Welcome to game day.
While teams like the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs race to top playoff seeds in their respective conferences, other clubs have to claw just to stay alive in the postseason discussion. Washington faces a particularly difficult path given the team's plethora of injuries and the challenges facing Mark Sanchez, who starts for the first time this season.
As always, keep your internet machines tuned here throughout Sunday for the latest fantasy news and developments. For a running list of inactives, make sure to stop by NFL.com/inactives and visit our rankings page to find your replacement options.
Note: All times listed in pacific.
4:52 p.m. - It's a walkoff for Amari Cooper
That final touchdown gave Amari Cooper three on the day to go along with his 10 catches and 217 receiving yards.
4:31 p.m. - Chris Boswell slips on potential game-tying field-goal attempt
The Steelers trusted their kicking game to force overtime. That, of course, was a mistake.
Chris Boswell nearly blew an extra point as well earlier in the day, doinking the kick off the upright.
4:25 p.m. - Two plays might have saved the Eagles' season
The first:
And the second:
The Cowboys now have 1:39 to hit back or face overtime.
4:14 p.m. - Amari Cooper gets his second TD
Amari Cooper continues to keep the Cowboys' season afloat, again with a long touchdown reception.
Cooper has three touchdowns in as many weeks.
4:06 p.m. - Big Ben back on the field
Though Ben Roethlisberger spent much of the second half on the sidelines, he has returned to the field with the Steelers trailing 17-14.
3:55 p.m. - Amari Cooper hauls in beautiful 28-yard pass for score
While hardly an opening of the floodgates, points have started to fall during Sunday's Eagles-Cowboys game. Amari Cooper provided the latest score, hauling in a 28-yard pass for a go-ahead touchdown.
Dallas now leads 16-9
3:21 p.m. - A touchdown is finally scored in Eagles vs. Cowboys
It took 39 minutes of football, but someone finally reached the end zone in Eagles vs. Cowboys. Alshon Jeffery scored on a short catch, bringing the Philly within a few points of Dallas.
Of course, Jake Elliott missed the extra point, reestablishing futility as the order of the day.
3:16 p.m. - Big Ben back on the sidelines
Crisis averted? Ben Roethlisberger has returned to the sidelines in uniform, but he hasn't rejoined the game. Unless/until he does, Joshua Dobbs will remain under center for the Steelers.
3:01 p.m. - Big Ben leaves game after hit, Joshua Dobbs in
The Steelers and their fans are holding their collective breath after a hit forced Ben Roethlisberger out of the game. Joshua Dobbs has come in for the injured starter.
2:41 p.m. - JuJu Smith-Schuster somehow gets two feet down for amazing TD
The Steelers have done better than any other team in recent years when it comes to drafting wideouts. JuJu Smith-Schuster continues to reinforce that point, somehow getting two feet down in order to score the go-ahead touchdown in Oakland.
Pittsburgh now leads 14-10.
2:02 p.m. - George Kittle having career day
George Kittle hasn't even completed his second season, but he already looks like one of the best tight ends in the league. He has racked up 179 yards and a touchdown in less than two full quarters Sunday, 85 of those yards coming on a long catch-and-run touchdown to put the 49ers up by two scores.
Kittle has come up big for fantasy managers all year and appears to have saved his best for the fantasy playoffs.
1:32 p.m. - Chiefs clinch a playoff berth
The Chiefs have steamrolled through the AFC all season and now have something to show for it. They clinched a playoff berth via their victory over the Ravens Sunday, a closely fought overtime battle that ended with Robert Griffin III throwing the ball. Kansas City still hasn't clinched their division or homefield advantage, so fantasy managers shouldn't feel concerned about the team benching their starters.
1:11 p.m. - Miami remains a house of horrors for New England
12:59 p.m. - Patrick Mahomes goes full Brett Favre
Just sit back and enjoy:
12:46 p.m. - Jamison Crowder goes 79 yards for the touchdown
Even with the game out of hand, Jamison Crowder made his biggest play of the season. The wideout caught a short pass and ran nearly 80 yards for the end zone, his first reception of more than 25 yards all year.
That score technically also counts as Josh Johnson's first touchdown pass since 2011.
12:35 p.m. - Julio reaches end zone again
Social media bombarded Julio Jones with touchdown jokes throughout the first half of the 2018 season, but the veteran wideout has made end-zone trips a regular occurrence of late. Jones has now scored twice Sunday, his most recent a 12-yard catch and run.
Jones now has five touchdown receptions on the year. He needs one more to double his 2017 total.
12:27 p.m. - Sam Darnold runs 15 yards backwards to throw 7-yard touchdown
Sam Darnold's return from a foot injury began rough, leaving the game during the first half. However, Darnold returned and has played well, showing off some of his play-making ability in the process.
On that play, Darnold [checks notes] ran 15 yards into the backfield in order to eventually toss a 7-yard touchdown pass. Incredible.
12:24 p.m. - Julio Jones goes over 1,400 receiving yards for fifth consecutive year
Everyone already knows Julio Jones ranks among the best offensive players in the league, but perhaps not everyone realizes to what degree he dominates. Jones has now gone over 1,400 receiving yards for the fifth-consecutive season, a first for the franchise. Not many players reach 1,400 receiving yards in a season, but Jones has managed to make it seem routine.
12:20 p.m. - Kyle Lauletta vs. Josh Johnson
Both of the quarterbacks who started at FedEx field have left, Eli Manning due to his team's massive lead and Mark Sanchez for performance. That leaves Kyle Lauletta and Josh Johnson, the latter signed just days earlier, to duel for the remainder of the afternoon.
12:09 p.m. - Josh Allen joins rare group of Buffalo ... rushers
Josh Allen has delivered a strange rookie season, and nothing better encapsulates that weirdness like this stat:
Anytime your quarterback plays like a Hall of Fame running back, it's ... impressive?
11:56 a.m. - Aaron Rodgers sets NFL record
Aaorn Rodgers and Randall Cobb haven't played as much together this season as the Packers hoped, but the two reclaimed their old magic on a beautiful 24-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
With that throw, Rodgers broke the NFL record for most pass attempts without an interception (359).
11:55 a.m. - Tyreek Hill returns to action
The Chiefs can breathe a sigh of relief. Star wideout Tyreek Hill has returned to the game after leaving during the first half with a heel injury. Kansas City currently leads 17-10.
11:52 a.m. - LeSean McCoy (hamstring) ruled out
A forgettable season for LeSean McCoy looks to end on a low note. The Bills ruled out a return for the running back, who suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the game. Buffalo holds a 20-13 lead early in the third quarter.
11:47 a.m. - Jordan Reed (foot) ruled out
Jordan Reed avoided injuries for much of the season, but he the end of the year hasn't proven as kind to the veteran tight end. Reed will miss the rest of the game with a foot injury. Given Washington's current 34-point deficit, only fantasy managers will complain.
11:31 a.m. - Tyreek Hill (heel) questionable to return
Bad news for the top offense in the AFC. Tyreek Hill left before halftime with a heel injury and is questionable to return. The Chiefs might not need Hill to emerge victorious Sunday, but he remains one of the most important skill-position players in the NFL.
11:26 a.m. - Aaron Rodgers, a.k.a. Houdini
Aaron Rodgers hasn't delivered his usual All-Pro play this season, but he still has pulled off a few magical plays. The latest defies traditional description.
The Packers ended up with a field goal on the drive, sending the game into halftime.
11:03 a.m. - A LOT IS HAPPENING
A lot just happened in the NFL.
- Saquon Barkley went over 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career
- Patrick Mahomes joined Dan Marino and Kurt Warner as the only first- or second-year quarterbacks with at least 4,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown throws in a season
- Frank Gore passed LaDainian Tomlinson for fifth all-time in rushing
Whew.
* 10:56 a.m. - Eli Manning reaches 55,000 passing yards*
For all the criticisms Eli Manning has received over the years, he has managed to stay on the field at a time when few other quarterbacks can say the same. That availability has allowed Manning to put up some lofty career numbers. On Sunday, the former Super Bowl MVP crossed the 55,000-yard threshold as a passer.
The Giants currently lead 10-0.
10:46 a.m. - Brandon Bolden scores long TD
The Dolphins offense lacks the talent of other units, but it does pull out a big play here and there. Brandon Bolden, in an apparent #REVENGEGAME, scooted 54 yards down the field to brutalize his former team.
Miami currently leads 14-13.
10:41 a.m. - Mark Sanchez throws a touchdown ... to the Giants
Few had high hopes for the Sanchise era in Washington, and it didn't take long for the journeyman quarterback to live up to his reputation. Sanchez tossed a wildly inaccurate pass over the middle, an area where only the Giants could corral it. New York defensive back Curtis Riley intercepted the throw and walked it into the end zone. Fait accompli.
10:30 a.m. - Davante Adams reaches end zone (again)
No player has scored more receiving touchdowns since the start of 2016 than Davante Adams, who did the deed again to end the Packers' first drive of the game. Green Bay might not have a realistic shot at the playoffs, but Adams continues to produce for fantasy managers.
10:28 a.m. - Sam Darnold heads to locker room
Sam Darnold's return from a foot injury might not have lasted a full quarter. The Jets rookie quarterback has left for the locker room, leaving veteran Josh McCown to take over the offense.
10:18 a.m. - Julio lifts off
The first series of Falcons vs. Packers went about as poorly as possible for the home team. Not only did Green Bay burn both of their challenges within the opening three minutes, but Julio Jones collected three catches for 63 yards, the last of which put Atlanta on the board.
The Packers will get their first possession shortly.
