Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns running back Pierre Strong Jr. carried the ball 14 times for 65 yards and failed to corral his lone target in a 31-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. With the Browns opting to rest several key veterans in the game, Strong got the start and wound up posting career highs in carries. With the Browns slated to face the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round next week, look for Strong to return to the RB3 role for the Browns. He makes for an interesting stash in deeper dynasty leagues heading into the offseason.

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford carried the ball three times for six yards and added two catches for 26 yards in a 31-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. Ford did not start but he wound up seeing a handful of touches in a final tuneup before the Browns head to Houston to take on the Texans in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next week. The second-year back finishes his 2023 season with nine all-purpose touchdowns although his role next season will depend on how Nick Chubb (knee) progresses in rehabbing his knee injury. Ford will be a solid DFS option next week against Houston.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (knee) is officially inactive for the Week 18 regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, while Elijah Moore (concussion) is active on Sunday. Both players came into the season finale as questionable to play. Moore suffered a concussion in last Thursday's win over the New York Jets but was able to clear the concussion protocols. The Browns are already locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC for the postseason, so even though Moore is officially active for this one, there's a good chance he won't play the entire game, especially coming off a head injury just last week. Top wideout Amari Cooper (heel) will miss a second straight game as well, so fantasy managers should expect rookie Cedric Tillman and David Bell to get more playing time on Sunday with quarterback Jeff Driskel leading Cleveland's offense.

New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe remains off the fantasy radar for Week 18 versus the New York Jets. A variety of factors make Zappe an unappealing option ahead of Sunday's season finale. First of all, the Jets, despite enduring significant dysfunction this season, have a very strong secondary. New York is averaging the third-fewest fantasy points allowed per game in 2023, making it unlikely that Zappe, who has looked inconsistent through five starts, will have any fantasy relevance. Furthermore, the forecast for this game calls for heavy snow, rain, and wind, which makes it very difficult to execute a good passing attack. The odds are stacked against Zappe this week, keeping him in the QB3 tier for fantasy purposes.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was a distant No. 2 receiver behind Courtland Sutton all year and wasn't able to do anything significant (three catches for 54 yards) in the Week 17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers with Sutton out due to a concussion. The former first-rounder has just one touchdown all season long and has been outside the top-50 receivers this year in half-PPR points per game despite ranking 48th at the position with 81 targets. In the Week 18 regular season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders with Sutton returning from his concussion, it's unlikely that Jeudy suddenly breaks out in the final game of the year with quarterback Jarrett Stidham running the offense. Fantasy managers looking for upside in DFS and season-long contests in Week 18 should ignore Jeudy.