Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (ankle) was limited in Tuesday's practice. He's expected back for Saturday night's Wild Card game vs. the Chiefs, but he likely won't be at 100% after suffering a high-ankle sprain on December 24.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert (knee, ankle) got in a limited practice on Tuesday. It's a good sign after he missed five of six practices over the previous two weeks. Mostert is expected back for Saturday night's Wild Card game vs. the Chiefs, but it's still unclear how big a workload he'll be ready to handle.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice (hamstring) was a full-go in Tuesday's practice. He didn't play in last week's meaningless regular-season finale but will be ready to rock for Saturday night's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) put in a full practice on Tuesday. He was held out of the meaningless finale but will be ready for workhorse duties in Saturday night's Wild Card game vs. the Dolphins. Pacheco sits atop this week's RB Rankings.
Browns WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) did not practice on Tuesday. He's more likely than not to miss Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Texans. Tillman has been a full-time player for Cleveland over the second half of the season and averaged 5.0 targets over the last seven games, so his absence would be felt. The rookie's snaps would likely go to some combination of WRs David Bell, James Proche, and Marquise Goodwin.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (heel, rest) did not practice on Tuesday. He's been taking early-week practices off for most of the season, so we wouldn't read too much into this. Cooper said last week that he expects to play in the Wild Card game vs. the Texans. We'll track his status over the next few days.
Texans WRs Robert Woods (hip) and Noah Brown (back) did not practice on Tuesday. Both guys missed the Week 18 win over the Colts and are iffy for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Browns. Their absences last week left John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson as Houston's No. 2 and 3 WRs -- although neither made an impact. WR Nico Collins hogged 35% of the targets and posted a big 9-195-1 line.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday that Edge T.J. Watt (knee) will miss Sunday's playoff game at Buffalo. That likely leaves rookie Nick Herbig as the playing-time leader in Watt's spot opposite Alex Highsmith.
The Titans fired HC Mike Vrabel. Tennessee went 41-24 over Vrabel's first four seasons, making the playoffs in 2019, 2020, and 2021. But the Titans won just 13 games total over the last two seasons and ranked bottom-5 in total offense both years. This offense might look a lot different in 2024, with a new coaching staff and potentially no Derrick Henry.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said Monday that he's "optimistic" that RB Raheem Mostert (knee, ankle) and WR Jaylen Waddle (ankle) will be back for Saturday night's Wild Card game vs. the Chiefs. Both guys missed the final two games of the regular season. We'll track their progress throughout the week. We have more concern about Waddle, who will be returning from a high-ankle sprain.
Dolphins RB De’Von Achane tallied 10 carries for 56 rushing yards and a TD in Week 18 vs. the Bills. The rookie also caught one pass and added 5 yards as a pass-catcher in Sunday night’s contest. Though injuries to Achane’s shoulder, knee, and toe limited him to 11 games in 2023, the speedster was able to finish as the RB5 in PPR points per game (17.3) and lead the league with a gaudy 7.8 yards per carry (YPC). To put that number into context, consider that Achane’s 7.8 YPC ranks first among all RBs with at least 100 carries over the past 20 seasons combined. The next closest player in that span is former Chiefs great Jamaal Charles’ 6.4 YPC in 2010. Injury concerns aside, there’s no dismissing the game-breaking, big-play capability that Achane demonstrated with the Dolphins this year. He won’t turn 23 until October of 2024 and should be considered as one of the most valuable, albeit volatile, dynasty RB assets moving forward.
Bills RB James Cook totaled 13 carries for 36 rushing yards with 3 catches for 16 receiving yards in Week 18 vs. the Dolphins. Sunday night's showing wasn't the most robust performance we've seen from the second-year back and marked the third straight game in which he'd finished a contest with fewer than 10 PPR points. Still, Cook made several improvements in his sophomore campaign. His overall opportunity share in Buffalo lept from 7.4% as a rookie in 2022 to 17.1% this year en route to finishing with the third-most total scrimmage yards (1,567) among RBs. Cook turns 25 in September and seems poised to hold onto the Bills' leading job moving forward. That should help him maintain firm RB2-level value in dynasty formats into 2024.
Bills QB Josh Allen completed 30 of 38 passes for 359 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 18 vs. the Dolphins. The veteran also led the team with 67 rushing yards on 13 carries in Sunday night’s contest. 2023 was a strange season for Allen. Despite ranking second in the NFL with a career-high 18 INTs, he was able to finish as the QB1 overall in six points per passing TD scoring. Allen was able to offset his turnover issues by tallying 15 rushing TDs (tied with Jalen Hurts for first among QBs) and finishing fourth in passing yards (4,306). However, it’s also worth noting that Allen’s completion rate on 20+-yard passes (30.6%) in 2023 ranks as his lowest mark over the past three seasons. There are subtle reasons to be concerned about Allen and the Bills’ offense moving forward, but nothing major enough to sway dynasty managers from valuing him as one of the top QB assets. Allen is still a major stud.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that WR Jameson Williams (ankle, illness) should be "good to go" for this weekend's Wild Card game vs. the Rams. Williams was coming on before missing Week 18, catching 11 of 16 targets for 159 yards over the previous three games. He's taken on even more importance for the Lions offense with TE Sam LaPorta likely out at least this week.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said Monday he's "hopeful" WRs A.J. Brown (knee) and DeVonta Smith (ankle) will be ready for Monday night's game against the Buccaneers. Brown left Sunday's loss to the Giants early. Smith went inactive. We'll see about the practice participation for both players this week and watch for updates on their outlooks.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that there's an "outside chance" that TE Sam LaPorta (knee) plays vs. the Rams on Sunday. The rookie has reportedly been diagnosed with a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise. National insiders and medical experts that we trust believe that LaPorta will miss at least one game, if not more. We'll track his progress throughout the week but will start off projecting him to miss Sunday's game.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Bills WR Gabriel Davis sprained the PCL in his left knee in Sunday night's win over the Dolphins. The injury is "not considered major," but Davis' status is reportedly uncertain for Sunday's playoff opener against the Steelers. We'll see how Davis fares through the practice week. He'll be a risky pick for NFL playoffs fantasy football drafts this week. But we also like the chances of the second-seeded Bills to play at least two games -- with a shot at four if they reach the Super Bowl. Watch for the knee concern to push Davis down those draft boards and potentially turn him into a value pick.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers told reporters on Monday that he's hoping to play "more than just next year." He admitted that he originally planned on making 2023 his last season when he was traded to the Jets, but "then I got out here, realized how much fun I was having, kinda falling back in love with the game." Rodgers turned 40 in December and is working his way back from a serious injury, so we certainly wouldn't consider him a lock to play in 2025. But the passion is nice to hear. We'll continue to track his rehab from that torn Achilles.
X-rays found no fracture in QB Jalen Hurts' injured right middle finger, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hurts dislocated the finger and says he's taking it "day by day," heading into next Monday night's playoff opener. We're betting Hurts will play but will certainly watch for more on his outlook this week.
The Panthers fired GM Scott Fitterer on Monday. It’s not much of a surprise. Owner David Tepper fired HC Frank Reich after a 1-10 start, and the team proceeded to win only one more game. Overall, Carolina went 14-37 across three seasons with Fitterer as GM. A lack of progress from Bryce Young will make this job challenging for any incoming GM. Of course, the Panthers will also be without a Round 1 pick this year after trading up for Young. We’ll monitor potential HC/GM candidates in the coming weeks.
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