NFL Player News

“I didn’t like the way he prepared this week,” Tomlin said. “I wanted to make a point that it wasn’t what we like.” It sounds like the Steelers are sending a message to Gilbert that he needs to do a better job with his preparation. If he can put in a good week of practice, he should have no trouble regaining his starting job.

Dike had the most targets of any Titans wide receiver, but that’s not much to write home about. The Titans love to run screen passes, and Dike is really shifty after the catch, so you figure he’d be a good option on those plays, but they don’t seem to agree. However, the rookie also had a brutal drop in the fourth quarter on a play where Cam Ward evaded three rushers and escaped to the sideline before throwing a dart that hit Dike in the chest. He needs to make those catches, and the drop is a good example of why he’s hard to trust in fantasy leagues right now.

Okonkwo led the team in targets, but that’s mainly because the Titans seem to only want to run screen passes, which leads to plenty of targets for their tight ends and running backs. Okonkwo did have a nice 17-yard catch and run in the first half, where he broke a few tackles, but this is not a role that provides much consistent fantasy value.

Helm ran a nice route in the first half and was left wide open for an easy, walk-in 34-yard touchdown catch. He is an athletic tight end and possesses a little bit of fantasy upside if this Titans offense could get anything going. However, that is more of a question for next season, and Helm is also stuck in a bit of a committee with Chig Okonkwo, so it’s hard to rely on him outside of deeper two-tight-end leagues. He’s an intriguing stash in dynasty leagues though. There is something here.

As usual, Kittle was a key to the 49ers’ offense. He led the team in targets and catches while finishing second in receiving yards on the day. He didn’t need to do much in the second half with the 49ers up multiple touchdowns for much of the game, but he looks every bit the elite tight end he always has. Next week’s game against the Colts will likely be a bit closer, which would mean a potential top-five tight end outing from Kittle.

Jennings didn’t catch many passes today, but he sure made them count when he did. The wide receiver was third on the team in targets, but wasn’t able to haul in much of anything outside of the red zone. He does have six touchdowns in his last six games, so it’s clear that he has the trust of Brock Purdy when they get close to the red zone. That alone makes him a potential flex option for the remainder of the fantasy football playoffs.

Vele was diving all over the place against the Panthers, catching 5-of-6 targets for 69 yards before exiting. The big-bodied wide receiver picked up multiple first downs and played a key role on the Saints’ 17-play third drive. He first found a soft spot in the Panthers’ zone coverage, gaining 10 yards on a curl route by picking up a few yards after the catch. He later went sky-high on a dagger route and high-pointed the ball before being met in the air by CB Mike Jackson, who tackled him for a 17-yard gain. He could be a boom-bust FLEX against the Jets next week, if active. He did not return.

Pearsall had an injury scare after his first catch of the game, when a hip drop tackle tweaked his ankle and led the wide receiver to hobble off the field. Given his recent knee injuries, there was some concern; however, Pearsall was able to get back out onto the field and be the clear lead receiver for the 49ers. He looked sharper in and out of his cuts this week than he had in weeks past and was getting healthier after missing so many weeks with the aforementioned knee injuries; yet, his knee buckled on him on a comeback route in the fourth quarter, and he hobbled off the field once again. We’ll need to keep an eye on practice reports because he seems to be a clear WR3 if he’s healthy.

JSN, as usual, dominated targets in the balanced Seahawks offense, and functioned as Sam Darnold’s go-to guy on every big down in a close game against 44-year-old Philip Rivers and the Colts. Incredibly, this was JSN’s ninth game with more than 100 receiving yards. This was only the sixth game of the season in which Smith-Njigba did not score a touchdown. Smith-Njigba will once again be an elite fantasy play in Week 16 against the Rams. He had nine catches for 105 scoreless yards the last time Seattle played the Rams.

He also added just two receiving yards on two catches. Spears’ three carries on the day put him well behind Tony Pollard’s 14 rushes. Spears also only had two targets despite the Titans trailing by double-digits for most of this game. It seems that Pollard’s breakout game last week convinced the Titans to give him the far larger share of the workload this week. We’re not sure that the backfield split will stay this pronounced, but it’s hard to roster Spears in redraft leagues considering how little he’s producing and how bad this Titans offense has been.