16 hours agoThe Pittsburgh Steelers recorded two sacks and a forced fumble while surrendering 24 points to the Arizona Cardinals in a Week 13 loss. This was a surprising letdown but Pittsburgh will have an excellent opportunity to bounce back against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. The Patriots have scored just 13 total points over their past three contests combined and rank near the top of the league in giveaways per game. With
Bailey Zappe starting at quarterback and running back
Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) ruled out due to injury, New England's offense could struggle to move the ball on the road. Fantasy managers should lock the Steelers D/ST into starting lineups as it has the potential to deliver a massive performance.
--Jorden Hill - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
16 hours agoNew England Patriots tight end
Hunter Henry could have a larger role in Week 14 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers after teammates
Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle),
Demario Douglas (concussion), and
Kayshon Boutte (shoulder) were ruled out. Nevertheless, his low production over the last few weeks and the Patriots' overall offensive struggles make it tough to trust Henry on Thursday night. New England has not had much luck passing the football in recent weeks, including last Sunday when
Bailey Zappe totaled just 141 yards while taking five sacks and leading zero scoring drives. Assuming the Patriots' passing attack continues to falter, New England will go run-heavy, rendering Henry irrelevant in fantasy football regardless of the pass-catching depth (or lack thereof) around him. He should be viewed as a low-end TE2 who belongs on waivers in most fantasy leagues.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
16 hours agoNew England Patriots quarterback
Bailey Zappe is not a reliable fantasy option for Week 14 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. While one could argue that he has been a slight upgrade over
Mac Jones, he was still quite disappointing during his first start of the season last Sunday when he led zero scoring drives, tallied just 141 passing yards, and took five sacks. To make matters worse, Zappe won't have his top receiving threats this week.
Demario Douglas (concussion) and
Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) have already been ruled out, which is bad news for the passing game and the offense as a whole. Fantasy managers should avoid Zappe at all costs ahead of a game that is expected to be very low-scoring.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
16 hours agoJacksonville Jaguars quarterback
C.J. Beathard (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. Beathard apparently picked up a shoulder injury after replacing
Trevor Lawrence (ankle) in Monday night's overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Lawrence isn't being ruled out for the Week 14 contest against the Cleveland Browns, but he's likely to sit out following a high-ankle sprain on Monday night. The 30-year-old Beathard went 12-for-14 for 77 yards and led the team to a game-tying field-goal drive to send the game to overtime on Monday. In six years in the NFL, he's appeared in 30 games and made 12 starts, completing 59.5% of his passes with 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. If he makes his first start since 2020 this weekend, he'll be a desperation low-end QB2 in superflex leagues against a potent Browns defense.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram - Scott Petrak
16 hours agoPittsburgh Steelers tight end
Pat Freiermuth will take the field for his eighth appearance of the campaign against the New England Patriots in Week 14. Although Freiermuth displayed his potential to be a solid fantasy asset as recently as Week 12, he'll be difficult to trust on Thursday night with the Patriots surrendering the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. Furthermore, the Steelers will be forced to start
Mitch Trubisky at quarterback with starter
Kenny Pickett (ankle) injured. Freiermuth's output was inconsistent with Trubisky under center in 2022. He is likely still a better starting option than any tight end available on waiver wires, but fantasy managers should temper their expectations for the 25-year-old in this matchup.
--Jorden Hill - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
16 hours agoNew England Patriots running back
Ezekiel Elliott will operate as the team's No. 1 running back on Thursday night versus the Pittsburgh Steelers after
Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) was ruled out. While
JaMycal Hasty and Ty Montgomery may earn a few snaps, this backfield belongs to Elliott and he could log around 20 touches, much like he did last week versus the Los Angeles Chargers. As the Patriots' passing game continues to falter, expect them to go run-heavy against a Steelers team that is also struggling to find its identity on offense. Pittsburgh's defense is allowing 4.24 YPC to running backs this season, meaning Elliott could have a big game. He's also an appealing option in short-yardage passing situations and around the goal line. Fantasy managers should view him as a mid-to-low RB2 for the time being.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
16 hours agoJacksonville Jaguars wide receiver
Zay Jones (knee) continues to manage a knee injury and was limited in Wednesday's practice. Jones has missed six games in 2023 because of his knee injury, but he's been on the field the last three games. He drew a season-high eight targets and caught five of them for a season-high 78 receiving yards in Monday night's overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after wideout
Christian Kirk (core) suffered an injury on the first offensive possession of the game and never returned. Jones has been a popular waiver-wire pickup this week because of the fact that Kirk will need surgery and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. It will vault Jones into the No. 2 role behind
Calvin Ridley, although Jones' fantasy value will remain volatile until quarterback
Trevor Lawrence (ankle) is able to return to action.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram - Scott Petrak
16 hours agoJacksonville Jaguars running backs
Travis Etienne Jr. (ribs) and
D'Ernest Johnson (knee) were both listed as limited practice participants on Wednesday. Etienne went into Monday night's overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with a questionable tag because of his ribs but ultimately played and handled 15 touches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Both he and Johnson should be fine to play in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns. However, with quarterback
Trevor Lawrence (ankle) likely to miss a few weeks due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered on Monday night, all of Jacksonville's offense is likely to suffer with backup
C.J. Beathard leading the charge. The 24-year-old Etienne should keep a heavy workload for however long Beathard fills in, but he'll be more of a volatile RB2 in fantasy, especially this weekend in a tough matchup against the Browns.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram - Scott Petrak
16 hours agoPittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
George Pickens has been quiet for fantasy purposes in recent weeks and will be looking to turn things around against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Unfortunately for Pickens, the Steelers will be starting
Mitch Trubisky at quarterback with
Kenny Pickett (ankle) expected to be sidelined for a few weeks. In Trubisky's four full starts last season, Pickens averaged just over four opportunities per contest and did not eclipse double-digit fantasy points once. The 22-year-old has been featured in Pittsburgh's offense more frequently this year, but fantasy managers should not rely on him as anything more than a desperation flex option in what projects to be a low-scoring affair.
--Jorden Hill - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
16 hours agoPittsburgh Steelers running back
Najee Harris (knee) is listed as questionable to play on Thursday night against the New England Patriots following two straight missed practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, according to sources, there is optimism that he'll suit up. Harris has yet to miss a game since entering the league in 2021, but he could be more of a game-time decision on Thursday night. Fantasy managers will need to check back 90 minutes before kickoff against New England. The 25-year-old handled 18 touches for 77 scrimmage yards in the Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but he could cede more touches to backfield mate
Jaylen Warren this week if he manages to play. If Harris is inactive, Warren will be an absolute must-start in all fantasy lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Mike Garofolo
16 hours agoPittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
Diontae Johnson found the end zone for the second time this season in Week 13 and will be hoping for similar success against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. With
Kenny Pickett (ankle) ruled out, Johnson will catch passes from
Mitch Trubisky, who targeted the fifth-year wideout nearly 11 times per game in his four full starts last year. Although Johnson could produce in PPR fantasy formats with volume alone, it should be noted that this contest between two of the least efficient offenses in the NFL has an incredibly low projected point total. Fantasy managers can roll with the 27-year-old as a WR3 or flex option.
--Jorden Hill - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
17 hours agoNew Orleans Saints wide receiver
Rashid Shaheed (thigh) didn't practice on Wednesday. The wideout was held without a catch in Week 13 versus the Lions before his day ended abruptly because of a thigh injury. But with a few more practices to go before Sunday's meeting with the Carolina Panthers, he still has a shot to get in a session or two. The 25-year-old has had a few productive showings for fantasy managers this season. However, Shaheed is always a risky option, even though he warrants flex consideration in deeper fantasy setups.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: John Hendrix
17 hours agoPittsburgh Steelers running back
Jaylen Warren has cooled off significantly over the past two weeks after a dominant stretch from Weeks 9 through 11 and will be looking to bounce back against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. Although the Steelers are optimistic that
Najee Harris (knee) will suit up, Warren could still be in line for an increased workload if Harris is at all limited. New England has been stout against fantasy running backs recently, but Warren should be involved in the passing game and always offers a high ceiling with his explosiveness. He'll be a must-start option if Harris is surprisingly ruled out but can otherwise be viewed as a solid RB2 in this matchup.
--Jorden Hill - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
17 hours agoNew Orleans Saints quarterback
Derek Carr (head, rib, shoulder) practiced on Wednesday. Although it was only a limited session, it's still a positive development, considering the 32-year-old suffered a concussion in the Week 13 matchup with the Detroit Lions. Of course, he remains in concussion protocol, so he's not out of the woods just yet. Nonetheless, assuming Carr can play in Week 14, he's a viable option for most fantasy managers. But if he's not available,
Jameis Winston would likely be under center.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: John Hendrix
17 hours agoSan Francisco 49ers running back
Elijah Mitchell (knee) didn't practice on Wednesday. The 25-year-old is dealing with a knee injury. However, this isn't rare for the 26-year-old, who's missed time because of knee issues over the years. For now, fantasy managers should consider him questionable for Sunday's NFC West battle with the Seahawks. That said, Mitchell hasn't done anything to benefit fantasy managers, so his availability for Week 14 won't make a difference.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Nick Wagoner
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