The Chargers on Wednesday placed WR Mike Williams on the COVID list. He, of course, joins teammate WR Keenan Allen, potentially leaving QB Justin Herbert down his top 2 wideouts for Sunday's game against the Giants. We'll keep an eye on the situations for both players. Jalen Guyton and Joshua Palmer look like the next 2 WRs up. RB Austin Ekeler, TE Jared Cook and even TE Donald Parham could all be in for more targets, though, if Williams and Allen both miss the game. On defense, the Chargers also placed CB Chris Harris Jr. on the COVID list. That might be more interesting for fantasy purposes if the Giants weren't down to their 3rd QB.
Update: HC Brandon Staley says Williams and Harris are on the list merely as close contacts. That means each player can make it back for Sunday's game as long as he continues to test negative.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott told reporters on Wednesday that his injured knee is expected to be back to 100% in 3-4 weeks. That doesn't help fantasy owners much -- but it would mean that Elliott is healthy for the NFL playoffs. Zeke also confirmed that he'll play through the nagging issue in the meantime. "You’re going to have to drag me off of the field," he said. A plodding Elliott is just a lower-end RB2 in fantasy lineups right now.
Vikings WR Adam Thielen (ankle) is out for Thursday night's game against the Steelers. No surprise there. Reportedly dealing with a high-ankle sprain, Thielen figures to miss multiple games. K.J. Osborn will step in as Minnesota's #2 WR vs. Pittsburgh and is in the WR3 mix for Week 14.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Steelers. He put in limited practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. Week 15 was believed to be the best-case scenario for Cook's return from his torn labrum, so we'd be surprised if he ended up playing in this one. But we'll find out for sure when Minnesota's inactives are released around 7 pm ET tomorrow.
Saints RB Mark Ingram has landed on the COVID list. He's reportedly vaccinated, giving him an outside shot to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Jets. Ingram wasn't much of a fantasy option with RB Alvin Kamara slated to return from his knee injury. But his absence might mean a few extra touches for Kamara.
The Packers have designated CB Jaire Alexander to return from IR. HC Matt LaFleur told reporters Wednesday that Alexander would be taking part in individual drills only, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. Alexander has been out since Week 4 with a shoulder injury, so we wouldn't be surprised if he's not quite ready for Sunday night's game against the Bears. Green Bay has 3 weeks now to decide whether to return their lead CB to the active roster or deactivate him for the season. When/if Alexander does return, it would likely push CB Rasul Douglas to a reserve role.
Bears HC Matt Nagy told reporters Wednesday that doctors have cleared QB Justin Fields to return from his rib injury and that the rookie will start Sunday night at Green Bay. We're not sure Fields' return significantly impacts the fantasy outlook for any Chicago skill-position players, especially against a Packers D that has been a tough matchup for opponent passing games. But Fields' play had been improving just before the injury, so this should be a positive turn overall.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow told reporters Wednesday that the pinky he injured in last week's loss to the Chargers is "feeling better." He added that he's dealing with a "little bit of swelling" and will be limited in Wednesday's practice. Burrow still expects to play vs. the 49ers on Sunday, but we'll keep a close eye on him over the next few days.
Jets RB Tevin Coleman is in concussion protocol, HC Robert Saleh said Wednesday. So Coleman is suddenly iffy for this weekend's game vs. the Saints. He's operated as New York's lead back the past 2 weeks, ahead of RBs Ty Johnson and Austin Walter. RB Michael Carter (ankle) isn't eligible to come off IR until Week 15.
Jets WR Elijah Moore is "day to day" with a quad injury, HC Robert Saleh said Wednesday. Saleh added that he's "hopeful" Moore will be able to play vs. the Saints on Sunday but will know more by the end of the week. We'll keep a close eye on Moore's practice participation over the next few days. The rookie ranks 2nd among WRs in half-PPR points over the last 5 weeks.
Washington DE Montez Sweat has tested positive for COVID and will miss at least the next 10 days, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That mandated timeline comes because Sweat is not vaccinated. He'll miss at least Sunday's game against Dallas. We'll see about his availability for a Week 15 clash with Philadelphia. Sweat had been slated to return after missing the past 4 games with a jaw fracture.
Washington is placing TE Logan Thomas (knee) on IR. It's his 2nd trip to IR, which ends his 2021 season. We're still waiting for more details on Thomas' knee injury and whether it'll impact his 2022 campaign. It'll be rookie John Bates and Ricky Seals-Jones, who seems close to returning from his hip injury, at TE for Washington the rest of the way.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara (knee) is expected back for Sunday's game vs. the Jets, according to insider Jeff Duncan. Kamara has been sidelined since spraining an MCL in Week 9. He'll carry some added risk in his first game back, but the matchup against the league's 32nd-ranked RB defense makes Kamara nearly impossible to bench in fantasy.
Seahawks S Jamal Adams will need season-ending shoulder surgery. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Adams tore the labrum in his left shoulder Sunday and "suffered additional damage." It's the same shoulder in which Adams tore the labrum last year and required surgery. Rapoport says Adams is expected to fully recover ahead of the 2022 campaign. Ryan Neal filled in for Adams against the 49ers and looks like the replacement going forward.
The Titans on Tuesday activated S Kevin Byard from the COVID list, which means he'll be ready for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Bengals expect LB Logan Wilson to "miss an extended period of time" with the shoulder injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. According to Fowler, the team hopes it'll just be a game or 2, "but it's probably going to be longer than that." It sounds like Wilson will be droppable in tight-roster leagues. We'll see how Wilson progresses. Germaine Pratt should run as Cincinnati's lead LB in Wilson's absence. Joe Bachie filled in as the #2 vs. the Chargers.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant in Tuesday's practice. It's unclear exactly how much he did, and we'd still be shocked if he played vs. the Steelers on Thursday night. But this at least has him trending toward a Week 15 return.
Browns TE David Njoku has been placed on the COVID list. That makes him unlikely to be available for Sunday's game vs. the Ravens. Njoku has averaged 3.3 targets per game this season, so his absence would be a slight boost to guys like Austin Hooper and Jarvis Landry.
Washington HC Ron Rivera said Monday that he expects DE Montez Sweat (broken jaw) and S Landon Collins (foot) to be cleared to return to practice this week. Sweat has missed the past 4 games with his injury. Collins missed Sunday's win over the Raiders with an injury he suffered late in the previous week's win over Seattle. We'll keep an eye on the statuses of both players through the week, but it seems they'll be back in play for IDP consideration for Sunday's upside matchup with Dallas.
Washington QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his hip, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That officially ends Fitzpatrick's season. We'll keep an eye on his rehab and see if the 39-year-old wants to continue his football career. He'll hit the free-agent market in March.
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