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Russell Wilson QB | NYG
Seahawks' Russell Wilson: Accounts for two TDs vs. Rams
Wilson completed 20 of 32 pass attempts for 225 yards and a touchdown while adding nine yards and a touchdown on three carries during Sunday's 20-9 win over the Rams.
Wilson was hurried early and often by one of the NFL's top defensive units as he took five sacks and struggled to connect with his pass catchers at times. He managed to avoid turnovers, however, and contributed his second rushing touchdown of the season before throwing a TD pass to Jacob Hollister to put the game away. After a stellar start to the campaign, Wilson has been held under 250 yards in six of his last seven games and has thrown multiple touchdown passes just twice in that stretch. With the NFC West crown in hand, he will set his sights on playoff positioning in next Sunday's matchup with the 49ers.
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Jared Goff QB | DET
Rams' Jared Goff: Struggles through thumb issue
Goff completed 24 of 43 pass attempts for 234 yards and one interception while adding 23 yards on seven carries during Sunday's 20-9 loss to the Seahawks.
Goff's average of 5.5 yards per attempt was his second-worst of the season, and he went without a touchdown pass for the fourth time despite a matchup against one of the NFL's most porous pass defenses. His struggles could be attributed to an apparent thumb injury, which he attempted to correct by popping the joint back into place, according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com. Regardless of the cause, Goff has now been held under 250 passing yards in four of his last five games and sports a poor 4:5 TD:INT during that stretch. He'll be evaluated in the coming days as the team assesses his status for next Sunday's crucial matchup against the Cardinals.
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Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Jets' Sam Darnold: Turnover-free in second straight W
Darnold completed 16 of 32 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Browns. He added 20 yards on seven rushing attempts.
After throwing a key block on a 44-yard Jamison Crowder passing touchdown to Braxton Berrios in the first quarter, Darnold tossed a touchdown pass of his own from 11 yards out to Chris Herndon in the second. The third-year quarterback added a 30-yard touchdown to Crowder to take a 20-3 lead in the third, and the Jets were able to hang on from there. Darnold's TD:INT is still a dreadful 8:9 and he hasn't thrown for more than 230 yards in a game this year, but he has now gone three consecutive games without an interception for the first time since the last three weeks of his rookie season. Keeping that streak alive won't be easy in Week 17 against a Patriots defense that has flummoxed Darnold in previous meetings.
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Daniel Jones QB | IND
Giants' Daniel Jones: Scores once via air in Week 16 loss
Jones completed 24 of 41 pass attempts for 252 yards and a touchdown, adding one rush for three yards during Sunday's 27-13 loss to Baltimore.
New York's offensive slump carried into Week 16, as the team was held under 20 points for a fifth consecutive game en route to a third straight loss. Jones proved capable of battling through ankle and hamstring injuries to avoid a third game absence since Week 13, but the sophomore signal-caller remains without a multi-TD passing performance over his past five starts. The quarterback has three such outings all year, while a season high of 279 passing yards caps his upside. Jones does have the ability to produce on the ground, but he's exceeded 20 rushing yards only once in six games since Week 8. To close out the regular season, Jones and the Giants are slated to host the division-rival Cowboys. New York needs a win and a Washington loss to Philadelphia in order to clinch the 2020 NFC East title.
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Baker Mayfield QB | TB
Browns' Baker Mayfield: Fumbles away chance to clinch
Mayfield completed 28 of 53 passes for 285 yards without a touchdown or interception in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Jets. He added three carries for six yards and fumbled three times, losing two.
Working without his top four wide receivers, Mayfield threw just two of his 24 first-half passes to the position, finishing the half with 124 yards, a fumble and a 13-3 deficit. He moved the offense better in the second half but failed to throw a touchdown after posting a 10:1 TD:INT over the previous four games. Mayfield fumbled two more times in the fourth quarter, and while the last one was recovered by teammate Kareem Hunt, that play resulted in a turnover on downs to snuff out Cleveland's comeback hopes in the final minutes. Assuming top two wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins are able to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for the Browns' Week 17 matchup with the Steelers, Mayfield should have more weapons to work with as he tries to nail down his first career playoff berth.
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Brandon Allen QB | NYG
Bengals' Brandon Allen: Racks up 371 yards
Allen completed 27 of 39 pass attempts for 371 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 16 against the Texans.
After being forced to miss the team's Week 15 matchup against the Steelers, Allen returned to action to lead Cincinnati to its second consecutive win. He worked efficiently and spread passes around, targeting four different receivers at least six times. Allen showed particular rapport with Tee Higgins, connecting with him for long plays of 30, 22 and 20 yards -- the last of which went for a touchdown. Allen is likely to draw another start to close the season in Week 17 against the Ravens.
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Deshaun Watson QB | CLE
Texans' Deshaun Watson: Banged up in loss
Watson completed 24 of 33 passes for 324 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Texans' 37-31 loss to the Bengals on Sunday. He also rushed five times for 38 yards and committed two fumbles, losing one on a play on which he appeared to suffer an arm injury that he'll have further evaluated, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Dropping back on a play that started at his own 40-yard line with 1:35 remaining and the Texans down by three, Watson was hit by Sam Hubbard while his arm was still cocked back to throw, leading to a fumble and what appeared to be a potentially serious injury for the Pro Bowl quarterback. However, after the Bengals tacked on a field goal, Watson was able to come back into the contest for Houston's final series, completing passes to Brandin Cooks and Chad Hansen on the final two plays from scrimmage. Therefore, Wilson separately reports coach Romeo Crennel relayed doctors don't think Watson has any "major issue," but the team will naturally perform its due diligence on its most important player. Assuming all checks out well, Watson is likely to be back under center for the Texans' regular-season finale against the Titans in Week 17.
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Lamar Jackson QB | BAL
Ravens' Lamar Jackson: Pair of TDs in big win
Jackson completed 17 of 26 passes for 183 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Ravens' 27-13 win over the Giants on Sunday. He also rushed 13 times for 80 yards and lost a fumble.
Despite his lost fumble, Jackson played an integral role in the two-score victory, connecting with Marquise Brown and Dez Bryant for his scoring tosses and checking in with the second-most rushing yards on the afternoon for the Ravens. Jackson has now thrown multiple touchdowns in three of the past four games, and he's gained at least 80 yards on the ground on three occasions during that stretch as well. Jackson will look to put together a strong finish to his season and secure a playoff berth for Baltimore in a Week 17 road battle against the Bengals.
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Mitch Trubisky QB | TEN
Bears' Mitchell Trubisky: Accounts for three scores
Trubisky completed 24 of 35 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while adding 10 yards and a touchdown on the ground in Chicago's 41-17 victory over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Trubisky was surprisingly called upon to throw 36 passes in a game the Bears won by 24 points, but between locking in on Jimmy Graham for a pair of touchdown passes while calling his own number at the goal line for a rushing score, the quarterback ended up with a strong fantasy performance. He's accounted for exactly three touchdowns in three of Chicago's last five games, but he'll have a difficult home matchup in Week 17 against the Packers.
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Patrick Mahomes QB | KC
Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes: Clinches No. 1 seed with two-TD day
Mahomes completed 24 of 44 pass attempts for 278 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception while gaining 21 rushing yards on three carries during Sunday's 17-14 win against the Falcons.
Despite a loss, Atlanta's defense should give itself a pat on the back for a marvelous job in containing the explosive Mahomes. The reigning Super Bowl MVP was held to a season-low 79.6 passer rating by the Falcons, while Kansas City's 17 points fell well below the team's previous 2020 single-game worst of 22. Though it was a relatively quiet fantasy week by Mahomes' standards, the 25-year-old was still capable of delivering Andy Reid his first 14-win regular season over 22 years as an NFL head coach. The Chiefs now roll into a Week 17 matchup against the Chargers having clinched the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Mahomes may therefore be sidelined as Kansas City aims to keep the star quarterback healthy for another run at the Lombardi Trophy.