| SUNDAY SALUTES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | Pass-Rush | TD |
| Joe Burrow | 412-25 | 4 |
| Baker Mayfield | 359-2 | 5 |
| Drew Lock | 309-5 | 5 |
| Lamar Jackson | 168-87 | 3 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 320-12 | 3 |
| Running Backs | Yards | TD |
| Jonthan Taylor | 32-125 | 2 |
| Derrick Henry | 27-147 2-18 |
1 |
| Bucky Irving | 20-113 4-77 |
0 |
| Saquon Barkley | 31-167 2-2 |
0 |
| Bijan Robinson | 17-90 3-8 |
2 |
| Wide Receivers | Yards | TD |
| Tee Higgins | 11-131 | 3 |
| Malik Nabers | 7-171 | 2 |
| Marvin Mims | 8-103 | 2 |
| DeVonta Smith | 6-120 | 2 |
| Mike Evans | 8-97 | 1 |
| Tight Ends | Yards | TD |
| Trey McBride | 12-123 | 1 |
| Travis Kelce | 8-84 | 1 |
| Tyler Conklin | 8-57 | 1 |
| Mike Gesicki | 10-86 | 0 |
| Zach Ertz | 6-72 | 2 |
| Placekickers | XP | FG |
| Cameron Dicker | 4 | 4 |
| Daniel Carlson | 1 | 4 |
| Chase McLaughlin | 6 | 2 |
| Will Reichard | 3 | 2 |
| Jake Elliott | 5 | 2 |
| Defense | Sack – TO | TD |
| Ravens | 5-1 | 0 |
| Eagles | 1-4 | 1 |
| Seahawks | 7-1 | 0 |
| Giants | 2-3 | 1 |
| Bills | 4-2 | 0 |
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
QB Kenny Pickett – Ribs
RB James Conner – Knee
RB Ameer Abdullah – Foot
RB Chase Brown – Ankle
RB Kendre Miller – Concussion
RB Aaron Jones – Quad
Chasing Ambulances
QB Kenny Pickett – He was already filling in for Jalen Hurts who did not pass the concussion protocols in time to play. Pickett took several shots to the side in the game and was already wearing a flak jacket from last week. He was held out of the win over the Cowboys and Tanner McKee ended the game with 54 yards and two scores on just three completions.
RB James Conner – Was already questionable with a knee injury entering the game and was pulled from the loss to the Rams after only four rushes for four yards. He rode an exercise bike on the sidelines to try to help, which is a sign it isn’t a serious injury, but he never returned to the field.
RB Ameer Abdullah – He already nursed a sore foot last week in practice but was active. Abdullah had a great game with 20 rushes for 115 yards before leaving. He also caught three passes for 32 yards. That was his career-best game, better than the 94 yards he gained back in Week 4 of 2017.
RB Chase Brown – With the game tied 17-17, Brown was injured when he slid down on the one-yard line instead of scoring a touchdown to help run out the clock. He was ruled out with a sprained ankle and a paid a price for being selfless and trying to help his team more than just scoring for himself.
RB Kendre Miller – He was replacing Alvin Kamara who was inactive, but the oft-injured Miller could not make it through the loss to the Raiders without being held out with a concussion. He will be reevaluated on Monday.
RB Aaron Jones – Was held out of the final quarter but HC Kevin O’Connell said that he was dealing with a quad contusion. O’Connell said that Jones was ready to go back if neccessary, so practices this week should help determine if he’ll suit up for the all-important game with the Lions.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
Chiefs backfield – Despite having a lower average carry, Kareem Hunt (9-20, TD) was given more work than Isiah Pacheco (6-18) plus the 2-yard touchdown run. Worse yet, neither back recorded a catch in the win over the Steelers.
RB Joe Mixon – Facing a stout Baltimore run defense, Joe Mixon only gained 26 yards on nine carries and has lost nearly all of the fantasy value that he created earlier in the season. C.J. Stroud only passed for 185 yards versus one of the weaker secondaries in the league and they only scored two points from a safety to prevent a shutout at home.
RB J.K. Dobbins – The Chargers’ back returned after a month on injured reserve to run for 76 yards and a score on 19 rushes in the blowout win over the Patriots. He added one catch for seven yards but looked none the worse for his knee injury.
WR Marvin Mims – The Denver second-year wideout went from mostly special teams work to seeing much more playing time over the last six weeks. He scored four times over that time, and just had his breakout game when he led the Broncos with eight catches for 103 yards and two scores in the overtime loss to the Bengals.
QB Aaron Rodgers – Just when it seemed that maybe Rodgers would meet expectations after two games with 250+ yards and four total touchdowns, he returned to the early season version in the blowout loss to the Bills. Rodgers only passed for 112 yards and two touchdowns when he was yanked out in favor of Tyrod Taylor, who threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to prevent a 40-0 shutout.
WR Brian Thomas Jr. – Despite playing on a woeful Jaguars offense with Mac Jones as the quarterback, the rookie has thoroughly impressed for next year. He’s caught ten touchdowns and against the Titans, he ended with 91 yards and a score on seven catches. He broke 100-yards in the two previous games. No other Jacksonville receiver had more than three catches for 31 yards.
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire – The Saints picked him up after CEH was released by the Chiefs, and he actually led the offense with five rushes for 20 yards in the loss to the Raiders. Jamaal Williams (2-12) also helped though Kendre Miller (3-3) was knocked out of the game.
QB Drew Lock – While the struggling franchise never had more than two passing scores or 264 passing yards in a game, Lock went into the matchup with the Colts and threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns for a team-high this season. Malik Nabers (7-171, 2 TD) has been so good without a quarterback, that he’ll be scary in 2025 if they acquire a top-tier passer.
QB Joe Flacco – The Colts already confirmed that Anthony Richardson would return next season, but the old man Flacco just threw for 330 yards and two scores versus the Giants, that included topping the century mark with Alec Pierce (6-122, TD) and Michael Pittman (9-109, TD). Both receivers had only one other game with more production this year. But both were also thrown by Flacco.
RB Saquon Barkley – The Eagles “free agent signing of the century” just shredded the Cowboys for 167 yards on 31 carries and that has him become the ninth running back to eclipse 2,000 yards in a season (2,005). In Week 18, he can become the No. 1 single-season rusher of all time if he can run for 101 yards next week and eclipse Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 yards from 1984. What could be better? Oh, I know. How about reaching the record when the Eagles host the Giants next week?
TE Brock Bowers – Big day for the Raider rookie. Bowers just broke the 63-year-old record of Mike Ditka of 1,076 yards by a rookie tight end. Bowers not only stands at an NFL-history best 1,144 yards, but his 108 receptions tops all other rookies in history. Now to worry about 2025 because both Sam LaPorta and Kyle Pitts were unable to match their breakout rookie seasons.
Huddle player of the week
WR Tee Higgins (CIN) – Week 17 means you need your players to show up and help you to win your fantasy championship. No one did more than Tee Higgins who caught 11 passes for 131 yards and scored three touchdowns for a cool 41.1 fantasy points.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
| Comedy | Yards | TDs | Tragedy | Yards | TDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Drew Lock | 309-5 | 5 | QB | C.J. Stroud | 185-7 | 0 |
| RB | Ameer Abdullah | 20-113 3-32 |
0 | RB | R. Stevenson | 2-1 | 0 |
| RB | J.K. Dobbins | 19-76 1-7 |
1 | RB | Isiah Pacheco | 6-18 | 0 |
| WR | Marvin Mims | 8-103 | 2 | WR | Cooper Kupp | 1-29 | 0 |
| WR | Adam Thielen | 5-110 | 2 | WR | Zay Flowers | 2-31 | 0 |
| WR | Alec Pierce | 6-122 | 1 | WR | J. Smith-Njigba | 3-32 | 0 |
| TE | Tyler Conklin | 8-57 | 1 | TE | D. Kincaid | 2-24 | 0 |
| PK | Cameron Dicker | 4 XP 4 FG | PK | Ka’imi Fairbairn | nada | ||
| Huddle Fantasy Points = 194 | Huddle Fantasy Points = 30 | ||||||
Now get back to work…