Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson recognizes the lack of productivity for All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown in recent weeks and said the team needs to do a better job getting him the ball. "A.J. is a great player, and we've got to force him the ball sometimes and make sure we get him going," Johnson said Tuesday, via the team's official transcript. Brown remarkably posted six straight games for 125+ receiving yards early in the season, but he has just one game of at least 100 receiving yards since Week 9. In last week's loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Brown hauled in just four passes for 53 yards. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, his week-winning upside disappeared when it mattered most in the fantasy football playoffs. With the frustration mounting in Philadelphia, Brown could be force-fed targets in the Week 18 finale against the New York Giants. He remains a must-start in fantasy football and a strong DFS option.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (ankle) was listed as a full participant on the team's estimated report on Tuesday for the first time since he had tightrope surgery on his right ankle on Dec. 4. Pickett is trending up heading into a must-win Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens, but even if he is cleared to play this weekend, the Steelers are going to give Mason Rudolph his third straight start after leading the team to back-to-back wins to keep them in the playoff hunt. If the 25-year-old signal-caller is active against Baltimore, he will be the backup for Rudolph. Pickett had his best game of the season in the Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing for a season-high 278 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. A week later he suffered an ankle injury that required surgery and kept him out of the last four games.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell had a quiet game in the 35-31 upset loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. He finished the Week 17 contest with only two carries for five yards while catching all four of his targets in the passing game for 15 yards. It came despite playing a team-high 53 percent of the offensive snaps. Backfield mate D'Andre Swift played 47 percent of the snaps and had a team-high 13 carries for 61 yards, adding a five-yard reception. The highlight for the 24-year-old Gainwell was completing the first pass of his career, a 17-yard hookup with receiver DeVonta Smith. Gainwell just isn't seeing enough volume as a complementary back behind Swift to be fantasy relevant on a weekly basis, but he could get more run in the Week 18 regular season finale against the New York Giants if the Eagles decide to rest Swift and some of the other starters.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (ankle) was still on crutches and wearing a walking boot on Monday, according to head coach Nick Sirianni. When asked about Smith's status for the Week 18 regular season game against the New York Giants this Sunday, Sirianni only said, "We'll see." The Eagles said that Smith is dealing with a mild ankle sprain, but regardless, his status for this weekend is up in the air as the Eagles look for a win to hang on and win the NFC East. We'll have a better idea on whether the 25-year-old will play once the Eagles begin practicing on Wednesday. If Smith cannot go against the G-Men, Quez Watkins, Julio Jones and Olamide Zaccheaus would have bigger roles in the passing game behind A.J. Brown and tight end Dallas Goedert. Smith caught three passes for 30 yards in Sunday's upset loss to the Arizona Cardinals before getting hurt.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson wasn't a strong play in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers and their smothering defense. In the 27-10 loss, Dotson only saw one target in the passing game and didn't come down with it. The 23-year-old was picked by many to have a breakout in his second NFL season, but it hasn't come. He's mostly been underwhelming with 47 receptions on 80 targets for 501 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games played. Veteran Curtis Samuel has taken valuable targets and production away from Dotson in a pass-happy Commanders offense, as well as Terry McLaurin. Since his last touchdown reception in Week 11, Dotson has only 10 catches on 17 targets for 118 yards and no scores. The former first-rounder is impossible to trust in fantasy lineups for a Week 18 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.