Chiefs.

Davis fortuitously cleared the NFL’s protocol in time for this one. He was needed to punch in the Bills’ first touchdown via a two-yard run on his team’s first possession. The bruising youngster averaged a team-high 7.3 yards per carry and returned one kickoff for 25 yards. He remains a touchdown-dependent DFS flex option against the Chiefs next week.

Johnson remains entrenched as a change-of-pace player, taking snaps all game long. He picked up an eight-yard gain on the fourth play from scrimmage and later sealed the game via a 17-yard run with one minute and 32 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The fact that Bills coaches entrusted Johnson with the latter opportunity speaks volumes about his current role on the team. Expect Johnson to make the most of his limited workload against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

Cook looked spry against the Ravens but at 3.9 yards per carry, he was far and away the least efficient Bills rusher. It appeared as though Cook was in for a bigger day, touching the ball five times on the Bills’ opening drive, including three inside the Ravens’ red zone before being successfully spelled by Ray Davis, who scored from two yards out. Cook should have another high-volume day against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship next Sunday though.

Samuel has been a positively volatile performer as of late, and while his two receptions on Sunday technically rank third on his team, the accomplishment is hardly worth writing home about. Samuel will once again be a boom/bust DFS option against the Chiefs next week.