Team news: Washington Commanders

Commanders ruled out RB Antonio Gibson for the New Year’s Day matchup vs. the Browns.

Related Players: Brian Robinson, Jonathan Williams

This should be the Brian Robinson show on Sunday, as he becomes an RB2 with definite high-RB1 upside.

RB Antonio Gibson (sprained ankle/knee) is not practicing today.

Related Players: Brian Robinson

This could impact Brian Robinson's ceiling, but hopefully you weren't planning on playing Gibson in your Championship matchups. He hasn't scored double-digit PPR points or hit 40 yards rushing since Week 11. Robinson remains a solid RB 2 against the porous Browns rushing defense.

Commanders’ QB Carson Wentz will start Sunday vs. Cleveland.

Related players: Taylor Heinicke

Heinicke, who started hot after taking over for the injured Wentz, has turned the ball over eight times over the team's last six games - including three picks and five fumbles. Meanwhile, Wentz broke his right ring finger in October and has been the backup the last few weeks after getting cleared. The Commanders are 7-7-1, clinging to the NFC’s seventh and final playoff spot, and now need Wentz to come through, Schefter went on to say. Wentz at least has some superflex value going forward.

After a pair of late turnovers in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera benched quarterback Taylor Heinicke in favor of Carson Wentz.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 draft had a solid showing in his limited work, completing 12-of-16 passes for 123 yards with a touchdown.

Rivera said he wanted to talk to everyone involved before he makes a decision. He wants to make sure he has all ideas, thoughts and concepts and he wants to make sure the players have a voice.

Ron Rivera: "Antonio Gibson has a sprain, so we're going to have to monitor that very closely this week."

Related players: Brian Robinson, Jonathan Williams

As the tweet said, no location of the sprain was given, leaving us all wondering if it's a knee, ankle, perhaps shoulder? Either way, Robinson looks like he could be in store for a heavy workload against the Browns in Week 17, in what is also a good matchup. He's a potential nice start at RB in your fantasy finals.

The Commanders have benched Taylor Heinicke in favor of Carson Wentz.

Trailing 30-14 and having taken two sacks, the Commanders are hoping for a spark with a quarterback switch. Heinicke went 13/18 for 166 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Taylor Heinicke couldn’t lead the Commanders to a win over the Giants last Sunday and the offense hasn’t scored more than 20 points in any of their last three games, but they had won five of six before that 20-20 tie and they remain in good shape in the fight for a playoff spot in the NFC. That’s enough for Rivera to stick with Heinicke once Carson Wentz is back on the active roster.

“I feel comfortable with Taylor,” Rivera said, via Peter Hailey of NBCSportsWashington.com. “When Carson’s activated, he’ll be the primary backup and we’ll go from there.”

The Commanders have a bye in Week 14 and that gives the team a chance to take some stock of where things stand in various areas but head coach Ron Rivera said that he likes what he sees at quarterback right now. Heinicke has thrown five interceptions in seven starts, but Wentz was even less protective of the ball and wide receiver Terry McLaurin‘s production has spiked with Heinicke at quarterback, the story all said.

Commanders RB J.D. McKissic was placed on injured reserve Saturday by the Commanders and his season is over.

McKissic has been out with a neck injury he suffered in Week 8 against the Colts and the injury will require months of rehab. Antonio Gibson was starting to take over the third-down role for Washington and now it’s a clear two-back group with him and Brian Robinson. McKissic has one year left on his 2-year contract he signed with the team in March.