NFL Player News

Cappa went down with the ankle injury in Week 18 and has been out ever since. He doesn’t look likely to suit up for the AFC Championship game. The Bengals’ backup lineup did an incredible job keeping their quarterback safe in the Divisional Round. Joe Burrow took a single sack versus the Bills. A similar performance versus the Chiefs would be a major win for a team looking to avenge their Super Bowl loss from a year ago.

Dowdle was active for the first time since injuring his toe in Week 2. He initially formed a near 50-50 committee with Jaylen Warren, but the latter pulled away in the fourth quarter and overtime. Warren racked up four carries and one catch in overtime alone, bringing his touch total from 11 to 16. Dowdle saw a single carry in the extra frame. Dowdle’s role should grow in the coming weeks, but it’s clear that Warren is the top option in the backfield, leaving Dowdle as a low-end RB3 for Week 7 versus the Saints.

Harris started the game for the Giants after it was reported Cam Skatteboo would be downgraded after his fumble issues. Fantasy managers that picked up Harris to start or stash will be immensely disappointed to see four carries and 11 snaps on the day. A pass-heavy game script played a role in that, but he totaled just two yards and has been a largely ineffective runner this season. Harris can remain off fantasy rosters heading into Week 7 against the Texans.

Odunze, who led the Bears in pass routes on the day, was third in targets while Luther Burden and Colston Loveland had big days with Caleb Williams back under center. Odunze was seeing more targets and air yards with the Bears’ backups QBs under center, though he should remain a high-variance flex in Week 7 against the Patriots. Odunze leads the Chicago offense with a 35 percent air yards share this season.

Before the game, it was widely reported that the Giants would start Najee Harris with Skattebo dealing with fumbling issues to start the season. This was indeed the case as Skattebo saw zero touches and just six snaps on the day, last among all four Giants running backs. After the game, head coach John Harbaugh insisted the team did not bench Skattebo, but its hard to see this as anything else. Fantasy managers will be hoping Skattebo will be out of the dog house after no Giants running backs surpassed 20 yards rushing against a poor Saints run defense. He is cautiously in the RB3 ranks until further notice.

Fields saw a season-high eight targets, but caught just two of those passes for 19 yards. The Giants passing game behind Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely isn’t productive for fantasy purposes. Darnell Mooney had a carry for 20 yards while Charlie Jones caught 2-of-3 passes for 66 yards. Fields is the best option past Nabers and Likely, but he can be left on fantasy benches for Week 7 against the Texans.

Even with Rhamondre Stevenson active and TreVeyon Henderson surprisingly playing through his ankle injury, Kiner was called on as the Patriots’ “closer,” with all 11 of his handles coming in the final 16:30 of the contest. The Patriots were winning, but the game was still in doubt. Kiner responded by continually turning his short-yardage opportunities into first downs, while he ended up leading the team in rushing. It wasn’t easy to see that one coming, but it might be difficult for coach Mike Vrabel to un-see it as neither Stevenson nor Henderson impress in their No. 1 or 2 jobs. Kiner is worth an end-of-bench stash in 14-team leagues but is not yet 12-team league relevant.

Likely scored his fifth touchdown of the season and third over the last two games. He also caught a two point conversion, with all his scoring coming in the fourth quarter from J.J. McCarthy. The pass-heavy game script helped Likely salvage his fantasy day late in the game as he saw double-digit targets for the third straight game and fourth time this season. Now averaging 9.8 targets per game, Likely is squarely in the fantasy TE1 ranks heading into a tough Week 7 matchup against the Texans.

Surprisingly active, Henderson was unsurprisingly disappointing. Although his lost third quarter fumble was his first of the season, it predictably landed him in the doghouse. He touched the ball just two times thereafter, and the Patriots decided to ride No. 3 running back Corey Kiner is closeout mode. Kiner took 11 carries in the final 16:30 of game time. We know Henderson has big-play ability, but now playing at less than 100 percent in a backfield that is beginning to look like a three-man ordeal, he’s not a particularly appealing RB3/FLEX heading into Thursday’s short-week date with the Bears.