Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle) is not listed on the final Week 16 injury report and will start Saturday's game vs. the Texans. He was a full participant in practice all week. Reportedly dealing with a high-ankle sprain, it's safe to assume that Mahomes won't have his usual mobility against Houston. And he'd already been underwhelming in fantasy football, finishing outside the top-15 QBs in four of his last five games. Mahomes sits well outside QB1 territory in the Week 16 Rankings, but his availability is good news for the rest of Kansas City's offense.
Texans WR John Metchie (shoulder) and TE Cade Stover (illness) are out for Saturday's game vs. the Chiefs. Neither should have been in your fantasy plans, but their absences make TE Dalton Schultz a slightly more interesting Week 16 spot starter. He registered a season-high 91% route rate with Stover out last week. The Chiefs rank 28th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs.
Steelers S DeShon Elliott is doubtful for Saturday's game against the Ravens with the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Week 15 loss to the Eagles. Elliott returned to a limited Thursday practice, which could signal a Week 17 return to game action.
The Steelers listed Edge T.J. Watt as a full participant in Thursday's practice and gave him no injury designation for Saturday's game against the Ravens. So Watt's ready to play just six days after spraining an ankle late in the loss to the Eagles. Don't be surprised if we get a more limited version of Watt against Baltimore. But there's risk to sitting the star pass rusher. I'll be watching for reports ahead of the game signaling any specific limitation on his playing time or mobility.
Interim HC Darren Rizzi commented that RB Alvin Kamara's groin injury is more serious than they initially thought. He also said that it doesn't look good for Kamara to return this week. If Kamara can't go, RB Kendre Miller will likely be the lead back for the Saints against the Packers on Monday Night Football.
Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that, while Kamara is still being evaluated, his injury could be season-ending.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that 49ers RB Isaac Guerendo is "unlikely to play" Sunday at Miami because of his hamstring injury.
The Chiefs are planning to activate WR Marquise Brown (shoulder) and play him against the Texans on Saturday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. It'll be Brown's 2024 and Chiefs debut after suffering an August shoulder injury that eventually required surgery in September. We'd be surprised if Brown played significant snaps vs. Houston and would not use him in fantasy lineups. If he plays more and/or better than expected, he could be a low-level option for Week 17's game against the Steelers.
Steelers Edge T.J. Watt returned to a limited practice Wednesday and is expected to play Saturday against the Ravens. HC Mike Tomlin said earlier in the week that he's "optimistic" about Watt's chances of playing through the low-ankle sprain he sustained late in the Week 15 loss to the Eagles.
The Saints signed RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the practice squad. It could be a sign that they're expecting to be without RB Alvin Kamara (groin) for Monday night's game vs. the Packers. Edwards-Helaire did not touch the ball for the Chiefs this season after averaging just 3.2 yards per carry last year. He won't be a fantasy factor the rest of this season. RB Kendre Miller remains a good bet to control backfield work if Kamara misses time.
Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. We don't have any other details on his status or whether he's in danger of missing Sunday night's game vs. the Cowboys. Otton has averaged just 4.3 targets and 2.5 catches over the last four games with WR Mike Evans back.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. "Sounds like more maintenance than anything," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted. Mayfield should be ready for Sunday night's game vs. the Cowboys, but we'll keep an eye on him over the next few days.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. "It will be a day-to-day situation," HC Mike McDaniel said. "I’ll be hopeful that we’ll see him, but I don’t really know." We'll keep you posted on Waddle's progress over the next few days, but fantasy owners should not be counting on him in Week 16 fantasy lineups right now.
49ers RB Isaac Guerendo (foot, hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. He played through the foot issue last Thursday night, but the hamstring is new. We'll see if he's able to practice tomorrow. Patrick Taylor would be San Francisco's lead back vs. the Dolphins on Sunday if Guerendo can't go.
Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. That puts him on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars. Considering QB Desmond Ridder's performance on Monday night (59% completion rate and 5.3 yards per attempt), this is good news for TE Brock Bowers and WR Jakobi Meyers.
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday. He's been on the injury report with a shoulder since Week 13 but hasn't missed a game. We're expecting Metcalf to be fine for Sunday's game vs. the Vikings but will keep an eye on him over the next few days.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's clearly on track to start this weekend's game vs. the Vikings -- and it looks like he'll be closer to 100% than we thought. Smith still isn't a recommended QB1 play (he's finished outside the top 18 QBs in fantasy points in five straight), but his availability is good news for Seattle's skill-position players.
Seahawks RBs Ken Walker (calf) and Zach Charbonnet (oblique) did not practice on Wednesday. HC Mike Macdonald said that Walker participated in the walkthrough and that he's "optimistic" about his status for Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. We'll see if he practices tomorrow. We don't have any details on Charbonnet, but we're guessing this is more of a maintenance day for a guy who's handled 38 touches over the last two weeks. Check back tomorrow for another update on this backfield.
Commanders TE Zach Ertz (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to be cleared in time for this weekend's game vs. the Eagles. Rookie Ben Sinnott led Washington TEs in pass routes last week but is not a recommended Week 16 fantasy play against Philadelphia's eighth-ranked TE defense.
Colts WRs Michael Pittman (back) and Alec Pierce (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. Pittman has been playing through this back issue for a while now, although he was a full-go at practice all last week. We're still tentatively expecting him to play vs. the Titans this weekend but will keep you posted on his status. Pierce is unlikely to clear protocol in time to play on Sunday.
Titans RB Tony Pollard (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. He appeared to aggravate this ankle injury early in last week's game but was able to return. We're tentatively expecting him to play vs. the Colts this weekend but will continue to monitor his status. RB Tyjae Spears should be rostered in virtually all fantasy leagues in case Pollard ends up missing one of these last few games.
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