Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert (thumb) missed practice for the 2nd-straight day on Thursday. Teammate RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (illness) upgraded to full practice. There's still one more day of practice left for Mostert to log some participation in advance of Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bills. Be sure to keep an eye out for updates tomorrow.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (ankle) once again practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday. Teammate Cedrick Wilson (hip, groin) logged limited participation as well. It's good to see this duo is managing some work in practice so far. We'll have their final injury designations for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bills tomorrow.
Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater (knee, right finger) practiced in a limited fashion again on Thursday. At this point, it's looking like rookie QB Skylar Thompson will be under center for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bills. Dolphins OC Frank Smith did say on Thursday that Bridgewater is "working his butt off" in rehabilitating the dislocated pinky finger, per team reporter Joe Schad. We'll see if that effort is enough for him to supplant Thompson as the starter this weekend. Stay tuned for updates tomorrow.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) practiced in a limited capacity all week and is listed as questionable for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Chargers. The second-year QB has dealt with this ailment for some time without missing a game. We expect Lawrence to suit up barring a last-minute surprise. Lawrence hasn’t cracked 230 yards since Week 14 vs. the Titans. The Chargers' defense he's staring down this weekend ranks 10th in Football Outsiders' pass defense DVOA and 13th-toughest in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs. He's a middle of the pack QB consideration for playoff fantasy formats this week.
Seahawks TE Noah Fant (knee) was a limited practice participant on Thursday and doesn't carry an injury tag in advance of Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the 49ers. Though Fant led all Seahawks TEs in target share this season (11.3%), his teammates Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly combined for a 13.6% share between them. It's a 3-headed attack with little predictability. We're not particularly keen on Fant or any other Seahawks TE in any playoff tournament.
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett (shin) practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday and doesn't carry an injury designation for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the 49ers. As stingy as the 49ers' run defense is, they're considerably friendlier to pass-catchers. In 2 games against the 49ers this year, Lockett logged 9-107 and 7-68 on 20 total targets. Considering past success and the fact that the 49ers are the 6th-best matchup for WRs in adjusted fantasy points allowed this season, the veteran wideout is in an excellent spot to perform this weekend.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (ankle) logged limited participation on Thursday and doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the 49ers. Teammate RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle, quadriceps) also practiced in a limited fashion and is listed as questionable. RB Godwin Igwebuike suddenly becomes an interesting name to consider should Dallas eventually be ruled out. Regardless, this is a tough draw for the Seahawks' rushing attack. The 49ers' defense rank as the single-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs. Walker should see a decent amount of work but shouldn't be viewed as much more than an RB2.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (knee) practiced fully on Thursday and doesn't carry an injury designation for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Seahawks. Since arriving in San Francisco in Week 7, McCaffrey ranks 6th in opportunity share (20.4%) among all RBs. The Seahawks' defense rank as the 6th-best matchup for opposing RBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed this season. This combination of volume and matchup marks the recipe for fantasy success. McCaffrey is a bonafide, slam-dunk start in all playoff tournaments.
Chargers WR Mike Williams missed practice for a 3rd straight day Thursday, with the back injury he suffered in the Week 18 loss to the Broncos. He is officially questionable for Saturday's game against the Jaguars and sure doesn't look like a great bet based on his practice schedule. We've seen Williams go later in recent full-playoffs drafting. WR Josh Palmer, however, has not risen at the same time. He looks like an attractive option across playoff fantasy football formats this week.
The NFL announced that a neutral-site Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship game would be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Yes ... that'd be Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes in a dome to go to the Super Bowl. Bills-Chiefs produced 62 points in the playoffs 2 years ago and 78 points last year -- with both games coming outside at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Raiders are officially looking into trading QB Derek Carr, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Making the process even more official is a public goodbye letter the QB wrote to Raiders fans. This has been the obvious path since the team benched Carr in favor of QB Jarrett Stidham for the final 2 games. Rapoport says there's a "firm deadline of Feb. 15" to work something out. That's when Carr's $40.4 million salary for each of the next 2 seasons would become fully guaranteed. In a QB-hungry league, this motivated seller should be able to work something out. Carr does possess a no-trade clause, giving him power to choose the destination. We'll see how the whole situation plays out and who starts at QB for the 2023 Raiders (Tom Brady?).
Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie (hamstring) was listed as limited in practice on Wednesday. There's still ample time for the veteran to ramp up activity ahead of Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins. We'll keep tabs on McKenzie as this week marches on.
Ravens QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. As we shared earlier, it's looking pretty unlikely that we see QB Lamar Jackson in Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals, so the health of Huntley will be extremely important. Without Jackson or Huntley, the Ravens would be potentially forced to roll out UDFA rookie QB Anthony Brown again. We'll consider this possibility more as we receive updates on Huntley throughout the week.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (knee) was once again a limited practice participant on Wednesday. Hopefully this ailment doesn't prevent him from suiting up in Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Seahawks. Be sure to check back tomorrow for McCaffrey's official injury designation for the contest.
Texans WR John Metchie has a chance to re-join the team for the start of the offseason program in April, GM Nick Caserio said Wednesday. Metchie missed his entire 2022 rookie campaign after being diagnosed with acute promyeloctic leukemia in July. "I'd say there's a chance that he'll be ready for the start of the offseason program," Caserio said. "I think there are still some things that he has to complete or go through. Quite frankly, it's amazing what he's done to this point." It sounds like Metchie at least deserves to be rostered in dynasty leagues again. There's plenty of opportunity in Houston's WR corps heading into 2023, especially with WR Brandin Cooks likely to be playing elsewhere.
NBC Sports' Tom Curran hears that "offensive coaching reassignments" are expected in New England this offseason. In other words, expect a legitimate offensive coordinator to be hired after the Patriots experimented with a combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the offense this past season. We'll see exactly what the Patriots do to the offensive side of the staff, but it's likely to be good news for QB Mac Jones and the skill-position guys.
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett (shin) practiced fully again on Wednesday. TE Noah Fant (knee) was listed with limited participation, an upgrade from Tuesday. This all certainly bodes well for the Seahawks ahead of Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the 49ers. Check back for further updates tomorrow.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (ankle) didn't practice on Wednesday. Teammate RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle, quadriceps) also didn't practice, leaving Godwin Igwebuike as the only healthy back on the roster currently. There's still one more day of practice before official injury designations are assigned for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the 49ers. This is something we'll assuredly keep everyone in the loop about.
According to multiple reports, the Jets and OC Mike LaFleur are mutually parting ways. LaFleur jumped from the 49ers staff to the Jets when Robert Saleh took over as HC 2 seasons ago. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that other teams have inquired about LaFleur, so it sounds like this is more "parting" than firing. We'll see where LaFleur lands next and what he has to work with. It's tough to judge much from his 1st try at OC, with poor QB play limiting everything. We'll also see who the Jets pull in next ... and who starts at QB in 2023.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (illness) didn't practice on Wednesday. We certainly hope he feels better and that he'll be able to practice soon ahead of Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Ravens. We'll keep an eye on this situation in the coming days.
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