If You Ain't First You're Last Playoffs

Washington Commanders Marcus Mariota led the Commanders to a thrilling victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. Mariota replaced Jayden Daniels at the start of the second half. With the Commanders already locked into a playoff spot, they opted to protect their rookie QB. However, this victory pushed them up to the No.6 seed in the NFC. Over the final two quarters, Mariota went 15-for-18 with 161 yards and two touchdowns. He added 56 yards and a score on five carries. He found Zach Ertz on a five-yard strike late in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, Mariota punched in a score at the goal line and would then find his top wideout Terry McLaurin on a game-winning five-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds. Mariota also saw time in Week 7 against the Panthers when Daniels left early with a rib injury. He was sharp in that game as well going 18-for-23 with 205 yards and two scores.

From RotoBaller

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce set a new career high in rushing yards Sunday in a 23-14 win at Tennessee, finishing with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The third-year pro did the most damage on a career-long 92-yard touchdown run in the first half, after Houston had pulled key offensive starters from the game. Sunday was the Florida product's first 100-yard game since midway through his rookie season in 2022. Though Houston already had locked down the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs and didn't have anything to gain with the win, Pierce certainly made use of his additional playing time. He and the Texans will be back in action with a to-be-determined Wild Card home game next week.

From RotoBaller

The Houston Texans D/ST found the end zone on Sunday at Tennessee when defensive lineman Derek Barnett scooped a fumble and rumbled 36 yards for a touchdown in Houston's 23-14 win. Tennessee botched the hand off on a jet sweep, and Houston turned the gift into a game-sealing touchdown that earned their 10th victory of the season. The Texans also added two sacks, and despite resting key starters, did not surrender a touchdown until 57 minutes into the game. Houston will start the playoffs next week with a home game in the Wild Card round.

From RotoBaller

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins found the end zone for the seventh time this season and caught all five of his targets for 38 yards on Sunday in a win at Tennessee. The star receiver caught a two-yard touchdown from quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was pulled from the game midway through the first quarter with Houston already confirmed as the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. Collins, who missed five full games and most of another with a hamstring injury earlier in the season, finished just 32 yards short of 1,000 for the year. He and the Texans now will look toward a run in the postseason with a Wild Card game next week.

From RotoBaller

With the Houston Texans already set as the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, the team gave running back Joe Mixon the day off after just six touches for 28 total yards on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The veteran back caught his only target for five yards and ran for 23 yards on five carries before Houston began pulling key players. For fantasy purposes, playing any Texan under Sunday's circumstances was a risk, and after Houston took a 7-0 lead, starting quarterback C.J. Stroud was replaced by Davis Mills as the Texans began looking toward the postseason. Mixon and the Texans will start their playoff journey next week when they play host to a Wild Card game.

From RotoBaller

Playing in relief on Sunday, Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills completed 12 of 22 passes for 128 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in a victory at Tennessee. Houston was already set as the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, so the team gave starter C.J. Stroud the day off after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Nico Collins on the first drive of the game. With many key players out of the game, Mills took over under center and did a serviceable job, avoiding any major mistakes and adding 11 rushing yards on three carries. He'll return to being the backup when Houston plays host to a Wild Card game next week.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. He had been listed as questionable. Although the 49ers have already been eliminated from playoff contention, Kittle will be suiting up for the season finale. Quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow), however, won't play, which means Kittle will be catching passes from Joshua Dobbs. The 31-year-old ranks second among tight ends in fantasy points this season, and he enters the season finale as a high-end TE1.

From RotoBaller

New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin (calf) and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (hamstring) are officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Miami Dolphins. Both players had been listed as questionable. Despite the Jets already being eliminated from playoff contention, they're still playing their starters (including Conklin and Williams) as they look to play spoiler against Miami. This news will be well received by fantasy managers invested in Conklin's production. The 29-year-old will look to build on last week's strong performance in which he caught eight passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Williams remains an anchor on defense with his 37 tackles and six sacks through 15 contests in 2024.

From RotoBaller

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (hamstring) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. He had been listed as questionable. With Arizona eliminated from playoff contention, Wilson's season is officially over. He finishes the 2024 campaign with 47 catches, 548 yards, and four touchdowns. The second-year receiver currently ranks as the overall WR56 in PPR leagues, but he'll likely fall a few more spots once the remainder of Sunday's games go final. Fantasy managers should expect Greg Dortch to step up as the Cardinals' No. 2 wide receiver behind Marvin Harrison Jr.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (coach's decision) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. He had been listed as doubtful, so his absence this weekend was widely expected. After all, the Chiefs' plan to rest many key starters has been well-documented. Jones finishes the regular season with 37 tackles, five sacks, and one forced fumble through 15 contests. A combination of Marlon Tuipulotu and Derrick Nnadi will replace Jones on the defensive side of the ball.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (coach's decision) and tight end Travis Kelce (coach's decision) are officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. Both players had been listed as doubtful, so their absence this weekend was widely expected. After all, the Chiefs' plan to rest many key starters has been well-documented. Mahomes finishes the regular season with 3,928 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Meanwhile, Kelce registered 97 catches, 823 yards, and three touchdowns, ranking outside the top three fantasy tight ends for the first time since 2015. Carson Wentz will start at quarterback for Kansas City while Noah Gray and Peyton Hendershot operate as the Chiefs' top tight ends.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (coach's decision) and linebacker Nick Bolton (coach's decision) are officially active for Week 18 against the Denver Broncos. Both players had been listed as doubtful with the Chiefs planning to rest several key starters. Although they are ultimately active for Sunday's contest, they might not play any snaps. According to Tracy Wolfson of CBS, head coach Andy Reid kept a few starters, like Bolton and Hunt, active just in case "they are needed in spot duty [because] of altitude, long drives, or heath issues." Barring something unforeseen, neither Hunt nor Bolton will be very involved on Sunday. They should be avoided in fantasy football this week.

From RotoBaller

Miami Dolphins wide receivers Jaylen Waddle (knee) and Tyreek Hill (wrist, illness) are officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New York Jets. Both players had been listed as questionable, but they will suit up with the AFC's No. 7 seed on the line. While Hill and Waddle are playing Sunday, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (hip) is not, so the two receivers will be catching passes from Tyler Huntley. Hill ranks as a mid-to-low WR2 while Waddle belongs in the WR3/FLEX range.

From RotoBaller

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will watch the rest of Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys from the sidelines. The rookie sensation will take a seat in a cautious move from the coaching staff with the playoffs right around the corner. Daniels finished with 38 yards on 6-for-12 throwing and four carries for 27 yards while getting sacked four times. When he went to the bench, the Commanders were down 9-3, and Marcus Mariota is now under center. Daniels will finish his rookie season with around 3,500 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions to go along with 864 yards and six scores on 144 carries.

From RotoBaller

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (hip) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New York Jets. He had been listed as doubtful despite being a limited participant in practice. As expected, Tyler Huntley will draw his second consecutive start. He led Miami to a victory last weekend, and now, he'll be tasked with keeping Miami's playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins can secure the No. 7 seed with a win plus a Broncos loss. Although they won't have Tagovailoa for Sunday's decisive game, the Dolphins will have both Jaylen Waddle (knee) and Tyreek Hill (wrist, illness) available. Huntley ranks as a QB3 in fantasy football this week.

From RotoBaller

The Los Angeles Chargers have declared LB Denzel Perryman, QB Easton Stick, OG Jordan McFadden, WR Joshua Palmer, OT Rashawn Slater, RB Gus Edwards and DE Justin Eboigbe inactive for Week 18.

From TheHuddle

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (knee) has officially been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. He suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and the team will play it on the cautious side. Watson finishes the game with one target and no catches. Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, and Tucker Kraft have been the leading pass-catchers for the Packers in this game so far. Watson's status is worth monitoring heading into wildcard weekend for any DFS managers.

From RotoBaller

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph took over as quarterback in the second half as Will Levis took a seat. The Titans could only muster up three points in the first half as Levis completed three of his five throws for 31 yards and was sacked once. Both quarterbacks have posted eerily similar stats this year, but Levis has started in one more win over Rudolph. They aren't playing for anything other than a better draft pick, so this seems to be a tryout to see if the team will hang on to both signal callers going into next season.

From RotoBaller

Carolina Panthers DE A'Shawn Robinson (calf) suffered a calf injury during the Week 18 game and is considered questionable to return.

From TheHuddle

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (elbow) exited Sunday's game in the second quarter with what the team is calling a right elbow injury. Love expressed his discomfort after getting hit as he threw the ball and went to the sidelines shortly afterward. He posted 69 yards on 7-for-12 throwing before leaving, and Malik Willis has taken over at quarterback. The Packers likely won't rush him back since they've clinched a wildcard spot already.

From RotoBaller