Bo Nix developed surprisingly quickly. (Ron Chenoy-USA Today Sports)
This week, the Bears were declined permission to talk to Mike McCarthy about their coaching vacancy; pending his physical, the Chargers are going to beef up their running back depth by adding Ezekiel Elliott to their practice squad; and the 49ers’ offseason of expected dramatic change has begun with special teams coordinator Brian Schneider getting the axe. Some other Fantasy football stories we’re tracking…
Denver Returns to the Postseason
It’s been a long wait for fans of the Denver Broncos. For the first time since 2015 — the same year they won the Super Bowl – the Broncos sported a winning record (10-7) and are back in the playoffs.
On Sunday, Denver crushed a miserable excuse for the Chiefs, 38-0, to clinch a date against Buffalo on Sunday in the AFC Wild Card round.
Among the top rookie QBs this season, Bo Nix was stoked to help end the team’s playoff drought as he racked up 321 yards passing and four TDs in the rout. Along the way, he set a new franchise record for completion percentage in a game by going 26-for-29, including converting his first 18 passes, also a new Denver mark.
Nix also flirted with the NFL record for TD passes by a rookie, reaching 29 for the season, just behind Justin Herbert’s mark (31 in 2020).
Okay, so once again, the competition was practice-squad like, but still, Nix picked a perfect time to have his best game of the season, and really, he’s looked better and better over the last three games, ultimately winding up with 3,775 yards passing to rank 12th in the NFL. Nix’s poise has caught the attention of opposing coaches (see video below).
To complete his stupendous day, he racked up his most rushing yards in a game since mid-October. Of the dozen quarterbacks competing in Wild Card games this season, Nix slots comfortably in the middle in terms of Fantasy rankings.
A year ago at this time, he looked like a draft prospect who could eventually turn into a solid starter. Well, Nix clearly accelerated that timetable because of his strong ability to recognize coverage pre-snap and quickly turn that into post-snap strategy. This weekend, we’ll get a chance to see how he stacks up against one of the NFL’s best.
Touchdown Terry
Talk about a turnaround. After struggling through a 4-13 campaign last season, the Washington Commanders wound up going 12-5 in 2024-25 for its highest win total since 1991, which was also the last time they won the Super Bowl.
Washington dropped three straight between Weeks 10 and 12 to fall to 7-5, but finished with a flourish, winning its final five games to punch its first playoff ticket since 2020.
Week 18’s dramatic win was clinched by Terry McLaurin’s TD catch with three seconds on the clock, part of a strong bounce back effort for the veteran (eight catches, 62 yards).
The durable receiver – he hasn’t missed a game in four years – topped 1,000 yards for the fifth straight season while shattering his career-best with 13 touchdown catches. If you’re using FanDuel’s Parlay Builder for Wild Card weekend, picking McLaurin as any anytime TD scorer is a pretty solid choice (+115).
This dude has done exceptionally well for a third round pick, right? He’s always gotten off to good starts and McLaurin has clearly developed strong chemistry with QB Jayden Daniels, so consider him a top five option at WR for Wild Card weekend.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American singer Lera Lynn has been churning out albums since 2011. She popped on our radar – and likely the same for countless others – when she appeared on the classic HBO series True Detective. She had a few tracks on the 2015 soundtrack, True Detective: Music from the HBO Show, including the haunting “The Only Thing Worth Fighting for.”