NFL Player News

New England will be without key defenders Mills and Jones in their matchup against Teddy Bridgewater and Miami’s terrifying wideout duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Parker (concussion) will miss another game. His absence should lead to more snaps and pass routes for Kendrick Bourne, who in Week 16 caught six passes for 100 yards and a score. Bourne is a reasonable WR3/4 option for Week 17.

Per usual, Jacobs soaked up volume and dished out body blows, drawing defenders into the box to open up shot plays for Jordan Love. Per usual, it worked. Love threw three touchdowns, all from more than 20 yards out, and Jacobs cashed in at the goal line late in the game. His touchdown would ultimately prove to be a game-winner. Jacobs will keep his spot in the RB1 ranks next week, even with a tough Denver run defense on tap.

Watson operated as the team’s top wideout in this game. His four targets were tied for a team-high. His elite efficiency allowed him to blow by the test of the team’s wideouts in terms of production. The home-run hitter went yard again this week by taking a routine slant 41 yards to the house in the third quarter. That was after he scored a 23-yard touchdown in the first half. Watson won’t find the big play every week, but his involvement is trending in the right direction just as the fantasy playoffs are getting underway. Watson will enter the WR3 mix next week despite a tough matchup with the Broncos.

Njoku’s second quarter score was his lone target. He made a great grab in the end zone then re-injured the knee that had him on the injury report. He returned to the Browns’ sideline, but if he actually got back on the field, we didn’t see it. Pro Football Focus charted Njoku as playing six snaps as Harold Fannin produced over 100 yards on 11 looks. We would assume Njoku is in danger of missing Week 15 against the Bears. Already phased out of the offense, he belongs on the waiver wire in 12-team leagues.

Hill also recovered his own fumble. This is getting rather ridiculous. Today was the third time this season Hill finished with negative rushing yards. All his explosion is gone during his age-35 season. It’s time for the Saints to move on from his change-of-pace handles. Fantasy managers should have already done so long ago.

It was an up-and-down day for Williams, who started the game 1-of-7 as a passer with a grand total of two yards. The Bears had one first down on three drives and managed just three points by the end of the second quarter. He sailed routine passes and struggled to get much going outside of check-downs. Williams loosened up in the third quarter and tossed a tight-window throw to Olamide Zacheaus in the end zone to score on the opening drive of the second half. He stayed hot on the next two drives, putting up 10 more points to get his team within striking distance on their final drive. On fourth-and-one in the red zone, Ben Johnson drew up a play-action shot into the end zone for Cole Kmet. Scrambling to his left, Williams attempted a jump-pass that floated well short of Kmet and into the hands of Packers corner Keisean Nixon for a game-losing interception. After taking one step forward in the second half, Williams undead it all with a few steps back on his final throw of the night. The Bears have made an effort to lean on their ground game in recent weeks. Williams’ passing volume, in turn, has been muted. He hasn’t completed more than 20 passes in a game since Week 8. Expect a similar approach versus the Browns in Week 15.

Sutton delivers serviceable results, but his day could have been a lot bigger. On the Broncos’ second drive, Raiders CB Darien Porter broke up what would have been a 15-yard contested catch for Sutton along the sideline. Sutton’s more consequential missed opportunity occurred late in the fourth quarter, when he got open on a post route from five yards out and allowed a target from QB Bo Nix to clang off his hands in the back of the end zone. Sutton is a WR3 against the Packers in Week 15.

Vele’s 40 yards were a far cry from his shocking Week 13 total of 93, but he actually led the team as Tyler Shough attempted only 20 passes in rainy conditions. One of Vele’s grabs was a huge late third-down conversion. Having now easily consolidated Rashid Shaheed’s vacated targets in this high-attempts offense, Vele is displaying some WR4 juice. It’s just so hard to tiebreak in favor of a Saint with bye weeks over and the fantasy playoffs beginning. Despite an improving Shough, this remains a below-average fantasy environment.

Nix distributed the ball very effectively against the Raiders, connecting with 11 different pass catchers on Sunday. He nearly held himself to a touchdown-less performance, opting not to scramble up the wide-open lane from 2nd-and-goal on the Broncos’ first drive, but he corrected the mistake two plays later, navigating his way through a trio of stagged blockers, engaged with Raiders’ defensive linemen en route to the end zone from eight yards out. Nix can be treated as a volatile, low-end QB1 against the Packers in Week 15.

Godwin easily lead the Bucs in both receiving in target share with Baker Mayfield completing just 14-of-30 passes in the rain, but he had a costly bobble wipe out a potential fourth down conversion. Godwin at least looked healthy as he caught five passes for the first time all year. Godwin is headed in the right direction, but Mike Evans has a strong chance of returning for Thursday’s game against the Falcons. That would lower Godwin’s WR3 floor, which is bad news since he doesn’t really have a ceiling right now. Godwin will be a volatile WR4/second FLEX for the first week of the fantasy playoffs.

This news should come as no surprise to anybody who saw a video of the injury. Ertz’s leg bent in an unnatural direction after he was hit by safety Jay Ward in the third quarter, and the veteran tight end needed help to get to the sideline before being carted to the locker room. A torn ACL would mark the end of the season for Ertz, who is already in the twilight of his 13-year career. Ertz entered the day with 49 receptions for 493 yards and four touchdowns. Backup John Bates would be next in line for snaps in Ertz’s absence.