Rizzi added that Olave has seen several specialists and has another appointment coming up soon. The earliest Olave could come off IR is in Week 15. He was seen observing practice today — the Saints are taking Thursday off — but until he practices or we hear something more firmly optimistic about this season, we wouldn’t hold out hope of Olave playing again in 2024.

That may as well be a glaring siren that at least one of Austin Ekeler (concussion) and Brian Robinson Jr. (ankle) are going to be hard to trust this week. Jeremy McNichols is the only healthy back on the Commanders roster. It’s possible that Rodriguez gets as far up the pecking order as lead committee back this week if both Ekeler and Robinson sit. He’s a potentially worthwhile waiver claim in deeper leagues.

Combine the upgrade from a Monday DNP with Dan Campbell saying he was feeling good about Montgomery’s chances and we have a much more optimistic outlook on Montgomery playing in Week 13 than we did 24 hours ago. Montgomery will be on the RB1 line against the Bears in what projects as a decisive Lions win.

Rodgers likely won’t have much say in the matter with the Jets as the team’s new general manager and head coach will be given the keys to do what they want at the quarterback position. The idea that Rodgers could retire is also an unsurprising flag to raise given the punishment his 40-year-old body has taken this year, as well as his need to feel like he has agency in his future destination. We’re genuinely curious at this point if any team would want to have Rodgers as a stopgap in 2025.

Daboll added that he was “hopeful” that DeVito would play on Thursday but it was “not 100 percent” and Drew Lock is getting reps in practice today. It certainly seems to be trending towards DeVito not playing despite DeVito not even being listed on the initial injury report this week. Either Lock or DeVito would be bottom-basement superflex plays against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

The Raiders lost Gardner Minshew to a broken collarbone in Week 12’s loss to the Broncos, giving O’Connell another chance as starter. O’Connell has been miserable throughout his 11 NFL starts. That includes two 2024 starts in which he threw for 324 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Indecisive and inaccurate, O’Connell represents a massive downgrade for Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers over the season’s final month. Look for Desmond Ridder to eventually get a chance under center for the Raiders.

“I don’t think that’s crazy at all,” Jones said during a Tuesday radio interview when asked about McCarthy’s future in Dallas. “This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left.” McCarthy, who took over as the team’s head coach in 2020, posted three straight 12-win regular seasons before this year’s disappointing campaign. The Cowboys sit at 4-7 with Dak Prescott (hamstring) done for the season and the defense as bad as any in the NFL. Perhaps Jones is trying to keep up appearances in the final month of the regular season. McCarthy is likely done in Dallas unless the team wins most of its final six games.

Williams was pulled over late at night with two firearms in a vehicle driven by his brother. The weapons did not belong to Williams. The Wayne County prosecutor’s office “concluded that the warrant was denied because the case law is silent regarding the specific issue and the legislative intent of the concealed pistol license (CPL) statute does not support charges under these facts,” Woodyard reported. Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement that Williams’ status as a Lions receiver did not factor into the decision. “We did not consider that Mr. Williams is a Detroit professional athlete in our decision making,” Worthy said. Williams will suit up on Thanksgiving Day against the Bears a week after going for 64 yards on five catches against the Colts.

It was a weird statistical night for the Chargers in the Harbaugh Bowl, with the team moving the football well on the ground through 20 minutes before an injury to lead back J.K. Dobbins forced him from the game. The team struggled outside of consistent production from McConkey the rest of the way. McConkey’s next chance to return a usable fantasy score comes in Week 13 against the Falcons.

The Chargers seemed to have control of the game through 20 minutes before two game-changing developments. First, the team lost lead back J.K. Dobbins, who had 59 yards on eight touches prior to departing, before the Ravens rattled off consecutive scoring drives to take a 14-10 lead. Even then, Herbert led the team down the field with only 24 seconds before the half, allowing Cameron Dicker to connect from 52 yards to bring the score within one point heading into the break. The second half was a completely different story as the Chargers struggled to move the football, with Herbert watching from the sidelines as the Ravens eventually found themselves leading by two touchdowns. A last minute touchdown drive from Herbert and the Chargers brought the game to within seven points, with the team ultimately failing to recover the onside kick to have a chance at equalizing. Herbert failed to throw a touchdown for only the second time all season. The team must now regroup ahead of a Week 13 matchup with the Falcons before a rematch with the Chiefs in Week 14.