NFL Player News

The No. 74 overall pick of the draft, Russell was a shocking release from the Chiefs. Russell is a top-notch athlete with typical size for a corner (5-foot-11, 192 pounds), but was simply never that good for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He also broke his leg last fall. The Bengals, who have made a habit out of developing other team’s misfit toys, will try to see if they can get Russell’s career on track.

Hill was listed as a DNP for Monday’s practice but Harbaugh said his absence was related to an illness. Hill missed last week’s game against the Texans due to the concussion he suffered in Week 15 against the Steelers but is now poised for a return this Saturday. Fantasy managers still playing in Week 18 shouldn’t count on Hill to see any kind of spike in the season finale, as the Ravens intend to play all of their starters in hopes of securing the AFC North for the second-consecutive season.

Brown suffered an ankle sprain in Saturday’s win over the Broncos, but initial reports suggested the injury is not considered to be major. The Bengals are still in the thick of the AFC playoff race and need all hands on deck if they hope to win out and sneak into the postseason. Brown has seen nearly every running back opportunity for the Bengals since Week 9. If Brown can’t go, Khalil Herbert, who was acquired at the deadline but quickly became a forgotten man in the Bengals offense, would be in line to start. Herbert rushed four times for 23 yards against the Broncos in relief of Brown in Week 17.

Molden played 761 snaps for the Chargers and was excellent in coverage, with a 75.4 PFF coverage grade. Molden was acquired at last cuts from the Titans and proved a prudent snag. This was the final season of his rookie deal. It seems likely that, assuming a full recovery, the nickel will return in Los Angeles if he doesn’t see major interest elsewhere.

Palmer was spotted in a boot after Week 17’s win over the Patriots. The Chargers will likely be conservative and hold Palmer out for Week 18 regardless of whether they have a shot at the 4 seed, but it’s certainly possible he isn’t ready for the Wild Card round.

Harbaugh did also say “We’d love to be the fifth seed.” The Steelers are locked in to that seed with a win on Saturday, which happens before Los Angeles plays on Sunday. Harbaugh said “we’ll do what’s best for the team” when asked about resting starters if seeding isn’t at stake. Reading between the lines, we’d say it’s more likely than not that Harbaugh rests the starters in Week 18 if the Steelers win on Saturday night.

The team wants to extend Allen’s consecutive starts streak. Overall, McDermott said he plans to use “a blend of regular starters and other players they want to get a look at.” That probably means that other Bills fantasy fixtures like James Cook and Khalil Shakir could also rest for Week 18.

He’ll miss at least the next four games. Rankins has been listed as out with an illness for several weeks, he hasn’t practiced since Week 11. Hopefully whatever Rankins has isn’t as serious as that makes it sound, but his first year with the Bengals was brought to an abrupt halt thanks to the injury. He finishes the regular season with seven starts, one sack, and 10 solo tackles. Bengals beat reporters seem to believe Rankins will be released and has played his last snaps with the team.

At last, our questions have been answered. Canales and the Panthers hope to “finish strong” against the Falcons in Week 18’s contest between two underperforming NFC South teams. Young threw for 203 yards and two scores in last week’s loss to the Buccaneers and has thrown for 771-6-3 while completing 60.3 percent of his passes in his last four games. Young still has a lot to prove as he prepares for the upcoming offseason. A strong finish against the Falcons will go a long way of boosting his confidence heading into 2025.

Waddle has missed the last two weeks since leaving Week 15’s loss against the Texans with a knee injury. He got in two limited sessions in practice last week. We’d probably want to see at least a full session here before trusting he’ll play. With Tyler Huntley looking more likely to be the starting quarterback on Sunday against the Jets, this may not exactly be a smash spot for Waddle.

His 21-day window opens today and he is apparently practicing ahead of Baltimore’s Week 18 game against the Browns. Kolar broke his arm in late November against the Chargers. The third-year tight end will get back into the Baltimore TE rotation with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely once activated.