The Bills on Sunday announced that Joe Brady will remain OC. He drew praise amid the Bills' 6-1 finish to the regular season. But it's tough to pinpoint evidence he actually improved the offense. Buffalo fared worse in offensive DVOA and EPA per play after the OC switch. Brady's version of the offense leaned run more, which might have helped decrease the turnovers. But that turnover dip also just might have been the positive side of normal variance. WR Stefon Diggs fell off over the season's second half, with no single pass-catcher seeing a huge fantasy benefit. Buffalo has other questions to address on offense this season, including whether Diggs stays, whether WR Gabe Davis returns (he's headed for free agency), and what changes occur in the backfield. We'll have initial projections out right after the Super Bowl, but plenty could change with the Bills beyond that point.
The Steelers-Bills game originally scheduled for 1 pm ET on Sunday has been moved to 4:30 pm ET on Monday. Buffalo is expecting heavy snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph on Sunday. The forecast for Monday calls for light snow, sustained winds around 15 mph, and gusts up to 30 mph. That's still tough weather for the passing and kicking games -- but significantly better than it would have been on Sunday. We're adjusting our projections for this game.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel) is off the final injury report for the Wild Card round after putting in a full practice on Thursday. It looks like he'll be ready for his usual role in Saturday's game vs. the Texans. Cooper, of course, smoked Houston for 265 yards and two TDs just a few weeks ago.
Browns WR Amari Cooper said Wednesday that his injured heel is "getting better every day." He added that he could have played last week had the game meant anything and that he expects to play against the Texans on Saturday. Cooper missed practice again on Wednesday, though. We'll see if he gets on the field on Thursday and how he's listed on the final injury report for the Wild Card round.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel, rest) did not practice on Tuesday. He's been taking early-week practices off for most of the season, so we wouldn't read too much into this. Cooper said last week that he expects to play in the Wild Card game vs. the Texans. We'll track his status over the next few days.
Bills RB James Cook totaled 13 carries for 36 rushing yards with 3 catches for 16 receiving yards in Week 18 vs. the Dolphins. Sunday night's showing wasn't the most robust performance we've seen from the second-year back and marked the third straight game in which he'd finished a contest with fewer than 10 PPR points. Still, Cook made several improvements in his sophomore campaign. His overall opportunity share in Buffalo lept from 7.4% as a rookie in 2022 to 17.1% this year en route to finishing with the third-most total scrimmage yards (1,567) among RBs. Cook turns 25 in September and seems poised to hold onto the Bills' leading job moving forward. That should help him maintain firm RB2-level value in dynasty formats into 2024.
Bills QB Josh Allen completed 30 of 38 passes for 359 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 18 vs. the Dolphins. The veteran also led the team with 67 rushing yards on 13 carries in Sunday night’s contest. 2023 was a strange season for Allen. Despite ranking second in the NFL with a career-high 18 INTs, he was able to finish as the QB1 overall in six points per passing TD scoring. Allen was able to offset his turnover issues by tallying 15 rushing TDs (tied with Jalen Hurts for first among QBs) and finishing fourth in passing yards (4,306). However, it’s also worth noting that Allen’s completion rate on 20+-yard passes (30.6%) in 2023 ranks as his lowest mark over the past three seasons. There are subtle reasons to be concerned about Allen and the Bills’ offense moving forward, but nothing major enough to sway dynasty managers from valuing him as one of the top QB assets. Allen is still a major stud.
Bills RB Ty Johnson sustained a concussion in Sunday night's game vs. the Dolphins. He's out for the rest of this one and is in danger of missing next weekend's Wild Card game. We'll track Johnson's progress through the protocol.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Bengals. He said Thursday that he expects to be ready for the Wild Card playoff game next weekend. WRs Elijah Moore (concussion) and Marquise Goodwin (knee) are listed as questionable. Both guys will likely be held out of this meaningless game. Cedric Tillman is the best target bet in Cleveland's WR corps this weekend.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel) said Thursday that he's feeling better every day and expects to be ready for the Wild Card playoff game next weekend, according to insider Scott Petrak. Cooper won't play in Sunday's meaningless finale vs. the Bengals, but it sounds like he's ok to draft in your playoff fantasy contests.
The Rams released K Lucas Havrisik. He missed five FGs and three XPs over the last nine games. We'll see who the Rams sign to replace Havrisik.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Jets. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported less than an hour ago that Cooper was likely to play, but he reportedly didn't feel good enough in pregame warmups. His absence leaves Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, Marquise Goodwin, David Bell, and James Proche as Cleveland's five active WRs. We'd try to avoid the group against the Jets' top-ranked WR defense. TE David Njoku should get a target boost with Cooper out. QB Joe Flacco is no more than a low-end QB2 tonight considering the matchup and Cooper's absence.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Browns WR Amari Cooper "should be able to go" tonight against the Jets, barring any setbacks with his heel issue in pregame warm-ups. We've been expecting that to be the case, but Cooper's clearly operating at less than 100%. Add the league's worst scoring matchup for WRs, and Cooper certainly falls short of being a must-start in Week 17 fantasy football lineups. Be sure to check your Team Intel page to see whether Cooper makes sense for your lineup.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel) is "hopeful" he can play vs. the Jets tonight, but "his status remains up in the air," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "The short week is tough," Pelissero adds. "Cooper knows his body well. They’ll get a better sense closer to kickoff." We'll look for further updates on Cooper and get Cleveland's inactives around 6:45 pm ET tonight. It's clear that Cooper won't be at 100% if he ends up playing. Toss in the matchup against the Jets' top-ranked WR defense, and Cooper is a much shakier Week 17 fantasy play than his big Week 16 would suggest. See where he currently sits in the Week 17 WR Rankings.
Browns WR Amari Cooper is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Jets. He's on the injury report with "rest" and a heel. We'll look for more information on Cooper and get Cleveland's inactives around 6:45 pm ET tomorrow. Cooper, of course, is coming off a monster Week 16 but draws the league's No. 1 WR defense on Thursday.
The Texans have claimed S Kareem Jackson off waivers from the Broncos. Denver dumped the twice-suspended veteran, opting to continue with P.J. Locke next to S Justin Simmons. Jackson could see immediate time for a Houston defense that lost Jimmie Ward to a quad injury against the Browns. It's not yet clear how long Ward will be out. We'll watch for specifics on Jackson's Week 17 role.
Eagles LB Nicholas Morrow (abdomen) is inactive for today's game against the Giants. That leaves Philly down its top two LBs, with Zach Cunningham already ruled out. Expect Shaquille Leonard to lead the position in playing time. Undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren looks like the next guy up. He has yet to play a snap on defense this season, though, so shouldn't be in anyone's IDP plans. Leonard makes for a solid LB3-level play.
Browns WR Amari Cooper exploded in Week 16 vs. the Texans, hauling in 11 of 15 targets for a career-high 265 receiving yards and 2 TDs. The veteran’s yardage total on Sunday ranks as the highest recorded mark in 2023, and his 51.5 PPR points stand as the second-highest score single-game score this season. TE David Njoku didn’t post the same kind of eye-popping numbers as Cooper did in this contest (6 catches, 44 yards), though he did find the end zone and extended his TD streak to three games. Both players will have their work cut out for them in Week 17 against the Jets (third in pass defense DVOA), but the strong rapport they’ve built with QB Joe Flacco should be enough to propel fantasy managers toward securing a championship. Start Cooper and Njoku next week confidently.
Bills RB James Cook carried 20 times for 70 yards in Saturday’s win over the Chargers. He didn’t see a target, as Josh Allen attempted only 21 passes. Cook also lost a fumble late in the game, although he wasn’t benched. Leonard Fournette mixed in for 5 carries (0 targets) in his 2023 debut. Fournette – and Latavius Murray – each handled one goal line carry, matching Cook’s total. But it was Allen who popped in a pair of short-range rushing scores. A solid New England run D awaits in Week 17, but Cook will remain a near must-start.
Bills RB Ty Johnson (shoulder) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Chargers. RB Leonard Fournette is making his Buffalo debut in this one, joining James Cook and Latavius Murray in the backfield. Cook remains a strong fantasy play. Fournette and Murray are only options on the Saturday DFS slate.
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