NFL Player News

Sanders is unlikely to play in Week 13 after suffering a neck injury in Week 12. Sanders was taken to the hospital after the injury, and while coach Dave Canales said his rookie tight end avoided serious injury, a return to action just one week later feels like a stretch. If he doesn’t practice on Friday, we can safely assume Sanders will miss Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

It’s an upgrade from Wednesday’s DNP. Dissly has been an instrumental part of the Chargers’ offense as of late. He caught four passes for 47 yards in Week 12’s loss to the Ravens and has caught four or more passes in six of his last seven games. With one practice still to go, Dissly has a good chance to suit up in Week 13 if he can log another limited session on Friday. He’d be a solid low-end TE1 if active.

The Browns conducted a walkthrough on Thursday, but Tillman remains in the league’s concussion protocol and will need to clear it if he hopes to play in Week 13 against the Broncos. He has an extra day to recover before Monday night’s game against the Broncos, but it’s not uncommon for a player to miss at least one game after suffering a brain injury. Tillman’s status will be one to keep an eye out for when the Browns release their final injury report on Saturday.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the day that DeVito was not expected to play, but now Rapoport is reporting that DeVito will be the team’s third emergency QB. This means Drew Lock will make his first start of the season. Lock threw for 543-3-3 last season with the Seahawks, but won’t have much fantasy upside at this time. In addition to DeVito, the Giants also declared TE Greg Dulcich, CB Deonte Banks, S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins III, OG Jake Kubas, and OT Jermaine Eluemunor inactive for Week 13.

Diggs was considered a bit of a long shot to play after being listed as questionable heading into the day. The veteran corner will now miss two straight games due to his injuries and will hope to get right ahead of Week 14’s game against the Bengals. In addition to Diggs, the Cowboys also declared RG Zack Martin, RB Deuce Vaughn, CB Andrew Booth, DE Marshawn Kneeland, TE Jake Ferguson, and WR Ryan Flournoy inactive for Week 13.

Thursday’s practice was just a walkthrough, given that Nix and the Broncos don’t play until Monday. There was no mention of an injury to the rookie QB after Sunday’s win over the Raiders, so we’ll assume this is a minor issue for now.

Johnson suffered a concussion in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Lions and was ruled out shortly after halftime. The second-year back will now need to clear concussion protocol if he hopes to play in Week 14 against the 49ers. Johnson did not register an on offensive touch against the Lions.

Smith said of the call, “I appreciate it, love that place. But that’s not my focus. I mean, I’ve got one of the best jobs in football right now.” The former Falcons head coach is in his first season with the Steelers and is currently leading an offense on an 8-3 team. It doesn’t sound like Smith is interested in going anywhere any time soon, although it wouldn’t be surprising if the 42-year-old wanted another crack at a head coaching gig at some point down the line.

Coker is trending toward missing his second straight game. He injured his quad late in Week 12’s practice week and has not practiced since last Thursday. Both Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette should see target share bumps with Coker and Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck) likely out for Week 13.

Highsmith’s ankle injury has kept him sidelined over the last two weeks so his return to practice is a big step. Whether he is healthy enough to suit up for Week 13 against the Bengals remains to be seen but he is at least on track to return for the Steelers’ Week 14 game against the Browns.

Johnson is being evaluated for a concussion after taking a hard hit in Thursday’s game against the Lions. Johnson went to the locker room to be evaluated and had not recorded an official touch before exiting.