NFL Player News

John Phillips will ascend to No. 2 on Dallas’ tight end depth chart following Martellus Bennett’s departure, but Haynos could battle for the No. 3 job.

Metcalf plans on appealing the two-game suspension that was handed down after his altercation with a fan in Detroit on Sunday. Metcalf said the fan, Ryan Kennedy, used a racial slur — an accusation Kennedy has denied through a lawyer. Metcalf had reported Kennedy to Seahawks team security in a previous trip to Detroit to play the Lions before he was traded to the Steelers. If the two-game suspension is upheld, the Steelers offense will likely revert to a run-heavy approach for the final two games of the regular season against the Browns and Ravens. Calvin Austin and Adam Thielen could see an uptick in targets, along with Kenneth Gainwell and Darnell Washington.

Warren tied for the team lead with nine targets, his second consecutive game leading the team in targets with Philip Rivers under center. That could change for the final two weeks of the regular season with the Colts now eliminate from the playoffs, potentially turning back to rookie Riley Leonard to finish out the season. Either way, Warren remains one of the more intriguing young tight ends in the league and appears primed to return significant value for dynasty managers moving forward.

Pittman trailed rookie tight end Tyler Warren and slot receiver Josh Downs in targets while Alec Pierce erupted for two touchdowns, routinely finding it difficult to shake free on the perimeter against the zone-heavy 49ers. Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers simply relied heavily on his targets over the middle of the field, something that could change if the team elects to turn back to Riley Leonard under center for the final two games of the regular season now that they are eliminated from the playoffs.

Downs tied with rookie tight end Tyler Warren for the team lead in targets and ranked behind only Alec Pierce in receiving yardage, relied on heavily out of the slot against the heavy zone rates of the 49ers. The 2025 season was not as kind to Downs’ fantasy managers as initially thought heading into the year, with Warren’s breakout a large reason why. He’ll enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2026.

Pierce was shot out of a cannon, connecting with veteran quarterback Philip Rivers on two first half touchdowns as the two teams traded blows early. He added his longest reception of the evening in the second half on a 33-yard grab as the team fought to keep their season alive, only to fall short while being eliminated from postseason contention. Pierce might have a very different fantasy outlook for the final two weeks of the regular season if the team turns back to rookie Riley Leonard under center.

Taylor struggled throughout behind an injury-ravaged offensive line against a defense many before him had found success against. He salvaged his fantasy outing with a touchdown plunge from one yard out in the fourth quarter to bring the team within seven points, a deficit they ultimately fell short of overcoming. The Colts could also be turning back to rookie Riley Leonard under center moving forward now that they are eliminated from the playoffs, something that could dent his fantasy upside over the final two weeks of the regular season.

Rivers and the Colts traded blows with the 49ers throughout the first half, with the aging veteran connecting with Alec Pierce for two scores before the break. The Colts would struggle to keep the momentum rolling into the second half while managing just 10 points after the break, but many will likely be left with the memory of the surgical precision the 44-year-old showed to open the game rather than the couple of under-thrown balls late. The Colts were eliminated from the postseason with the loss, potentially signaling a change back to rookie Riley Leonard under center for the team’s final two games of the regular season. Either way, Rivers’ return to the league after five years will go down as one of the crazier storylines of the 2025 season and should only pad his chances of heading to the Hall of Fame.

The offense was focused heavily on George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey throughout, likely invoked by the heavy Cover-3 rates of the Indianapolis defense in the absence of Sauce Gardner. Robinson snuck in an early touchdown as the two teams traded blows in the first half before disappearing into irrelevancy once more. Fellow role-playing wide receiver Kendrick Bourne caught 3-of-5 targets for 27 yards while playing more offensive snaps than Robinson, earning a sizable $500,000 bonus for going over 500 yards on the season.

All five of his receptions and his touchdown came after he was blanked on one target in the first half, pulling a solid fantasy outing out of seemingly nowhere. The San Francisco offensive game plan revolved around Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle before the break, a clever way of Kyle Shanahan taking advantage of the absence of Sauce Gardner and the elevated Cover-3 rates from the Colts. That tune changed some after Kittle departed with an ankle injury at the end of the third quarter, with Jennings stepping into an elevated role within Shanahan’s dynamic scheme. Jennings could once again operate as a primary option through the air in Week 17 against the Bears, pending the health of Kittle and Ricky Pearsall.

McCaffrey was once again the primary cog of the offense, this time dismantling a top five run defense in the Colts - albeit one dealing with numerous injuries. He hit the century mark on the ground for only the third time this season while adding two receiving touchdowns to his ledger, the second of which was a gift from the fantasy Gods after backup tight end Jake Tonges appeared to get both feet down in the end zone for what would ahve been his fifth score of the season, only for the refs to miss it on the field and for head coach Kyle Shanahan to run a play instead of throwing the challenge flag. McCaffrey and the 49ers can earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC with wins against the Bears and Seahawks the next two weeks.