NFL Player News

“I think the left tackle is vital,” said Nix. “I don’t care how good your receivers are if you’re on your back you can’t throw it to him. You’ve got to protect your quarterback first I think.” USC’s Matt Kalil is unlikely to last until the 10th pick even if the Vikes pass on him. The Bills may end up stuck with Chris Hairston battling a second-day tackle on Ryan Fitzpatrick’s blindside.

In theory it’s concerning, though the Seahawks do not follow the same injury report rhythms as other teams. They are both new issues for Walker, however, so it’s possible he didn’t feel right Thursday after getting in a “limited” session on Wednesday. For now, he should be considered genuinely questionable for Sunday’s Cardinals rematch. We will hopefully get some clarity — or perhaps an injury report removal — on Friday. Zach Charbonnet is a must add insurance back if he’s been cut loose in the leagues where you roster Walker.

It’s actually a downgrade for Metcalf after he was “limited” on Wednesday, but he sat out Wednesday and Thursday last week before playing against the Jets. The Seahawks remain one of the league’s most inscrutable injury report teams. We suspect Metcalf will be out there again against the Cardinals.

Alexander has been mostly sidelined since Week 8. Coach Matt LaFleur claimed earlier this week that Alexander is “progressing.” He has 10 more days to get right ahead of Week 15 against the Seahawks.

This will be the third game in five weeks Decker has missed. It stands to reason Detroit is simply being conservative heading toward the postseason, though they are also far from assured the NFC’s No. 1 seed despite their dominant record.

Designated to practice last week, Higbee is now poised to actually return vs. the Bills. Sidelined since last season’s Wild Card Round, Higbee has always commanded more targets than you would expect, but the Rams’ offense has become a black hole behind target dominators Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. That being said, veteran Higbee is probably going to fare better than Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen, who both struggled mightily as pass catchers in Higbee’s absence. Higbee will crack the top 30 for Week 14, but only just so.

Asked about his status, McConkey projected optimism but did not guarantee he would suit up against the Chiefs. “Shoot, if I can play, I’m gonna play,” McConkey said. “At the end of the day, I’m gonna do whatever I need to do to get out there.” McConkey has been limited in both practices to start the week, which is a good sign for his Week 14 availability. With that in mind, the knee injury is something he picked up in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, and is worth keeping an eye on until the team releases its final injury report on Friday.

Diggs missed last week’s game with injuries to his knee and groin, but he was only listed with a knee injury on Thursday’s injury report. The star corner has missed the last two games, but should have a chance to suit up in Week 14 against the Bengals if all continues to go well.

Ferguson missed two games with a concussion he suffered in Week 11 against the Commanders, but the fact he’s a full participant to start this week is a great sign for his availability on Monday night against the Bengals. Assuming he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, we’d expect Ferguson to be out of concussion protocol and on the field for Week 14, where he’ll profile as a solid TE1 in fantasy.

This should just be rep management after Lamb made it through the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win over the Giants. Lamb seems highly banged up, but he also seems to have zero interest in sitting. Getting absolutely fed targets by backup QB Cooper Rush, Lamb is doing enough to hang around in the lower-end WR1 ranks.

That’s two straight full practices for Smith, who looks like a lock to return in Week 14 against the Panthers, barring any setbacks. His return couldn’t come at a better time, as Dallas Goedert is at risk of missing several weeks and could be a candidate for short-term IR. When he’s active, Smith will profile as a solid WR2 for Sunday’s game against the Panthers.