NFL Player News

Miller will undergo an MRI to confirm, but Rapoport reports Miller could be looking at a “multi-week injury.” It’s brutal news for an offensive line that has performed like one of the worst in the league through the first four weeks of the season, and obviously affects both Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty as far as fantasy is concerned. Miller could be a candidate for injured reserve if the MRI suggests the injury is severe enough to warrant a four-game absence or longer. Charles Grant, whom the Raiders drafted in the third round of this year’s draft, is listed behind Miller on the depth chart and would be in line to start in Miller’s absence.

Sampson was the third running back on the field to start the game for the Browns, as Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams both saw snaps before the fourth-round rookie. Sampson’s 11 carries wound up leading the team, but his 27 yards weren’t what fantasy managers were hoping for. He had a 25-yard run negated by a holding penalty, but this was a disappointing day for Sampson, who had a chance to step in as the lead back. Sampson will likely find himself in a committee again when the Browns face the Bengals next week.

One of his red-zone rushing scores came on a scramble, and the other on a direct QB draw — it’s a bit of an indictment on how the Jaguars felt about Travis Etienne in a phone booth that it has come to this. Lawrence had a more up-and-down game than we’re used to over the last few weeks. The process on his pick was sound — he targeted Parker Washington against a linebacker out of a stack formation, but Colts LB Germaine Pratt made a great play on the ball and Washington wasn’t really open. He also dealt with more pressure than usual with the Jaguars down a few starting linemen. With the Jaguars needing a win over the Titans in Week 18 to clinch the AFC South, it seems likely you can count on Lawrence as a QB1 in that game.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense struggled once again, failing to finish key drives with touchdowns. They had a solid first quarter drive that was capped off by a Mayfield pass to Chris Godwin for a five-yard score. Mayfield threw an interception deep in the second quarter to stall a Bucs drive. The next time the Bucs were in the red zone was the third quarter, when Mayfield fumbled, scooped the ball up, and took a loss to force a field goal. The fourth quarter saw Mayfield throw an interception in the red zone to stall another drive. He got another chance on the next drive and fumbled on a strip sack. Mayfield finally capitalized with a 59-yard pass to Godwin late in the fourth quarter to start a drive that ended with a Mike Evans score. However, it was too late and the three turnovers were too much to overcome for the Bucs. Mayfield has taken a massive step back the second half of the season, playing through various ailments and an offense that just recently got fully healthy. He finishes the fantasy season as a QB2 and will still have a chance to win the division in Week 18 against the Panthers.

Rodgers and company could’ve used a better option on the outside than Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen. The Steelers struggled to move the ball through the air all afternoon against the Steelers, and struggled on the ground late. On the Steelers’ final drive of the game, Rodgers connected on long gains with Scotty Miller and Pat Friermuth to get down to the Browns’ seven-yard line. Three-straight incomplete passes to MVS in the end zone stalled a potential game-tying drive, handing the Steelers a loss and a must-win Week 18 matchup against the Ravens. Rodgers will again be without Metcalf next week in a game that will determine the AFC North winner.

Stevenson got home early with a goal line plunge in the first quarter. He then got wide open on a wheel route in the second quarter for a 22-yard touchdown. The Patriots would go on to blow out the Jets for the remainder of the game and Stevenson gave way to TreVeyon Henderson in the second half. Henderson ran the ball six times after the break. Stevenson didn’t see one carry, though he did log an extra two receptions. Fantasy managers who were bold enough to start Stevenson in the championship round can’t complain about the second-half usage. Stevenson will remain in the RB3 mix when the Pats take on the Dolphins.

Sanders came out slinging to start the game, completing five of his first seven passes on the day for 101 yards, which included a 28-yard touchdown to Harold Fannin on their second possession. Things didn’t go quite as smoothly for Sanders after that. The rookie quarterback saw a batted pass turn into an interception late in the second quarter and was nearly picked off on his next pass attempt on the following drive. Sanders would throw one more interception in the fourth quarter when he lofted an ill-advised throw off his back foot to Jerry Jeudy. Sanders looked good early on, but reverted back to more conservative play post-Fannin injury. We’ll get one more look at Sanders next week when the Browns visit the Bengals.

Maye added 22 yards on three carries. He opened the game 11-of-11 as a passer with three touchdowns. His first incompletion of the first half came deep into the second quarter. It was a blatant drop by Kyle Williams. He only had one other incompletion in the first half and entered the break with four passing touchdowns. Mike Vrabel only gave Maye one drive in the third quarter. He picked apart the Jets defense once more, ripping them for chunk gain after chunk gain en route to his fifth and final score of the day. Maye ultimately spent more than a quarter on the bench to close the week. The Patriots are still in the running for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and Maye is likely the MVP favorite heading into Week 18. In a week that tends to be a headache for fantasy managers, Maye is one of the best QB1 bets on the board.

Waddle exited in the second quarter and went to the locker room with a rib injury. He returned at the end of the third quarter with the Dolphins holding a lead and looking to secure a win. Missing about a quarter-and-a-half worth of time made Greg Dulcich a more significant target in the Dolphins offense while Waddle was out.

Metcalf was suspended for two games after throwing a punch at a Detroit fan in Week 16. That suspension allowed the Steelers to void $45 million in future guarantees on Metcalf’s contract. The Steelers, however, are doubling down on Metcalf by letting the guarantees stand. Glazer has a copy of a security report filed by Metcalf last year, complaining about the same fan while he was playing for Seattle. The history of repeated harassment by the fan certainly paints Metcalf’s actions in a different light, even though they were still worthy of a suspension. Metcalf is eligible to return in the playoffs, assuming the Steelers go on to win the AFC North and secure the No. 4 seed in the AFC.

Dean left in the third quarter against the Dolphins and was getting his shoulder tested on the sidelines. The Buccaneers officially declared him as questionable to return. Jacob Parrish will be in the game to replace Dean in the secondary rotations.