NFL Player News

Coach Mike Tomlin indicated Tuesday that second-round rookie Marcus Gilbert will replace Willie Colon at right tackle, but the team still needs veteran depth. Willis didn’t play a down last season after starting 16 games for Seattle in 2009.

Smyth was busy in Sunday’s easy win over the Jets, as the Saints stalled out on three red zone possessions. Smyth has now made nine of his ten field goal tries over four games with the Saints and profiles as a decent Week 17 option against the Titans.

Lutz drilled a 54-yarder in the thin air of Denver but missed his sixth field goal of the season. Lutz now has multiple field goal tries in nine games this season, making him a reliable weekly play in all fantasy formats.

Allen, with Bhayshul Tuten (finger) done for the season, is the Jags’ No. 2 back behind Travis Etienne, who had 16 carries for 50 yards against the Broncos. Allen had an inside-the-five carry against Denver, suggesting he could be the goal line back over Etienne. He should remain on waiver wires ahead of Week 17.

With Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright on IR, Firkser and Shane Zylstra continued to split the TE1 duties in Detroit. Firkser led the way in all receiving categories. Zylstra still managed three grabs for 20 yards. Firkser could be worth a look in DFS tournaments when the Lions take on Minnesota on Christmas, but he isn’t on the redraft radar.

Raymond and Isaac TeSlaa split the No. 3 role this week. Both players topped 50 yards and scored. TeSlaa did so on seven targets compared to five for Raymond. Jared Goff compiled 364 yards in a failed comeback bid, allowing multiple ancillary pieces to get home this week. That shouldn’t be the case next week. We don’t recommend starting Raymond or TeSlaa in the fantasy football finals.

Today was the first time since Nov. 2 Ayomanor caught more than two passes, while those receiving yards were actually a new season high. Not bad, if not terribly notable. Chimere Dike remained the more impressive young wideout against the Chiefs. Ayomanor is a young player who has shown something in an offense displaying subtle signs of progress, but he’s not on the radar for fantasy finals week, while his 2026 rank remains very much to be determined.

TeSlaa’s touchdown grab this week was relatively routine for his lofty standards. He climbed that ladder on a hole shot into the end zone and was spun around by a collision with multiple defenders. For most players, it would have been an incredible addition to the highlight reel. It was just another Sunday for TeSlaa. The rookie is up to five touchdown grabs on the year. He will be a boom/bust WR6 for his Week 17 date with the Vikings.

In addition to his fourth receiving score of the season, Dike set the Titans’ single-season record for kick return yardage. The 24-year-old has been a legitimate all-purpose weapon, even if it hasn’t quite translated to weekly WR4 value. Maybe that will be on tap for 2026, but Dike still lacks either the floor ceiling to be a trusted fantasy option for finals week.

Williams finished second on the team in targets, tied with Amon-Ra St. Brown. While he did break his 100-yard game streak at three, Williams’ floor has increased dramatically with Dan Campbell calling the shots on offense. Williams is reguarly invovled on short and intermediate crossers while still getting plenty of opportunities to hit the home run. Williams is entrenched as a WR2 heading into Week 17 against Minnesota.

Helm’s missed connection was a fourth down grab where he couldn’t quite get both feet in bounds. It wasn’t the best awareness from the rookie tight end, but a rare notable mistake for a player who has been looking lively down the stretch, even if it’s not always reflected in the box score. Despite that intrigue, Helm will not be a top-24 option for the fantasy finals against the Saints. The Titans don’t generate enough pass attempts, and spread the ball around too much on the targets they do disperse.