NFL Player News

Waddle has missed both practices to open the week and is on the wrong side of playing in Week 16 against the 49ers. If Waddle can’t get on the field in a limited capacity on Friday, it would likely mean Tyreek Hill and Malik Washington will slot in as the Dolphins’ top two receivers.

Winston is slated to backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson against the Bengals in Week 16, but the shoulder ailment could make that untenable. If Winston can’t go, Bailey Zappe would likely be the second-string signal-caller.

It’s a new issue for Garrett, as he was not listed on the on the injury report Wednesday by the Browns. With Cleveland playing for nothing but a chance at a higher draft pick, the team won’t take any chances with its best player, but it’s worth noting that Garrett is just a half sack away from 100 for his career.

Higbee was activated off injured reserve Tuesday after missing the first 14 games of the season due to his ACL injury. Rodrigue notes that McVay will update Higbee’s status before Friday. It seems likely Higbee plays, but he’d be a dart-throw tight end — if that — for his debut against the Jets in Week 16.

Nabers suffered the foot injury in last week’s loss to the Ravens. He was momentarily slowed by it but returned to finish out the game and was still a limited participant in the team’s first practice to open the week. His being upgraded to a full participant on Thursday is a good sign for his availability in Sunday’s game against a Falcons defense that struggled to slow down their opponent’s passing games all season. Naber’s will be forced to get through another game with Drew Lock under center, but his expected volume should keep him in the WR2 mix.

Robinson was a limited participant Wednesday, but was ready to roll for a full session a day later. The 23-year-old has not provided much fantasy relevance thus far in 2025, and even with the healthy designation, it doesn’t seem likely that’ll change Sunday against the Falcons in Week 16.

That makes back-to-back limited practices for Tracy as he tries to work through his ankle ailment with just a few games left on the year. The talented 25-year-old seems likely to play at this point in a committee role against the Falcons in Week 16, but there’s not much fantasy upside if he’s not getting the overwhelming majority of carries.

Rapoport reports that it took “several days and several experts” to come to this conclusion while adding that if all goes well, Montgomery could find himself back on the field at some point during the postseason. Montgomery will not return in the regular season, but it sounds like any concerns the team had over the torn MCL he reportedly suffered in Week 14 have been quelled a bit. We’ll see where things go from here, but it goes without saying that a healthy Montgomery would bode well for the Lions in the postseason.

The Giants will go back to Lock as their starter after Tommy DeVito suffered a concussion in last week’s loss. Lock’s presence does not bode well for any of the Giants’ playmakers, and he carries no legitimate fantasy upside of his own.

Njoku has not practiced since injuring his hamstring in Week 14. He missed the Browns’ Week 15 loss to the Chiefs and is on track to miss at least one more game with his latest injury. Backup Jordan Akins caught three passes for 30 yards in place of Njoku last week but can be kept off the fantasy radar even if Njoku sits.

Tillman may need to log a full practice on Friday if he has any hopes of suiting up in Week 16 against the Bengals. If active, Tillman won’t have the same fantasy upside he enjoyed with Jameis Winston under center. The move from Winston to Dorian Thompson-Robinson is an immediate downgrade for Tillman and all Browns players and puts Tillman somewhere on the cusp of a WR3/WR4 if he is active.