Titans RB Tyjae Spears (concussion) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Texans. That leaves the backfield to RB Tony Pollard, who has averaged 21.3 carries and 4.3 targets in three games without Spears earlier this season. Despite the difficult matchup, Pollard is a strong RB2 play this week.
Panthers K Eddy Pineiro (knee) is questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Chiefs. He was added to the injury report on Thursday and did not practice on Friday. We’ll see if Carolina adds another kicker to the roster before Sunday, but you should stay far away from the situation in Week 12 fantasy lineups.
Panthers WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs. HC Dave Canales said Friday, though, that Thielen will play. He’d be a desperation fantasy start against Kansas City’s 10th-ranked WR defense. WR Jalen Coker (quad) was added to the injury report and did not practice on Friday. He’s listed as questionable and should not be in Week 12 fantasy lineups.
Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) was a full-go in practice this week. He’s listed as questionable, but HC Dave Canales said Friday that Brooks is “absolutely” playing against the Chiefs this weekend. RB Miles Sanders (ankle) is out for that one, which clears the way for Brooks to be Carolina’s No. 2 RB. But we’re not expecting him to see a ton of volume behind Chuba Hubbard in his NFL debut. And the matchup is brutal against Kansas City’s top-ranked RB defense.
Giants WR Malik Nabers is not practicing on Thursday due to a groin injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a new injury for Nabers, who wasn't listed on the injury report Wednesday or Thursday. We'll look for further updates on the rookie and see how he's listed on the final injury report later today.
Former Giants QB Daniel Jones has been granted his release from the team after being demoted to QB3 on the team over their bye week. His large contract makes it likely that Jones will last through waivers but if he hits open free agency, there should be plenty of interest with the current NFL QB landscape.
49ers GM John Lynch said Friday morning that QB Brock Purdy had an MRI on his right shoulder. "Feel good about where it is from that standpoint," Lynch said. But he stopped short of saying that Purdy will play vs. the Packers this weekend. "Brock will show up here today, see where he goes from practice, go forth accordingly," Lynch said. He added that QB Brandon Allen would get the start if Purdy is out but that QB Josh Dobbs would also "be ready." We'll update Purdy's status again this afternoon.
Steelers RB Jaylen Warren led the team with 45 rushing yards and scored Pittsburgh's only rushing TD in Thursday night's loss to the Browns. Warren was out-carried 16 to 11 by RB Najee Harris but averaged 4.1 yards per carry to Harris' 2.6. Warren also out-targeted Harris five to two. And, for the first time all season, Warren out-snapped Harris (57% to 40%). Much of that advantage came on passing downs, with Warren running 19 routes to Harris' 10. But Warren still edged Harris in snaps 20 to 17 otherwise.
Browns RB Nick Chubb carried 20 times for 59 yards and two TDs in Thursday night's win over the Steelers. He caught his only target for one yard. Chubb got Cleveland on the board with a two-yard score in the second quarter. Then he punched in another two-yard TD with under a minute to go to give the Browns a 24-19 lead. In between, Chubb struggled to get much going. His longest run of the night went for just seven yards.
Browns WR Jerry Jeudy caught six balls for 85 yards in Thursday night's upset win over the Steelers. It was an excellent result considering the conditions. The first half was played in significant wind; the second in heavy snow. Jeudy accounted for 39% of QB Jameis Winston's 219 passing yards. His six targets led the team and were a 22% share. Jeudy didn't seem limited by the weather, creating separation throughout the night and catching all of his targets. He made key grabs to convert a 4th-and-3 and a 3rd-and-6 on Cleveland's game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
Browns WR Cedric Tillman exited for a concussion check at the end of the third quarter of Thursday night's game vs. the Steelers. He stumbled after taking a big hit before heading into the blue medical tent and eventually back to the locker room. Tillman was deemed questionable to return but never did. He's likely in concussion protocol, but we'll look for confirmation. Tillman would at least have 11 days to get cleared for a Week 13 Monday nighter vs. the Broncos.
Update: HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed after the game that Tillman is in concussion protocol.
Ravens RB Justice Hill (concussion) was limited in Thursday's practice. It's the first we've heard of him being in the protocol, but getting in a limited practice on Thursday puts him on track to be cleared in time for Monday night's game vs. the Chargers. We'll keep you updated on Hill's progress.
Chargers WR Ladd McConkey (shoulder) did not practice on Thursday. He banged his shoulder in last week's game vs. the Bengals but was able to return. We're tentatively expecting him to play vs. the Ravens on Monday night, but we'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He played through a hamstring issue last week, but his status for Sunday night's game vs. the Rams is worth checking back on when we get Philly's final injury report on Friday afternoon.
Raiders RBs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) remained sidelined on Thursday. It's looking like we'll see a Vegas backfield of Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube, and likely practice squad call-up Sincere McCormick against the Broncos on Sunday. We'll look for reports on how work will be divvied, but it's a situation to try to avoid in fantasy lineups.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (hamstring) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. He's on track to play against the Giants this weekend, although OC Liam Coen said Thursday that he's not sure yet if Evans will be a full-go. "It’s just gonna be hard to tell … how much is he gonna be able to go, if he can go? I don’t know," Coen said. We'll look for further updates on Evans' status for this one. For now, he's shaping up as a risk/reward WR2 play.
Bears RB D'Andre Swift (groin) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That should put him on track to play against the Vikings this weekend, but we'll see how Swift is listed on Friday's final injury report.
The forecast for tonight's Steelers-Browns game calls for temperatures just above freezing, 85% chance of precipitation, and winds of 15-20 mph with gusts of 25-30 mph. That's ugly. Expect an even run-heavier game plan from the Steelers than usual and for the Browns to run more than they typically do. And don't expect many points. This game has 36.5-point over/under. We'd avoid both QBs and kickers in the game and downgrade the WRs. See where all the Steelers and Browns sit in the updated Week 12 Rankings.
49ers QB Brock Purdy (shoulder) was officially limited again in Thursday's practice. According to insider Grant Cohn, Purdy tried to warm up at the start of practice but was clearly uncomfortable and then headed inside with trainers. "He was still limited today," HC Kyle Shanahan said afterward. "He didn't do as much yesterday but did a little bit more today. He went out there and did a little bit then went back in about halfway through and rested up. Hopefully it will be feeling great on Sunday." We're certainly more worried about Purdy's Week 12 status now than we were at this point yesterday. We'll update the situation again on Friday. QB Brandon Allen would likely get the start vs. the Packers this weekend if Purdy is out.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (back, foot) did not practice on Thursday. That followed a limited workout on Wednesday. Lamb played through the back issue vs. Houston on Monday night, but the foot is new. We'll look for more info on his status and see how he's listed on Friday's final injury report.
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