NFL Player News

NBC’s Melissa Stark said, “An X-ray immediately following the game showed the break, and an MRI Monday revealed some ankle ligament damage, and doctors put in a plate and seven screws to stabilize the bone in his lower shin and the goal is to return in six-to-eight weeks.” The ligament damage news runs contrary to prior reports but it is unclear as to whether this complicates his recovery process. Fantasy managers rostering active Chiefs running backs should keep those players locked firmly on rosters.

Joe Flacco was seen taking first-team reps during the media portion of practice while Richardson (back/foot) continues to be sidelined. Flacco has a good chance to start in Week 17’s game against the Falcons, which should come as music to the ears of any Josh Downs manager still battling for a fantasy championship. Downs has averaged 9.7 targets per game and 17.7 PPR points per game in games Flacco has appeared in this season. He would profile as a high-end WR2 if Flacco gets the nod.

This news comes from head coach Brian Daboll. Nabers also missed Wednesday’s practice with a toe injury and is trending toward missing Sunday’s game against the Colts if he can’t get on the field in some capacity on Friday. The rookie receiver has dealt with a number of injuries this season, limiting him to 13 games. If Nabers can’t go this week, Darius Slayton could prove to be a valuable sleeper in deeper leagues.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was first. Bridgewater, who is fresh off coaching Miami Northwestern High School to a Class 3A state championship in his first season with the team, is now back to help the Lions with a postseason run that they hope ends with an NFL championship. The former first-rounder spent last season with the Lions after stints with the Panthers, Broncos, and Dolphins in previous seasons but did not attempt a pass in his lone year with the team. He will presumably join the Lions’ practice squad but could eventually be promoted to the QB2 over Hendon Hooker after a few weeks.

Gannon said he may not know the official status of Conner or fellow running back Trey Benson when the team boards the plan on Friday to head to Los Angeles to take on the Rams, but it sounds like Conner will have an outside shot to play if he continues to progress through his knee injury. Conner was listed as a limited participant in each of the team’s first two practices to start the week and will presumably log another limited session on Thursday. If both Conner and Benson are held out of Saturday’s contest, practice squad back Michael Carter figures to see a busy day after seeing 10 opportunities in last week’s loss to the Panthers.

Hurts was listed as a DNP for Wednesday’s practice and is at risk of missing Week 17’s game against the Cowboys if he can’t get on the field before the weekend. Kenny Pickett was also listed as limited with a rib injury, and the team signed quarterback Ian Book to its practice squad on Thursday. Signs are pointing toward Hurts missing at least one game, but we’ll see how things go over the next two days of practice.

Barrett will be waived from the Reserve Retired list and can be picked up by any team. If he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team of his choosing. Barrett applied for reinstatement to the league last month after announcing his retirement in July, but the Dolphins said they had no plans to waive the veteran linebacker or activate him at that time. Now, with an apparent change of heart, Barrett hopes to join a contender and compete in the postseason for a third NFL championship after winning two rings with the Broncos and Buccaneers.

Stevenson, who was benched earlier this season for fumbling issues, lost another fumble in Week 16 against Buffalo. “I think everyone understands how important the football is. We’re a team that we just can’t turn the ball over,” Mayo said when asked about Stevenson’s ongoing fumbling issues. “I thought Gibby, when he got in there, did a great job. We gotta go back and talk about it as a staff, but that’s definitely still a possibility.” Gibson last week had ten rushes for 28 yards and two grabs for eight yards in a loss to the Bills. He could figure more prominently in the New England backfield this week against the Chargers if Mayo is intent on sending a message to Stevenson. It makes Stevenson a shaky option in fantasy leagues.

Schultz came back to life last week with 45 yards and a score on five grabs. Even with Tank Dell out for this game (and the rest of the year), the veteran tight end failed to step up versus the Ravens, though that wasn’t entirely on him. C.J. Stroud missed him on multiple easy throws, turning a potentially average fantasy game into a flop for Schultz. With five catches and 66 yards serving as the ceiling performances for Schultz this year, he is stuck in the TE2 ranks for Week 18.

Metchie operated as the team’s No. 2 receiver with Tank Dell done for the year. He parlayed the role into a team-high in targets and only fell 11 yards short of Nico Collins. While Metchie will have to play a prominent role in the offense in Week 18 and beyond, Diontae Johnson is expected to suit up next week, throwing a wrench in the Metchie streaming plans. He is, at best, a WR5 heading into Week 18 against the Titans.

Collins erupted for 119 yards versus the Jags in Week 13 but has been quiet ever since. He has 136 yards in his subsequent three games. John Metchie led the Texans in targets this week with eight looks, though that likely speaks to just how dysfunctional the team was versus a superior Baltimore squad. Collins gets the Titans in Week 18. He went for 92 yards and a touchdown when the teams last faced in Week 12. Houston has nothing left to play for with the AFC South title already in hand, so fantasy managers with stake in the final game of the year will want to make sure Houston is playing their starters before rolling out Collins as a WR1 next week.