NFL Player News

As Reiss points out, Andrews is an eight-time captain for the Patriots. The veteran center is recovering from a shoulder surgery that limited him to just four games last season and could opt for retirement rather than continuing his career elsewhere. A pillar of the Patriots’ franchise for several years, Andrews has started 121 of the 124 games he’s appeared in and has spent his entire career in New England. We’ll see where things go from here, but the two-time Super Bowl champ is now free to sign with any team interested in his services.

Hubbard was seemingly headed toward a featured role after RB Rico Dowdle was escorted off the field by Panthers trainers, but Dowdle returned after a few plays, in time to score a touchdown. Hubbard was then stuck in his rotational role. He has a nice first-down gain on the Panthers’ fourth drive, traversing the field after securing a screen pass on 3rd-and-7. He is just a low-floor FLEX against the Buccaneers next week.

Dowdle missed a few snaps on his team’s first drive, but he returned in time to punch in a short touchdown. The Saints deserve credit for limiting Dowdle to 3.1 yards per carry, though play volume was also an issue for the Panthers. The Saints’ 11-minute, 22-second first-half drive was their longest drive since at least the year 2000, going 95 yards on 17 plays and keeping the football away from the Panthers. Dowdle is an RB2 against the Buccaneers in Week 16.

Williams departed after the team’s first possession and missed the remainder of the first half. He returned after the break to take a handoff from quarterback Dak Prescott on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Fantasy managers can breath a collective sigh of relief, at least for the time being.

Barner saw a full-time role with Elijah Arroyo sidelined with a knee injury. He ran a route on 32 of the Seahawks’ 41 drop backs against the Colts and was third on the team with six targets. Seattle’s lack of pass volume will make it tough to rely on Barner as a viable 12-team option. In Week 16 he’ll take on a Rams defense that gave up 10 catches for 70 yards to Barner in mid-November. He’ll be in play as a streaming option against LA.

Legette was very briefly involved on a few plays during the Panthers’ fourth drive, producing a big gain on a corner route after WR Tetairoa McMillan fell over, which may have jumbled the defensive backs’ coverage assignments. Panthers QB Bryce Young targeted Legette again shortly thereafter, but the throw was late and nearly resulted in an interception. Legette is a zero-floor FLEX against the Buccaneers next week.

McMillan entered halftime with one catch, 21 yards and two targets to his name. Unfortunately, the missed target could have easily been a 22-yard touchdown. McMillan got open on a post route, streaking inside the Saints’ 10-yard line, but QB Bryce Young’s pass inside the five-yard line arrived late, allowing Panthers’ CB to break up the pass. McMillan is a WR2 against the Buccaneers in Week 16.

Darnold struggled again with pressure and appeared flustered any time Colts pass rushers broke through the offensive line and Jaxon Smith-Njigba wasn’t immediately wide open. Besides a three-touchdown, highly accurate performance against Atlanta in Week 14, Darold’s play has dropped off over the past month. That hasn’t affected JSN’s fantasy production, thankfully. In Week 16 Darnold will go against a Rams defense that has given him fits over his past three matchups against them. Darnold had zero touchdowns and four interceptions in Seattle’s mid-November loss to LA. He should not be started one-QB leagues against the Rams.

Taylor was predictably the centerpiece of the Colts offense with 44-year-old Philip Rivers under center for the first time since 2020. The Colts had 29 rushing attempts and 27 passes in this one. Rivers peppered the team’s short-area pass catchers with targets: Tyler Warren led the way with six target, Taylor had four targets, and veteran RB Ameer Abdullah had five targets, leading the Colts with five grabs for 32 yards. That’s a little deceiving considering Abdullah ran a mere six pass routes on the day. Taylor logged 18 routes. Taylor is the one Colts player who might survive the Rivers experience. He gets the 49ers in Week 16.

Coker had a great game. He showed up on the Panthers’ first drive with a toe-tapping 15-yard catch along the left sideline. He hauled in a 24-yard pass on a corner route on the Panthers’ third drive and caught a 32-yard touchdown via hitch-and-go on the Panthers’ fourth drive. Though Coker often lines up in the slot, he scored the touchdown lined up out wide on the right side. Coker is a WR3/FLEX against the Buccaneers in Week 16.

Pierce was always going to be a loser of the Colts’ Philip Rivers experiment. Pierce generally operates as an intermediate and deep target, and he now has a 44-year-old quarterback who is physically unable to throw it more than 20 yards or so. Pierce’s lone grab in Week 15 came near the sideline; Pierce boxed out his defender and made a nice grab on a floater from the weak-armed Rivers. Pierce isn’t fantasy viable for as long as Rivers is under center.