NFL Player News

Again, in theory, Johnson could be activated ahead of Week 18. But it seems unlikely that the Giants would do that so let’s call it a wrap on his season. The rookie made in-roads to a No. 3/No. 4 receiver role in his first season, closing with five or more targets in each of his last four games. Unfortunately for Johnson, the uncertainty with the Giants at head coach and general manager portends a possible trip through the “Greg Dulcich Zone,” where a player that was otherwise effective comes down with a case of Not New Management’s Guy. Johnson is a weak dynasty hold at best right now, but this was a fairly promising rookie season.

Robinson suffered a hand injury in Sunday’s win over the Saints but did score a 46-yard touchdown in the victory. If he’s active, Robinson is boom-or-bust WR5 in next week’s game against the Bills.

Jacobs has been dealing with this calf injury for the last several weeks and shouldn’t be at risk of missing Thursday night’s contest against the Lions. Barring an unexpected setback, Jacobs should be good to go for Week 14 and will profile as a low-end RB1 against a stout Lions defense.

Harbaugh said “we’ll see” when asked if McConkey would practice this week. It certainly sounds like McConkey is questionable for Week 14 at the very least, and his practice participation will be something to monitor throughout the week. He never actually left Week 13’s win over the Falcons, but was clearly playing through a lot of pain. If McConkey did sit, it’s possible Quentin Johnson could be in for a more WR3-interesting role as the No. 1 target against the Chiefs.

Mason and Christian McCaffrey (knee) both landed on injured reserve on Monday, paving the way for Isaac Guerendo to become a league-winner in fantasy leagues. Mason would be eligible to return in Week 18 of the regular season, but if the 49ers don’t activate him, his year would end with a rushing line of 153-789-3. He served as the 49ers’ bell cow back for eight weeks while McCaffrey was out, and was one of the top running backs in fantasy during that two-month stretch. Mason will be a restricted free agent next offseason, but could end up playing for another team in 2025 if the 49ers don’t match any qualifying offers that may come his way. Mason will be 26 at the start of next season and has been a lightly-used back during the first three years of his career.

McCaffrey will not have surgery and is expected to miss six weeks, which will likely end his season unless the 49ers rally to make the playoffs from a 1.5-game deficit. What can we say about Christian McCaffrey’s 2024 season? Well, it didn’t start. Then he didn’t really play all that well after he returned from his Achilles tendonitis. Then it was over. The final line of 50/202/0 with 15/146/0 receiving over four games correctly showcases the lack of burst he showed. McCaffrey should return as San Francisco’s No. 1 back next year, and perhaps this time he’ll even be available to play in Week 1.

Forbes was waived by the Commanders last week after failing to impress the new regime in his second season. The former No. 16 overall pick was one of many reaches made by former head coach Ron Rivera during his four-year tenure, and didn’t make it even two full seasons with the team that drafted him. Forbes will have a chance to revive a career that has quickly gone awry now that he’s with the Rams.

The long-time Bengal simply fell behind Jermaine Burton and Andrei Iosivas in the pecking order, making him expendable. He only caught three passes for 15 yards for Cincinnati this year. The 28-year-old offers special teams value and probably will be able to pick up a new job for the final month of the season.

McLane’s knee injury was not believed to be “serious” per initial reports, but now McLane is reporting that Goedert’s injury “will likely sideline him on a week-to-week basis.” For now, we’ll assume Goedert will be questionable for Week 14’s game against the Panthers, but that could change once we get a look at the team’s practice report later in the week. If Goedert is unable to play in Week 14, Grant Calcaterra would draw the start in his absence.

In theory, Lawrence could return in Week 18 if the club wanted. But with nothing to play for, and Adam Schefter literally saying it is “season-ending,” we’ll close up the ledger for Lawrence’s 2024 season. Lawrence finished with an 89.9 PFF grade and has been the best pass rusher at his position — perhaps the only player of his size period capable of doing what he does as a rusher — as he ends the year with 10 sacks in 551 snaps. Lawrence’s cap number balloons to $24.13 million next year. There aren’t many non-quarterbacks we’d say can carry that number and be worth it, but Lawrence is one of them.

This comes a day after Harbaugh declined to comment on Johnson’s availability immediately after the loss when he said, “I’m not really ready to comment on that right now. I will be, but I don’t have enough information right now.” Whatever “information” Harbaugh needs is a mystery to most, but maybe he’ll gather that intel during the team’s Week 14 bye. Since being acquired by the Ravens’ at the trade deadline, Johnson has run 19 routes while playing on 39 offensive snaps. Johnson didn’t see the field in Sunday’s loss despite Rashod Bateman exiting early with a knee injury. Bateman’s injury isn’t believed to be long-term, but it will be interesting to see if Johnson sees an increase in playing time should Bateman miss a game or two.