NFL Player News

Bentley has enjoyed a “consistently good camp” lining up with the first-team defense after the release of veteran Aaron Berry. It’s a good sign that the rookie is ahead of nickel candidates Jacob Lacey and Alphonso Smith, though the Lions still figure to be a plus matchup for opposing fantasy receivers.

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.

St. Brown nearly saved the Lions’ season on the final play. ARSB was stopped at the one-yard line with time winding down. As he was pushed back, St. Brown flipped the ball to Jared Goff, who somersaulted into the end zone for a game-winning touchdown. St. Brown was flagged for offensive pass interference amidst the chaos and the game ended, giving Pittsburgh the win. The Lions are nearly out of the playoff hunt, but they can’t be eliminated entirely before their Christmas showdown with the Vikings. St. Brown will project for low-end WR1 numbers in that contest.

Okonkwo led the Titans in catches on an afternoon where Cam Ward took another modest but legitimate step forward. His score was a seven-yarder on a shovel pass. The Titans’ most consistent compiler this season, Okonkwo has now caught at least four passes three of the past four weeks, but spiked weeks have not been a thing. This is a low-ceiling offense, one where Ward is really spreading the ball around. That means Okonkwo will keep maxing out as a low-upside TE2 for the fantasy finals against the Saints.

Demercado went 0-of-1 as a receiver and he was out-touched 6-to-5 by fellow backup RB Corey Kiner. Cardinals RB Michael Carter is the clear-cut backup and Kiner’s presence reduces Demercado’s bench-stash value. This looks like a three-player committee with one FLEX-viable player.

Montgomery was not targeted once. He hasn’t touched the ball more than 10 times in a game since Week 10, Dan Campbell’s first as the team’s play-caller. Montgomery entered this contest riding a three-game touchdown streak, but the lack of volume was always going to catch up to him at some point. A loss to the Steelers did the trick. The Lions should find more success on the ground versus Minnesota next week, but Montgomery is close to falling out of the RB3 ranks entirely after this dud.

It’s rare that we feel the need to lead with a running back’s receiving line, but Gibbs truly got nothing going on the ground. His best carry of the day went for six yards and he was routinely hit well behind the line of scrimmage. Gibbs, of course, is one of the league’s best pass-catchers out of the backfield and had no issues making up for his lack of rushing with an elite receiving line. Playing from behind in the second half, Jared Goff peppered him with check-downs, including a four-yard walk into the end zone late in the fourth quarter. Gibbs is impervious to negative game script and thrives when the Lions get going downhill. He will continue to contend for the RB1 overall crown in Week 17 against the Vikings.

Meyers had a somewhat quiet game after five straight fantasy-viable outings as the Jaguars’ No. 1 receiver. He again served as Trevor Lawrence’s main intermediate target while Parker Washington dominated air yards and led the Jags with 145 yards and a touchdown. Meyers’ eight targets was second to Washington’s 10 targets; Brian Thomas Jr. had just two looks on the day. Meyers, who had been targeted on 25 percent of his routes going into Week 16, should be a playable WR2/3 option in Week 17 against the Colts thanks in part to the pass-first nature of the Jacksonville offense.

Muth led Pittsburgh’s tight ends in catches and tied for second among all the team’s pass-catchers in receptions. He was, however, held under 50 receiving yards for the eighth-straight game. Muth has only hit that mark once this year. He is stuck in the TE3 ranks for Week 17.