NFL Player News

Coker seemingly got past his quad issue last week and broke out with 110 yards plus a touchdown versus Dallas. He was not on the injury report on Wednesday but was downgraded to limited sessions on Thursday and Friday before being listed as questionable. It seems like the light workloads to close the week may have been precautionary. If he suits up, Coker will be a boom/bust WR5 for his matchup with Arizona.

Achane had been coasting on receiving volume for a while heading into Week 16. He had yet to top 100 yards on the ground this year and his last game over 41 yards came in in Week 11. With fantasy championship berths on the line, Achane did it all today. The receiving role, per usual, was elite. Achane tied Tyreek Hill for a team-high in targets and led the team outright in receiving yards. The second-year back finally got a chance to show off his home run speed as well. Having been stifled on the ground for most of the season, Achane never looked back when a massive hole opened up late in the fourth quarter and he cashed in for a game-sealing, 50-yard touchdown. Achane’s receiving output has him locked into a top-12 rank for Week 17 versus the Browns while his speed gives him an RB1 overall ceiling.

Hollins was mostly an afterthought in a bizarre win for the Bills. The Patriots’ first-half successes kept the Bills’ offense on the sideline and Josh Allen’s throwing-elbow contusion negatively impacted his downfield passing. Hollins remains a highly volatile flex option against the Jets in Week 17.

Washington, 22, was the top target for much of the game for Mac Jones until Jones remembered Brian Thomas Jr. played for the team. The 2023 sixth-round pick has shown some flashes over the last few weeks, but his lack of use in the red zone — on top of Jacksonville not getting there very often — makes him more of a long-term option than one fantasy managers should be clamoring for.

Kincaid landed hard on his healthy, left knee early on but he ultimately missed no time despite briefly sporting a limp. Though Kincaid’s final stat line undoubtedly underwhelms, both his four receptions and seven targets were team highs. Kincaid is a touchdown-dependent fantasy starter in Week 17, facing a Jets defense that lost coverage LB C.J. Mosley to injured reserve earlier this month.

It marked the fourth highest receiving yardage total of the season for Fant, who logged a pass route on 37 of the Seahawks’ 48 drop backs and functioned as a short-area dump off target for Geno Smith. AJ Barner, meanwhile, caught a fourth quarter touchdown and ran eight routes. With only three games with more than three receptions in 2024, Fant will be a deep-league-only option in Week 17 against the Bears.

Even with the touchdown, Mattison was easily outperformed by Ameer Abdullah, as Abdullah was able to procure 85 total yards and a score himself. Those who were forced to play Mattison at least got the touchdown, but outside of that was ineffective against the Jacksonville front seven. Mattison should remain the starter, but there should be much better options in fantasy in Week 17 against New Orleans.

Abdullah saw five less carries than Alexander Mattison, but still outperformed him. The 31-year-old scored from seven yards out to give the Raiders a 19-14 lead in the fourth quarter and ultimately the victory. Whether that’s a good thing for Las Vegas is debatable. It’s a nice day for Abdullah, but not one fantasy managers should take seriously for Week 17 against the Saints.

Etienne did have a 10-yard gain taken away on a holding call, but even with that yardage it was an ineffective outing for the former first-round pick. He still was in a pretty clear split with Tank Bigsby — and it’s worth noting Bigsby fumbled again — but the latter was much more effective with 50 yards compared to just the 22 for Etienne. It’s hard to trust either tailback right now, but fantasy managers should want Bigsby over Etienne for Week 17 against the Titans, if you’re forced to make that choice.

The Patriots controlled this game for much of the first half, aggressively picking on the Bills’ banged-up defense which limited Allen’s scoring opportunities. Things took a turn for the worse in the second half when Allen injured his right elbow on a scramble. The in-game broadcast soon reported that Allen was experiencing “a lack of sensation” in his throwing arm and Allen could regularly be seen shaking out the injured limb while occasionally grimacing. His accuracy was clearly impacted, as he sailed more than one pass after that. The injury did not seem to limit the Bills’ passing volume though, and Allen continued opportunistically scrambling. A series of unfortunate events brought about a Week 16 fantasy flop for the typical game-wrecker.

Bigsby plunged in from a yard away for his sixth rushing touchdown of the campaign. He outcarried Travis Etienne 12-9 in the contest, and he was the far more effective tailback with Etienne rushing for all of 22 yards. Unfortunately the lost fumble hurts fantasy managers, but it’s at least a little encouraging to see a solid 4.8 YPC and the score. Bigsby is a FLEX play for Week 17 against the Titans.