Pittsburgh Steelers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans wide receiver Robert Woods (hip) was able to return to practice with the team on Wednesday after he was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday. Woods was held out of the Week 18 regular season finale win over the Indianapolis Colts last Saturday, but the fact that he returned to practice on Wednesday, bodes well for his chances of returning for Saturday's wild-card playoff game against the visiting Cleveland Browns. About the only way fantasy managers playing DFS this week will want to consider the 31-year-old veteran for a lineup spot is if Noah Brown (back) misses a second straight game. The Browns secondary is one of the toughest for opposing wideouts, and Woods had only 40 receptions for 426 yards and one touchdown on 75 targets for Houston this year. UPDATE: Woods was limited in Wednesday's practice.

Houston Texans wide receivers Robert Woods (hip) and Noah Brown (back) were both listed as non-participants on the team's Tuesday practice report. Both Woods and Brown were inactive in the Week 18 regular season finale win over the Indianapolis Colts last Saturday to secure the AFC South title. It resulted in Nico Collins going off for nine catches on nine targets for 195 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Dalton Schultz had five catches (seven targets) for 42 yards. Rookie Xavier Hutchinson had four targets. Woods and Brown will need to return to practice over the next two days to have a shot to face the Cleveland Browns on wild-card weekend this Saturday. If neither wideout is able to play, Collins is going to draw a lot of attention from a much better secondary in the Browns.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said the team is sticking with quarterback Mason Rudolph as their starter for Sunday's wild-card playoff game at the Buffalo Bills. Tomlin said the team is "sticking with the hot hand." Kenny Pickett has recovered from tightrope surgery on his ankle, but Rudolph has earned the starting gig heading into the postseason after leading the Steelers to three straight wins to secure the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC. While he's been a stabilizing force for the Steelers offense, he hasn't really been great for fantasy purposes, going 53-for-71 for 716 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his three starts down the stretch. On the road in likely frigid conditions in a hostile environment in Buffalo this weekend isn't going to make him an attractive DFS play, even at a low cost.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) said at his season-ending press conference on Monday that he'd "like for this to be more than just next year." The 40-year-old lost all of the 2023 season when he tore his Achilles in the season opener, but he made amazing progress during his rehab and probably would have returned as the Jets' starter if not for the fact that they weren't in the playoff race late in the year. Rodger is under contract through the 2025 season, so barring any more injuries, it sounds like he plans to play two more seasons in New York. It remains to be seen how effective he'll be in 2024 coming off a serious injury while playing behind a suspect offensive line, but he will have one of the best receivers in the game to lean on in Garrett Wilson.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf saw a team-high six targets in Week 18 but had just one catch for 10 yards in Sunday's win, making it his least productive game of the year. Most of the balls that went Metcalf's way were well off-target as quarterback Geno Smith was under intense pressure and hurrying throws for most of the game. Metcalf was denied two additional receptions as well. The first was denied by a pass interference penalty that Seattle accepted to gain a first down and the other was overturned upon official review. It was a disappointing end to the season for Metcalf, who had just two top-12 finishes in 2023. Despite the down year, he still had his third 1,000-yard season in his five-year career, ending with 66 catches for 1,114 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Metcalf, under contract through 2025, will return to Seattle next season as their top receiving threat.