Fantasy News

Kyle Allen (shoulder) is out for the rest of today’s game.

The Panthers are dominating against the Saints, so it’s not surprising that Allen’s day is done late in the fourth quarter. The undrafted rookie quarterback had an outstanding first career start against the No. 1 seed in the NFC playing starters on defense. Allen was 16/27 for 288 yards and two touchdowns along with five carries for 19 yards and a touchdown on a quarterback sneak. The first passing score was a perfect back-shoulder type of throw to tight end Ian Thomas in the back of the end zone, and the second passing score was a beautiful deep ball to Curtis Samuel for 53 yards. It was just one game, but the former No. 1 high school recruit basically showed that he can play in the NFL after an up-and-down college career. Allen is probably the favorite to backup Cam Newton in 2019.

12/30/18 - 03:44 PM ET

Cameron Artis-Payne handles 18 touches in Week 17 win.

Artis-Payne rushed 16 times for 56 yards and a touchdown, also adding two receptions for two yards. The Auburn product essentially worked as the starter with Christian McCaffrey handling one drive before calling it a day, and Artis-Payne’s season finishes with 22 touches for 84 yards and one score. The former fifth-round pick will enter unrestricted free agency.

12/31/18 - 10:55 AM ET

Aaron Rodgers has officially been ruled out with a concussion.

Rodgers suffered the concussion in the first half and it’s now the fourth quarter, so this isn’t a surprise. Rodgers’ season ends with 4,442 yards, 25 touchdowns, and two interceptions along with 43 carries for 269 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. The former MVP probably didn’t play as well as the numbers indicate, though. This offseason and lead-up to next season will be interesting for Rodgers and the Packers, as this will be the quarterback’s first year without Mike McCarthy as his head coach. Obviously Rodgers will be a QB1 in all 2019 fantasy drafts as a major bounce-back candidate after he had under 20 fantasy points in 11 games this season (ten if you don’t count this one he left early) as a relatively disappointing selection. We’ll see who ends up the head coach and offensive staff for Green Bay, as that could determine where Rodgers ranks among QB1s next season.

12/30/18 - 03:17 PM ET

LeSean McCoy handles 12 touches in Week 17 win.

McCoy rushed ten times for 26 yards and a touchdown, also adding two receptions for 18 yards. The age-30 campaign for Shady was easily the worst of his career, as he rushed 161 times for 514 yards (3.2 YPC) and three touchdowns with 34 receptions for 238 yards through the air. It was the first time McCoy had been held below 4.0 yards per carry in his career. The team apparently wants him back in 2019 for the final year of his deal, though, so perhaps McCoy can bounce back as the roster surely adds talent around franchise quarterback Josh Allen. For now, the veteran projects to be overvalued in fantasy drafts based on name recognition.

12/31/18 - 09:01 AM ET

Vernon Davis (concussion) is inactive for Week 17.

Davis’ season ends with 25 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. The veteran tight end can certainly still run at 34 years old (35 in January), and he should remain a part of the Redskins offense in 2019. It’s possible Davis is the Washington’s top tight end if the team happens to part ways with Jordan Reed in the offseason.

12/30/18 - 03:02 PM ET

Theo Riddick gets four carries against the Packers.

Riddick gained 24 yards on his four attempts in the Lions’ Week 17 win. Riddick’s season ends with 40 carries for 171 yards and 61 receptions for 384 yards in 14 games. This was Riddick’s lowest yard-per-reception average of his career (6.3), and it was the first season of his six-year career that he didn’t find the end zone. Riddick is entering a contract year next season, but he only looks like a fantasy option in deeper PPR leagues.

12/31/18 - 10:54 AM ET

Spencer Ware (hamstring) is officially inactive for Week 17.

Ware practiced fully all week, but the Chiefs want to make sure he’s ready to go for the postseason. Damien Williams will handle most of the backfield work against the Raiders, and he’ll be an obvious RB1 option with fantasy titles on the line. Ware’s regular season ends with 51 carries for 246 yards and two touchdowns along with 20 receptions for 224 yards. He probably helped people in the first round of the fantasy playoffs, but he’s missed the final three games of the year. It’ll be interesting to see how the running back workload is split in the postseason, assuming Ware is ready to go.

12/30/18 - 03:01 PM ET