Lock D’Andre Swift into your lineup
For the second straight week, Swift had a stranglehold on the RB carries in Philly’s offense and has out-touched Kenneth Gainwell on the ground 38-12 since Week 15. Granted, those two games have come in good matchups against Seattle and New York, but now Swift draws a Cardinals defense in Week 17 allowing the most rush attempts and 2nd-most rushing yards this season.
Rudolph delivers to Pickens on X-mas weekend
Christmas came early for George Pickens’ fantasy managers courtesy of (Mason) Rudolph, who was able to hit George Pickens for 195 yards and two TDs. The problem? Nothing about Pickens’ utilization changed to suggest that this type of production is sustainable. You get this kind of game sometimes with QB switches, but Pickens still shouldn’t be trusted in lineups on six targets/game.
Amari Cooper crushes hopes and dreams
Nothing crushes a Christmas Eve like going up against 265 yards and two touchdowns from one player. Amari Cooper has been on an absolute tear with Joe Flacco under center - he’s earned a 25% target share and 38% air yards share since Week 13. The numbers have been gaudy, but things will be much more difficult against the Jets backend on Thursday night in Week 17.
The Vikings are banged up at receiver
T.J. Hockenson is officially out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, and Jordan Addison has serious questions regarding his availability in Week 17. With Hockenson out and Addison potentially missing, K.J. Osborn would be in line to assume a fantasy-relevant role as a WR3/flex play after garnering a very usable 21% target share from Nick Mullens going into Week 17 vs Green Bay.
Tannehill isn’t interested in D-Hop
After earning a 29% target share in eight games with rookie QB Will Levis under center, Hopkins was relegated to just a 17% target share in Ryan Tannehill’s return to action. His four targets were the fewest he’s had in a game all season, and Tennessee is now slated to take on Houston for the second time in three weeks in Week 17. He’ll be a much stronger start if Levis is able to return next week.
Travis Etienne goes one-dimensional
Etienne’s route participation (38%), attempts (6), and rush yards (12) cratered to their lowest marks this season against the Buccaneers in a completely negative game script, which isn’t a good sign for his utilization moving forward. A matchup against the Panthers could remedy what’s ailing Etienne, but his usage since the bye is much more indicative of an RB2 start than anything close to an RB1 in Week 17.