Eagles RB Miles Sanders (hand) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. Washington. RB Jordan Howard (stinger) is listed as questionable after getting in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. If Howard is able to play this weekend, he’d likely split backfield work with Boston Scott. If Howard is out, Scott becomes a strong RB2 play.
Giants WR Kadarius Toney (shoulder) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Bears. WRs Darius Slayton, John Ross and Collin Johnson are also out, leaving Pharoh Cooper, David Sills and Alex Bachman behind Kenny Golladay on the WR depth chart. Golladay still isn’t a bankable fantasy play with Jake Fromm or Mike Glennon under center.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy was placed on the COVID list on Friday, making him a long shot to play vs. the Chargers on Sunday. WR Tim Patrick is also on the COVID list, so Denver will likely be down to WRs Courtland Sutton, Kendall Hinton and Diontae Spencer. Sutton and TEs Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam should get target boosts this weekend, but it's still tough to get excited about any of them with QB Drew Lock.
Bills WR Emmanuel Sanders (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. After a limited workout on Wednesday, he didn't practice on Thursday or Friday. So it looks like Sanders is in real danger of missing this one. His absence would turn WR Gabriel Davis into a full-time player -- and an intriguing fantasy option vs. the #29 WR defense.
Bucs interim HC Harold Goodwin said Friday that WR Antonio Brown "tweaked" his ankle in practice this week. Brown went from a limited practice on Wednesday to no practice on Thursday, so it seems like that tweak happened on Wednesday. Goodwin added that it's "possible" that Brown is able to play this week. We'll see what he does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.
Lions HC Dan Campbell called QB Jared Goff (knee) "doubtful" to play vs. the Seahawks on Sunday. That figures to mean another start for QB Tim Boyle, who was at least good enough to feed WR Amon-Ra St. Brown 9 catches on 11 targets for 91 yards and a score last week. St. Brown remains a solid Week 17 fantasy play.
Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault has been activated from the COVID list. He should be back for Sunday's game vs. the Patriots but should not be in fantasy lineups.
The Buccaneers on Friday activated WR Mike Evans from the COVID list. That makes him eligible to play Sunday against the Jets, but we still need to see about the hamstring injury that cost him last week's game.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has tested positive for COVID and will miss Sunday night's game against the Packers. That leaves Kellen Mond and Kyle Sloter as the only 2 QBs available. Combine that with a forecast of 5 degrees at kickoff on Sunday night, and Minnesota's offense does not look like a good source for passing-game upside this week. Justin Jefferson will still belong in most lineups, but you should be able to find better options than players such as WR K.J. Osborn and TE Tyler Conklin.
Update: ESPN's Courtney Cronin reports that QB Sean Mannion is expected to be activated from the COVID list today and is expected to start against Green Bay.
Washington RB Antonio Gibson has been placed on the COVID list. He's a long shot to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. Gibson's absence will leave Washington with RBs Jaret Patterson and Jonathan Williams on the active roster. RB Wendell Smallwood will likely be elevated from the practice squad. We'd expect Patterson and Williams to split most of the rushing work, with Smallwood potentially playing on passing downs. In other words, it's a situation to avoid in Week 17 fantasy lineups.
It doesn't sound like the Lions plan to limit RB D'Andre Swift in his first game back from a shoulder injury. "We're not going to put him out there until he's healthy and we feel like he's going to be ready to go this week, and he's been wanting to go," HC Dan Campbell said Wednesday. "We feel like we're in a place where, 'Let's go. Cut him loose and let him continue to grow and get better.'" There's still a chance Detroit's plans change mid-game -- or that Swift aggravates the shoulder injury. But there's also a good chance he steps right back into the role that made him a top-10 fantasy RB over the first 11 weeks of the season.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (concussion) put in a full practice on Thursday. He's on track to return for Monday night's game vs. the Browns, barring a setback between now and then. Freiermuth averaged just 3.7 targets and 3 catches over his last 3 healthy games, so he's a fringe fantasy option.
Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (hamstring) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. We'll see what he does tomorrow, but anything less than a full practice would make him tough to trust in Week 17 fantasy lineups.
Cardinals RB James Conner (heel) missed practice again on Thursday. Beat writers saw him on the field for the start of practice, but he evidently didn't do enough to even earn a "limited" tag. Fantasy owners can't be counting on Conner playing vs. the Cowboys this weekend at this point, but we'll get another update on his status tomorrow.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) remained limited on Thursday. His status for this weekend's game vs. Houston is still uncertain. Check back tomorrow for another update.
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb) missed his 2nd straight practice on Thursday. We continue to expect QB Trey Lance to start this weekend's game vs. the Texans, but we'll get another update on Jimmy G tomorrow.
Washington RB Antonio Gibson (hip) did not practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. It's unclear if he suffered a setback or just got the day off. We'll learn more tomorrow.
Eagles RB Jordan Howard (stinger) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. It gives him a shot to play vs. Washington this weekend. We'll see what Howard does in Friday's practice and how he's listed on the final injury report.
Titans WR A.J. Brown was added to the injury report with a calf and did not practice on Thursday. "All indications are it’s more precautionary than anything and he’s on track to play Sunday," NFL Network's Mike Garafolo tweeted. Brown can stay penciled into Week 17 fantasy lineups for now, but check back tomorrow for another update on his status.
Bucs WR Antonio Brown (ankle) did not practice on Thursday. It's a change from last week, when he put in 3 limited practices. This was likely a maintenance day for Brown, but check back tomorrow for another update on his status.
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