NFL

Herbert was listed as a limited participant Monday and was limited again Tuesday. He played through the ankle injury for Week 15 and the Chargers seem to be managing Herbert’s workload on a short week ahead of Thursday’s Week 16 matchup against the Broncos. Expect Herbert to be good to go as a low-end fantasy QB1.

The Chargers’ injury report on Monday initially read that Johnston was a non-participant in practice. However, Chargers staff corrected the initial report and said it was actually OL Zion Johnson who was DNP with an ankle issue. Johnson suffered the injury during Week 15 and was also listed as DNP on Tuesday. Johnston is on track to play Thursday against the Broncos while Johnson is tracking to be out Week 16.

Head coach Raheem Morris was evasive on Kirk Cousins’ status as starter on Tuesday but has now benched Cousins in favor of rookie first-rounder Michael Penix Jr. The 36-year-old is coming off an Achilles injury he suffered last season and had been struggling as of late, throwing just one touchdown to nine interceptions over his last five games. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal in March and will be paid $62.5 million this season. He is also owed $27.5 million fully guaranteed in 2025 and has a no-trade clause in his contract. The Falcons will have $65 million in dead money should they release him prior to the 2025 league year. As such, the Falcons cannot do much about Cousins and will have to pay him out, but the offseason could see Atlanta taking the sunk cost and moving on, especially if Penix produces above the low bar Cousins set.

The Falcons selected Penix No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft with the veteran Kirk Cousins already signed and are choosing to make the move to the 24-year-old earlier than fans anticipated. Penix led the Washington Huskies to an undefeated season in 2023, losing the National Championship game to Michigan. He won the Maxwell Award and finished second for the Heisman Trophy. As an older rookie, Penix profiles to be further along in his development and may have a shorter learning curve than some of the other rookie starters this season. For fantasy purposes, it can’t be too much worse for pass-catchers Drake London and Darnell Mooney as the offense had just one passing touchdown over its last five games. London and Mooney are in back-end WR2 and WR4 mixes, respectively. Though Penix offers more mobility than statue Kirk Cousins, he was never a rusher in college and will have minimal dual-threat upside. He sits at the fantasy QB2/3 borderline for his first career start in Week 16 against the porous Giants defense.

Bridgewater last played in the NFL for the Lions last season, playing just three snaps in a reserve role. The 32-year-old was last a full-time starter for the Broncos in 2021, battling injuries since being drafted by the Vikings in 2014. He retired to coach his high school alma mater and came away with a state championship. Now, he tells Pelissero and Rapoport “we’ll see how [the] next week and a half, two weeks play out, might be signing with a team or something.” The likelihood Bridgewater becomes a contributor at this point of the NFL season is low, but he has the desire to return to an NFL quarterback room. With 15,120 career passing yards and 75 touchdowns, Bridgewater would bring a veteran presence to any team that signs him.

The Cardinals sign Baker for $18 million per year, the third largest among safeties in NFL history. The $54 million total includes $30 million guaranteed over three years for the 28-year-old. Baker is a two-time first-team All-Pro, one-time second-team All-Pro, and six-time Pro Bowler initially drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He has been an every-day starter since 2018 and has tallied 879 combined tackles, 9.5 sacks, and seven interceptions over eight seasons. Baker is having another solid season and the Cardinals get him signed through 2027 before his impending free agency in the offseason.

Dissly was not seen on the practice field Tuesday as he continues to nurse a shoulder injury. Two straight DNP listings to start the week indicate he is unlikely to play in the Chargers’ Week 16 Thursday game against the Broncos. Stone Smartt will start again if Dissly does indeed miss the game.

Agholor has been operating as the Ravens’ No. 3 wide receiver for much of the season, catching 14 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He starts out the week not practicing with a concussion, putting his status for Saturday’s game against the Steelers in jeopardy. If Agholor does miss Week 16, Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker will see increased snaps.

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.