NFL Player News

It was mentioned earlier this month that Dean would be an IR candidate after suffering a Lisfranc sprain. With the Eagles on bye in Week 10, Dean didn’t miss any action but must now miss the next four games with this IR designation. A third-round pick by the Eagles in 2022, Dean’s career has gotten off to a bit of a slow start. He’s managed 43 tackles and three TFLs in 22 career games but has started in four of his five games played this season. He will be eligible to return in Week 15 when the Eagles take on the Seahawks.

Alexander is still working his way back from a tear in his PCL. He went down with the injury in Week 8, briefly returned two games later, but has been out ever since. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has also been ruled out for Week 14. The Lions should keep the points machine humming versus a banged-up Packers defense this week.

Doubs missed Week 13 with the brain injury. He was limited in practice this week, but an early game on Thursday made it impossible for him to clear the league’s concussion protocol in time. He should be back for a Week 15 tilt with the Seahawks. His absence will leave Jayden Reed as the team’s top receiver, though Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks will both be in the mix for targets. Reed will sit on the WR2/3 border while the deep threats are high-risk FLEX plays for Week 14.

When the injury occurred is unclear but Moore is coming off of a 14-target workload so it stands to reason he may have closed Week 13 a little banged up. Fantasy managers should expect him to suit up for now, though it is possible he picked up the injury in practice today.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters yesterday he expects Highsmith to return from the ankle injury this week. A limited session on Wednesday is a step in the right direction. Highsmith has missed three games because of the injury and previously missed three more with a groin issue. He has three sacks and four TFLs in six appearances this season.

Decker will now miss his third game since Week 10 and was entirely unable to practice this week. Hopefully, the team is just taking the conservative route and Decker will be readily available for the stretch run later this season. The Lions will be woefully short-staffed in the defensive trenches, having also ruled out DL Josh Paschal (knee), DL Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) and DL DJ Reader (shoulder).

Lawrence will spend a minimum of four games on injured reserve. He will technically be able to return for a meaningless Week 18 game, but the odds of that happening are close to zero. Lawrence was also dealing with an injury to the AC joint in his left shoulder. He missed two games with the issue before returning last week, only to suffer a brutal concussion on a dirty hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. It’s possible Lawrence will undergo shoulder surgery while on injured reserve, which would mark an official end to his disappointing 2024 season. Mac Jones will close out the year as the Jags’ starter. Jones threw for 235 yards and two scores in relief of Lawrence last week but was much worse in his two starts. He barely registers as a QB2 for Superflex leagues.

Samuel played a limited role in Week 13, logging just 22 snaps versus the 49ers. He was not targeted but did turn his lone rush attempt into seven yards. With Keon Coleman likely to return this week, fantasy managers don’t need to worry about Samuel going forward.

Coleman has missed three games with the wrist issue. He returned to practice last week for a trio of limited session, but the Bills chose to hold him out for Sunday night’s game against the 49ers. All signs point to him returning this week, though the Bills may need to see him get in a full practice before giving him the green light. If active for Week 14, Coleman will spend a week in the WR4 ranks until we can get a clear picture of what his role looks like post-injury.

Johnson suffered his second recorded concussion in the Lions’ Week 13 Thanksgiving game; the first occurred in Week 5, 2023. There was a chance that the added downtime could give Johnson a shot at returning for Week 14 but he appears to be on the typical concussion-recovery track. Fantasy managers should currently expect Johnson to miss Week 14.