NFL Player News

It’s a no-brainer. Kalil is a prototypical blindside protector while Johnson struggled to keep edge rushers away from Christian Ponder last season. Johnson is adequate on the interior, but he’s still a downgrade from Steve Hutchinson.

That makes back-to-back “LP” designations for the 6-foot-4 tight end. He’s coming off a game where he only received two targets in the blowout defeat to the Packers, and his fantasy value is extremely limited if he does get the chance to go in Week 17 against Las Vegas.

Carr is almost assuredly going to miss the Week 17 game against the Raiders, his former team. The means Spencer Rattler is going to make the start, and it’s a completely untenable fantasy situation for any New Orleans offensive player.

That’s two straight limited practices for London, who suffered his injury in the Falcons’ Week 16 win over the Giants. The Falcons’ WR1 appears to be on track to play in the pivotal Week 17 matchup against the Commanders, but we’ll know for sure when the team releases its final injury report on Friday.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi said on Tuesday that a decision on Kamara would be made “later in the week,” but the veteran running back has been a DNP for both practices to open the week. With his knee injury reportedly being worse than initially expected, Kamara missing the remainder of the season remains a strong possibility. We’ll see if things change on Friday, but for now, Kamara seems unlikely to play in Week 17 against the Raiders.

Olave has now been listed as a full participant in both practices this week and is trending toward a return in Week 17 against the Raiders. The third-year receiver has dealt with multiple concussions this season but will try to salvage what’s left of 2024 with two games left on the schedule. If he’s active, Olave would profile as a fringe WR2/WR3 with Spencer Rattler under center.

MVS missed last week’s game against the Packers with the same injury, but the fact he’s been a limited participant in both practices to start the week is a good sign. The Saints are short on receiver talent as they limp their way to the finish line of a disappointing season. Valdes-Scantling returning to the lineup would at least give Spencer Rattler a “known commodity” at the position to throw to.

Kraft and fellow tight end Luke Musgrave (ankle) have both been limited in practices to start the week. Kraft saw only four targets in last week’s win over the Saints, but still managed to turn that limited volume into 63 receiving yards. Musgrave has played behind Kraft this season and won’t have any fantasy viability if Kraft is active on Sunday against the Vikings.

Tyler Badie (back, questionable) is the only player carrying an injury designation into Saturday’s game against the Bengals, and he is currently on injured reserve. The Broncos enter Week 17 with a fully healthy roster, with McLaughlin expected to resume his role as part of the three-man running back rotation. McLaughlin had back-to-back games with double-digit touches before missing last week’s game due to his injury. Playing like one of Denver’s better backs, there’s a chance he could be in line for similar work against a lousy Bengals defense.

After missing last week’s game against the Panthers with an ankle injury, Benson returned to log three limited practices this week and will officially be listed as questionable heading into the game. If active, Benson could make for an interesting streaming option if James Conner (knee, questionable) cannot play, but Benson wouldn’t have any standalone value if both backs are active.

It was reported earlier that Conner was making “good” progress on his rehab from a knee injury he suffered in last week’s loss to the Panthers. After being limited in all three practices this week, Conner will have a chance to play in Week 17’s game against the Rams, but fantasy managers will want to have other backup plans in place. Conner should be a strong volume play against the Rams if he suits up, but it’s hard to know how much this knee issue may hinder his on-field performance.