NFL Player News

The cash-strapped Bucs would save $2 million against the salary cap if they parted ways with Brate. The veteran caught 20 passes for 174 yards this season while battling a frightening neck injury that gave rookie TE Cade Otton a chance to start a handful of games. Brate, 31, has little chance of returning to Tampa in 2023. Otton, who in 2022 led all rookie tight ends in receptions (42) and finished top-five in yards (391) and touchdowns (two), would be an intriguing fantasy option if Brate is gone.

Tagovailoa missed Week 17 with the hip issue. A limited practice gives him a shot at suiting up on Sunday, though that looks awfully unlikely to happen as of Wednesday. Tyler Huntley will draw the start. Miami needs to win on Sunday and get a Denver loss to make the playoffs. If both happen, Tua could return in the Wild Card Round.

Tua Tagovailoa will be limited in Wednesday’s practice, so he isn’t entirely ruled out for Week 18. However, without being prepped as the starter, he is unlikely to play on Sunday. Huntley survived with a dink and dunk approach plus some rushing output in Miami’s Week 17 win over the Browns. He threw for 225 yards and a touchdown while running for another 52 yards and a score. Expect a similar game-plan versus the Jets. The Dolphins need a win and a Denver loss to make the playoffs.

Carson Wentz will draw the start this week. Reid didn’t name every starter getting the day off, but our best guess for the list of names includes Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown. Expect others to make the cut as well. The Chiefs are massive underdogs to the Broncos this week, all but guaranteeing Denver a spot in the playoffs.

This decision was expected to be handed down sometime in the week, as the 15-1 Chiefs have already secured the AFC West and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. The Chiefs are already in playoff mode and are expected to rest several starters as they officially prepare to become the first threepeat team in NFL history. Wentz last started in Week 18 for the Rams when they sat their starters ahead of the playoffs and threw for 163-2-1 while surprising with another 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 17 carries.

Sirianni said the team plans to rest several key players in the meaningless Week 18 contest. There’s a good chance that Hurts was going to sit regardless of him clearing protocol. The question now shifts to whether Kenny Pickett (ribs) or Tanner McKee will start against the Giants to close out the Eagles’ regular season. Pickett reaggravated his rib injury in last week’s win over the Cowboys, which opened the door for McKee to take his first regular season snaps as a pro. McKee completed 3-of-4 passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns in his debut and could have the inside edge on the starting job to allow Pickett more time to recover before the playoffs.

Barkley’s regular season will end with 2,005 rushing yards and 13 rush touchdowns, as he’ll fall 101 yards shy of setting the single-season rushing yards record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. It’s a tough pill for Barkley and fans to swallow, but the Eagles secured the NFC East title in last week’s win over the Cowboys while also cementing their spot in the playoff race. Kenneth Gainwell could make for an interesting Week 18 streamer for fantasy managers still playing who are looking for help at running back, while rookie Will Shipley could also see some run if he’s able to clear concussion protocol.

Goedert hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in Week 13’s win over the Ravens. It’s been a tough season for the veteran tight end, who has missed seven games this year due to injury, but Goedert has had some big moments this season when active. He totaled 10 catches for 170 yards in Week 3 against the Saints and has two other games where he eclipsed 60 receiving yards. Goedert is unlikely to return in Week 18 against the Giants but could have a chance to return for the NFC Wild Card round.

Speaking Monday on 106.7 The Fan’s Grant and Danny, Ekeler said when asked about a potential return for the Commanders’ playoff week, “This is one category it’s tough to talk about, just because you don’t want to say something and something else happens, so it’s kind of a week-to-week thing.” Ekeler wouldn’t go into any more detail regarding a potential return, but the team’s decision to designate him for return suggests he’ll have a good shot at returning at some point. The Commanders will have 21 days to activate him from injured reserve, but a Week 18 return may be too early for Ekeler, who suffered a brutal concussion in the team’s Week 12 loss to the Cowboys.

While he’s dealt with these spasms for multiple years, Richardson said the spasms that plagued him last week had “never been this severe.” The second-year quarterback said he was unable to stand or walk at various times last week and needed to crawl to get around his house. Despite this, Richardson and head coach Shane Steichen have said they hope he can play in the team’s season finale on Sunday against the Jaguars, but there’s no reason to put him on the field at less than 100 percent. The team will release their first injury report on Wednesday, which will reveal more about Richardson’s Week 18 availability than anything he or Steichen says.

Head coach Dave Canales said earlier in the week that the team is looking forward to having Sanders back this week, hinting at a return for the veteran running back. Sanders hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in Week 10, but had totaled just 38 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown in his first 10 games. Assuming he’s activated from injured reserve, Sanders could stumble into a season-high in touches in Week 18 after Raheem Blackshear and Mike Boone provided little to no upside in the running game last week.