NFL Player News

Head coach Mike Tomlin routinely pits his linebackers against his running backs in a pass-protection drill aptly named “Backs on Backers.” Fellow Steelers runner Jaylen Warren has made a name for himself in this drill in the past. Johnson isn’t acclimating to the NFL quite as well. Per DeFabo, he lost three reps cleanly against Malik Harrison before Steelers running backs coach Eddie Faulkner had to give the rookie some pointers on his technique. DeFabo noted a later rep that was more competitive, but Johnson’s hand placement was still off. Both Warren and Kenneth Gainwell took their lumps in the drill as well, but Johnson’s struggles are more notable. Both of the veterans have been trusted in pass protection for years. Johnson struggled in that area in college and appears to still have a long way to go. For now, Warren has the passing-downs role locked up. If he remains involved as a runner, Warren could easily pay off his RB3 cost.

With their season over, the Colts will see what they have in Leonard, the 189th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. Leonard completed 18 of 29 attempts for 145 yards and an interception against the Jaguars in Week 14 after Daniel Jones went down — a performance that led head coach Shane Steichen to sign 44-year-old Philip Rivers as a desperation measure. Leonard completed 61 percent of his passes for 365 yards, one touchdown, and one interception over three preseason appearances in the summer. He took one sacks on 22 pressures in those games and ran for 58 yards on seven rushes. Leonard’s rushing could make him interesting for superflex and DFS purposes in Week 18 against the Texans.

The Eagles could climb as high as the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a victory and a Lions win over Chicago, and Garafolo believes they could beat Washington with some of their key starters resting for the postseason. That could include Jalen Hurts, which would mean Tanner McKee could see significant playing time against a Commanders defense being bludgeoned by opposing QBs. If Saquon Barkley sits, Tank Bigsby — who has been ultra efficient as an Eagle — could see a full workload against the Swiss cheese Washington run defense. It’s a situation to monitor for fantasy managers playing in Week 18 championships.

Kelly lands the Northwestern OC gig after a disastrous season with the Raiders, who fired him in late November after operating one of the NFL’s worst, most inefficient offenses. Plagued by a terrible offensive line coaches by Pete Carroll’s son — one of two Carroll kid who work for the Raiders — Kelly’s offense was near the bottom of the league in both EPA per play and success rate through November. Kelly will take over a Northwestern offense that ranked 53rd in the nation in EPA per play in 2025, and 44th in rushing EPA.

Mooney and the rest of the Atlanta pass-catchers simply weren’t needed in this one as running back Bijan Robinson amassed 229 yards of offense against one of the better run defenses in the league. It was actually fill-in receiver David Sills that led the team in receiving with 37 yards on three receptions, which tells the tale of how the game was won. Mooney finishes his regular season against the surging Saints in Week 18 after a disappointing campaign.

London continued to see his playing time monitored in his second game back following a four-game absence, seeing only two targets on a night the Falcons attempted only 20 passes due to increasingly positive game script. The team built a 21-0 lead in the first half on the legs of Bijan Robinson, who accounted for 229 of the team’s 345 yards of total offense against one of the better run defenses in the league. London should remain a top 12 fantasy receiver entering the 2026 offseason.

The entire pass game was a complete afterthought as the Falcons built a 21-0 lead in the first half, with Pitts targeted on three of only 20 Kirk Cousins pass attempts. It was an unfortunate ending to a magical fantasy playoffs run for the veteran tight end, duping fantasy managers when it mattered most. Pitts is set to finish his 2025 regular season against the surging Saints in Week 18.

Robinson accounted for 229 of the team’s 345 yards of total offense on the evening, with his two first half touchdowns contributing to a 21-0 lead at the half. Those exploits included the longest rush of his career, college included, when he sprung free on an outside zone run for a 93-yard touchdown at the end of the second quarter. He would see his workload siphoned away by Tyler Allgeier after the break, as has been customary for the Falcons this season. That said, Allgeier gained only 23 yards on his 10 touches - all carries. His eight targets were also double that of any other Atlanta pass-catcher, hitting 30 opportunities for the second time in the last three games. Robinson should remain a top tier, first-round fantasy asset after finishing the 2025 regular season on an absolute tear.

Cousins largely played facilitator as the Falcons rode alpha running back Bijan Robinson to glory, aided by a defense that generated three interceptions of MVP candidate Matthew Stafford, one of which was returned for a touchdown by rookie safety Xavier Watts. 229 of the team’s 345 yards of total offense were accounted for by Robinson, leaving little for Cousins to do as the team narrowly avoided a repeat performance of their Super Bowl LI loss to the Patriots. The Falcons led 21-0 at the half, only to see the Rams roar back in the final two frames to tie the game at 24 with just over two minutes left to play. They were able to maneuver into field goal range with their two-minute offense and kicker Zane Gonzalez connected from 51 yards to give the team the victory. Cousins and the rest of the starters end their season with a home game against the red-hot Saints in Week 18.

Nacua’s touchdown came late in the fourth quarter to draw the two teams to a tie after the Falcons led 21-0 at the half. A late field goal by Atlanta kicker Zane Gonzalez stymied the comeback attempt as the Falcons avoided a repeat of their disastrous Super Bowl LI loss to the Patriots. Nacua drew lockdown coverage from lockdown corner A.J. Terrell for most of the night, narrowly overcoming it all with a would-be circus catch down the sideline with six seconds remaining that would have had the Rams in field goal range for a potential game-tying kick as time expired. It was ultimately ruled incomplete as he failed to maintain possession with one hand going to the ground. The third-year receiver doubled down on his breakout sophomore campaign and he’ll look to pad his counting stats further when the Rams take on the Cardinals to end their 2025 regular season in Week 18.

Both of Ferguson’s receptions went for chunk gains of 27 yards, with the rookie tight end cashing in on a touchdown in the third quarter to keep the Rams in the game after taking a 21-0 deficit into the half. Ferguson’s late-season breakout continues to hint at the potential for untapped upside, although his playing time is likely tied to the team’s usage of heavy personnel while playing behind established veteran Colby Parkinson, the latter of whom caught 6-of-7 targets for 53 scoreless yards in the loss.