Good luck to everyone in win-or-go-home mode. As always, here are the fantasy storylines I'm most closely watching today:
Bears vs. Texans -- Can Cordarrelle Patterson (12+ touches in two of his last three games) strengthen his position as a desperation RB streamer? And will Duke Johnson capitalize on yet another opportunity?
Bengals vs. Cowboys -- Following up his worst NFL season with another sub-par campaign, is Gio Bernard no longer a trustworthy fantasy starter? And is Dallas once again committed to targeting Zeke Elliott through the air, raising his floor to the top 20?
Dolphins vs. Chiefs -- Will fourth-stringer Deandre Washington be relevant? And can Clyde Edwards-Helaire still be counted on for double-digit touches?
Giants vs. Cardinals -- With the Giants firmly in postseason contention, will Darius Slayton continue to be ignored? And Kenyan Drake has four touchdowns in the past three weeks, while Kyler Murray has only five. All four of Drake's TDs during this stretch have come inside the 4-yard line. I'm watching to see if this trend continues.
Buccaneers vs. Vikings -- Will Tom Brady's (relative) struggles continue? (I think he'll get back on track.) And coming off a puff schedule the past two months (regarding defenses), will we see "good" Kirk Cousins" in his toughest matchup in a while?
Panthers vs. Broncos -- Will the returning Curtis Samuel pick up where he left off in November? And with seven double-digit efforts in his last nine contests, is Tim Patrick a near-automatic streamer?
Jaguars vs. Titans -- Collin Johnson wasn't in anyone's draft plans four months ago. But the last two weeks he's led the Jags' passing attack. Is he now the #1? And Jonnu Smith was my favorite underrated tight end this summer (TE-18 ADP). He's missed some time but still ranks 10th in TE scoring. Can he close out strong and remain one of the season's biggest TE surprises?
Raiders vs. Colts -- He score three times Week 1 and has found the end zone in three of his last four games. Yet Josh Jacobs is a risky RB2 when managers need him most. Can he still be a set-and-forget fantasy starter? And T.Y. Hilton has 43 fantasy points in his last two games--more than he had in the previous seven. Is he back on the must-start fantasy radar?
Seahawks vs. Jets -- Will Chris Carson dominate touches, or will Seattle limit him in a seemingly easy matchup, knowing they'll need their often-injured starter for the playoffs? And Can Breshad Perriman capitalize on Denzel Mims' absence?
Lions vs. Packers -- If D'Andre Swift returns, will he be a trusted streamer? And was I wrong about Robert Tonyan? Is he the go-to TE Aaron Rodgers has been missing since Jermichael Finley?
Eagles vs. Saints -- What impact will Jalen Hurts have on the passing game, will he do enough to leave Carson Wentz in the dust, and can Miles Sanders return to prominence? For New Orleans, was Jared Cook's minor revival last weekend a sign of things to come?
Chargers vs. Falcons -- After some rookie rockiness, can Justin Herbert get back on track? And Hayden Hurst has a golden opportunity with Julio Jones out. When earning 7+ targets this year, he's never scored fewer than 8.8 points (and had double-digits in four games). In his other seven less-targeted games, he's exceeded 7.1 points only twice. I like Hurst today.
49ers vs. Washington -- Will San Francisco lean more heavily on Raheem Mostert after shying away from him near the goal line last week? (I think they will--or at least they should.) And can J.D. McKissic replicate his huge passing-game-RB stat line from Week 13?
Bills vs. Steelers -- Are both Buffalo RBs benchable? And can James Conner (one touchdown in his last five games) be the dependable top-16 back he was earlier this season?
Good luck today.