Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (ankle) practiced fully on Wednesday ahead of the AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. The veteran figures to split backfield duties with rookie RB Isiah Pacheco should he ultimately be healthy enough to suit up this weekend. We'll follow McKinnon's status on the practice report this week in case something takes a downward turn.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) logged limited participation at Wednesday's practice in advance of Sunday's AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. The speedy wideout didn't practice at all last week and missed the Divisional Round game vs. the Jaguars due to this injury. Limited practice early this week is a step in the right direction for Hardman. We'll keep an eye on his status as the week unfolds.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle) practiced fully on Wednesday ahead of the AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. It's good to see the superstar wasn't limited by the high ankle sprain he sustained this past Saturday vs. the Jaguars. HC Andy Reid said on Monday that he anticipated Mahomes will play in the AFC Championship, so this news is only further confirmation that the team feels good about where their QB is health-wise. We'll be sure to follow this as the week unfolds in case anything changes.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair his broken left fibula, ESPN's Todd Archer reports. "Should be full strength well before training camp," Archer adds. We'll keep an eye on Pollard's rehab, but this injury shouldn't impact his 2023 fantasy outlook. Pollard is set to hit free agency in March.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne told reporters Monday that he was "happy" to finish his 2nd season healthy. But, according to Jaguars Wire, he added, "I just want to put on a little muscle mass, a little more weight, because those guys are really big." Etienne later listed pass protection as an area in which he wants to improve. Weakness in that area might have helped limited Etienne's playing time over the final 4 games, when he played fewer than 30 snaps 3 times (compared with 49+ in 8 straight non-injury games before that). Adding bulk isn't always a great thing for a speedy back, because too much extra muscle can slow him down. Even if that doesn't happen, this change doesn't seem likely to address Etienne's main fantasy issue: a lack of receptions. We'll certainly be watching all factors as the former 1st-round pick approaches his 3rd season. Etienne looks decent as an option in Round 3 or 4 of early best-ball drafts.
Patriots insider Mark Daniels hears that QB Mac Jones is "very excited" about the hiring of new OC Bill O'Brien. Jones seemed uncomfortable in and frustrated by New England's offense this past season. He and O'Brien briefly overlapped back in 2021, when O'Brien was hired by Alabama and Jones was in the pre-draft process. It’ll be “nice to start a new working relationship with someone that you already have had the opportunity to work with," a source close to Jones told Daniels. Jones is a 2023 bounce-back candidate after his numbers dipped across the board this past year -- although we're still not excited about his fantasy upside.
The Patriots hired Bill O'Brien as OC. He returns to the same position he held in 2011, when New England ranked 2nd in total yards and 3rd in points with QB Tom Brady. O'Brien was also on the Patriots' offensive staff from 2007 to 2010, so he has plenty of familiarity with the organization. Since leaving New England after that 2011 campaign, O'Brien spent 2 years as Penn State's HC, 7 years as the Texans' HC and, most recently, the past 2 years as Alabama's OC. If nothing else, the Patriots will have a legitimate offensive mind running the offense in 2023 -- something they didn't have this past season.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey confirmed that he played through a calf issue in Sunday's Divisional Round win over the Cowboys. He was shown multiple times trying to keep the calf loose on the sidelines and didn't play much on San Francisco's final couple of possessions. “I was fighting but made it through — made it through great," McCaffrey said after the win. We'll keep a close eye on CMC's practice participation this week but tentatively expect him to play in Sunday's NFC Championship game vs. the Eagles.
Bills QB Josh Allen said Monday that he's not expected to have surgery on the UCL injury he suffered in his right elbow on November 6. He also told reporters that he didn't feel like he had his usual throwing mechanics until 2 weeks ago. Allen's numbers certainly suggest that the elbow was an issue. In his first 8 games, including the 1 in which he hurt the elbow late, he posted a 64.1% completion rate, 8.1 yards per attempt and 19 TDs vs. 8 INTs. Over his final 10 games, including the playoffs, he registered a 61.7% completion rate, 7.1 yards per attempt and 19 TDs vs. 9 INTs. We'll keep an eye on Allen's status throughout the offseason, but he should tentatively expected to be 100% for the 2023 campaign.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Monday that QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle) will play in Sunday's AFC Championship game vs. the Bengals. Mahomes "worked hard on the treatment and is doing OK," Reid said, adding that this high-ankle sprain isn't as bad as the one Mahomes suffered in 2019. That injury occurred in the season opener and didn't cost Mahomes any further time. There wasn't much doubt that Mahomes would play against Cincinnati this weekend, considering he returned to the win over Jacksonville. The question is to what extent the ankle injury will impact his performance. We'll keep a close eye on the situation throughout the week. The Chiefs are currently just 1-point favorites over the Bengals, suggesting some concern about Mahomes' status.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard fractured his left fibula in Sunday's Divisional Round loss to the 49ers, ESPN's Todd Archer reports. Pollard also reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain, but the leg injury is the bigger concern. Archer notes that fractured fibulas normally require a 3-month recovery. That timetable would put Pollard back on the field by the end of April, so Pollard should at least be a full-go by the time training camp rolls around. It's unfortunate timing, though, with Pollard set to hit free agency in March.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon rushed 20 times for 105 yards and 1 score in Sunday’s win over Buffalo. So much for Cincy’s banged up O-line. Playing with backups, Mixon posted his best YPC average since Week 14. The 100-yard outing also marked the most from a postseason Bengal since Cedric Benson in 2010. Next comes a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship game, again in Kansas City.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey totaled 10 carries for 35 yards and a TD in Sunday’s Divisional Round win vs. the Cowboys. He also added 6 receptions for 22 yards as a receiver. Teammate RB Elijah Mitchell had a productive stat line of his own, leading the team with 51 rushing yards on 14 carries. The duo will look to replicate their success in the NFC Championship game against an Eagles defense that ranks as the 14th-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs.
49ers QB Brock Purdy completed 19 of 29 attempts for 214 yards in Sunday’s Divisional Round win vs. the Cowboys. The rookie successfully extended his winning streak as a starter to 7 games and will now be preparing for the NFC Championship game against an Eagles defense that ranks as the 11th toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb hauled in 10 of 13 targets for 117 yards in Sunday's Divisional Round loss vs. the 49ers. TE Dalton Schultz also came up big again, catching 5 of 10 targets for 27 yards and 1 TD in the contest. Lamb will be locked into the WR1 conversation again in the coming season. On the other hand, Schultz is staring down free agency with an uncertain future ahead. It would certainly be great to see him return to the Cowboys long-term in hopes of extending his streak of TE1 finishes to 4 seasons and beyond. Add Schultz's name to the list of big question marks for the franchise looking ahead into the offseason.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott tallied 26 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's Divisional Round loss vs. the 49ers. It's difficult to project the veteran's future fantasy value looking ahead into 2023. Elliott has seen his average rushing yards per game drop year-over-year and concluded this season at a career-low 58.4 in 15 games. The Cowboys have an out in Elliott's contract with an $11.86 million dead cap hit that would enable them to move on if they choose to. That may sound like a lot of money to cut, but it's certainly a cheaper option than paying Elliott an average of around $16 million a year for the next 4 seasons. There's also the difficult situation of the franchise figuring out what to do with upcoming free agent RB Tony Pollard, who left Sunday's game with a fractured left fibula in the 2nd quarter. This will certainly be a backfield to watch in the coming months.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 23 of 37 attempts for 206 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in Sunday's Divisional Round loss vs. the 49ers. The veteran QB also added 22 rushing yards on 4 carries in the contest. Prescott fell back into his ways of throwing risky passes after a stellar performance last week vs. the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, and the resurfacing of this turnover issue couldn't have come at a worse time. He'd had a 7-game INT streak prior to last week's contest. Prescott's 15 INTs in 12 games led the NFL in the regular season, though averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game with a stabilizing plate in his thumb could be worse. We expect Prescott to return to the QB1 conversation in 2023.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard exited Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the 49ers in the 2nd quarter after sustaining a nasty hit and didn't return. ESPN's Todd Archer reports that Pollard sustained a fractured left fibula that will require surgery with an estimated 3-month recovery period. This news certainly explains his emotion and putting a towel over his head while being carted off the field in an air cast during the contest. It remains to be seen how this will affect Pollard's impending free agency or impact his market of potential suitors. Pollard ended Sunday's contest with 6 rushes for 22 yards and 2 receptions for 11 yards.
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase tallied 5 catches, 61 yards and 1 score in Sunday’s win over Buffalo. That makes 5 straight games with a TD for the former LSU star. Chase scored in the 1st quarter on blown coverage. Later, he appeared to score in the back of the end zone, but upon review, refs determined that he didn’t complete the catch. Chase now hits the road to face Kansas City in the AFC Championship game.
Bills QB Josh Allen completed 25 of 42 passes for 265 yards and 1 INT in Sunday’s loss vs. Cincinnati. His pick came late in the 4th with the game already wrapped up. The Bengals mustered only 1 sack, but steady pressure — and snowy conditions — made life tough for Allen. Allen did pop in a rushing score, his 8th of the season. Buffalo should now shift its focus to upgrading the pass catchers and the OL.
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