NFL Player News

We won’t be held responsible for how atrocious this football game was. The Seahawks do get the win and stay alive in their bid to win the NFC West. Smith should have had another red zone interception but it was dropped, and he made almost no plays down the field in a rainy Thursday night contest. He’ll be under center against the Rams in Week 18.

Nelson was able to practice on Friday, though only in a limited capacity. He appears to be on the right side of questionable but will need to make it through pre-game warmups before being cleared. Tanor Bortolini would likely take his spot in the lineup if he is ruled out.

Pierce missed the past two games with a concussion but practiced in full throughout the week. The speedy wideout has posted the occasional spike week, but we don’t expect much passing volume from the Colts versus a toothless Giants squad. Pierce is a boom/bust WR5 for Week 17.

Tolbert appears to be on track to play this week, remaining limited on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The role player should see a slight target bump with CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) no longer in the fold but Tolbert cannot be counted on in typical re-draft formats. He is a WR5 at best.

Brown played through the knee injury without any issues last week, totaling 97 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets. He got some time off in practice this week but was never at risk of missing Sunday’s game. Even with Kenny Pickett under center, Brown remains a locked-in WR1 for his date with Dallas.

With CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) out, Brooks should see an increased target share if he can suit up although he makes for just a shaky WR6. Brooks has earned just 29 targets this season and averages 0.82 yards per route run. Fantasy managers in need of a reliable flex should look elsewhere. Brooks profiles as more of a single-game DFS option.

Pickett suffered a rib injury during his three quarters of action versus the Commanders last week but is good to for Sunday’s matchup with Dallas. He will make his first start of the year after Jalen Hurts was ruled out for Week 17 with a concussion. Expect a run-heavy approach versus a Dallas team with most of their big names already done for the year. Pickett is not on the streaming radar for Week 17.

Kenny Pickett will make his first start of the year versus Dallas. Hurts is dealing with a concussion he suffered in the first quarter of Philly’s Week 16 loss to the Commanders. He should be back for the Eagles’ regular season finale versus the Giants. Even with Pickett under center, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith remain must-start players for the final week of the fantasy season.

Repeated hamstring strains continue to plague the elite cornerback. It is an unfortunate outcome in a week where two tentatively playoff-bound teams square off. Hopefully, Lattimore can get right for a potential playoff run.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the reworked deal indicates that Watson will remain with the Browns in 2025. Rapoport noted that the move was done for cap purposes after his deal is up. It’s not entirely clear how the money was shifted around, but Watson’s five-year, $230 million contract is fully guaranteed. The Browns will have to face the music on his deal at some point. Prior to the restructuring, Cleveland would have been hit with a dead cap charge well over $100 million if they cut him in the offseason. Even if he remains on the roster next year, Watson won’t return as the unquestioned starter. Expect the Browns to bring in competition for him either via free agency or the draft.

Boyd’s multi-week foot injury is evidently failing to improve. He may end up suiting up this week but Boyd was failing to meaningfully produce even when healthy earlier this season. He does not need to be started, if active.