NFL Player News

Players can come off the list at any time. Ruckert did work with the trainers in minicamp and it seems unlikely he’ll have a major fantasy role in 2022 behind CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin. It can’t be entirely ruled out, though, particularly if his stay on the list is a short one. The third-round rookie was one of the top tight end prospects in the 2022 draft.

Wright was a serviceable replacement while the Chiefs had multiple kickers on injured reserve in Harrison Butker and Spencer Shrader. He was waived because Butker was activated, but with Shrader still on injured reserve, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Chiefs to re-sign Wright to the practice squad assuming he clears waivers.

Matthew Wright was waived in a corresponding move. The Chiefs designated Butker, who missed a month with a knee injury, to return from injured reserve earlier this week and deemed him good to go after logging three limited practices. He has plenty of time to shake off the rust before the playoffs, but may be difficult to trust in his first game back in the fantasy playoffs.

Stefanski is the reigning Coach of the Year and continues to keep the Browns competitive despite Watson’s ineffectiveness and injuries over the last two seasons. Keeping Stefanski isn’t much of a surprise as he and Berry both signed extensions last offseason. While Watson is said to be returning, his future is a little murkier. Jones’ sources have indicated that the Browns won’t release Watson as a post-June 1 release would result in a record $119 million in dead money. They also aren’t relying on Watson being healthy for Week 1 next year and it remains unclear if he’ll even resume starting when healthy.

Not a big surprise here as Mayo is in his first year with New England. It would’ve been a pretty bad look for the organization to make him a one-and-done coach. The Patriots have struggled with a 3-10 record this season, but the team is breaking in rookie quarterback Drake Maye and has limited weapons at the offensive skill positions. New England would have the third pick in the draft if the season ended today and it’s expected that Mayo will still be in charge when they make that selection.

Rapoport initially qualified his report on Hall’s Week 15 availability, saying “it seems like we are likely to see him” before ultimately declaring that the team does, indeed, expect Hall to play. Whether Hall can play effectively and remain setback-free is a concern but his injured knee has responded positively to his Friday practice participation thus far. He would be a volatile RB1 if active.

Brown’s SC joint has evidently responded well to his September surgery. The Chiefs reportedly expect him to play in the playoffs and intend to get him live repetitions, late in the regular season, to make sure Brown is “fully acclimated” ahead of his team’s playoff run. Rapoport indicated Brown’s return could come in either Week 17 or 18.

Shepard missed the first two practices of the week and was upgraded to a limited session on Friday. That’s not abnormal for a veteran wideout, so he appears to be on the right side of questionable heading into the weekend. Should he be forced to sit on Sunday, rookie wideout Jalen McMillan would have a better shot at keeping the ball rolling after his two-score breakout in Week 14.

Evans played through the hamstring issue once this year and immediately aggravated it, causing a multi-week absence. The Bucs are being extra cautious with Evans’ practice reps this time around to make sure the injury doesn’t flare up again. He was held out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday before being upgraded to a limited session to close the week. Evans being cleared from the report entirely is a good indicator that his light workload in practice is just a precaution. He remains near the top of the WR2 ranks for his Week 15 matchup with the Chargers.

Whether Bosa aggravated his prior hip injury in Week 14 is unclear but his full participation on Friday bodes positively for his Week 15 snap count. Both the Chargers and Buccaneers are jockeying for playoff spots, making this a must-win game for both parties.

Dissly was always a long shot to play this week and he was fully unable to participate in practice. The Chargers will turn to intriguing but unproven youngster Stone Smartt. He offers little in stability but could turn in a usable outing operating as Herbert’s starting tight end.