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Chiefs release RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Mon Dec 16 7:21pm ET
Field Level Media

Former first-round draft choice Clyde Edwards-Helaire was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday.

The 25-year-old running back led the Chiefs in rushing yards his rookie year after being selected with the 32nd pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, bursting onto the scene with 803 yards and four touchdowns.

The LSU product struggled to match that statistical production afterwards, however, rushing for fewer yards in each subsequent season. After starting 13 games as a rookie, he started 10 in 2021, six in ‘22 and three in ‘23.

Edwards-Helaire had managed to remain productive, averaging at least 4.3 yards per carry every year until his average dipped in ‘23 (3.2 ypc).

Edwards-Helaire had yet to see the field in 2024, getting buried on the depth chart behind Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Samaje Perine and Carson Steele.

He tipped off the move on social media Monday afternoon, thanking the Kansas City community for their support.

Over the summer, Edwards-Helaire revealed that he has experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder for over 5 1/2 years. He acknowledged experiencing flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety.

"Sometimes I'm admitted into the hospital, something like I can't stop throwing up and it's just, I (don't) know (anything) pretty much to stop it," Edwards-Helaire said.

"... Real bad dehydration ... but it's really just mentally just not being there. It is one of those things where early on guys who kind of pay attention like Travis (Kelce) and Kadarius (Toney) at times, they can even, they'll know ahead of time like, ‘OK, Clyde's not laughing, he's not giggling, he's not himself.'"

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Bender's Starts/Sits: Week 15

Player Notes
Rome Odunze Dec 17 1:10am CT
Rome Odunze

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze caught 2-of-7 targets for 39 yards in his team's 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. The rookie again saw a decent amount of work but continues to play third fiddle in Chicago's air attack behind veteran wideouts Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. On the bright side, Odunze recorded at least six targets for the seventh time in eight games. However, he's averaging just 3.75 receptions and 47.25 yards in that frame. Better days are ahead for the 22-year-old, and his future appears bright as long as long as quarterback Caleb Williams continues to develop at the pro level. For now, though, he'll be tough to trust as a viable option in Week 16 despite squaring off against a depleted Detroit Lions defense.

From RotoBaller

Tyler Allgeier Dec 17 1:10am CT
Tyler Allgeier

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier carried the ball 12 times for 43 yards in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders. Bijan Robinson was given 22 carries, so Allgeier was spelling his backfield mate at times throughout the game and helping to kill the clock late when it seemed clear that the Falcons did not want Kirk Cousins throwing the ball if he didn't need to. It was the first time since Week 10 that the 24-year-old earned double-digit carries, but without finding paydirt, it was an unremarkable fantasy performance. Without a consistent workload or goal line role, the former fifth-round draft pick is hard to justify as even a flex option, more so now that we're in the fantasy playoffs. The Falcons get the Giants at home next Sunday and Allgeier will probably again only be used sporadically, especially given how good Robinson has looked this season.

From RotoBaller

Darnell Mooney Dec 17 1:00am CT
Darnell Mooney

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney garnered a single target in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders, but failed to haul it in, finishing with zero catches on the night. Mooney had been limited in practice by a foot injury earlier in the week but was cleared to play, so the dud seemed to be more a result of Kirk Cousins lobbing up just 17 passes on the night and completing only 11 of them. It is a punch in the gut for managers who were relying on the wideout in the fantasy playoffs after he'd received six targets in 10 of Atlanta's prior 13 games coming into Monday night and caught at least three passes in 11 of 13. For fantasy managers that were able to survive this showing, the fifth-year pro will be hard to trust in next week's home matchup versus the Giants, especially given how poorly Kirk Cousins looked in Week 15 against a softer pass defense.

From RotoBaller

Alexander Mattison Dec 17 12:50am CT
Alexander Mattison

Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison showed the world why he was benched for Sincere McCormick (ankle) by fumbling the ball into the end zone in his team's Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The opposing defense wasn't able to recover the loose ball, but it still counted for a safety. Mattison ended the night with seven carries for 21 yards (good for three yards per carry) and two catches on four targets for an absolutely whopping, gob-smacking, earth-shattering three yards. He'll have an easier matchup next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If McCormick doesn't play, it's still questionable if Mattison have much value, considering the presence of fellow RB Ameer Abdullah, who scored the team's only TD.

From RotoBaller

Ameer Abdullah Dec 17 12:50am CT
Ameer Abdullah

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah got a bigger role due to the injury to RB Sincere McCormick (ankle) in his team's loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15. He carried the ball three times for just eight yards, but his seven catches on seven targets for 58 yards and a touchdown helped him tally 19.2 PPR fantasy points on the night. Should McCormick miss Week 16, Abdullah has flex appeal if he continues to have such a big receiving role. It's likely that the absence of starting QB Aidan O'Connell (knee) contributed to this, though -- backup signal-caller Desmond Ridder leaned more on dump-off passes than the team's QB1 usually does. This backfield has been an absolute mess this season, and it won't get any easier to evaluate as the team faces the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16. They do have a poor defense, though, so Abdullah has appeal in deeper PPR leagues as a FLEX option if he ends up starting.

From RotoBaller

D.J. Moore Dec 17 12:50am CT
D.J. Moore

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore hauled in all eight of his targets for 46 yards in Monday night's 30-12 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. He added 24 yards on three carries. The 27-year-old's yardage output was down again after a two-game stretch in which he recorded 203 yards and 15 receptions on 23 targets. However, Moore was still productive, putting together his fifth-straight double-digit fantasy point outing. Quarterback Caleb Williams' pass quality is suspect, but it hasn't stopped the veteran from being effective. While fellow wideouts Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen feature sub-55% catch rates, the seventh-year WR holds a near-68% mark. Moore has a meeting with the Detroit Lions on tap for Week 16 and could be primed for another productive day with their division rivals reeling from injuries.

From RotoBaller

Mac Jones Dec 17 12:40am CT
Mac Jones

Somehow, despite being loaded with talent, the Atlanta Falcons offense continues to underwhelm lately, and the Las Vegas Raiders defense/special teams benefitted from that by scoring nine fantasy points on Monday. They sacked quarterback Kirk Cousins three times, intercepted him once, and allowed just 13 points and 261 total yards of offense in a loss. The Falcons haven't been very good on offense against teams other than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, so it came as no surprise that LV was able to stop them, for the most part. Still, it's tough to trust the No. 32 ranked defense on Sleeper at any point. They shouldn't be started in any leagues, but it's cool to see them doing something at least. They'll face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, and even though JAX is starting QB Mac Jones, it doesn't move the needle here.

From RotoBaller

Keenan Allen Dec 17 12:40am CT
Keenan Allen

Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen caught six of 13 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown in his team's 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The veteran was Chicago's lone bright spot on Monday night and has been superb over his last few outings. After a horrendous start to the year, Allen has had four TDs in his previous four outings, and at least 73 yards, and eight targets in three of them. Since Week 9, the 32-year-old has racked up 65 targets to fellow wideout DJ Moore's 61. However, the latter has out-caught him 43-36. With quarterback Caleb Williams chucking it all over the yard on nearly 60% of Chicago's plays (59.03), there will surely be plenty of opportunities to go around. Still, they're not of the highest quality. Allen and the Bears will square off against the Detroit Lions in the fantasy semi-finals next Sunday.

From RotoBaller

Tre Tucker Dec 17 12:40am CT
Tre Tucker

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker caught two of his three targets for 18 yards and didn't record a rush in his team's loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15. He's becoming an afterthought in this offense, though the offense was mostly an afterthought anyway overall. Without QB Aidan O'Connell (knee) leading the offense, things were mostly ugly in the passing attack, and the Raiders didn't get a lot going on the ground either. It wasn't until the team was down by two scores late in the fourth quarter that they got into a rhythm, but it was too late, and Tucker wasn't much of a part of it. Though he gets an easy matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, he's still not worth starting moving forward. Tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers should continue to dominate the receiving work for the team.

From RotoBaller

Kyle Pitts Dec 17 12:40am CT
Kyle Pitts

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts recorded his first multi-catch performance since Week 10 on Monday night, catching all four of his targets for a modest 28 yards in the 15-9 win over the Raiders. On a night when Kirk Cousins completed just 11 passes, Pitts' four targets and four catches were both a team-high. It was good to see the 24-year-old involved again, although the Raiders had been poor against TEs this year and Cousins wasn't looking downfield much in this one so it's not all that surprising to see him resurface. Between Pitts disappearing from the passing attack most weeks and Cousins looking dysfunctional at quarterback over the last several games, fantasy managers vying for playoff championships will want to look elsewhere next Sunday. The Falcons take on the Giants who have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to TEs on the season, and the former first-round pick figures to be a low-end TE2 in that matchup.

From RotoBaller

Jakobi Meyers Dec 17 12:30am CT
Jakobi Meyers

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers simply wasn't thrown the ball enough by quarterback Desmond Ridder in the team's 15-9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. Though Meyers ended up with nine targets, Ridder took too long to start getting the ball into one of his best playmaker's hands. Meyers is a fantastic receiver in fantasy football and a good playmaker on the field, but he'll need his QB1 back in Week 16 to realize his potential. It's not that he wasn't getting open, but there's only so much you can do on your own. Luckily, Aidan O'Connell (knee) could have a shot to return in Week 16, and the team will face the awful Jacksonville Jaguars pass defense, so Meyers could have a big day coming up soon.

From RotoBaller

Bijan Robinson Dec 17 12:30am CT
Bijan Robinson

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson carried the offensive load in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders, racking up 125 yards on 22 rush attempts and he caught one pass for 10 yards. The 22-year-old's rushing total was more than Kirk Cousins' passing yards total of 112 yards. Unfortunately, the second-year back wasn't afforded the opportunity to punch one in for a score as the Falcons never really got down close to the end zone in this one. It was the fourth time in the last five games that the former first-round draft pick recorded 20 carries or more, however, he's seen less work in the passing attack the last two weeks, catching just three passes during that time after logging at least three receptions in nine straight games before that. Regardless, Robinson will once again be a high-end RB1 in next Sunday's home matchup against the Giants who are bottom-third in terms of fantasy points allowed to running backs.

From RotoBaller

Daniel Carlson Dec 17 12:30am CT
Daniel Carlson

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson nailed a 52-yard field goal with 11:44 left in the second quarter in his team's loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15. He didn't get another chance to kick until an extra point attempt late in the fourth quarter, but that try was blocked. That's not 100% his fault, and neither is the fact that he still barely gets chances to attempt kicks and extra points. He's still not a great option in fantasy football because the offense he's a part of simply does not get into scoring range often. Opportunity is king for kickers in fantasy football, and there just isn't enough of it. If you're on Sleeper you might be reading this, so here's a tip: the Raiders will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, who have an awful defense, so in very deep leagues, Carlson might actually be a solid start! That's right, you finally read some good news about the Raiders kicker this season. What a miracle.

From RotoBaller

Brock Bowers Dec 17 12:20am CT
Brock Bowers

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers was targeted just six times and caught three passes for 35 yards. Quarterback Desmond Ridder, who was starting in place of the injured Aidan O'Connell (knee), simply did not look the rookie sensation's way many times. Ridder has struggled throughout his career, and one way he could have had a better game is if he had thrown it to his TE more. Bowers is still elite, and fantasy managers will look for AOC to return to action in Week 16. He shouldn't be benched for any reason, but obviously, his ceiling is much lower without his starting quarterback. The Raiders will face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have the second-worst overall pass defense in the last 25 years (seriously), so the freshman TE should bounce back next week.

From RotoBaller

Desmond Ridder Dec 17 12:20am CT
Desmond Ridder

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder attempted 39 passes and completed 23 throws for 208 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Unsurprisingly, he didn't throw his first TD pass until the game was nearly out of reach -- it happened with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter. He attempted to lead a futile comeback, but it was too little, too late. His second interception was on a Hail Mary attempt that failed, but he was mostly ineffective against one of the league's worst pass defenses. He'll likely not start next week anyway. Starting QB Aidan O'Connell (knee) is expected to make his return in Week 16, and Ridder will be sent back to the bench.

From RotoBaller

Drake London Dec 17 12:10am CT
Drake London

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London caught all three of his targets for 53 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders. It was London's first touchdown reception since Week 9, now with seven TDs on the season. While that was a positive, fantasy managers with playoff matchups on the line were surely hoping for much higher totals after averaging over 11 targets per game in the four previous contests. With quarterback Kirk Cousins struggling for five weeks running now, Atlanta's receivers will be risky fantasy plays in the remaining weeks. The Falcons take on the Giants in a home game next Sunday, and the 6-foot-4 wideout figures to be more of a high-end WR2 again rather than the WR1 he was in the first half of the season.

From RotoBaller

D'Andre Swift Dec 17 12:10am CT
D'Andre Swift

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift amassed 79 yards on 19 carries in his team's 30-12 loss against the Minnesota Vikings. He added ten more through the air on his lone target. Swift bounced back in this one after a poor string of games on the ground, during which he averaged 35.7 yards per game and 2.82 YPC. Still, it wasn't enough to get him to double-digit fantasy points -- a feat he's failed to accomplish since Week 11. In his and his team's defense, they've been through quite the gauntlet of defenses over the last four weeks (MIN [twice], DET, SF). However, there is no denying that the Bears' offense lacks execution. The 25-year-old will get a rematch with Chicago's division-rival Detroit Lions in Week 16 and could be a candidate for a decent outing with the Lions' mounting injuries on the defensive side of the ball.

From RotoBaller

Caleb Williams Dec 16 11:50pm CT
Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 18-of-31 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown in Monday night's 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He added three yards on four carries and coughed up a fumble. The rookie QB looked like he was turning a corner for a few weeks but had another tough go against a stout Vikings defense. He failed to reach 200 passing yards for the second straight contest and couldn't get anything going in Week 15 despite a strong outing (340/2) in his last meeting with Minnesota. On the bright side, Williams has not tossed an interception since returning from the team's bye in Week 7 and recorded at least one touchdown for the fourth-straight game. The 23-year-old will get a Detroit Lions defense in Week 16 that is severely depleted due to injury, making it less scary of a test than it might have been earlier in the season. Additionally, he had one of his better performances against them back in Week 13.

From RotoBaller

Kirk Cousins Dec 16 11:40pm CT
Kirk Cousins

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw his first touchdown pass since Week 9 in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders, however, the team leaned heavily on the run game in this one, tallying 168 rush yards between Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Cousins completed only 11 passes but was asked to throw the ball just 17 times in the contest, racking up a paltry 112 yards passing. The 36-year-old threw the touchdown pass late in the first quarter, but also tossed an interception and looked out of sorts outside of the lone TD, which seemingly exacerbated the need to lean on the run and was the reason for so few pass attempts. Despite the win, it was not an encouraging performance if you're a Falcons fan hoping for a playoff run. The veteran will take on the Giants in Atlanta next Sunday, but for fantasy, hopefully managers have other options available at this point with fantasy championships on the line.

From RotoBaller

Tom Brady Dec 16 11:30pm CT
Tom Brady

The New York Jets interviewed former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Monday, according to a source. The Jets have already begun to look at candidate to replace former GM Joe Douglas at the end of the 2024 season. Dimitroff was the GM in Atlanta for 12 years and saw the team post a 113-95 record in his time at the helm. The team reached the playoffs six times, including when they went all the way to the Super Bowl before famously blowing a 28-3 lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2016. He has not been in the NFL since being fired by the Falcons in 2020, instead serving as president of football operations for SumerSports, a data-driven platform created to help front-office personnel in decision-making. Dimitroff has almost 30 years of NFL experience and could decide to return to the NFL next year.

From RotoBaller