NFL Player News

Jammer went down in the first half and was replaced by Marcus Gilchrist. The fact that Jammer was ruled out so quickly hints at a Grade 2 tear at least.

McBride’s knee evidently responded positively to his limited workloads on Wednesday and Thursday. The elite TE1 will be on-field for what should be a lay-up victory for the Cardinals. McBride should again rack up double-digit targets.

Humphries’ return is evidently short-lived. After playing his first game all season in Week 14, Humphries is likely to be ruled inactive for Week 15. The development drastically impacts the Chiefs’ ability to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside. Among NFL teams in Weeks 1-13, the Chiefs’ collective left tackle spot grades out as the league’s worst unit, earning a 48.2 PFF pass-blocking grade.

Head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t sound optimistic on Pickens’ odds of suiting up earlier this week, so his absence isn’t much of a surprise. Tomlin also noted that the team shut him down last week to prevent a small problem from becoming a large one. This doesn’t sound like an issue that will linger for much longer, though Pickens did not practice at any point this week. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for FLEX plays as the Steelers did not have a receiver top four targets without Pickens last week.

Butker practiced in a limited capacity all week, logging his first practice repetitions since undergoing a mid-season meniscus trim in his left knee. Given the Chiefs’ Super Bowl aspirations, the team is unlikely to let him suit up this week if his re-injury risk is significant. If he plays, it stands to reason that he is good to go.

Brown practiced in a limited capacity on Friday but the Chiefs are smartly playing things conservatively with the veteran wide receiver. His Week 16 status is entirely up in the air but he does appear to have a chance to suit up. The Chiefs face the Texans in Week 16, which should be a fantasy-friendly game environment.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi told reporters it was his decision to hold Kamara out of Thursday’s practice. He did so as a precaution given how sick Kamara was earlier in the week. The veteran back got in a full practice on Friday and is good to go for Week 15. With Kendre Miller finally getting some looks in the Saints backfield, Kamara is at risk of falling out of the RB1 ranks versus the Commanders, though fantasy managers should still be finding a spot in their lineups for him.

The Bears play on Monday, giving Swift one more day to return to the practice field. He missed the first two practices before Week 14 but was upgraded to a limited session for the final day and ultimately suited up come kickoff. We are expecting a similar runout this week. Roschon Johnson is recovering from a concussion and did not return to practice on Friday, meaning Travis Homer will likely back up Swift again.

Brown Jr. has been out for over a month because of the injuries. With the Bengals nearly eliminated from the playoff hunt and the season coming to a close, Brown Jr. may not play again this season. Cody Ford will continue to start at left tackle.

Burrow left the Bengals’ Week 14 game against the Cowboys to have a sleeve put on his knee but didn’t miss any snaps. He didn’t appear limited by the issue during the remainder of the game and participated in all three practices this week. Burrow got upgraded to a full session on Friday. Neither the knee nor the wrist injuries are an issue for Burrow, who remains a top-five fantasy quarterback to close out the year.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters, “Based on what I saw the past couple days, I didn’t feel he was ready to play.” Alexander opened the week with a full practice, but the Packers are being extra cautious with his return. Eying a deep playoff run, the team is better off sitting him for an extended period now if it means he is more likely to stay healthy in the postseason.