NFL Player News

Lauletta will start on Philly’s practice squad, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him replace No. 3 signal-caller Clayton Thorson on the active roster at some point. The 2018 fourth-rounder of the Giants notably tossed four scores this preseason, but still comically has more interceptions (1) than completions (0) in the regular season so far.

Thielen popped up on Thursday’s injury report with a hamstring issue but was removed from the report on Friday. Whatever he was dealing with appears to be a minor concern at this point in time, as the Panthers’ veteran WR1 will be good to go against the Bucs. Thielen continues to soak up targets even in his age-34 season. In his last four games he’s caught 27-of-34 targets for 295 yards and two touchdowns and has finished as a top-24 PPR receiver in three of those games. He’ll profile as a WR3 with strong upside against the Buccaneers’ leaky pass defense.

Despite being listed as questionable, head coach Dave Canales has said the plan is for Legette to play against the Buccaneers. The rookie receiver hasn’t found the end zone since Week 9 and hasn’t had a top-24 PPR week since Week 4. With Adam Thielen also back and soaking up targets, It’s hard to view Legette as anything more than a WR5 at this time.

Young popped up on Carolina’s injury report on Friday but was still listed as a full participant in practice. The decision to add him to Friday’s report is more a formality than a concern, and he does not carry an official game status into Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. He’ll profile as QB2 in a game that could turn into a surprise shootout.

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.