The Chargers plan to activate EDGE Joey Bosa (groin) from IR ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams, HC Brandon Staley told reporters Friday, according to NFL Network's Bridget Condon. Getting Bosa back can certainly only help the defense, but he hasn't played since Week 3. So it'll be tough to trust Bosa in IDP lineups right away. We won't be adding him to the Week 17 IDP rankings.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (knee) fully participated in practice on Friday and doesn't carry an injury tag for Week 17 vs. the Rams. The Chargers have already clinched a playoff berth and don't have a ton to play for this week. As such, we can't really say how much involvement Ekeler or the other key starters will have vs. the Rams. But unless we have reason to believe his work will be limited, fantasy managers can trust Ekeler as a bonafide RB1 as they have all season. Keep your ear to the ground for any whispers to suggest he'll be lightly utilized just in case.
Packers RB Aaron Jones (knee, ankle) doesn't carry an injury designation in advance of Week 17 vs. the Vikings. After logging limited practice all week, it seems fantasy managers will have the veteran back as an available option for championship week. Jones has been dealing with this ankle injury since Week 15 vs. the Rams. Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports that Jones felt the team was going to sideline him in Week 15 had it not been for RB A.J. Dillon picking up a concussion. This is important to consider given that Jones only received 8 touches vs. the Dolphins last week. It's unclear how much the Packers will lean on Jones. As such, we consider both Jones and Dillon low-end RB2/flex options in Week 17.
Packers WR Christian Watson (hip) logged limited practice participation on Friday and is listed as questionable for Week 17's game vs. the Vikings. It's certainly encouraging to see the rookie get in some work after not practicing on Wednesday or Thursday. Still, it's tough to say fantasy managers should expect him to play. Watson would be in the WR3 conversation if he does suit up in a great spot against a Vikings defense that ranks as the best matchup for opposing WRs in adjusted fantasy points allowed this season. The "didn't practice all week before Friday" part is where we get hung up. Prepare to make other plans for your roster on Sunday.
Browns RB Kareem Hunt (shoulder) logged full practice all week and carries no injury designation ahead of Week 17 vs. the Commanders. The veteran back has only tallied more than 10+ touches in 3 of the last 7 games. With minimal volume, it's tough to consider Hunt as anything but a desperation flex play. The Commanders' defense ranking as the 3rd-toughest matchup for opposing RBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed in 2022 doesn't help his case much either. There are likely better fantasy options than Hunt to choose from in the fantasy championship round.
Buccaneers WR Julio Jones (knee) was a limited practice participant all week and is officially questionable for Week 17 vs. the Panthers. We don't consider the veteran a fantasy-viable option even if he plays.
Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (quadriceps) practiced in full again on Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation for Week 17 vs. the Panthers. At first glance, Otton's 23 targets (8th-highest among TEs) since Week 13 pique some fantasy interest. Digging a little deeper, you'll find the rookie ranks 26th in target share (11.9%) with a mere 9.2% air yards share in that span. Otton is a decent speculative albeit unreliable TE streamer in Week 17 on raw volume alone, but that's about it.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara (quadriceps/NIR-personal) was a full participant on Friday and is set to play in Week 17 vs. the Eagles. Much has been made of Kamara's Instagram account being completely wiped and the fact he didn't practice at all until Friday. But as far as we know, the former Pro Bowler is going to suit up. 2022 has been an up-and-down journey for Kamara managers. However, 20+ touches over the last 2 weeks should inspire some confidence for strong volume if nothing else in a neutral matchup against the Eagles. Consider Kamara a low-end RB1 in Week 17.
Saints WR Chris Olave (hamstring) logged limited participation on Friday and carries a questionable tag ahead of Week 17 vs. the Eagles. The talented rookie only managed limited practice all week and missed last week's game with this same ailment. It looks like fantasy managers aren't going to know about the status of Olave until 90 minutes before kickoff on Sunday. It'll be tough to view Olave as anything more than a WR3/flex option if he does suit up against a brutally stingy Eagles secondary.
Eagles WR A.J. Brown (knee) practiced fully on Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation in advance of Week 17 vs. the Saints. Brown has been an elite fantasy option all season. Without QB Jalen Hurts last week vs. the Cowboys, he logged 103 receiving yards with 6 receptions on 8 targets from QB Gardner Minshew. There's no reason to believe Brown will slow down on Sunday. Fire him up with confidence in your lineups.
Eagles RB Miles Sanders (knee) finished the practice week with full participation on Friday. As a result, he doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Week 17 vs. the Saints. Sanders has disappointed the last 2 weeks with a combined 12.0 PPR points since Week 15. However, the former Penn State product had been the RB10 overall in PPR prior to that. We feel Sanders is much closer to that player this week and should be thought of as a low-end RB1 candidate with plenty of volume opportunity.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (right shoulder) is officially listed as doubtful for Week 17 vs. the Saints. Looks like fantasy managers are going to get another taste of backup QB Gardner Minshew on Sunday. Minshew had a strong top-12 fantasy outing against the Cowboys last week and should be able to continue with similar success this weekend. Consider Minshew a low-end QB1 in a neutral matchup vs. the Saints.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (toe) practiced in a limited fashion on Friday and is listed as questionable for Week 17 vs. the Texans. Assuming Lawrence plays this weekend, he's a quality QB1 option for fantasy managers. The second-year signal-caller ranks as PFF's 2nd-highest graded passer with a 107.7 passer rating that's the 3rd-best among QBs since Week 10. It's also worth mentioning the Texans' defense ranks as the 2nd-toughest matchup for opposing QBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed this season. Even with that caveat, it's tough to justify pivoting to a different QB in your lineup if you roster Lawrence.
Bears WR Chase Claypool (knee) logged limited practice on Friday and is officially listed as questionable for Week 17 vs. the Lions. The midseason acquisition hasn't appeared in a game since Week 13 vs. the Packers due to injury. Teammate WR Equanimeous St. Brown practiced fully and doesn't carry an injury designation, while WR Dante Pettis (ankle) is questionable. Despite a quality fantasy matchup against a Lions defense that ranks as the 4th-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs, it's wise to sit these wideouts in fantasy championships. The Bears and QB Justin Fields have only surpassed 200 passing yards in a game once this season. The only Bears pass-catcher that warrants fantasy consideration is TE Cole Kmet, best viewed as a low-end TE1.
Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis (shoulder) is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Panthers. Fellow CB Jamel Dean (toe) is questionable but finished the week with a full Friday practice after 2 limited workouts. He missed the previous 2 games. S Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle) and S Mike Edwards (hamstring) are also questionable after going limited all week. Each guy played through the same issue in last Sunday's win over the Cardinals. In Winfield's case, this week's practice run marked an upgrade. He sat out all 3 days last week before playing through a "questionable" tag. We'll update all the questionable CBs when Sunday's inactives arrive.
Commanders S Kamren Curl (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns. He put in limited practices all week after missing last Saturday's game at San Francisco. Curl will make for a risky IDP play this week if active.
Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins left Friday's practice with a knee injury that is expected to make him a game-time decision for Sunday against the Falcons, according to the team website. On top of that, Hopkins will also see his 4th QB of the season. Colt McCoy's concussion symptoms resurfaced Friday, meaning he'll miss the game. Arizona will start David Blough over Trace McSorley. Blough -- who started 5 games for the 2019 Lions -- will have been with the team less than 3 weeks come game time. The whole situation makes it tough to like any Cardinals pass-catchers for Week 17. We're not significantly downgrading the outlook for RB James Conner, however.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) suffered a setback in Wednesday's practice and won't play vs. the Broncos this weekend, HC Andy Reid said. "I'm not that worried about it," Reid added, which presumably means Hardman should at least be ready for the playoffs. JuJu Smith-Schuster remains the only reliable fantasy play in Kansas City's WR corps.
Cardinals QB Colt McCoy had his concussion symptoms return Friday and will not play Sunday against the Falcons, HC Kliff Kingsbury told reporters. The team will instead turn to QB David Blough for the Week 17 start. The former Lions backup opened this season on the Vikings practice squad, but Arizona plucked him for its active roster on Dec. 14. The Cardinals now clearly believe him to be the better option than Trace McSorley. Blough won't be a meaningful fantasy option, and he's likely a downgrade vs. McCoy for Arizona pass-catchers -- if only because he hasn't been with the team as long. Of course, we'll also see about the status of WR DeAndre Hopkins, who is now dealing with knee trouble.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (knee, ankle) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. That obviously doesn't hurt RB Brian Robinson's Week 17 fantasy profile, but it's worth noting that RB Jonathan Williams stepped into the passing-down role with Gibson banged up late in last week's loss to the 49ers. Robinson still doesn't project for big passing-game usage this weekend -- but he's a strong fantasy play based on his rushing upside against a bad Cleveland run defense.
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