Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) returned to a limited practice on Wednesday -- his first since going down in Week 10. We'll see if Brown is able to make it back for Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He'd be tough to trust in Week 13 fantasy lineups, though, assuming Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Robert Woods all play.
Texans TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. It's the first we've heard of the injury -- but might explain why his playing time plummeted in last week's loss to the Jaguars. We'll see if Schultz is able to get back on the field tomorrow. Brevin Jordan would likely operate as Houston's lead TE vs. Denver this weekend if Schultz is out.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (groin) did not practice on Wednesday. HC Sean Payton said afterward that he expects Jeudy to practice later this week, which would seemingly put him on track to play vs. the Texans on Sunday. We'll keep you updated on Jeudy's status.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith is not listed on the Week 13 injury report. He played through an elbow/tricep injury on Thanksgiving night, mustering just 180 passing yards, 0 TDs, and one INT. It's tough to say whether the injury or San Francisco's defense was the bigger culprit. Regardless, the injury is evidently no longer an issue heading into Thursday night's game vs. the Cowboys. Smith, however, still sits well outside QB1 territory in the Week 13 Rankings.
Seahawks RB Ken Walker (oblique) did not practice all week and is listed as doubtful for Thursday night's game vs. the Cowboys. Only two players listed as doubtful across the entire league have wound up playing this year (Maxx Crosby and Darius Slayton, both last week). Walker obviously needs to be on fantasy benches. His absence should mean another feature-back role for Zach Charbonnet, who played 88% of Seattle's offensive snaps and handled 18 of 21 RB opportunities last week. See where Charbonnet lands in the Week 13 RB Rankings.
Browns QB Joe Flacco has been getting first-team reps in practice and "could start" this weekend's game vs. the Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is in concussion protocol -- and hasn't been good in his three starts. QB P.J. Walker has been just as bad. Flacco just joined the Browns 10 days ago but is likely the team's best passer. He completed 58% of his passes at 5.5 yards per attempt with five TDs and three INTs in five appearances for the Jets last year. That included outings of 309 and 307 passing yards in the first two weeks of the season. Flacco is not a viable Week 13 fantasy play, but we'd consider him a slight upgrade for Cleveland's skill-position players.
Texans WR Tank Dell missed Wednesday's practice with a calf injury. He had imaging done on the calf after last week's loss to the Jaguars, per insider Aaron Wilson, but the injury is considered "relatively minor," and Dell is expected to play vs. the Broncos this weekend. We'll keep an eye on the rookie over the next few days, but he can stay penciled into Week 13 fantasy lineups.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) has been designated to return from IR. It means he'll be back on the practice field this week. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on Sunday that Rodgers is still targeting a Week 16 return -- but we remain skeptical that he'll play again this season for a Jets team without a realistic chance to make the playoffs. We'll keep you updated on the situation. If Rodgers does return, it'd be excellent news for the late-season fantasy prospects of RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson.
Seahawks RB Ken Walker (oblique) did not practice on Tuesday. He's seemingly unlikely to play vs. the Cowboys on Thursday night, which would mean another game as feature back for Zach Charbonnet. The rookie played 88% of Seattle's offensive snaps last week and handled 18 of 21 RB opportunities. Our current Week 13 RB Rankings assume Walker is out on Thursday.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor needs thumb surgery, according to James Boyd of The Athletic. Owner Jim Irsay says the "hope" is that he can return in two to three weeks. That means you should expect Taylor to miss at least this week's game against the Titans and the Week 14 visit to Cincinnati. It also means there's no guarantee Taylor will return. RB Zack Moss should be on a roster in every league by this weekend and could be a season-changer. If he's available in your league, there's no bid amount too high -- especially if you need a RB. Trey Sermon sits behind Moss on the depth chart, but the backfield has belonged to Moss when Taylor missed time earlier this year. Taylor should obviously be kept as well, in case he does miss just the two games.
The Vikings are activating WR Justin Jefferson from IR. He's been out since Week 5 with a hamstring injury but should be ready to play after the team's Week 13 bye. We'll see who's playing QB when Minnesota returns.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said after Monday night's loss to the Bears that he'll consider making a QB change over the bye week. QB Josh Dobbs was horrible in the loss, throwing for just 185 yards with one TD and four INTs. "We're going to take a look, you know really evaluate the inventory of plays now we have of Josh," O'Connell said. "As much as the turnovers absolutely cripple you, offensively, I still thought Josh battled, no flinch, and just kept playing and competing to try to help us win. I really credit him doing that, it's hard to do on a night where you've turned the football over." Dobbs, of course, played well in his first three games with Minnesota, completing 66% of his passes with four TDs and one INT. Considering that -- and the fact that the Vikings' other QB options are Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall -- we're expecting Dobbs to at least start Week 14's meeting with the Raiders. But we'll keep you updated on O'Connell's decision.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Colts RB Jonathan Taylor suffered a thumb injury in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers that "puts his status in doubt going forward." Taylor reportedly played the entire second half after suffering the injury. But he's now headed for further evaluation "with all options considered." We'll obviously be watching this one closely. In the meantime, Zack Moss deserves to be claimed anywhere he might be available. You can find more potential insurance pickups among our Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups and via your Free Agent Finder.
The Dolphins are signing Edge Jason Pierre-Paul from the Saints' practice squad, in the wake of Edge Jaelan Phillips' season-ending Achilles' tear. That means Miami will need to keep JPP on the active roster. We'd still bet on the veteran playing a small role, though, likely trailing at least Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Emmanuel Ogbah in snaps among edge players.
Though Week 12's showdown between the Bears and Vikings didn't provide much entertainment, it did shed some light on Chicago's backfield situation. Rookie RB Roschon Johnson ended Monday night with a season-high 75 scrimmage yards on 15 touches. He played on 74.6% of the team's snaps, including all 13 third-down situations. Before this contest, Johnson had never played on over 50% of the Bears' offensive snaps and had just two games with more than 10 touches. His teammate and typical starter Khalil Herbert took a back seat and only played on 15 snaps in the game, seeing 6 carries and 2 catches for a combined 38 yards. Herbert did start but got less than half as many snaps as he played in his Week 11 return from IR -- despite D'Onta Foreman being inactive -- and lost work as a runner and receiver. And there's been no indication of a re-injury or other physical limitation for Herbert. It's just one game, but we'll have to at least enter Week 14 (after the bye) assuming Johnson will now work ahead of Herbert. We'll see about Foreman's availability, after he managed two limited practices ahead of Monday night's game.
Saints WR Rashid Shaheed (quad) is "likely" to miss Sunday's game against the Lions, according to insider Nick Underhill. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport adds that Shaheed avoided a major injury, so he can stay stashed on benches in deeper fantasy leagues. WR Chris Olave is also iffy for Week 13 with his concussion, which could leave A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood, and Lynn Bowden as New Orleans' top three WRs. We'd expect to see a lot of Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, and Juwan Johnson in that case.
The Texans released K Matt Ammendola. K Ka'imi Fairbairn still has at least one more game on IR with his quad injury, so we'll see what Houston plans to do at kicker for this weekend's game vs. the Broncos.
Bengals LB Logan Wilson left Sunday's loss to the Steelers with a sprained ankle. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports it's merely a "minor" low-ankle injury, though. That's positive news for Wilson's chances of a quick return. We'll watch his status leading up to Monday's visit to Jacksonville.
Monday's MRI revealed no structural damage in Browns Edge Myles Garrett's injured left shoulder, according to multiple reports. HC Kevin Stefanski called Garrett day-to-day and indicated he's optimistic for Garrett's chances of playing Sunday against the Rams. We'll watch Garrett's status throughout the week, and you should make sure to have an insurance option. But it sounds like we'll have Garrett for IDP lineups.
Bears RB D'Onta Foreman (ankle, shin) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Vikings. RBs Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, and Travis Homer are dressed for Chicago. Herbert should handle the majority of the early-down work, with Johnson spelling him on passing downs in particular.
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