Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson found the end zone for the seventh time of the season in a Week 16 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He draws a plus matchup against the Cleveland Browns to finish off the regular season but he sets up as a risky play in fantasy. Pittsburgh has already wrapped up the AFC North division title and has little motivation

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner broke a four-game scoreless streak with a touchdown in his team’s Week 16 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The touchdown and five catches for 45 yards masked yet another slow rushing day for Conner, who has topped 47 rushing yards just once in his last six games. Conner will face off against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. Cleveland’s

While the Denver Broncos Defense hasn’t been terrible given injuries to key players on that side of the ball in 2020, they also haven’t been much of an option for fantasy lineups all season long. That should remain the case in Week 17 against the Raiders, especially if star pass-rusher Bradley Chubb (ankle) is forced to miss his second straight game. Denver was blown out

Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus returned from the COVID-19 list last week and was one of the top fantasy kickers in the Week 16 loss to the Chargers. He was afforded four field-goal attempts (three makes), but that was just the fourth time in 14 games this year that McManus attempted more than two field goals in a single game. That’s been the problem for

Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant scored touchdowns in the first two games of the season, leading many fantasy managers to believe that he was well on his way to a breakout in just his second year in the league. But Fant battled through some injuries and didn’t score his third touchdown until a Week 15 loss to the Bills. Even though he’s been somewhat

Denver Broncos wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton surprisingly led the team in receiving in their Week 16 loss to the division-rival Chargers, catching a season-high five passes on a season-high nine targets for 77 yards. It was likely attributed to the fact that rookie wideout K.J. Hamler left the game early with a concussion and never returned. Hamler didn’t practice on Wednesday and will likely be

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was touted as the best route-runner in possibly the most stacked rookie crop of receivers in any NFL draft. Nobody is debating Jeudy’s talents as a skilled route-runner, but his strengths haven’t been accentuated in this young and inexperienced offense. It didn’t help when No. 1 receiver Courtland Sutton (knee) went down with a season-ending injury, putting even

Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick really stepped up for the team this year with Courtland Sutton (knee) missing the entire season. The third-year wideout heads into a meaningless Week 17 game against the Raiders with 49 receptions on 75 targets for 696 yards and a six touchdowns in 14 games, all career-highs. While he hasn’t seen as many targets as first-round rookie Jerry Jeudy,

Denver Broncos running back Royce Freeman combined with rookie Levante Bellamy in a Week 16 loss to the Chargers to back up Melvin Gordon III with Phillip Lindsay on Injured Reserve. That should once again be the case in the Week 17 regular season finale against the division-rival Raiders. However, neither Freeman nor Bellamy are on the fantasy radar after combining for just five carries

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III was the team’s big offseason acquisition, but he’s mostly been a frustrating RB2/3 for fantasy managers in 2020 because of a maddening timeshare with Phillip Lindsay. Lindsay had a few moments in the middle of the year, but he’s played through injury for the majority of the season and Gordon has thoroughly outplayed him more often than not.

The jury is still out on Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock with one game remaining in his first full year as the starting QB. While general manager John Elway saw some positives in the second-year signal-caller’s development in 2020, there have been plenty of negatives, too. Lock has 19 turnovers (15 interceptions, four fumbles lost) and has displayed accuracy and decision-making issues. He’s avoided throwing

New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday. It’s unclear if he tested positive for the virus or if he was deemed a high-risk close contact of someone else who did. If he tested positive, he’d be unable to play in the Week 17 regular season finale against the Panthers. Gardner-Johnson has been a key member of a Saints

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to sign former Lions starting safety Jayron Kearse to their practice squad after he clears the league’s COVID-19 protocols, according to a source. Kearse could potentially be promoted to the active roster during the postseason. Kearse was suspended for the first three games of the season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. The 26-year-old managed a career-high 59 combined tackles,

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard (core, wrist), running back Jamaal Williams (quadriceps), tight end Marcedes Lewis (knee) and linebacker Za’Darius Smith (ankle, thumb) were limited in practice Wednesday. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers went off last Sunday night against the Titans, but Lazard had just two catches for a measly 14 yards with the team scoring 40 points. The 25-year-old is impossible to predict when

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson (ankle), tight ends Dallas Goedert (calf) and Richard Rodgers (ankle), defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (neck) and defensive end Derek Barnett (calf) did not practice on Wednesday. Jackson returned from Injured Reserve last week and caught his only target for an 81-yard touchdown. But he played just 20 snaps on the day and should not be trusted in Week 17

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver K.J. Hamler (concussion), pass-rusher Bradley Chubb (ankle) and defensive end Shelby Harris (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. Chubb missed the Week 16 loss to the Chargers, while Hamler suffered a concussion early on and was ruled out for the rest of the game. With nothing left to play for but pride in Week 17 against the Raiders, we’d expect

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring), pass-rusher Joey Bosa (concussion, shin) and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (foot) were among 10 players that did not practice on Wednesday. Allen and Bosa both did not play in the Week 16 win over the Broncos and are not expected to suit up in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Chiefs. Entering the final game of

Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram II (illness), defensive end Calais Campbell (calf), cornerback Marlon Humphrey (knee, shoulder), defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (thigh) and cornerback Jimmy Smith (ribs, shoulder) all missed practice on Wednesday. The veteran Ingram was a healthy scratch for the second straight week in the Week 16 win over the Giants and could be inactive again in Week 17 against the Bengals.

Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith (calf), rookie running back Antonio Gibson (toe) and wide receiver Terry McLaurin (ankle) all missed practice on Wednesday. Backup QB Taylor Heinicke took the first-team repetitions with Smith out. Washington has been optimistic about Smith the last two weeks, but he didn’t play in Week 16 and is questionable for Sunday night against the Eagles in a must-win game.

Arizona Cardinals wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins (hip) and Larry Fitzgerald (groin) and linebacker Haason Reddick (hip) did not take part in practice on Wednesday. Both receivers are likely just being rested early in the week ahead of a must-win Week 17 matchup with the division-rival Rams and their tough defense. Hopkins is likely to draw All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a rematch from Week 13