NFL Player News

The Rams’ offensive line has taken some hits lately, prompting the signing of McDermott. The veteran lineman appeared in six games for the Patriots last season, making five starts, and split time between the Jets and Patriots in 2022. McDermott earned a PFF blocking grade of 67.8 last season while playing exclusively at left tackle; he can serve as a bookend tackle at either side for the Rams, who could run him with the starters sooner than later in camp.

Samuel had a 20-yard catch, and then two more short yardage connections. It’s now three-straight contests that he hasn’t reached 50 yards, and he hasn’t found paydirt since November 16. Long story short, fantasy managers need to look elsewhere for Week 17 against the Cowboys in the majority of fantasy leagues, especially if Josh Johnson has to start that contest for Washington.

It just is what it is at this point. McLaurin and the Commanders’ passing attack was obviously affected by Marcus Mariota (hand) leaving the contest — not to mention Mariota was replacing Jayden Daniels (elbow) in the first place — but it’s not as if the 30-year-old was effective prior to those ailments. McLaurin will be a WR3 for a Week 17 showdown against the Cowboys, and this will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons for a wideout in 2025. If Josh Johnson is the starting quarterback on Christmas, it’d be fair to drop him down considerably lower.

Goedert was able to pick up his 10th touchdown of the season on a perfect throw from Jalen Hurts in the corner of the end zone. It was a quiet day outside of that, but hard to complain about a trip into the end zone. Goedert will be back in action with an extra day of rest in Week 17 against the Bills.

Smith didn’t do much in terms of yardage with a long gain of just 16 yards, but he did have a solid number of targets and was able to connect on a short touchdown with Jalen Hurts to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead. The 27-year-old has his first touchdown of December, and just his fourth of the season. A chance to add to those totals comes in Week 17 against the Bills, but there’s a lot of volatility in Smith’s fantasy profile right now.

Brown was a non-factor in the second half as the Eagles were so effective running the football, but he was able to snag several catches in the first 30 minutes to make it a solid — if unspectacular — fantasy day. It’s the fourth time in five games that Brown has gone for at least 90 yards, and it’s worth noting that one game he didn’t was a 31-0 drubbing of the Raiders. Brown remains a WR1 for Week 17 against the Bills.

Bigsby didn’t receive a touch until late in the fourth, but he made the most of them; taking a pitch 22 yards for a touchdown. The 2023 third-round pick will remain the backup tailback to Saquon Barkley for the foreseeable future, including Week 17 against the Bills.

After impressing in the win over the Giants in Week 16, “Bill” was a non-factor for most of the contest, although he saved the fantasy day with a short touchdown plunge. The 24-year-old has long-term upside, but Chris Rodriguez is clearly the favorite in this Washington rushing attack when he’s healthy. That likely will be the case on a short week against the Cowboys in Week 17 on Christmas Day.

Rodriguez returned after missing Week 15 against the Giants with a groin injury, and he was clearly the bellcow with Jacory Croskey-Merritt getting only eight attempts behind the former Kentucky tailback. His touchdown was in garbage time, but still counts, and he was relatively effective with his touches. Rodriguez is a RB2 for Christmas against the Cowboys in Week 17.

For the first time in 20 years, there’s a repeat winner of the AFC East. Barkley was as good as he’s been all year, and the stinger that bothered him earlier in the week didn’t appear to bother him in this contest. His long gain was an impressive 48-yarder that featured a disgusting spin move to avoid a tackle for loss, but he was able to consistently gash the Washington front in the Saturday win. Barkley will be back in action in Week 17 against the Bills with an extra day of rest.

Hurts wasn’t perfect, but it was another solid effort for the 27-year-old; one that has somewhat silenced the doubters that became much louder after his Monday Night disaster against the Chargers. The two scores came on throws to DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, and he made some plays with his legs as he normally does. Hurts and the Eagles have a very intriguing game against the Bills in Week 17, but it’s worth noting that Philadelphia has now clinched the division with little chance of gaining the top seed.