Steelers RB Najee Harris managed just 48 scoreless yards in Thursday night's loss to the Patriots. The knee issue that had him questionable coming in wasn't a noticeable problem -- and didn't impact Harris' usage. He played 57% of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps and out-carried RB Jaylen Warren 12 to seven. This was simply a case of a solid Patriots run defense showing no respect to QB Mitchell Trubisky and loading up to stop the Steelers' ground game. Harris averaged just 2.4 yards per carry; Warren was even worse at 1.6. The good news is that Harris and Warren get much softer matchups the next three weeks against the Colts, Bengals, and Seahawks, who rank 30th, 17th, and 23rd in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs. The bad news is that Trubisky will likely be under center for at least one and maybe all three of those games.
With RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) sidelined, Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott got workhorse usage in Thursday night's win over the Steelers. Zeke played 91% of New England's offensive snaps and handled a whopping 30 of 32 RB opportunities. (RB Ty Montgomery got two targets.) Elliott didn't find much running room but compiled 68 yards on his 22 carries. He was much more effective as a receiver, catching seven of eight targets for 72 yards and the game's first TD. The end result was 140 total yards and the score, which will surely make Elliott a top-12 fantasy RB on the week. It's worth noting that the Patriots played with the lead for 56 minutes of this game, helping Elliott's volume. We can't expect that going forward. But with this type of playing time and opportunity share, Zeke looks like at least a weekly RB2 until Stevenson returns, which is unlikely to happen for at least another game or two.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said Friday morning that QB Trevor Lawrence (ankle) will be listed as questionable and "probably" be a game-time decision for Sunday's tilt with the Browns. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Lawrence looked good throwing on Thursday and that "no one is counting him out" for this weekend's game. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation. A gimpy Lawrence vs. a tough Cleveland defense in a game with potentially bad weather wouldn't be a recommended QB1 play. But his presence would be good news for Jacksonville's skill-position players.
Update: Lawrence was limited again in Friday's practice and is officially listed as questionable.
Steelers Edge Alex Highsmith left in the first half of Thursday night's game against the Patriots with a neck injury. The team ruled him out for the game before halftime. We'll see about his status for Week 15 and beyond.
Packers WR Christian Watson (hamstring) did not practice on Thursday. He told reporters that this hamstring injury isn't as bad as the one that cost him the first three games of the season. But he's still unlikely to play vs. the Giants on Monday night. That'll leave Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks as Green Bay's top three WRs.
Packers RB Aaron Jones (knee) put in a limited practice on Thursday. That seemingly gives him a shot to return for Monday night's game vs. the Giants. We'll track Jones' status over the next few days.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. That sets him up to return for this weekend's game vs. the Bills. McKinnon's status has taken on increased importance with RB Isiah Pacheco dealing with a shoulder injury.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith was added to the injury report and limited in practice on Thursday with a groin issue. We don't have any other details on the situation. We'll see what Smith does in Friday's practice and how he's listed on the final injury report. Of course, he was already a shaky Week 14 fantasy play vs. San Francisco's fifth-ranked QB defense.
Seahawks RBs Ken Walker (oblique) and Zach Charbonnet (knee) were both limited in Thursday's practice. That gives both guys a shot to play vs. the 49ers this weekend. We'll see what they do on Friday and how they're listed on the final injury report.
Texans TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) did not practice on Thursday. That followed a limited workout on Wednesday. It's unclear whether this was a planned day off or if Schultz suffered a setback. We'll learn more tomorrow.
Browns TE David Njoku (knee) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He's taken every Wednesday off since Week 8, but this is the first time he's also missed Thursday. We'll see if Njoku gets on the field tomorrow and how he's listed on the final injury report for this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He evidently hasn't given up on playing vs. the Browns this weekend. We'll see what Lawrence does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson missed Thursday's practice with an illness. This is unlikely to keep him out of this weekend's game vs. the Rams, but Jackson's status is worth checking back on tomorrow afternoon.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Steelers. He joins WRs Demario Douglas (concussion) and Kayshon Boutte (shoulder) on the sidelines for this one. That leaves New England with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, and special-teamer Matthew Slater as the only four active WRs. It remains a situation to avoid with the Patriots sporting a 12.25-point implied total.
Steelers RB Najee Harris (knee) is active for tonight's game vs. the Patriots. He didn't practice at all on the short week due to a knee issue that he's been managing throughout the season, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's unclear if Harris' workload will be scaled back tonight. See where he sits in the Week 14 RB Rankings as you weigh Harris against your other options.
NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reports that Steelers LB Elandon Roberts will play tonight against the Patriots. Roberts turned up questionable despite injuring his groin early in Sunday's contest and quickly being ruled out. Roberts managed limited practices the past two days. We'd still be a little wary of using him this week, with the risk of re-injury. But Roberts does appear in our Week 14 LB rankings. We've also nudged LB Mykal Walker down.
Update: Roberts is officially active.
Jets RB Breece Hall (ankle) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He told reporters afterward, though, that he expects to play vs. the Texans this weekend. Hall can stay penciled into Week 14 fantasy lineups for now. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley hinted that RB Austin Ekeler might start losing carries. "Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening," Staley said Wednesday. "We're going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I've been talking about. That's certainly one way to do it." Ekeler has been consistently inefficient since returning from his high-ankle sprain, topping 3.5 yards per carry in just one of eight games. He's averaged 3.0 yards per carry across those outings. RB Joshua Kelley has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over that same span. We could see Kelley stealing a handful of carries from Ekeler in Sunday's game vs. the Broncos -- although Ekeler should continue to dominate passing-down work.
Buccaneers OC Dave Canales told reporters Thursday that he has to do a better job of getting the ball to WR Chris Godwin. That, of course, comes after Godwin went catchless on 3 targets in a narrow Week 13 victory over Carolina. HC Todd Bowles previously pointed to Godwin being banged up when asked about the WR's quiet day, but Godwin saw no decrease in playing time. Canales also said that Godwin did a good job of preparing himself for that game. The coach called Godwin "magic with the ball" and said he's "not satisfied with how we're using Chris in our offense." Canales indicated he needs to get more quick passes schemed to the veteran. Don't get overly excited this week about Godwin, who has 1 TD catch all year and is averaging his fewest receptions per game (4.4) since 2018, his second year in the league. But Godwin gets a rematch with Atlanta. He drew a season-high 12 targets in the first meeting and posted a 6-66 receiving line. Godwin looks like a WR3 option in PPR leagues for Week 14, with upside into WR2 range.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) will miss practice again on Thursday, HC Andy Reid said. There was no other update on Pacheco's injury or status for this weekend's game vs. the Bills. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow. RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) seems to be trending toward returning for Sunday's game.
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