NFL Player News

Cable also added that Morrison was ahead of Ricky Brown in their battle for the starting middle linebacker job. Assuming Morrison gets back in time for the preseason finale, which Cable said he could, we expect Morrison to be the Week 1 starter. Brown remains a candidate to start on the strong side.

Wills will be eligible to return in Week 18, though that doesn’t seem likely. The former No. 10 overall suffered an MCL injury last year that limited him to just eight games. The issue lingered into 2024, resulting in just five appearances for Wills this season. Wills also admitted that he made a “business decision” not to play in a game versus Baltimore this year because of the knee issue. While it makes sense on paper for a player in a contract year to not play hurt, that doesn’t fly in the NFL. Wills’ draft pedigree should earn him a short-term deal as a starter in free agency, though his time in Cleveland is over.

Rapoport also said that Rodgers, who he called a bridge quarterback, needs to play better over the final month of the season to be on the roster for next year. It sounds like harsh analysis from Rap, but he’s right on all fronts. Rodgers is averaging a dreadful 6.3 yards per attempt and has a modest 19 touchdowns through a dozen games. At 3-9, the Jets are not even in the playoff conversation with five games left to go. The Jets parted ways with both their head coach and general manager this season. A new brain trust will almost certainly want to start over at quarterback, making it a long-shot that the team runs it back with Rodgers next year.

Rapoport even said the Steelers’ starter for 2025 “is almost certainly” on the current roster. That’s about as definitive as it gets this early in the process. Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in the offseason and is 5-1 as the starter after missing the first six games with a hamstring issue. Pittsburgh is currently atop the AFC North with a playoff spot all but secured already. Wilson didn’t have much of a market after being cut by the Broncos and took the veteran minimum salary to rehab his image in Pittsburgh. It’s worked better than anyone expected and he is well on his way to earning a sizable contract with the Steelers in the offseason.

The “more” in this case refers to Dalton Kincaid, who is not expected to play because of a knee issue. Coleman was limited in all three practices this week before being listed as questionable on the final injury report. The rookie has been out since Week 9 because of the wrist issue. Buffalo’s game kicks off in the later window of games, leaving fantasy managers with Coleman in their lineups in a bind if he doesn’t suit up. Demarcus Robinson would be a potential emergency pivot from this contest if Coleman is ruled out, though this is a situation to avoid if possible.

Kincaid returned to practice this week but was limited in all three sessions. Eyeing a deep playoff run, the Bills would rather hold him out until he is fully healthy instead of rushing him back. Kincaid will hopefully practice in full next week before returning to face the Lions. Dawson Knox has a modest target share of 15 percent in the two games Kincaid has missed. He is a touchdown-or-bust TE2 for the Bills matchup with the Rams.

Mostert has been banged up all year and has never really looked right. This is backed up by the numbers. He is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, well below his career average. With Mostert presumably out for Week 14, Jaylen Wright will serve as the Dolphins’ No. 2 back versus the Jets. Wright is worth a stash in deeper leagues but isn’t likely to steal much work from De’Von Achane.

McConkey was limited in all three practices before being questionable. With an AFC West showdown versus Kansas City on tap, we expect the rookie to tough it out and play this week. McConkey went down with the knee injury late in the Chargers’ Week 13 win over the Falcons and was already dealing with an AC joint issue in his shoulder. McConkey could be on a pitch count this week, but the Chargers will make his reps count, keeping him in the WR2 ranks if active.

Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings in the offseason. The Vikings went on to take J.J. McCarthy in the first round, making Darnold a bridge quarterback. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in August and Darnold has played remarkably well as the starter, but the Vikings aren’t sold just yet. An early exit in the playoffs could be all they need to move on from Darnold in favor of the younger, higher-upside McCarthy. However, at 10-2, the Vikings are still fighting for a first-round bye and could at least be favored in the Wild Card Round. A deep playoff run would make it nearly impossible to move on from Darnold, even with a first-round pick waiting in the wings.

Hall played through the knee issue last week but failed to practice once this week before being listed as doubtful. He was then ruled out on Saturday. The Jets will soon be mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt and have already been kicked from the conversation as a practical matter. With nothing left to play for, rushing Hall back doesn’t make much sense. Still, as Schefter reports, it doesn’t look like they will give him the rest of the season off if he is able to play at some point. For now, Braelon Allen will push for an RB1 rank as the top option in the Jets backfield. Fellow rookie Isaiah Davis will back him up and could see some work on passing downs.

Walker was listed as questionable on Friday but the team ruled him out over the weekend. Per Schefter, Walker didn’t suffer any setbacks. Walker was limited in Wednesday’s practice before being downgraded to a DNP for the following two sessions. For now, he should be considered questionable at best for Week 15. Zach Charbonnet will be a high-end RB2 until Walker returns.