NFL Player News

He was recorded working off to the side and doing some stutter-step drills, so perhaps there’s a chance that he’ll be able to turn this around ahead of Saturday’s game against the Ravens. Pickens has missed two games since suffering a hamstring strain in practice. Pittsburgh has thrown for 147 total yards and 107 total yards in two games without him.

This follows a post-game presser where he again clearly said “We have to play better at the quarterback position.” It would seem that the door is being at least cracked a little for a Michael Penix Jr. switch down the stretch. Cousins has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions in his last five starts, and has appeared to be dealing with diminished arm strength as well. The Falcons host the Giants in Week 16 and Penix Jr., if he’s chosen to start, would make for an appealing QB2 streamer in superflex leagues for his first start if given the opportunity. Morris had been defiantly answering questions about Cousins with affirmative proclamations about how he was the team’s starter. That is no longer the case.

Metchie played 21 of 50 snaps against the Dolphins in Week 15, dropping a long C.J. Stroud touchdown. If he can’t go against the Chiefs in Week 16, Xavier Hutchinson will step into the Texans WR4 role. Neither will be interesting in fantasy football outside of the deepest leagues.

This would seem to get him in line to play against the Texans in Week 16. The Chiefs are conducting lower-intensity practices ahead of the game so it’s possible there’s a little gamesmanship in these listings. Brown won’t be a fantasy football factor until it’s established that he’s playing a full workload in a Chiefs passing game that spreads the ball around.

Mahomes met with reporters — another sign of optimism towards him playing — and told them he won’t push the ankle if he feels he can’t play the way he wants. Andy Reid told reporters: “The doctor will talk to me. If he can go, he’ll go. If he can’t, he can’t. It’s that simple. That’s how we’ll roll. I’ll just take it day by day and see how he does.” We’d still be wary of Mahomes playing in Week 16, and this was just a light walkthrough for the Chiefs, but this is definitely a more optimistic update than we expected today.

Higbee is not a recommended waiver target with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua producing and commanding heavy target volumes, but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he can come back and be a low-end TE1 for the remainder of the season. He tore his ACL in January and spent almost the entire allotment of his 21-day window practicing with the team before being activated.

He said that it was a place he’d be excited about staying, telling reporters “I don’t know what the future holds but I definitely got a home in Houston, and I love those guys over there. They’re good people.” Diggs’ market is uncertain after the 31-year-old tore his ACL in Week 8. It’s possible he comes back to Houston on a short-term contract, but he might be a better fit in a different offense in 2025, one where he’s not quite so obviously the WR2 to Nico Collins.

With no playoffs on tap for the Panthers, it ends the rookie’s season. The 72nd overall pick in the draft had started to come on lately as a pass rusher, notching four straight PFF grades above 66 in the category before leaving Week 15’s game with the injury. The coverage linebacker will probably be in Carolina’s plans in the middle for 2025.

It’s a new listing. Fields did take a fairly decent hit against the Eagles in his one snap, one carry performance. Kyle Allen is the Steelers third quarterback should Fields miss Week 16’s game against the Ravens.

The Steelers often give Watt a veteran day off at the start of the week, so it’s hard to read too much into this as far as it relates to his odds of suiting up on Saturday. A DNP on Wednesday would be much more telling for Watt’s status against the Ravens in Week 16.

Fowler doesn’t out-and-out say it will be Mason Rudolph, but uh, who else would it be? Zach Mettenberger? Rudolph will take over for Will Levis and lower the ceiling of the Titans passing attack while also bringing its floor up from rock bottom. Rudolph did force-feed Calvin Ridley in his tenure as starter earlier this year, giving the No. 1 wideout 32 targets in three starts. It would stand to reason that Ridley could be a fantasy beneficiary of the move.