NFL Player News

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that he’s hopeful Tillman can return in Week 16 against the Bengals. That Tillman, who suffered a brain injury in early December, remains in the concussion protocol is a concerning sign for the second-year wideout. Even if Tillman suits up this week against the Bengals, he won’t hold much fantasy interest with Dorian Thompson-Robinson taking over at QB for Jameis Winston.

The veteran kicker is worryingly listed with a neck issue on Wednesday’s injury report. While it may not impact his kicking, concerns for his overall health are warranted. Fantasy managers should not count on Gay for Week 16.

This is unfortunate but unsurprising. Pierce is currently on the wrong side of questionable, three days after being forced from play after suffering a concussion. Fantasy managers should expect Pierce to miss Week 16 though he technically still has time to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Pittman has regularly taken days off while managing this back injury so a Wednesday absence is hardly concerning. If past injury reports tell us anything, he is likely to practice in full on Thursday. If he is unable to, this will become a situation worth monitoring.

Shanny didn’t say Williams is done for the year, but it’s not hard to connect the dots even if Williams could, in theory, return this year. He has been out for a month with the ankle injury and didn’t practice today, pointing toward another absence. With the 49ers soon to be officially eliminated from the playoff race, Williams may have played his last snap in 2024.

A limited session suggests Tracy will suit up this week as most players are banged up in some way three months into the season. The ankle issue could, however, be the reason Tracy split reps with Devin Singletary in Week 15. Both backs saw 11 touches. Tracy ran 10 times for 31 yards and added a single reception for four yards. Until Tracy separates himself as the clear lead-back once again, he will be stuck in the RB3 ranks as a committee back on a terrible team.

Macdonald also mentioned that Smith is “feeling good” after injuring his knee on Sunday. Participation on Wednesday is always a good sign for a player’s availability so fantasy managers can tentatively expect the Seahawks’ QB to suit up this week. Smith’s practice participation will hopefully tell us more about his mobility and ability to drive the ball downfield.

It’s likely a maintenance day for the high-volume wideout. Robinson has seen 20 targets over the past two weeks, though he has reeled in just four of them for 38 yards in back-to-back games. Healthy or not, there’s not enough meat on the bone with Robinson’s low-aDOT targets to treat him as anything other than a WR5 for Week 16.

Nabers had his foot stepped on by a teammate in the Giants’ Week 15 loss to the Ravens. He was hobbled by the stomp for a moment but it didn’t prevent him from closing out the game. Nabers should be good to go for Week 16 as a limited practice on Wednesday is nothing new for him. He remains a volume-based WR2 for his matchup with the Falcons.

Waddle left Week 15’s game against the Texans and was listed as questionable to return. He did not do so but was also never ruled out officially. Mike McDaniel called him day to day on Monday and left it at that today. If Waddle can’t suit up on Sunday, rookie Malik Washington will see the bulk of the WR2 snaps for Miami. Washington caught five passes for 52 yards in releif of Waddle last week.