2 days agoGreen Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) was back at practice on Thursday and considered a full participant during a snowy session. The two-time pro bowler hasn't played since Week 11 and has only logged a total of 10 snaps after Week 8. Getting one of their top defensive backs would do wonders for the Packers defense, especially against a New Orleans Saints team that's hurting and may need to go to their rookie quarterback. This season, Alexander has registered two interceptions (one pick-six), seven passes defended, and 16 total tackles (15 solo).
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Rob Demovsky
2 days agoThe Kansas City Chiefs defense will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in Week 16. The Chiefs defense just had their best game of the season against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. The Chiefs racked up four interceptions, two fumbles recovered, and five sacks while holding the Browns offense to just seven points. To put that into context, the Kansas City defense had collected four interceptions in their last eight games and only had two fumbles recovered in their previous 11 games. The Chiefs defensive unit should be in for a tougher matchup against the Texans this week. The Chiefs defense is ranked as the seventh-best defense in our
RotoBaller rankings, putting them firmly in the start category this week. Despite facing CJ Stroud,
Nico Collins, and
Joe Mixon this week, the Kansas City defense should be capable of putting forth a start-worthy performance.
--Joshua Costello - RotoBallerSource: All Chief'd Up! - Twitter
2 days agoKansas City Chiefs kicker
Harrison Butker will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in Week 16. Butker returned from injured reserve in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns and showed some signs of rust. The Chiefs kicker knocked through all three extra-point attempts but missed his only field goal attempt from 29 yards away. Butker will look to improve this week, another week removed from the injury. The 29-year-old is ranked as the ninth-best kicker in our
RotoBaller rankings, making him a start-worthy asset this week. Fantasy managers should be able to trust Butker in the fantasy playoffs.
--Joshua Costello - RotoBallerSource: NFL on CBS - Twitter
2 days agoKansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Xavier Worthy will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in Week 16. Worthy is coming off arguably the best game of his young career, catching six passes for 46 yards and converting rush attempts into 30 yards and a touchdown. The rookie receiver led the Chiefs pass catchers last week, so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues this week against Houston. The Texans rank 24th in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers this season, making them one of the more advantageous matchups. Worthy will also have to compete with
Marquise Brown, who is returning from an injury, for pass-catching opportunities moving forward. Worthy is ranked WR45 in our
RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a flex option for Week 16. Fantasy managers may be better off looking in another direction for the fantasy playoffs.
--Joshua Costello - RotoBallerSource: Austin Abbott - Twitter
2 days agoKansas City Chiefs wide receiver
DeAndre Hopkins will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in Week 16. Hopkins had five catches for 36 yards in last week's win over the Cleveland Browns. The 32-year-old has been consistently involved in the Kansas City offense due to his reliability and route-running. Hopkins will look to stay involved this week against the Texans, who rank 24th in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers this season. Although the matchup is juicy, Hopkins must contend with
Marquise Brown returning from injury this week. The veteran receiver is ranked WR37 in our
RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, putting him in the WR3/Flex range this week. With numerous available pass catchers in the Kansas City offense, it will be difficult for Hopkins to receive a large workload. Hopkins is a tough player for managers to trust in the fantasy playoffs.
--Joshua Costello - RotoBallerSource: Jeremy Fowler - Twitter
2 days agoKansas City Chiefs running back
Kareem Hunt will take on the Houston Texans in Week 16. Hunt was nearly phased out of the Chiefs backfield with
Isiah Pacheco returning from injury, but his usage ramped back up in Week 15. The 29-year-old handled 13 carries last week against the Cleveland Browns, earning the same number of touches as Pacheco. It will be interesting to see how many opportunities Hunt receives this week against the Texans, who rank fourth in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season. Hunt is ranked RB46 in our
RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a desperation flex option this week. With the two Chiefs running backs splitting touches in a poor matchup, it will be difficult for fantasy managers to trust either of them in the fantasy playoffs.
--Joshua Costello - RotoBallerSource: JJ Zachariason - Twitter
2 days agoKansas City Chiefs running back
Isiah Pacheco will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in Week 16. Pacheco appeared to emerge as the lead back in Week 14, earning 16 touches compared to six for
Kareem Hunt, but that changed in Week 15. The two running backs each handled 13 carries last week against the Cleveland Browns, and Hunt outproduced Pacheco. It will be interesting to see how the backfield split shakes out this week against the Houston Texans, who rank fourth in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this year. The 25-year-old is ranked RB25 in our
RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a low-end RB2/Flex option this week. Fantasy managers will have a tough time trusting Pacheco in the fantasy playoffs, especially with Hunt stealing touches.
--Joshua Costello - RotoBallerSource: JJ Zachariason - Twitter
2 days agoKansas City Chiefs tight end
Travis Kelce will take on the Houston Texans on Saturday in Week 16. Kelce is coming off a down game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. The 35-year-old had four catches for 27 yards in the contest. Kelce will try to top those numbers this week against the Texans, who rank fourth in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season. Despite having an injury scare in last week's game,
Patrick Mahomes practiced fully all week and is good to go for Saturday. Mahomes' health significantly impacts Kelce's fantasy production, so it's a good sign that he's off the injury report. Kelce is ranked TE7 in our
RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings this week, making him a solid TE1. Fantasy managers will hope for a vintage Kelce performance in the fantasy playoffs this week.
--Joshua Costello - RotoBallerSource: Kansas City Chiefs - Twitter
3 days agoThe Green Bay Packers are not ready to rule out the possibility of running back
MarShawn Lloyd (appendix) returning to action this season. When discussing Lloyd with the media on Thursday, head coach Matt LaFleur said, "I never want to shut the door on that. ... He's just going to focus on continuing to get better and when he can go, he'll go." The 23-year-old has endured a frustrating start to his NFL career, appearing in just one game so far. The rookie played back in Week 2, rushing six times for 15 yards on the ground while adding a three-yard reception. Lloyd remains a key part of the Packers' future plans, but the chances of him getting back on the field before fantasy playoffs conclude are slim. He should be dropped in all redraft formats and stashed in dynasty leagues.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Wes Hodkiewicz
3 days agoGreen Bay Packers tight end
Luke Musgrave (ankle) was a limited participant in practice on Thursday. The 24-year-old remains on injured reserve, but it looks like he's gradually getting closer to returning given that he was able to practice in a limited capacity. He has been sidelined since Week 4, leaving Green Bay's tight end room in the more-than-capable hands of
Tucker Kraft, who is the overall TE8 in fantasy football this year. Even when he's cleared to return to play, Musgrave will be off the fantasy radar in all leagues.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Wes Hodkiewicz
3 days agoTennessee Titans wide receiver
Tyler Boyd (foot) did not participate in practice on Thursday. The 30-year-old receiver will likely need to log a limited or full practice on Friday in order to have any chance of playing against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16. Boyd has delivered modest production through 14 games in 2024, catching 35 passes for 356 yards but failing to find the end zone. He should be left on waivers in most fantasy leagues heading into this week's divisional battle.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Terry McCormick
3 days agoPittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (ankle) has been removed from the injury report and will play in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens. The 30-year-old has not yet missed a game this season, registering 54 tackles, 11.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries through 14 games this season. Having their star defender available will be key for the Steelers as they look to slow down an impressive Ravens offense on Saturday.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Tom Pelissero
3 days agoThe Pittsburgh Steelers were incredibly solid defensively against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 and will be looking to repeat this success in a second meeting with their division rival. Although Pittsburgh will be missing a few important players on Saturday, it received good news this week when All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt was removed from the injury report. Watt, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 15, logged a full practice on Thursday and will be ready to roll against a Ravens offense he has fared extremely well against throughout his career. This matchup will take place in Pittsburgh, giving the Steelers DST plenty of upside, but fantasy managers must consider the potential floor given that Baltimore averages nearly 30 points per game. There are likely streaming options available with more advantageous matchups than the Steelers this week, rendering the Pittsburgh DST an inadvisable play for fantasy purposes.
--Jorden Hill - RotoBallerSource: Pro Football Reference
3 days agoDenver Broncos rookie seventh-round wide receiver
Devaughn Vele found the end zone for just the second time in his NFL career in Thursday night's loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16, but he didn't contribute much else. Vele was targeted only three times on the night and caught two passes for 21 yards and an easy six-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The 27-year-old built steam in Weeks 10-12, catching 14 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, but in three games since then, he has only three catches on eight targets for 37 yards and one score. Although the Broncos' passing game will be set up nicely against a porous Cincinnati Bengals defense in Week 17 as they look to clinch a playoff spot, Vele will still be a hard-to-trust WR4/5 in deeper fantasy leagues with limited upside as Nix continues to spread the ball around outside out WR1
Courtland Sutton.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
3 days agoThe Los Angeles Chargers defense had a tale of two halves in a Week 16 win over the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. In the first half, the Broncos looked like they were doing whatever they wanted and the Bolts were completely unable to stop them or slow them down. They allowed 21 points in the first half and looked on their way to another blowout like the previous week's 40-17 drubbing by the Bucs. Instead, they came out much different in the second half and allowed only six more points total. They didn't record any turnovers but got two sacks and ended up with 27 points allowed, all of which was good for a one-point fantasy performance in standard scoring leagues. That's certainly not great, but it's a whole lot better than it looked like things were going at halftime. The Bolts should fare better in Week 17 against the New England Patriots offense.
--David A Marcillo - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
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