Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (hip, oblique) did not practice on Wednesday. The team's official website characterizes Jacobs' absence from practice as a personal day. Thursday's injury report will shed more light on whether or not the veteran will be able to suit up for Saturday's Week 18 game vs. the Chiefs. We'll keep an eye on this as more information becomes available.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore (hand) upgraded to limited practice on Wednesday. This is a good sign for the rookie after not practicing on Tuesday. We'll have a better idea of Moore's status and how it affects the Chiefs' WR corps for Week 18 vs. the Raiders tomorrow. Check back for further updates.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He's been out since spraining an MCL in Week 12. We'll see if he's ready to play vs. the Cardinals this weekend. A healthy Mitchell figures to slide back in as San Francisco's #2 RB behind Christian McCaffrey.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) has been activated from IR, putting him in line to play in Saturday's regular-season finale vs. the Raiders. Hardman has been out since Week 9. He'd be a flier in Week 18 fantasy lineups but is certainly in play for NFL Playoffs fantasy contests.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury conceded Wednesday that QB Kyler Murray (knee) "probably" won't be ready for the start of the 2023 season. Murray underwent surgery Tuesday to reconstruct his ACL and repair meniscus damage in his right knee. We're just about 8 months from the start of the 2023 campaign; this is an injury that usually takes 9+ months to return from. Early fantasy drafters should be operating under the assumption that Murray misses at least the first few games. The PUP list, which would cost him the first 6 games, is a real possibility. Kingsbury also said that QB Colt McCoy isn't playing this weekend to protect him from injury, suggesting that he might be Plan A to replace Murray early next season. McCoy is signed for 2023 with a reasonable $5 million cap hit.
The Cardinals have already ruled WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) out for this week. Without Hopkins last Sunday, TE Trey McBride and WR Greg Dortch tied for the lead with 25% target share apiece. WR Marquise Brown checked in 1 target behind them. Week 18, however, will find a much tougher defense in San Francisco. Check our Week 18 fantasy football rankings to see where everyone has landed.
Commanders HC Ron Rivera announced rookie QB Sam Howell as the Week 18 starter vs. Dallas. It’ll be the 5th-round pick’s first career start. Howell's a poor bet to perform as a useful QB2, but take note that he posted 828 rushing yards -- 69 per game -- in his final season at UNC.
Bears QB Justin Fields will miss Week 18 with a hip injury. Per HC Matt Eberflus, an MRI showed a hip strain for the young QB. In his place, Chicago will roll out Nathan Peterman. The 28-year-old owns a career completion rate of 52.5% on 141 attempts. The Vikings defense figures to be a chalky option in DFS formats.
The Cowboys waived WR James Washington. A broken right foot suffered on August 1 kept Washington out until Week 14. He ended up going catchless on 15 offensive snaps over the last 4 games, quickly getting passed on the depth chart by WR T.Y. Hilton. Dallas will head into the playoff with CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Noah Brown and Hilton as its top 4 WRs.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater dislocated his right pinkie in last week's loss to the Patriots. The finger is not broken, though, and "whether he can play this week will come down to swelling and if he can grip the ball well enough to throw," Rapoport adds. We'll keep an eye on Bridgewater's progress over the next few days, leading up to Sunday's must-win game vs. the Jets. If Bridgewater can't go, QB Skylar Thompson will get the start. Miami signed QB Mike Glennon to the practice squad on Wednesday.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley plans to play starters in Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. A win would lock up the AFC's #5 seed for the Chargers, meaning a Round 1 game vs. the Jaguars or Titans. A loss would open the door for the Ravens to take the #5 seed with a win over the Bengals. That'd push the Chargers down to #6 and mean a Round 1 game vs. Cincinnati. “Our approach is definitely going to get shot to win this ballgame and play as well as we can play heading into the playoffs,” Staley said. “I think that there’s certainly an advantage to be in the No. 5-seed, from where I stand, so we’re going to try and get there.” Staley did add that he'd consider sitting banged-up players. But, as of now, we're projecting full playing time for QB Justin Herbert, RB Austin Ekeler and WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles plans to play his starters, including QB Tom Brady, in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Falcons, despite the Bucs being locked into the NFC's #4 seed. "We can get better at a lot of things, so right now, we plan on playing [Brady]," Bowles said Monday. "We'll see how the week goes going forward, but we can get better at a lot of things that we need to work on, and we don't need our foot off the gas." Bowles added that he'll consider pulling starters in the 2nd half. We'd be surprised if Brady played more than a half and don't expect RB Leonard Fournette or WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to play the entire game, either.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Commanders are expected to start QB Taylor Heinicke against Dallas in the season finale. But he adds that rookie QB Sam Howell "is also slated to play." Take this news as an admission from HC Ron Rivera that he was wrong to start Carson Wentz in the Week 17 loss to Cleveland. With Washington now eliminated from playoff contention, though, it would seem to make more sense to just play the rookie the whole way. The reported plan, of course, makes both QBs unusable in fantasy football lineups. And the whole situation adds risk to Washington pass-catchers. We're not changing our outlook for RB Brian Robinson Jr., though. Check out the adjusted Week 18 fantasy football rankings.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that he won't sit his starters in Sunday's regular-season finale vs. the Bears -- although he added that he could make "more subtle" adjustments to playing time. The Vikings can't get the NFC's #1 seed but are still alive for the #2 seed with a win plus a loss by the 49ers. Minnesota kicks off at 1 pm ET, while 49ers-Cardinals doesn't start until 4:25 pm ET, so there won't be any scoreboard watching going on. It's possible that the Vikings pull guys like QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WR Justin Jefferson and TE T.J. Hockenson if they build a big lead, but we're currently projecting full playing time for all of them.
Titans RB Derrick Henry (hip) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice. It's confirmation that he'll be ready for roll for Saturday's must-win game vs. the Jaguars.
Raiders QB Jarrett Stidham (right elbow) was limited in Tuesday's practice. That throwing arm must be a little sore after chucking 34 passes in last week's overtime loss to the 49ers. Stidham should be under center for Saturday's finale vs. the Chiefs, but we'll keep an eye on him over the next few days.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs (hip, oblique) was limited in Tuesday's practice. The hip and oblique are new issues for Jacobs, who briefly left last week's loss to the 49ers. But the fact that he was out there at all on Tuesday puts him on track to play in Saturday's finale vs. the Chiefs.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore (hand) did not practice on Tuesday. We don't have any details on his injury, but the rookie is seemingly in danger of missing Saturday's regular-season finale vs. the Raiders. Moore's absence could mean more snaps for WR Kadarius Toney.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) did not practice on Tuesday. He, of course, has been playing through this injury since Week 13 and will be out there for Saturday's game vs. the Titans for the AFC South title.
The NFL announced Tuesday that it won't resume the Bills-Bengals game -- halted by S Damar Hamlin's collapse -- this week. The league added that it will keep the Week 18 schedule intact and that no decision has yet been made on how to treat Monday night's game going forward. That means fantasy football leagues and contest providers will either have to wait for further word on the resumption of that contest or figure out alternate solutions. We'll certainly be watching for updates on that front -- as well as, of course, any updates on Hamlin's condition.
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