NFL Barometer: Cleared For Takeoff

While the fantasy season ended for many in Week 16, there are still a significant amount of Week 17 championships being decided this coming Sunday. It's traditionally a wacky week around the NFL to begin with, and late-season injuries and performance declines make the landscape even more intriguing this year. There are several players primed to enjoy expanded roles in their season finales, while the Trending Down section features a number of big names that collectively would have made for a strong foundation for a Pro Bowl squad a few seasons ago. Without further ado, let's take a closer look at some risers and fallers for a final time in 2018.

Trending Up

Quarterback

Sam Darnold, Jets: Darnold has seemingly turned a corner since returning from a three-game absence due to a foot injury. The rookie has generated a 6:1 TD:INT over the subsequent three contests while completing 66.0 percent of his passes. The latter figure is particularly noteworthy, considering that Darnold failed to garner even a 50 percent completion rate in four of his first nine games, and that he connected on less than 60 percent of his throws in six games overall during that stretch. Darnold's most recent game, a Week 16 overtime loss to the Packers, was his most impressive yet, as he posted new career bests in passing yards (341) and YPA (9.7) while also setting a new high-water mark in completions over 20 yards (five).

Running Back

Jeff Wilson, 49ers: Matt Breida has been ruled out for the 49ers' season finale versus the Rams, which should return Wilson to the lead-back status he proved he was capable of handling back in Week 14 against the Broncos, when he took 23 carries for 90 yards. He'll draw a favorable matchup in Week 17, as the Rams have allowed over 100 rushing yards to the last three teams they've faced, along with 4.8 yards per carry and 15 total touchdowns (11 rushing, four receiving) to running backs on the season.

C.J. Anderson, Rams: Anderson was in vintage form against the Cardinals in Week 16, stepping in as the lead back just six days after signing with the Rams and ripping off his best rushing yardage total (167) since Nov. 2014 when he was a rising star with the Broncos. The veteran could find himself with a robust role at minimum, if not No. 1 back status again, versus the 49ers in Week 17. Coach Sean McVay is currently paying early-week lip service to Todd Gurley (knee) playing in that game, and while a cameo is certainly a possibility, it would seem likely that the star back would be at least somewhat limited despite the Rams needing a win to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye. This is a bit of a touch-and-go situation for the moment, but one that should become clearer as the week unfolds.

D'Onta Foreman, Texans: Foreman finally made his 2018 debut in Week 16 after coming off the PUP list due to last season's Achilles tear. The dynamic second-year back netted minus-1 yard on seven carries but added two catches for 28 yards and a receiving touchdown in a wild loss to the Eagles. He should be primed for a bigger workload in Week 17 against a Jaguars team that'll have one eye on the offseason after an extremely disappointing campaign. Houston has an AFC South title and a potential first-round bye to play for in that contest, while Lamar Miller remains very questionable with an ankle injury that cost him Week 16. Perennial backup Alfred Blue remains in the picture, but Foreman could be in for a sizable role against Jacksonville.

Wide Receiver

Kendrick Bourne / Trent Taylor / Richie James, 49ers: It's difficult to pin down which of these three wideouts will benefit the most from the confirmed absence of Dante Pettis (knee) in Week 17, as well as a possible one on the part of Marquise Goodwin (calf). Bourne and James figure to inherit many of the perimeter-type routes that Pettis and/or Goodwin would vacate, but Taylor could see a bump in workload as well as part of the domino effect if both starters are sidelined. Bourne impressed with a 4-73 line in Week 16 against the Bears, much of it coming after Pettis exited the game with his injury. However, James has been a dynamic presence on kick returns this season and just posted a 97-yard touchdown in that capacity two games ago versus the Seahawks.

DeAndre Carter, Texans: Demaryius Thomas may have suffered a career-ending Achilles injury in Week 16 against the Eagles, which pushes Carter up to the No. 2 role alongside DeAndre Hopkins for the aforementioned season finale versus the Jaguars if Keke Coutee's balky hamstring is rested for one more week ahead of the playoffs. Carter produced a 6-61 line in Week 16 against his old Eagles teammates, but he'd also flashed a bit with a 2-55 tally the prior game against the Jets. With a potential starting role in hand and Jalen Ramsey likely to spend almost all his time on Hopkins, Carter could well profit.

Jamison Crowder, Redskins: Crowder has a good thing going with quarterback Josh Johnson, as the two have now connected on 11 occasions (on 18 targets) for 211 yards and a touchdown over the last three games. The shifty slot receiver finally appears to be back at full health after an ankle injury cost him seven games in the middle of the season, and he should see a heavy workload again in Week 17 versus the Eagles, a game in which the 'Skins will be motivated to play spoiler versus their division rivals.

Ted Ginn, Saints: Ginn returned to action from injured reserve in Week 16 against the Steelers and didn't miss a beat, posting a 5-74 line on eight targets. Included in that tally was a clutch 25-yard grab on third-and-20 that moved the ball down to Pittsburgh's seven-yard line on what would turn out to be the Saints' game-winning drive. Even though New Orleans clinched the NFC's No. 1 seed with their victory, Ginn could well be one of the regulars that sees plenty of action versus a disinterested Panthers defense in Week 17 – potentially even serving as the de facto No. 1 wideout for much of the contest if Michael Thomas played limited snaps, as is likely.

Tight End

C.J. Uzomah, Bengals: Uzomah has seen an uptick in production over the last several weeks as essentially the last man standing at tight end for Cincinnati. That role led to a 4-49-1 line in Week 16 against the Browns. The veteran also has six- and five-catch tallies over his last five games, and with Tyler Boyd (knee-MCL) quite possibly sitting again in the meaningless regular-season finale, Uzomah is likely to be relied upon heavily by Jeff Driskel in Week 17 against a Steelers team that's allowed a 78-881-7 line to tight ends this season.

Jason Croom, Bills: Croom had an unfortunate fumble in Week 16 against the Patriots, but that doesn't negate the fact that the young tight end has taken a firm hold of the top job in Buffalo. Croom actually posted a solid 4-55 line versus New England and sets up as the primary option at the position once again in Week 17 against a Dolphins defense that's yielded 11.4 YPC and nine touchdowns to tight ends this season.

Mark Andrews, Ravens: Lamar Jackson doesn't put the ball in the air much, but when he does, he definitely shows a preference for his young tight ends. Andrews was the beneficiary of those tendencies in Week 16, posting two receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown that came on a dynamic 68-yard catch-and-run where the 2018 third-round pick showed off his speed by outrunning several Chargers into the end zone. Andrews also had a 3-47 tally versus the Falcons back in Week 13, so he'd been providing some reason for optimism prior to his career-high yardage total against Los Angeles.

Trending Down

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins: With coaching changes likely on the horizon in Miami, Tannehill's own future with the team may be in doubt. If so, he's winding down his Dolphins tenure in lackluster fashion, to say the least. Following a 15-for-22, 146-yard, one-touchdown, one-interception effort against the Jaguars in Week 16, Tannehill has now failed to reach the 200-yard mark in three of his past four games. While he was making up for some of the shortfall with an impressive 8:1 TD:INT in Weeks 12-14, that's taken a dive in the last two games – Tannehill has just Sunday's one score over that span, along with an interception. Without a legitimate No. 1 receiver or tight end threats to target, the veteran quarterback's outlook isn't bright heading into a Week 17 road finale versus an exceedingly stingy Bills secondary.

Matthew Stafford, Lions: Speaking of veteran signal-callers with declining production and limited resources, Stafford certainly fits the bill. Down to Kenny Golladay as his only consistently viable pass-catching threat outside of perhaps running back Theo Riddick, Stafford seemingly has no chance of producing NFL-worthy stat lines. He's thrown for 101 and 116 yards in two of his past three games, numbers that are virtually unthinkable in a pass-happy league with rules heavily favoring the offense. A regular-season finale versus a Packers team in Lambeau doesn't offer much promise, especially considering Stafford threw for just 183 yards (and completed just 53.8 percent of his passes) against Green Bay in Week 5 when he still had Marvin Jones (knee) and the since-traded Golden Tate at his disposal alongside Golladay.

Running Back

LeSean McCoy, Bills: McCoy has not only mustered just 10 yards on eight carries over the last two games, but there's now apparently tension between him and coach Sean McDermott as well. There was apparently what was only described as a "situation" between the two leading up to the Week 16 loss to the Patriots, which resulted in McCoy actually being benched for the start of the contest. With a career-low 3.2 yards per carry this season and the Bills still looking like a rebuilding team in 2019, McCoy could be suiting up for the final time in a Buffalo uniform in Week 17 against the Dolphins. Moreover, given the recent conflicts with his boss and the Bills having long ago been eliminated from playoff contention, it's not entire inconceivable that McCoy is deemed inactive for that contest.

Wide Receiver

DeSean Jackson, Buccaneers: Jackson managed to return from a three-game absence due to a thumb injury this past Sunday against the Cowboys, but the results unfortunately weren't much better than what he'd been producing before his sabbatical. Jackson finished with just one catch for 24 yards and a four-yard rush, extending his streak of failing to hit the 100-yard mark to eight games in the process. Jackson has also fallen short of the 40-yard milestone in four of his last five contests, despite seeing seven and eight targets in two of those games, respectively. Given the multi-week stretch of middling numbers, there isn't much optimism for a breakout heading into a Week 17 finale against the Falcons.

Michael Crabtree, Ravens: As alluded to earlier, the ascension of Jackson to the top job under center has been more of a boon for the team's tight ends than receivers. We covered John Brown's declining production with Jackson as his quarterback a few weeks back, and now it's time to shine the spotlight on Crabtree. The veteran managed to string together a trio of three-catch outings early in Jackson's tenure, but he's now brought in just one of five targets for 20 yards over his last two games. Already a somewhat upside-capped fantasy option due to his lack of deep speed, Crabtree's production is experiencing even more of a dive at the most inopportune time for fantasy owners.