Eagles WR DeVonta Smith hauled in 9 of 13 targets for 115 yards in Week 17's loss vs. the Saints. Just behind Smith's team-leading output in the box score is teammate WR A.J. Brown, who managed to corral 4 of 9 targets for 97 yards and a TD. TE Dallas Goedert had a quiet effort with 3 catches and 45 yards of his own. Smith and Goedert are the lone fantasy bright spots from the Eagles in a rather disappointing game overall. Hopefully the Eagles will have QB Jalen Hurts back under center in Week 18 vs. the Giants.
Eagles RB Miles Sanders totaled 12 carries for 61 yards in Sunday's loss vs. the Saints. Week 17 marks the 3rd game in a row in which Sanders failed to surpass 70 yards on the ground. To make matters worse, he's now tallied 2 catches for -7 yards as a receiver in this unfortunate stretch. Sanders had been the RB10 overall in PPR prior to Week 15 and certainly leaves a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers who trusted him in the fantasy championship round. Week 18 will present the upcoming free agent an opportunity to get right against a Giants run defense that presents a fairly neutral matchup.
Eagles QB Gardner Minshew completed 18 of 32 pass attempts for 276 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece vs. the Saints. Fantasy managers hoping to stream Minshew in the absence of QB Jalen Hurts (right shoulder) on Sunday are assuredly disappointed by the end result. The Saints dominated time of possession early, holding Minshew and company to 7:10 seconds of offense in the 1st half. The Eagles never really found their groove until late in the game and only converted 3 of 12 3rd downs in Week 17. It remains to be seen if Hurts will work his way back into the lineup for Week 18 vs. the Giants next Sunday.
Browns WR Amari Cooper snagged 3 of 4 targets for 105 yards in Week 17's win over the Commanders. Much of his production came on a pair of 30+ yards TDs from QB Deshaun Watson in the 2nd half of Sunday's contest. Only 1 other Browns' pass-catcher had more than a single catch. Cooper is set to go up against a fairly beatable Steelers secondary next Sunday in Week 18 action.
Browns RB Nick Chubb carried the ball 14 times for a total of 104 yards in Sunday's win vs. the Commanders. He also hauled in 1 catch for 12 yards in the receiving game. Chubb now has 10 games this season with 90+ rushing yards, further solidifying his workhorse status in the Browns' offense. Fantasy managers playing into Week 18 will see Chubb go up against a Steelers defense he shredded for 113 yards and a TD in Week 3. That said, the Steelers' front is much stronger now than it was to begin the season, ranking 2nd in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA since Week 10.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson concluded Sunday's contest vs. the Commanders with 9 completions on 18 attempts for 169 yards and 3 TDs with another 31 yards rushing on top. Watson's connection with WR Amari Cooper (3 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TDs) accounted for much of his production after struggling in the 1st half. Sunday's performance marks the best fantasy output (21.86 points) from Watson in 2022 since returning from suspension in Week 13. He'll have an opportunity to capitalize on this outing in Week 18 vs. the Steelers next Sunday.
Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks left in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's game against the Jets after hurting his right knee. It was a non-contact injury, with Brooks immediately clutching the knee and leaving after planting hard on his right leg. We'll watch for updates but don't expect to see Brooks for the rest of the game.
Update: Seattle has ruled Brooks out for the game.
Lions QB Jared Goff threw 3 TD passes on 21-of-29 passing for 255 yards in Sunday's lopsided win over the Bears. Goff found TE Brock Wright for a pair of scores, hitting RB D'Andre Swift for the other. He spread targets around, with 10 different Lions catching a pass but none exceeding 5 targets. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown led the team with 5 looks, catching 4 for a team-high 62 yards. It was St. Brown's lowest catch total since Week 9 and fewest targets of any full game this season. Detroit closes the regular season against the Packers, a rematch of a game that finished just 15-9 (in Detroit's favor) in Week 9.
Commanders TE Logan Thomas hauled in 6 of 7 targets for 56 yards on Sunday vs. the Browns. This effort led all Commanders' pass-catchers in what was a rather poor offensive showing in the Week 17 loss. WR Jahan Dotson only managed to rope in 3 of 7 targets for 37 yards. WRs Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel combined for 3 catches between them and did not provide much fantasy value on Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if Commanders HC Ron Rivera hands the reigns back over to QB Taylor Heinicke for Week 18 vs. the Cowboys. That might be the only hope fantasy managers playing beyond this week have for this bunch.
Lions RB D'Andre Swift delivered a pair of TDs in Sunday's lopsided win over the Bears. He rushed 11 times for 78 yards, including a 17-yard TD early in the 2nd quarter. Swift added a 21-yards TD catch midway through the 3rd quarter, accounting for most of his 39 receiving yards on 4 catches (4 targets). The 15 touches marked Swift's 3rd most of the season. It was just his 2nd game with double-digit carries since the season opener. It was also Swifts 1st multiple-TD game since December 2020. He'll face a generous Green Bay RB defense in Week 18.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson logged 24 carries for 87 rushing yards in Week 17's loss to the Browns. RB Jonathan Williams stepped up in the absence of teammate Antonio Gibson, carrying the ball 9 times for 30 yards in addition to 3 receptions for just as many yards through the air. Robinson has now totaled 20+ carries in 3 of his last 4 games. Fantasy managers playing into Week 18 will see the rookie go up against a fairly stout Cowboys defensive front next Sunday. Robinson carries RB2 status on volume alone.
Commanders QB Carson Wentz completed 16 of 28 attempts for 143 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs in Week 17's loss to the Browns. He added 7 yards and a score on the ground, but his rushing performance didn't save fantasy managers from a dreadful day. Wentz's future is fairly uncertain as we turn the page into 2023. There's a potential out in Wentz's contract that would enable to Commanders to move on from him this offseason. It's not difficult to imagine the franchise doing so given the subpar performances we've seen from the former #2 overall pick in less than 10 healthy games. Should this occur, it would be back-to-back seasons in which Wentz blew an opportunity to be a starter after being benched for QB Jalen Hurts at the end of the 2020 season with the Eagles. We'll see if he gets another chance in 2023 but the odds of that don't seem strong.
Lions RB Jamaal Williams racked up 144 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Bears. His 22 carries were his 2nd most of the season and twice as many as D'Andre Swift garnered in the game. The TD was his league-leading 15th of the season but 1st in 4 games. Williams will get a weak Packers run defense in Week 18.
Bears RB David Montgomery carried just 6 times for 24 yards in Sunday's loss to the Lions. He added 2 catches for 12 targets, with Chicago completing only 7 passes all game. It was a particularly disappointing performance for the whole offense a week after Detroit allowed 527 total yards to the Panthers. RB Khalil Herbert also factored in for 5-31 rushing. Chicago faces Minnesota in Week 18, a matchup that afforded Montgomery just 12-20-1 rushing in Week 5, but also 4 catches for 62 yards.
Bears QB Justin Fields ran for 132 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's lopsided loss at Detroit. It was his 3rd game of more than 100 rushing yards this season. Fields stunk as a passer, though, completing just 7 of his 21 attempts for 75 yards, 1 TD and an INT. His lone score went to TE Cole Kmet, 1 of just 4 Bears to catch any passes. Kmet led the team with 27 yards on 2 catches. Fields also took 7 sacks for the game and lost a fumble. He'll get another upside matchup in Week 18 against the Vikings but will be tougher to trust after 2 straight poor outings -- in real and fantasy football terms.
Falcons WR Drake London tied for the team target lead (8) in Sunday's win over the Cardinals, continuing his run of strong target shares with 30.8% in the game. He caught 5 for a mere 47 yards, a modest fantasy outing. With Atlanta throwing for just 169 yards and no TDs overall, the ceiling was low for the rookie wideout. He'll close out next week against a Buccaneers squad that might be resting starters after clinching the division title with a Week 17 win.
Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier racked up 20 carries for 83 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. He more than doubled RB Cordarrelle Patterson (9) in rushing attempts but watched Patterson control the receiving. Patterson caught a team-high 6 passes -- on a team-high-tying 8 targets -- for 42 yards. Patterson added a ground TD on 9-42 rushing. Atlanta closes out against a Buccaneers defense that has been a negative matchup for RB scoring but a neutral matchup for rushing overall (4.5 yards per carry allowed to RBs). Tampa Bay also might not have much to play for after clinching the NFC South title with a Week 17 win. Allgeier has claimed 17+ carries in 3 straight games.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown caught 6 passes for 61 yards in Sunday's loss at Atlanta. His 9 targets trailed TE Trey McBride and WR Greg Dortch (10 apiece), with David Blough serving as the 4th different starting QB this season. Brown gets a San Francisco matchup in Week 18 that has dominated opponent rushing. That could make Brown a decent WR3 for PPR, especially if WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) remains out. We'll see whether QB Colt McCoy makes it back from the concussion that cost him the past 2 games.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride racked up 7 catches for 78 yards and the team's only TD in Sunday's narrow loss to the Falcons. He tied WR Greg Dortch for the team target lead (10), with QB David Blough making his 1st start -- Arizona's 4th different starting QB this year. The rookie TE topped his previous highs by 3 receptions and 23 yards, finding the end zone for the 1st time as a pro. McBride will be an interesting fantasy prospect for 2023. Veteran TE Zach Ertz has 1 year left on his contract, but he also carries a $12 million salary vs. $4 million in dead cap space if the team releases him. We'll see what the Cards do this offseason and where McBride settles in early best-ball drafts.
Cardinals RB James Conner ran for 79 yards on 16 carries (4.9 per rush) in Sunday's narrow loss to the Falcons, adding 31 yards on 3 receptions. He watched TE Trey McBride claim the team's only TD, in a game that also included 4 Matt Prater FGs. Conner closes out the season with a difficult matchup against the 49ers, for those playing fantasy through Week 18.
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