Jags RB Travis Etienne racked up 109 yards on 20 attempts in a (wild) Wild Card win over Los Angeles. It’s amazing that he saw that type of volume, as Jacksonville fell behind 27-0 in the 1st half. Yet for the 4th time over the past 5 weeks, Etienne reached 100 total yards. We expect the Clemson product to face Kansas City in the Divisional Round. Back in Week 10, Etienne posted 11 carries for 45 yards (plus 3-28 receiving) against the Chiefs.
Jags QB Trevor Lawrence rebounded from 4 first-half INTs to post 288 yards and 4 TDs against Los Angeles. His scores went to Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Marvin Jones. In a true stunner, Jacksonville climbed out of a 27-0 hole, taking its only lead on Riley Patterson’s game-winning FG. Assuming the Bills and Bengals pick up wins today, Lawrence will travel to Kansas City next week. The Chiefs held him to 259-2 on 40 attempts back in Week 10.
Speaking after Saturday’s Wild Card loss, Seahawks QB Geno Smith expressed a desire to finish his career in Seattle. It’s a good reminder that the 32-year-old is on track for free agency. If Seattle opts to get younger, note that they have the 5th overall pick from Denver and the Russell Wilson trade. Our hunch, though, is GM John Schneider will make a good-faith effort to re-sign Smith.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) is active for tonight's game against the Chargers, as expected. Lawrence has carried "questionable" labels since sustaining the injury at Detroit in Week 13. He has yet to miss game time for it, though. WR Jamal Agnew (shoulder) is also active.
Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle, quad) is active for today’s matchup with San Francisco. RB Tony Jones was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, but he's on Seattle's inactives list today. Look for rookie Kenneth Walker to continue dominating backfield touches.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (illness) practiced fully on Friday and doesn't possess an injury designation in advance of Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Ravens. The third-year wideout flopped last week, logging only 1 catch for 7 yards on 7 targets against this same Ravens defense. We expect Higgins to perform much better in this rematch as the Ravens rank as the 10th-best matchup for opposing WRs in adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Ravens RB Gus Edwards (concussion) cleared the league's protocol and doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals. This would be a pretty good spot for Ravens RBs in a world where QB Lamar Jackson was healthy and under center. The Bengals' defense ranks 22nd in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA over their last 4 games. Unfortunately, the offense isn't as strong with QB Tyler Huntley or rookie QB Anthony Brown as the starter. Edwards is a ho-hum RB2 that would need to find the end zone to really pay off for fantasy purposes. There are likely better options available for playoff contests.
Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals. When asked on Friday, HC John Harbaugh declined to name a starter for this contest. Huntley himself said "it's a game-time decision" regarding his availability despite upgrading to full practice participation to end the week. Rookie QB Anthony Brown would be the starter should Huntley be inactive. Neither Huntley nor Brown are considering strong fantasy options this weekend.
Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (hamstring) didn't practice again on Friday and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins. Should McKenzie miss this contest, WRs Cole Beasley and Khalil Shakir could see a bump in opportunity running slot routes. The Dolphins' primary slot CB Kader Kohou has allowed 50+ yards to opposing WRs in 3 of the team's last 5 contests. Something to consider for fantasy managers participating in playoff contests/formats.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (ankle) practiced fully on Friday and doesn't carry an injury tag for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bills. Teammate WR Cedrick Wilson (hip, groin) is listed as questionable. With rookie QB Skylar Thompson set to be the starter this weekend, the fantasy appeal of all Dolphins' pass-catchers takes a tangible hit. Waddle has a combined 8 catches and 96 receiving yards in the last 2 games with Thompson primarily serving as the QB. Be cautious with Waddle and any other receiver on the Dolphins for fantasy playoff contests. The upside simply isn't there for any of them.
Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater (knee, right finger) practiced in a limited fashion all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bills. HC Mike McDaniel confirmed today that rookie QB Skylar Thompson will start and Bridgewater will serve as the backup. This was the expectation as of Wednesday, but now it's official. Though Thompson has been a respectable stand-in, he's far off the fantasy radar. The rookie has appeared in the majority of 3 games this season and has yet to surpass 200 yards passing with only 1 TD to his name. This also downgrades the value of any Dolphins' pass-catcher in this contest.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert (thumb) didn't practice all week and has been ruled out for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bills. This news swings the door wide open for RB Jeff Wilson Jr. to lead the backfield in this contest. The Bills' defense has been tough all season and ranks 3rd-best in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA over the last 4 weeks. Even so, Wilson Jr. projects to have enough volume sans Mostert to be an effective fantasy option in playoff formats.
Rams HC Sean McVay has decided to continue coaching, according to multiple reports. That's good for all the offensive skill-position players relevant to our fantasy football teams. Now we can focus on who gets healthy, who leaves and who arrives this offseason.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that further imagining revealed a fracture in Chargers WR Mike Williams' back. Williams is expected to be out "a couple of weeks," Pelissero adds. He's already been ruled out for Saturday night's game vs. the Jaguars -- and it sounds like Williams would also likely miss a potential Divisional Round game.
The Chargers have downgraded WR Mike Williams from questionable to out for Saturday night's game against the Jaguars, because of the back injury he suffered in Week 18 against the Broncos. That boosts the outlook for Chargers WRs Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter, who have each moved up our WR rankings for the week. HC Brandon Staley has taken a lot of flak this week for the way he handled starters in a game his team didn't need. But he at least did coaches everywhere a service by clearly reminding everyone why you rest key players in those situations. We'll see about Williams' status for Round 2, if the Chargers advance.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (knee) was a full participant at practice on Thursday. The same goes for teammate WR Julio Jones (knee). With their Wild Card game vs. the Cowboys occurring on Monday, we'll have an extra day of practice to follow that bleeds into Saturday. We'll keep our eye out for any updates regarding this duo of Bucs' pass-catchers.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (illness) managed to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday. It's good to see the wideout is feeling better. We certainly hope he gets back to full health soon. We'll keep an eye on his status for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Ravens tomorrow.
Ravens RB Gus Edwards (concussion) upgraded to limited participation in practice on Thursday. We'll see if he'll be cleared to play in Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals. Check back tomorrow for more updates.
Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) logged limited practice again on Thursday. We'll get a better view of his availability for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates.
Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (hamstring) was downgraded to missing practice on Thursday after logging limited participation the day before. It'll be interesting to see if McKenzie can ramp up activity Friday or else he may be in danger of missing Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins. Should he sit, WRs Khalil Shakir and Cole Beasley could see a boost in responsibility running out of the slot. We'll keep everyone posted as more information becomes available.
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