NFL Player News

Hodge (6'1/248) was named the North Carolina Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in high school and committed to NC State until academic issues pushed him to Marshall. He redshirted as a freshman to straighten out his grades, but made his presence felt in in 2019 when he posted 41 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and seven sacks en route to honorable mention All-C-USA status. He continued on his positive trajectory in 2020, receiving first team All-C-USA recognition and leading the Thundering Herd in TFL and sacks. Though short for the position, he boasts freakishly long 34 3/8" arms and utilizes his low-center of gravity to dip underneath the arms of opposing tackles on the edge and elude blocks. Hodge, 22, was able to get away with below average size and bend in college, but his lack of elite physical attributes could be troublesome in the NFL.

Tua popped up on Wednesday’s injury report as a limited participant, but the team doesn’t appear too worried about whether or not that will affect his availability for Week 16’s game against the 49ers. Tagovailoa suffered a dislocated right hip during his final collegiate season at Alabama, which put a red flag on his prospect profile during draft season. This latest injury doesn’t appear to be in any way related to this, and the fact that Tagovailoa was a limited participant on Wednesday should be viewed as a positive early sign for his Week 16 outlook. We’ll assume he’ll be good to go, barring an unexpected development.

Speaking on the Matt LaFleur Podcast, coach LaFleur said Morgan would miss the remainder of the season due to a recurring shoulder injury. The rookie first-rounder has been limited to just six games this season and made only one start. Morgan played exclusively at left tackle during his final three seasons at the University of Arizona but saw work at both guard positions during his rookie campaign while earning a PFF blocking grade of 59.2. Assuming he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, we would expect him to be ready by training camp next season.

Brown suffered what was once believed to be a season-ending shoulder injury in the Chiefs’ first preseason game and hasn’t been heard from since. Now, the speedy receiver will make his long-awaited debut with the team on Saturday against the Texans, providing what should be a much-needed boost to the offense. Reports out of training camp suggested Brown and Patrick Mahomes were developing a good rapport with one another before Brown’s injury. He’s too risky a bet for fantasy managers to count on in Week 16 outside of deep leagues, but a solid target share/route participation rate could make him an intriguing dart thrown in Week 17 against the Steelers.

Hurst was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury in late November. He was designated for return early this week and has been listed as a full participant ever since. Hurst caught just seven passes for 65 yards before going down and won’t have any fantasy viability.

Turner was a late addition on the Vikings’ Wednesday injury report after having a limited showing the the team’s evening walkthrough. Turner looks to be dealing with a knee issue and his practice status later in the week will show how serious this new issue is and if Turner can play in Week 16.

This is Fant’s third lower-body injury of the season, though his early-week participation at least bodes positively for his Week 16 availability. The veteran tight end dealt with a September toe injury before being sidelined by a multi-week groin strain. On the plus side, at least his newest injury isn’t a recurrence.

Metcalf has been nursing a shoulder injury for a couple weeks, but has played through it. He starts out the week not practicing, but should be good to go for Week 16 against the Vikings if the same practice trends as weeks prior hold up. Metcalf’s fantasy viability will be tied to Geno Smith, who did practice on Wednesday.

Walker was officially listed as DNP, but had done some walkthrough activities earlier in the day, according to head coach Mike Macdonald. He has missed two straight games due to his calf injury and the Seahawks will hope he practices this week to play in Week 16. With Zach Charbonnet (oblique) also not practicing, Kenny McIntosh is in line to start if Walker is not ready to go against the Vikings.

Charbonnet pops up on the injury report with a new oblique injury and did not practice on Wednesday. He has started the past two games with Kenneth Walker (calf) out, but now picks up his own injury to put his status in jeopardy for Week 16. If Charbonnet cannot practice the rest of the week, the Seahawks would hope for either Walker to return or rely on Kenny McIntosh to carry the load against the Vikings.

Smith’s week is off to a far better start than many expected. He participated in both Wednesday’s morning walk-through and afternoon practice. His status as a full participant puts him on track to play in Week 16, barring a setback. He is a borderline QB1/2 against the Vikings.