NFL Player News

Cimini notes that every starter and key backup will sit for the team’s second preseason game against the Panthers, with the team instead using the game as one of their final chances to evaluate players on the roster bubble. We’ll have to wait until the Jets open the season to get a true look at their roster with quarterback Aaron Rodgers unlikely to see any action until the team’s regular season kickoff against the 49ers.

According to the sideline reporter, Mason had his knee braced and headed back to the locker room. Kendrick Green took over at right guard for the Texans. Mason seems unlikely to return based on this reporting.

Reports surfaced yesterday that this is likely Kelly’s final season in Indianapolis considering he will turn 32 in the coming offseason and is in the final year of his contract. He will make his return to the active roster in time for the team’s Week 16 matchup against the Titans though, which is a solid boost to a unit that has largely underperformed expectations this season.

Tillman is missing his fourth straight game after suffering a concussion in Week 12. Even with Tillman out, Browns pass catchers are difficult to trust in Week 16 with Jameis Winston hitting the bench for Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

The Ravens finally cut ties with Johnson as they waived the 28-year-old wide receiver on Friday. The move was inevitable after he refused to enter the team’s Week 13 contest against the Eagles. Johnson will be subjected to waivers and in a cruel twist for the Ravens could end up being claimed by a contending team, even one Baltimore might see in the playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes, Hollywood Brown, and Harrison Butker are all officially active. Humphries has not practiced since suffering his hamstring injury towards the end of Week 14. Conner (concussion) did not practice at all this week. All other players listed are healthy scratches.

Metchie (shoulder), Scruggs (foot), Stover (illness), and Fatukasi (ankle) were all declared out on Friday. Christian Harris (ankle) is playing off a questionable tag. White, Broeker, and Hughes are healthy scratches.

Schefter cites executives across the league who are “fully expecting” Atlanta to release the 36-year-old quarterback before his roster bonus is due. This comes on the heels of an ESPN report Friday that called Cousins’ chances of returning as a backup next year “slim.” Despite his play falling off a cliff this year, Cousins still holds leverage over the Falcons because his ridiculous contract includes a no-trade clause. According to Schefter, Cousins isn’t going to do any favors for the franchise after they surprised him on draft night by selecting another quarterback and thus wouldn’t allow a trade before March 17th. From Atlanta’s perspective, there’s no reason to hang onto Cousins past March 17th considering they already owe Cousins $90 million. Cousins, who has turned holding leverage over teams into an art form over the course of his career, is set to become a free agent once again.

Alexander is now on track to return against the Saints this week. The Packers’ No. 1 CB has been sidelined since Week 12 so his likely return is a welcome development for his team’s secondary. Alexander’s return could be particularly consequential if Chris Olave (concussion) suits up on Monday night.

This is Musgrave’s fifth straight LP designation since the Packers opened his 21-day practice window, telling us little about his Monday Night Football status. Musgrave was kept inactive last week. If he is able to practice in full tomorrow, he should be good to go. Fantasy managers can only view him as a touchdown-dependent TE2 though, playing behind Tucker Kraft.

Brown practiced in full throughout the week and will now make his Chiefs debut on Saturday versus the Texans. The Chiefs will ease Brown back into the lineup, keeping him off the fantasy radar for Week 16. However, his return makes already thin bets in Xavier Worthy and DeAndre Hopkins that much worse for fantasy purposes. Hopkins has been a part-time player since joining the Chiefs and now there’s even more of a threat to his routes. Xavier Worthy, on the other hand, runs all of the routes but rarely sees WR1 usage. His 11-target outing in Week 15 will keep him in the WR3 ranks for Saturday’s matchup with Houston.