Browns WR Amari Cooper said Wednesday that his injured heel is "getting better every day." He added that he could have played last week had the game meant anything and that he expects to play against the Texans on Saturday. Cooper missed practice again on Wednesday, though. We'll see if he gets on the field on Thursday and how he's listed on the final injury report for the Wild Card round.
Texans WR Robert Woods (hip) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That gives him a shot to play vs. the Browns on Saturday. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report on Thursday afternoon. WR Noah Brown (back) remained sidelined on Wednesday and is unlikely to play in the Wild Card round.
The Patriots and HC Bill Belichick are mutually parting ways, according to multiple reports. That will end a run of 24 seasons, nine Super Bowl trips, and six titles. Of course, none of those championships came without QB Tom Brady on the field. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Belichick wants to continue coaching and that there will be interest. He singles out Atlanta as a potential landing spot. Washington has also been mentioned as a possibility for Belichick. We'd just like to see any team that hires Belichick give someone else control over player personnel. The Patriots' roster deteriorated post-Brady, especially on the offensive side. And the offensive skill-position players were often limited even throughout the glory years. As for what's left in New England, the Patriots should be looking for a new QB this offseason after benching Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe late in the year. The Pats could use pass-catching upgrades as well, though we'll see how much the salary cap and draft picks allow them to do. This isn't likely to be an offense that excites anyone in 2024, regardless of who arrives as the next coach.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon is unlikely to play this postseason, according to Chiefs Digest's Matt Derrick. McKinnon had surgery on January 2 for a core muscle injury and a fractured pelvis, per Derrick, which is expected to sideline him at least 6-8 weeks. McKinnon's absence leaves Clyde Edwards-Helaire as Kansas City's No. 2 RB -- and Isiah Pacheco in a workhorse role.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert (knee, ankle) said Wednesday that he's feeling good but isn't guaranteed to play vs. the Chiefs on Saturday night. "Still a decision that needs to be made," Mostert said. “It is a one-game season. We’ll see how it shakes out. It’s been very difficult. The mental restraints. It’s a struggle. You live to fight another day. I feel like I thrive in the playoffs." Mostert got in a limited practice on Tuesday. We'll see how he progresses over the next few days, but it at least sounds like Mostert will be at less than 100% if he plays on Saturday.
According to multiple reports, Pete Carroll is ending his 14-year run as HC of the Seahawks. That tenure also found Carroll serving as VP of football operations, giving him dual authority over personnel decisions with GM John Schneider. Seahawks owner Jody Allen announced that Carroll's "role will evolve" to that of advisor, so he'll likely still have a say in roster building. We'll see who succeeds Carroll as HC and whether his assistants stick around before projecting the potential impact on Seattle's fantasy assets.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that he expects RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) to be "full-go" in practice next week. That would obviously set CMC up for his usual workhorse role in the Divisional Round. We'll keep you updated on McCaffrey's status, but he seems safe to select for playoff fantasy rosters. He sits No. 1 overall in our NFL Playoff Fantasy Rankings.
The Bears have fired OC Luke Getsy and other members of the offensive staff, NFL Network reports. QBs coach Andrew Janocko is also among the coaches being dumped. Chicago did improve its ranking in both points and yards in the second season under HC Matt Eberflus but still ranked just 18th and 20th, respectively. The Bears also finished just 22nd in offensive DVOA (a slight boost from 24th in 2022). It's tough to say whether these moves tell us anything about the team's plan at QB. Chicago could keep rolling with Justin Fields, move him and replace with a rookie, or keep Fields and draft a QB early. It'll be an interesting offseason for that spot no matter which path the Bears choose. And Fields remains a solid-to-good fantasy asset. We'd bet on him starting somewhere in 2024. You might not want to go buying him in dynasty, though. It's possible Fields' passing struggles knock him out of a consistent starting position beyond the coming season.
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.
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