49ers WR Deebo Samuel is questionable to return to Saturday's game with a shoulder injury. He missed two games with a shoulder issue earlier this season. We'll see if he's able to return in the second half.
Update: Samuel was ruled out in the second half.
Packers RB A.J. Dillon (thumb, neck) is inactive for tonight's Divisional Round game vs. the 49ers. That should again leave RB Aaron Jones in a workhorse role. He's totaled 84 carries and 10 targets over his last four games.
The Raiders removed the interim label from Antonio Pierce, naming the 45-year-old their new HC. Pierce took over as interim HC of a 3-5 Raiders team this past season and proceeded to go 5-4 the rest of the way. Vegas' points per game rose from 15.8 pre-Pierce to 22.9 after Pierce took over. While Pierce talked a lot about his love of running the rock, the Raiders' neutral run rate actually sunk from 43.1% to 41.4% in Pierce's nine games. He did ride a workhorse RB in all of those games, though -- first Josh Jacobs and then Zamir White. Jacobs is due to hit free agency in March, while White is signed for two more seasons. We'll see what the Raiders do in the backfield, and how Pierce fills out the rest of his coaching staff.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore (knee) is out for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bills. He was designated to return from IR at the start of the week, got in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, but then did not practice on Friday. It's unclear if Moore would be ready to go if Kansas City advances to the AFC Championship. WRs Kadarius Toney (hip, ankle) and Justyn Ross (hamstring) were limited in practice all week and are listed as questionable for the Buffalo game.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bucs. He was limited in the final two practices of the week, but it sounds like that was part of a maintenance plan as he works back from that knee injury. "The trusting of my knee has progressed quite a bit," LaPorta said Friday. "Just reaching and planting for cuts. Certainly, the achiness has progressed. Just trying to make it feel better all week. Get the right amount of work but not too much at the same time." LaPorta still won't be at 100% on Sunday -- but he should be closer than he was for last week's win over the Rams.
Bills HC Sean McDermott said Friday that WR Gabe Davis (knee) won't play Sunday against the Chiefs. That should mean a continued role increase for WR Khalil Shakir. But WR Trent Sherfield got an even bigger bump the past two games. He has played his two largest snap shares of the season -- 71% at Miami, 63% vs. Steelers -- in the game Davis left and then the playoff opener he missed. Sherfield didn't see a target against Pittsburgh, so he's only in range as a DFS flyer and for deeper fantasy formats. Shakir racked up 6-105 receiving in the regular-season finale but then drew just 3 targets against the Steelers. He presents intriguing upside but is also no lock for opportunities. The Bills will also go without CB Christian Benford and S Taylor Rapp.
The Ravens aren't expected to activate TE Mark Andrews (ankle) from IR ahead of Saturday's game against the Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Andrews has been a full practice participant this week, so we'd guess he'll be ready for next weekend's game -- should Baltimore beat Houston this weekend. His absence will keep TE Isaiah Likely in the starting lineup against a defense that's been third most friendly in the league to TE scoring. Likely sits fourth among TEs in our rankings for the Divisional Round. But he sports upside beyond that position.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts believes the knee he injured in 2022 remained a factor throughout the 2023 campaign. He had surgery on November 29, 2022 to repair MCL and PCL damage to his right knee, missed most of the offseason program, and was limited at the start of training camp. "It's a continual growth in terms of coming off an injury," Pitts said. "So each week was trying to get better, keep getting stronger and, you know, just doing what I need to do to get back to the bionic knee that I used to have. That natural knee, you know, after surgery." Pitts had two of his four best fantasy outings of 2023 over the final five weeks of the season. Hopefully healthier in 2024 and with HC Arthur Smith finally out of the way, Pitts has obvious bounce-back potential.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) was a full-go in practice all week and is not listed on the final injury report. He'll be ready for his usual workhorse role vs. the Packers on Saturday night.
Packers RB A.J. Dillon (thumb, neck) is listed as questionable for Saturday night's Divisional Round game vs. the 49ers. He only got in a limited practice on Thursday. We'll look for further updates on Dillon's status for this one. RB Aaron Jones should remain Green Bay's workhorse in San Francisco, but an active Dillon would be a threat to steal goal-line carries.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (ankle) is listed as questionable for Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Texans. He was a full participant in the final two practices of the week, but HC John Harbaugh said Thursday that Andrews' status for the Houston game remains "up in the air." We'll see if he's activated from IR on Friday afternoon.
Ravens RB Dalvin Cook has been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster. RB Melvin Gordon was released in a corresponding move. Cook is expected to play in Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Texans, according to his agency. Cook was abysmal with the Jets this season and joined the Ravens just a couple of weeks ago, so we're not optimistic about his odds of making a major impact this weekend. But his presence certainly doesn't help the fantasy outlooks of RBs Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore (knee) was designated to return from IR and limited in Wednesday's practice. He's been out since Week 15. We'll see if Moore makes it back for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bills, but he's unlikely to be a major factor. He hasn't topped 42 yards or scored since Week 2.
Bills WR Gabriel Davis (knee) remained sidelined on Wednesday. We're currently projecting him to miss Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Chiefs but will continue to track his status over the next few days.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (ankle) was upgraded to full participation in Wednesday's practice but was non-committal about his availability for this weekend's game vs. the Texans. “I think it’s how I feel at the end of the day,” Andrews said. “Just knowing how good this team is, how good our players are, how good our tight ends are, if I feel like I’m going to be helpful to the team, I’ll go. If I feel like I’m close but not there, I’ll let these guys go and hopefully get that next weekend.” Andrews fractured his fibula and suffered ligament damage to his left ankle on Nov. 16. He'll be a little over nine weeks removed from the injuries on Saturday. "It’s gotten a lot better week by week," Andrews added. "We’ve made a lot of progress.” We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow and look for further updates on the plan for Andrews if he plays.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Wednesday that TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is "coming along" in his recovery from a Week 18 knee injury. "He's gotten better," Campbell added. "He feels better than he did this time last week. It's encouraging." LaPorta drew just three targets in the Wild Card win over the Rams. But he scored a TD, played 80% of the offensive snaps, and ran a route on 80% of pass plays. We'll track his practice participation this week, leading up to Sunday's game against the Bucs' 27th-ranked TE defense.
Rams RB Kyren Williams had surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, HC Sean McVay said Wednesday. Williams hurt his left hand in the fourth quarter of the Wild Card loss to the Lions. We'll look for more details on the procedure and timeline for return. Williams could miss some of the offseason program, but this injury shouldn't impact his 2024 campaign.
The Browns have fired OC Alex Van Pelt and RBs coach Stump Mitchell. Van Pelt has been Cleveland's OC since HC Kevin Stefanski was hired in 2020; Mitchell started his Browns tenure in 2019. We'll see who replaces those guys, but we wouldn't expect sweeping changes to the offense considering Stefanski has always had a big say in the operation.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice. He'll play -- and be ready for a full workload -- vs. the Packers on Saturday night. McCaffrey sits clear atop the RB Rankings for the Divisional Round.
The Bills released RB Leonard Fournette from the practice squad. He was not elevated for the Wild Card win over the Steelers, so the news isn't a big surprise. Buffalo will continue to roll with RBs James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Latavius Murray. The 29-year-old Fournette's NFL career is on the ropes.
Search
