NFL Player News

The longtime Steelers and Washington receiver/return man joined coach Bruce Arians’ staff two years ago. In the past, Randle El had complained of memory issues and said he wished he never played football, but that was half a decade ago. He is clearly doing better. Randle El’s versatility should make him an excellent teacher and sounding board.

Colts beat writer James Boyd said Raimann was spotted at the team facilities “wearing a brace and walking with a limp.” Raimann did not practice this week and can safely be assumed as out for Week 11 against the Jets. Matt Goncalves took over for Raimann after he exited last week’s game and would presumably draw the start on Sunday.

The Jets will release their final practice report shortly, but Adams getting on the field to close out the week should bode well for his Week 11 availability. Adams is dealing with a wrist injury and was also battling an illness, but beat writers have often highlighted the illness as being his reason for absence this week. We’ll have a better sense of his availability soon, but we’d be surprised if Adams missed Sunday’s game against the Colts.

Higgins will suit up for the first time since Week 7 after missing the last three games with his quad injury. The veteran receiver has been limited in practice all week, but the team is hopeful that he’s healthy enough to go against a stout Chargers defense. When active, Higgins has been solid for the Bengals. He’e caught 29 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns this season and is the WR11 in fantasy points per game (16.2) in PPR leagues. Assuming he’s playing at full strength, Higgins will fall somewhere in the range of WR2/WR3 on Sunday.

This news comes from head coach Sean McDermott, as the team has yet to release their Friday injury report. Cooper has been limited in practice throughout the week and hinted at playing on Thursday when asked about the possibility of suiting up. Assuming he’s active, Cooper will profile as a volatile WR3. He’s only appeared in one game for the Bills since being traded, but the absence of Keon Coleman (wrist) and Dalton Kincaid (knee) should give him some increased upside.

Head coach Sean McDermott has already ruled out Kincaid for the week, meaning Dawson Knox will have a chance to start against the Chiefs. Kincaid did not practice this week after going down in Week 10’s win over the Colts, and will now have an extra week to recover with the Bills headed for a Week 12 bye. He’ll hopefully be ready to go in Week 13 when the Bills return to face the 49ers.

Cooper isn’t a lock to play in Week 11’s game, but he said on Thursday that he feels like he’ll be ready to go and added that he’d don the cast he’s been wearing for the last few weeks if he does play. According to Cooper, he doesn’t feel any pain when catching the ball, and he “just got used to catching the ball with it.” Cooper has been limited in both practices to start the week, a good sign for his Week 11 availability.

Gainwell didn’t get a ton of touches with Saquon Barkley once again dominating the backfield — and with good reason — but he made the most of those attempts. The tailback was the only other player to have a carry outside of Barkley and Jalen Hurts, so it’s obvious he’s the clear preferred No. 2 option to Will Shipley right now. That should continue to be the case in Week 12 against the Rams, but it’s hard to see enough volume for fantasy relevance.

Smith did have a drop that hurt his yardage total — and obviously his reception mark — but even if he brought that pass in, it wasn’t a great game for the 26-year-old. It’s worth noting that he was dealing with a hamstring issue and playing on short rest, so that probably didn’t help. He’s picked up just 43 yards in the last two games, however, and will try and get going against the Rams in Week 12.

Goedert did have a fumble on a long 32-yard catch, but it bounced into the arms of an Eagle to avoid disaster. Outside of that it was mostly short targets for the tight end, but enough volume to come away satisfied with the effort for all but the pickiest of fantasy players. He’ll again be on the TE1 precipice against the Rams in Week 12.

Ertz scored a touchdown with less than a minute left that meant (essentially) nothing to the outcome but certainly helped fantasy managers. He also added a terrific catch on a two-point conversion where the 34-year-old showed he can still play with the young folks. The touchdown was just the second of the year, but based on the last two weeks, it appears he’s becoming a more important part of the Washington offense. He’s a TE2 against the Cowboys in Week 12.