NFL Player News

A priority UDFA signing, Ladler missed the majority of the preseason with a hamstring injury. The Bills will add him to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Abdullah ends the season with 66 carries for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He picked up more work on the ground late in the season after playing a part-time role on passing downs for most of the year. Abdullah caught 40 passes for 261 yards and three scores. His 572 yards from scrimmage are a high-water mark dating back to 2017. Abdullah has quietly carved out a valuable role for himself both in the passing game and on special teams. He should have no issues landing a short-term deal in free agency this offseason.

Slater was not on the Chargers’ injury report but reportedly felt discomfort in his knee before the game. With only slight variations in their playoff seeding to play for, LA did the responsible thing and gave him the day off.

The Chiefs listed numerous healthy, core players as doubtful to play this week with Kelce of course among them. His deactivation was fully expected. Backup tight end Noah Gray is an intriguing, if volatile, dart throw. The fourth-year veteran is having a career-best season and the Chiefs could use the opportunity to see what they have in Gray for the long-term. It is possible Andy Reid already views Gray as an important passing-game contributor though so he may have a limited role, with the playoffs in mind.

Williams will join Kupp, Nacua, and Stafford on the sideline with the Rams having nothing to play for in the final regular season game. Blake Corum should be in for a solid workload as the Rams’ lead back, and TuTu Atwell and Jordan Whittington should function as LA’s top pass catchers. Jimmy Garoppolo will be under center for the Rams.

Mahomes now gets multiple weeks off, with the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed safely secured. The Chiefs also declared TE Travis Kelce, DT Chris Jones, OT Jawaan Taylor, RB Isiah Pacheco, CB Trent McDuffie and DE George Karlaftis inactive, though beat reporter Adam Teicher notes that there “will be others in uniform who do not play.” Kareem Hunt is likely to be included in the latter category. The team listed him as doubtful to play on Friday although he is not injured.

The Jets face a Dolphins team that can get into the playoffs with a win and a Broncos loss to the Chiefs. Aaron Rodgers is also making what may be the final start of his career, and only one touchdown pass shy of 500 for his career. It’s the end of another tumultuous season for the Jets, who are looking at a number of major changes this offseason.

Now safely ensconced as the Cardinals’ No. 2 receiver, Wilson (hamstring) will miss his first game all season. Although Wilson faced little pressure from the likes of Greg Dortch and company behind him on the receiver depth chart, he took a step back statistically on his rookie year thanks to Trey McBride’s continued ascendance and Marvin Harrison Jr.'s arrival in the desert. Wilson can make impressive plays on the boundary, but he lacks a clear path forward in Dynasty leagues because he’s not going to jump MHJ and McBride dominates the compiling work in Arizona. Turning 25 in February, Wilson also won’t be particularly young for a third-year pro.

Hasty will finish the season with 20 carries for 69 yards while adding 10 catches on 12 targets for 59 yards and a touchdown through the air. This will complete Hasty’s second season in New England, which means he’s now a free agent heading into this offseason. The 28-year-old has just 479 career rushing yards on 121 carries and has returned just 26 kicks in his four seasons, so he faces an uphill battle to make an NFL roster next season.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see Kittle on something of a snap count, but the fact that he’s active at all for this meaningless game suggests the injuries are as minor as possible. With Josh Dobbs under center, Kittle is an uncertain DFS bet, albeit one who always offers massive upside. Inactive for the 49ers are QB Brock Purdy, WR Deebo Samuel, CB Deommodore Lenoir, EDGE Robert Beal Jr., CB Tre Avery, DT Khalil Davis and RB Israel Abanikanda.

Watson has played sparingly this season so his deactivation in a must-win game is unsurprising. The Broncos have a shot to secure a playoff spot against a Chiefs team that will rest all of its core players. The Broncos also declared LB Levelle Bailey, OT Frank Crum, DL Matt Henningsen, DL Eyioma Uwazurike and QB Zach Wilson (emergency third QB) inactive.