NFL Player News

Still a long, long ways to go in Phillips’ recruitment. To whit, the 5-foot-10, 178-pounder has added offers from big boys Michigan, Georgia and Clemson since releasing a top-12 list in early February. We’ll peek back in on Phillips as needed over the course of the spring camp/visit circuit. Rivals ranks the La Habra, California, native as the No. 54 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Horn was a DNP all week and seems highly unlikely to play despite a doubtful tag that leaves an ounce of optimism. Horn played through a groin injury last week, but this week’s hip injury is likely going to prove too much to play through. In addition to Horn, OT Taylor Moton (knee) is also doubtful, while linebacker Josey Jewell (concussion/quad) and cornerback Chau Smith-Wade (illness/chest) have both been ruled out.

Head coach Todd Bowles said Otton, along with wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring/foot) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) will also miss Week 17’s contest. The Buccaneers find themselves in a must-win situation against the Panthers if they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive. The absence of Otton and Shepard should lead to an increased target share for Jalen McMillan, who has found the end zone in three straight games, and will also open the door for Payne Durham to make another start. Durham caught 5-of-7 targets for 29 yards in last week’s loss to the Cowboys, but will be hard to trust as anything more than a boom-or-bust TE2 against the Panthers.

According to Fowler, Higgins “improved every day in practice” before drawing a questionable tag on Thursday’s final injury report. The Bengals need all hands on deck as they continue to fight for what little playoff hopes they have left. Higgins played through an ankle injury that he suffered late in last week’s win over the Browns, and would profile as a WR2 against the Broncos if he’s able to suit up.

This all but confirms Kenny Pickett will make his first start of the season in Week 17 against the Cowboys. Whether or not Sirianni announces as much on Friday or later in the weekend is to be determined, but Hurts remains in concussion protocol and is not expected to practice in any capacity on Friday. Eagles receivers will receive a slight downgrade with Pickett under center in a week where these downgrades can be least afforded by fantasy managers. That said, both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are near must-starts in most formats.

Waddle did not practice on Wednesday but was upgraded to a limited participant on Thursday. With one practice left to go in the week, McDaniel is already expressing optimism over Waddle’s Week 17 availability, but we should have more clarity on this situation when the team releases its final injury report. Waddle missed last week’s game against the Texans with the knee injury, had gone for 50-plus yards in each of his last three games, prior to his injury and two top-12 PPR weeks over that span. If active, he’ll profile as a WR2 against a Browns defense that has struggled in recent weeks.

After being DNPs on Wednesday and Thursday, both Nabers and Tracy are also expected to practice. Nabers said on Thursday that he considered himself a “gameday decision” for Sunday’s game, which aligns closely with Daboll’s optimism heading into the weekend. We’ll see what happens when the team releases its final injury report on the week, but it sounds like the Giants will have two of their top offensive weapons in tow for Week 17.

Cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) will also be active after both players missed last week’s game against the Patriots. Safeties Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp have both been listed as questionable for the week, as have Curtis Samuel and Cam Lewis. Things appear to be trending in the right direction for the Bills as they look to get healthy ahead of the playoffs, with several key defensive starters on the mend.

When asked about the possibility of 2024 being his final season in the league, Bitonio said, “We’ll see how we’re doing in a couple of weeks after the season. It’s very hard to make a decision when you’re in the middle of [the season].” Bitonio, who has one year left on his contract, did say that he doesn’t envision himself joining another team — which would only happen via trade or his release, but it’s clear the direction of the franchise has taken its toll on a handful of the Browns’ top players as of late. Myles Garrett most notably voiced his displeasure with the franchise which has led some to speculate he could be a potential trade candidate this offseason. It’s shaping up to be another interesting offseason in Cleveland, but two of the team’s top players departing will only make the turnaround that much more difficult.

Big if true. Dobbins hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in Week 12’s loss to the Ravens, but would slide into a heavy workload if he’s activated this week. Gus Edwards (ankle) has already been ruled out of Saturday’s contest, and rookie Kimani Vidal only saw a 12 percent opportunity share from Weeks 13-16. The Patriots have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs in their last five games. Dobbins would profile as a volume-based RB2 if active.

Conner was hit with a questionable tag after the Cardinals’ final practice of the week, but Breer reports the team expects him to play against the Rams, who are still battling for their playoff lives in the NFC. Rookie Trey Benson’s (ankle) status is considered “up in the air,” according to Breer, but even if he is active, it’s hard to imagine him having much of an impact with Conner also on the field. Conner will profile as a fringe RB1/RB2 against a Rams defense that’s allowed the 12th-most PPR points per game to opposing RBs since Week 12.