NFL Player News

Metellus ranked 11th among the “true” safeties who ran in the event, and he also had a solid vertical jump at 36.5 inches, and a respectable 124-inch broad jump. The 5-foot-11, 209-pound defender also was among the top defensive backs with 20 bench press reps. Compared to Chuck Clark by Lance Zierlein, Metellus projects as a box-safety at the highest level.

Njoku only logged one practice this week, but head coach Kevin Stefanski said the team will see how he responds to practice before making a decision on his Week 16 availability. Njoku’s return would be great for the Browns and his fantasy managers, but it’s hard to ignore the downgrade that comes with Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center. If he’s active, Njoku should be viewed as more of a fringe TE1/TE2 than a must-start TE1.

Brown was added to the injury report with a knee issue this week, though the team also listed him as getting a rest day, so there never seemed to be much risk of him sitting on Sunday. He told reporters on Friday that the knee injury won’t affect him before saying point blank, “I’m playing.” Brown remains in the WR1 ranks for Philly’s NFC East showdown with Washington this week.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Sneed’s quad injury has been plaguing him for Weeks and officially landed him on injured reserve back on November 22nd. Between the injury and the Titans’ 3-11 record, there’s no reason to force Sneed back on the field even if the team did think he was well enough to play. Sneed is in the first year of a four-year contract extension he signed this offseason. He played in just five games in his first year with the Titans, totaling 23 tackles and two TFLs while earning a PFF coverage grade of 36.8 — a career-low. One of the league’s premiere corners will hope for better fortunes in his second year with the team next season.

According to Breer, Bateman will meet with the team on Saturday to decide whether or not he will play in Week 16’s game against the Steelers. We don’t know the specifics of his injury, but we do know that Bateman was spotted around the team facilities on Thursday wearing a boot. Bateman is considered questionable heading into Saturday. While his injury may not be as bad as initially thought, we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him missing at least one game.

Brown has missed over a month with knee and fibula injuries. Cody Ford will stay at left tackle if Brown doesn’t play through the questionable tag.

Head coach Brian Callahan called Folk a game-time call. The veteran kicker has had a few spike weeks with the Titans but could miss Week 16 with an abdomen injury that is likely an extension of the groin issue he dealt with in previous games. The risk isn’t worth the reward for fantasy purposes. Brayden Narveson would take his place in the lineup if Folk sits.

Head coach Mike McDaniel described the hip issue as standard wear and tear after over three months of football. Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said the same after Thursday’s practice. Despite crashing and burning in Week 15, Tua and the Dolphins still have an outside chance to make the playoffs, though they need to win out and get some extra help. Tua will sit on the QB1/2 border for a must-win game versus the 49ers this week.

Winfield will miss his second-straight game with a knee injury he suffered in Week 14. This news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise after head coach Todd Bowles announced shortly after the injury that Winfield would miss “a couple of games.” Safety Kaevon Merriweather played in place of Winfield in last week’s win over the Chargers and should once again slot in as the starter this week.

Pierce suffered the brain injury in Indy’s Week 15 loss to the Broncos and remains in the league’s concussion protocol. Rookie Adonai Mitchell will take his place in the lineup for three-receiver looks. Mitchell hasn’t caught more than one pass in a game since Week 10. Even in an elevated role, he is buried in the WR6 ranks for Week 16.

It will be Njoku’s first practice since Week 14, though he did have a pregame workout before Week 15’s game to see if he could play. Sadly, Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s elevation to starting quarterback seems likely to cap the upside of the Browns passing game in a way that makes Njoku more of a touchdown-or-bust play at tight end. He should no longer be expected to be a sure-fire TE1 if he is able to play in Week 16 against the Bengals.