Dorian Thompson-Robinson has not taken advantage of his chance. (Scott Galvin-USA Today Sports)
Saquon Barkley will rest for the season finale instead of going for the rushing record; Aaron Rodgers may be making his final NFL start this weekend; and even with the Rams still fighting for playoff seeding, Matthew Stafford will sit and cede QB duties to Jimmy Garoppolo.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson Is Not the Answer
The Cleveland Browns enjoyed such a great bounce-back effort last year, going 11-6 to punch their first playoff ticket since 2020. This season, however, has been a complete nightmare.
With five straight losses, Cleveland limps into the final week of the season with a brutal 3-13 mark and is dead last in the NFL in the schedule-adjusted passing and rushing offense rankings.
The Browns finished an embarrassing 2-6 at home and will face yet another offseason loaded with turnover.
Yikes. About the only good news is that they have a great chance to land the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and perhaps draft their next potential franchise quarterback.
The Deshaun Watson experiment has not gone well, to say the least. Former Saint Jameis Winston has been much better this season, but his poor decision making is still extremely problematic, and a shoulder woe has limited him as an option down the stretch. That has left the team exploring Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter the last couple of weeks.
And it’s become clear very quickly that the 2023 fifth round pick is not the solution. After throwing two picks and getting sacked five times in Week 16 against the Bengals, DTR was only slightly better against Miami.
He did manage 24 completions for 170 yards, but was again intercepted while losing one fumble and getting dinged three times for intentional grounding. Even though Thompson-Robinson has played in fewer games this season, he’s actually thrown more passes, but the results have been atrocious has he’s yet to hurl even a single touchdown while getting picked six times. Woof.
In fact, he’s climbing a dubious list of the most picks without a TD pass in a season. One more interception before a TD pass will move DTR into a tie for second all-time with Ryan Lindley and Ken Dorsey. Dorsey, ironically enough, is Thompson-Richardson’s current offensive coordinator.
DTR has been dealing with a calf woe that has limited his participation at practice this week, and while earlier in the week it was undecided if he’d start the finale (see video below), reports now suggest he will cede Q1 duties to Bailey Zappe.
Needless to say, in a standard sized league, you don’t want to go anywhere near Thompson-Robinson this week, even if he gets to play. The UCLA product definitely improved under Chip Kelly in college but his struggles as a pocket passer limits his upside to being a backup or more likely third stringer.
Don’t be surprised to see DTR a casualty when the Brown finalize their 53-man roster before next season.
Pittsburgh’s Collapse
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been getting better the last couple of years and that’s continued into this season, but they’ve struggled down the stretch, dropping three straight to lose their grip on the AFC North.
Just four weeks ago, the Steelers had a comfortable two-game lead in their division; now, they need to turn things around in the finale or face the prospect of starting the playoffs on the road.
Since looking so strong to begin December, quarterback Russell Wilson has regressed in each game since, managing just 205 yards passing in the Christmas Day loss (including a season-low 5.5 YPA) with no touchdown passes and one very damaging end zone interception (the second straight week he’s been picked). He salvaged his Fantasy day with 55 rushing yards and a touchdown, but overall, he’s been unable to build on his nice comeback in Denver last season.
The normally durable Wilson dealt a calf woe that cost him several games early on, so he didn’t make his debut until late-October, and while it took a bit, he did win over the fans.
However, the injury limited him to a career-low 305 pass attempts so far this season. He’ll need at least one TD pass in Week 18 to avoid setting a career low in that department as well. And given that his season high is just three, chances are not good that Wilson will be the one to get it done if you go for the Weekly Special that any QB throws five or more TD passes (currently +600 at FanDuel).
Still, Wilson should be better in the season finale as top receiver George Pickens shakes off the rust after returning from injury last week (assuming, that is, that they can get on the same page). Consider Wilson a decent QB2 with top 10 upside for Week 18.
Looking forward, Wilson is expected to remain the Steelers’ starter next year, but the team will try to improve its depth at the position; if rumours are true, expect Carson Wentz to be added as the main understudy.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Billy Joel has been successful as a solo artist since the 1970s. Here’s “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel),” another track from his Greatest Hits Vol. III compilation, but originally the fourth single from his 1993 album River of Dreams.