NFL Player News

Nose tackle Brandon Williams and outside linebacker Justin Houston were among the notable names from Baltimore’s front seven that missed practice Wednesday. Safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Tavon Young were also sidelined. That’s four defensive starters sidelined to start the week but at least a few of them should resume practicing by Friday. Luckily for Baltimore, even if they are missing some defensemen for Week 3, they should be able to cobble together a starting unit that can keep Jared Goff and the Lions in check.

The Bears only had two players on their injury report this week, and both were ruled out before Thursday. Desperately hoping to end their five-game losing streak, the Bears will have their work cut out for them against the one-loss Lions.

Montgomery was a full participant in the Lions’ final practice of the week, leading us to believe he would suit up for Thursday’s game despite his questionable tag. Now officially active, Montgomery will be available to once again split touches with Jahmyr Gibbs in this Thanksgiving Day tilt. Montgomery is a fringe RB1/RB2 against his former team.

St. Brown was listed as questionable on Wednesday but was trending in the right direction to play after being listed as a full participant. The Lions’ WR1 will be a low-end WR1 in fantasy as Detroit kicks off this Thanksgiving Day slate against the Bears. We can safely start the Sun God in what figures to be a solid fantasy matchup. While St. Brown is out, the Lions did declare CB Emmanuel Moseley, CB Carlton Davis III, OL Giovanni Manu, OL Taylor Decker, OL Kayode Awosika, and OL Colby Sorsdal inactive for Week 13.

That’s two straight DNPs for Pierce, who is officially on the wrong side of playing in Week 13 against the Patriots. Head coach Shane Steichen said on Wednesday that Pierce was “fine,” so it’s possible he will get on the practice field Friday to remove any concern about his availability, but it’s wait-and-see, for now.

Higbee returned to practice this week after starting the season on the PUP list due to a knee injury he suffered last January. He was listed with a limited status on Wednesday, but he is unlikely to play Week 13 against the Saints. This will be Higbee’s first week to ramp up practices and Week 14 against the Bills will be his next opportunity to suit up.

Fant has missed multiple weeks due to a groin injury, but could be on his way back this week. He got in a pair of limited practices last week and starts this week out as a full participant. If he is cleared to play, Fant is no more than a back-end TE2 play against the Jets.

Lockett has been managing various injuries throughout the season and is listed with a knee injury for his non-participation to begin the week. He is the clear No. 3 wide receiver behind DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba now and fantasy managers in shallower leagues can cut Lockett at this point of the season. If he cannot practice later in the week, Lockett is likely to miss Week 13 against the Jets, propping Smith-Njigba up further as a borderline WR1 fantasy play.

Metcalf popped up on the Seahawks’ practice report with a new shoulder injury, listed as a non-participant for Wednesday. We have not yet heard about Metcalf’s shoulder issue, so the severity of the injury is still up in the air. If Metcalf can practice over the next couple days, he has a better chance of suiting up for Week 13. Otherwise, Metcalf is at risk of missing the Seahawks’ game against the Jets. With Tyler Lockett (knee) also missing practice, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is slated for a big game this week.

Bosa missed Week 12 due to an oblique injury he suffered in Week 11. He was already managing a hip injury prior to that and the oblique issue seems to be an extension of the hip issue. He starts out the week not practicing, indicating he is on track to miss Week 13 as well. Some positive news for the 49ers defense is that LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) got in a limited practice Wednesday after the team opened his 21-day activation window this week. Though Bosa is trending out, Greenlaw is getting healthier.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reports that Williams is experiencing pain even while walking at this point, evidently prompting the scooter use. The 49ers’ left tackle has been managing a multi-week ankle injury but the team is now listing him with a heel injury as well. While a contusion or an impact-related injury is possible, “heel” suggests this could involve the Achilles tendon, which is very worrying. Williams appears highly unlikely to play in Week 13.