NFL Player News

The 123rd overall pick, Hawkins is blessed with ideal offensive tackle length but is a sub-par athlete who got pushed around in the SEC. He’s a long shot to develop into an NFL starter but could become a reliable swing tackle.

Smith opened scoring in the game by firing a pick-six directly to Derek Stingley Jr., but bounced back and put up a viable effort for the rest of the game. He connected with Ashton Jeanty on a wheel route for one score, and found Brock Bowers in traffic in the first half for his other score. Smith remained mostly immobile, but the Raiders were able to chip enough with their tight ends to keep Houston’s pass rush from completely dominating the game. The Raiders take on the Giants in the No. 1 pick bowl next weekend. Smith will be a viable superflex QB2 against New York.

Cousins’ one-yard rushing score salvages an otherwise disappointing day in the box score. On the play before, Cousins attempted to connect with LT Jake Matthews in the end zone, on a trick play, but the left tackle dropped the on-target pass. As for the lost fumble, that one is on Falcons TE Charlie Woerner. Woerner was sent in motion pre-snap, but the timing appeared to be off. Warner briefly paused as he neared what appeared to be either a handoff or the beginning of a play-action fake, but instead charged ahead, barreling straight into the mesh point between Cousins and RB Bijan Robinson, knocking the ball out of Cousins’ hands. Cousins is a QB2 against the Rams in Week 17, offering mildly intriguing upside in what could be a fantasy-friendly game environment.

The Texans started off slow in this one, with just six offensive points in the first half while Stroud was off-target and late on a number of throws, particularly while throwing to the sideline. They managed to get things together enough to hold off the Raiders in the second half, but this was not particularly sharp football. Stroud will snap back to the QB2 line in Week 17 in a Saturday matchup against the Chargers.

Sutton led the Broncos in all receiving categories as he has re-established himself as Bo Nix’s top target over the past few weeks. He now has three touchdown receptions over his past four games (and nearly came down with a second score on Sunday). Against the Jaguars, Sutton had a whopping 223 air yards and a 27 percent target share. Coming off his second 100-yard game of the 2025 season in Week 15, Sutton once again profiles as a locked-in WR2 in 12-team leagues. He’ll be a must-play in Week 17 against the Chiefs.

He left late in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Blake Fisher. Ersery has had a rough rookie year as Houston’s everydown left tackle, but given the depth on hand here, it would be a loss if he missed multiple weeks. Trent Brown also left the game at the two-minute warning, though he wasn’t given a designation before the end of the game. His status will be worth monitoring.

Bryant took a massive hit over the middle in the final minute of the Broncos’ loss to Jacksonville. Bo Nix delivered an errant throw and Bryant absorbed a shot to his upper body. He could not get up on his own power, and trainers later put him on a stretcher, loaded him onto a cart, and took Bryant to the locker room for further evaluation. Players from both teams were shaken up, including Bo Nix, who was visibly upset as trainers tended to Bryant, who had five catches for 43 yards before the injury. He would appear to be a long shot to suit up on Thursday against Kansas City.

Austin suffered the hamstring issue in the second half. With time winding down, he looks unlikely to return before the game ends. Adam Thielen, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Scotty Miller will mix in alongside DK Metcalf to close the fourth quarter.

This was only the fourth time all season Gesicki caught at least three passes, though the score was his second in three weeks. Good for him, but there’s still no reason to rank Gesicki in the top 20 for Week 17 against the Cardinals. Even in that plus matchup, you need to do better for the fantasy finals.

Wright added an 18-yard catch. Nearly all of Wright’s work, including his three-yard score, came with the Dolphins down 3-4 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Maybe the Dolphins will try to lighten De’Von Achane’s load a bit for the final two weeks of the season, but Wright will only be a FLEX factor if Achane misses time.

This was the second straight week Dulcich posted 46 yards, tying for his second most of the season. Good enough, but bad was Dulcich’s soft third quarter fumble that helped lead to a 21-0 frame for the Bengals. Still an afterthought behind Darren Waller in an offense trying out a seventh-round rookie quarterback, Dulcich is out of sight, out of mind for the fantasy finals.