Four in a RowFour in a Row
Football

Four in a Row

Standout Performers

David DeCastro • G • Pittsburgh Steelers • Sixth season

DeCastro turned in a typical performance in Pittsburgh's 34-6 win at Houston. He earned a game-high 89.2 grade from Pro Football Focus, allowed zero pressures on 60 snaps and has yet to allow a sack in 2017. DeCastro is looking to be worth every penny of the five-year, $50 million extension he signed in 2016 – since the start of 2014, he has missed seven of 4,770 offensive snaps while earning three trips to the Pro Bowl.

Zach Ertz • TE • Philadelphia Eagles • Fifth season • @ZErtz_86

Ertz looks primed to see plenty of targets from Nick Foles after Carson Wentz's season-ending injury after finishing with double the targets, receptions and yards of any other Eagle in a 19-10 win against Oakland. He was targeted 14 times, catching nine balls for 81 yards. Ertz's 72 receptions and 800 receiving yards ranks third in the NFL behind only Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce.

Cameron Fleming • TE • New England Patriots • Fourth season • @cammyjfresh

Fleming was outstanding in New England's 37-16 win against Buffalo on Sunday, starting and playing every snap at right tackle. On 71 snaps, Fleming did not allow a single pressure while earning an 84.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, the second highest of any Patriot on offense behind Rob Gronkowski. In the running game, Fleming helped Patriot ball carriers gain 193 yards on 38 carries (5.1 average) with two scores. Fleming will play a major role on the New England offensive line for what figures to be another deep run in the postseason.

Blake Martinez • ILB • Green Bay Packers • Second season • @Big__Blake50

Martinez registered double-digit tackles of the eighth time this season in Green Bay's 16-0 loss against Minnesota on Saturday. Appearing on all 65 of Green Bay's defensive snaps, Martinez's 11 tackles upped his total to 138 on the season, which leads the NFL. Since the start of Week 5, Martinez has missed just nine of 757 possible defensive snaps after playing less than half of Green Bay's defensive snaps as a rookie. According to Pro Football Focus, his 37 run stops ranks second in the NFL while his 88.1 grade against the run ranks 10th out of 91 eligible inside linebackers. With Martinez calling plays at middle linebacker, Green Bay's +78.2 cumulative rating against the run ranks second in the NFL behind only the Denver Broncos.

Solomon Thomas • DL • San Francisco 49ers • First season • @SollyThomas90

Thomas had one of his better performances of the season in San Francisco's 44-33 win over playoff-bound Jacksonville. The rookie racked up six tackles, including five solo and one for loss, one sack and one quarterback hit. San Francisco also limited first-round pick Leonard Fournette to 48 yards on 18 carries after ranking dead last in the league in 2016 with an abysmal 2,654 rushing yards allowed. Having won four games in a row, including two in a row over playoff teams, San Francisco's outlook for 2018 looks optimistic with Thomas a big part of the rebuild.

Week 16 RoundupJohnson Bademosi • CB/ST • New England Patriots • Sixth season • @J_Bademosi24

Bademosi played 21 special teams snaps in New England's 37-16 win against Buffalo on Sunday.

Doug Baldwin • WR • Seattle Seahawks • Seventh season • @DougBaldwinJr

Baldwin was held to four catches for 35 yards in Seattle's 21-12 win at Dallas, but he made his contributions count. One of his grabs came on a crucial third-and-seven in the third quarter, and it eventually led to his game-clinching touchdown. Baldwin appeared on 81 percent of offensive snaps while Seattle's playoff hopes are still alive.

Ryan Hewitt • TE/FB • Cincinnati Bengals • Fourth season @Huey_85

Hewitt appeared on 10 offensive snaps and 14 special teams plays in Cincinnati's 26-17 win against Detroit.

Kevin Hogan • QB • Cleveland Browns • Second season • @KHoagie8

Hogan did not appear in Cleveland's 20-3 loss at Chicago on Sunday.

Austin Hooper • TE • Atlanta Falcons • Second season • @AustinHooper18

Hooper started and played 82 percent of offensive snaps in Atlanta's 23-13 loss at New Orleans on Sunday. He caught three of four passes for 18 yards in the loss.

Josh Mauro • DE/DL • Arizona Cardinals • Fourth season • @JustJoshin90

Mauro made two tackles and batted down one pass in Arizona's 23-0 win against the New York Giants. He appeared on 33 percent of defensive snaps and one special teams snap.

Christian McCaffrey • RB • Carolina Panthers • First season • @CMcCaffrey5

McCaffrey was limited to 13 touches on offense in Carolina's 22-19 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday. He carried the ball nine times for 39 yards and caught two of four targets for 19 yards for the playoff-bound Panthers. McCaffrey's 75 receptions leads Carolina pass catchers by 14, while his 3.8 yards-per-carry ranks ahead of backfield mate Jonathan Stewart. With fellow rookie Damiere Byrd now done for the season, McCaffrey will assume more responsibility in the return game.

Andrus Peat • T/G • New Orleans Saints • Third season • @AndrusPeat

Peat was versatile across all 65 offensive snaps in New Orleans' 23-13 win against Atlanta on Sunday. He started at left guard but an injury to Terron Armstead forced his move to left tackle. Peat and the Saints are playoff bound after a disappointing 7-9 campaign in 2016.

Jordan Richards • S • New England Patriots • Third season

Richards appeared on 41 percent of defensive snaps and 20 special teams snaps in New England's 37-16 win against Buffalo on Sunday. He finished the game with one tackle.

Michael Thomas • S • Miami Dolphins • Fifth season • @Michael31Thomas

Thomas was inactive for Miami's 29-13 loss at Kansas City on Sunday.

Levine Toilolo • TE • Atlanta Falcons • Fourth season • @LevineToilolo

Toilolo appeared on 20 percent of offensive snaps before leaving the game in the first half with a knee injury. He made one special teams tackle before departing.