Cardinals TE Zach Ertz asked the team to release him, and they are granting that request, according to multiple reports (starting with former teammate J.J. Watt's). Ertz has spent the past five games on IR, leaving room for TE Trey McBride to become Arizona's lead receiver. Ertz's impending return looked like the biggest potential remaining hurdle for McBrides 2023 fantasy outlook. Now that Ertz is out of the way, you can (even more) comfortably start McBride the rest of the way. His second-half breakout this season also position's the 2022 second-round pick as a nice-looking dynasty asset. We'd bet on Ertz finding a new 2023 home, but he'll have a tough time regaining fantasy relevance.
The Patriots are preparing to start QB Bailey Zappe against the Chargers this weekend, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. QB Mac Jones was abysmal again last week, completing just 12 of 21 passes (57%) for 89 yards (4.2 YPA), 0 TDs, and two INTs before getting yanked for Zappe. This might be the end of Jones' time in New England. Zappe, of course, has not been any better than Jones this season. He's completed only 49% of his passes at 4.0 yards per attempt across four appearances. He was better in two starts last season, tallying a 75% completion rate and 9.0 yards per attempt. "The Patriots are hoping that a full week of practice and game preparation helps bring out a better performance from Zappe," The Athletic's Chad Graff writes. "They hope that Zappe will be better against the Chargers than he’s been in relief this season now that he’ll get more reps in practice and with a gameplan built around what he can do." We'll see how Zappe fares, but this remains a passing game to avoid in Week 13 fantasy lineups.
Packers RB Aaron Jones (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. That's not a good start for his chances of returning for Sunday night's game vs. the Chiefs. Jones should stay parked on fantasy benches for now.
Packers RB A.J. Dillon (groin) was held out of Wednesday's practice. He played through the groin issue on Thanksgiving and should be fine for Sunday night's game vs. the Chiefs. But we'll track his status over the next few days.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) did not practice on Wednesday. RB Isiah Pacheco moved into an every-down role with McKinnon out last week, producing 89 total yards and two scores. He's a locked-in RB1 if McKinnon remains out for Sunday night's game vs. the Packers.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert (forearm) remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice. He's reportedly been pushing to play vs. the 49ers this weekend, but a Week 13 return vs. the Cowboys is much more likely.
Browns RB Kareem Hunt (groin) did not practice on Wednesday. Hunt has been held out of a few Wednesday practices this season before ultimately playing, so we're tentatively expecting him to be out there for this weekend's game vs. the Rams. We'll see if he gets back on the field tomorrow.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ankle) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He was able to play through the ankle injury last week and will be ready for this weekend's game vs. the Panthers.
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane (knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He was officially limited in all three practices last week before missing the Jets game, so this doesn't tell us much about his status for Sunday's game vs. the Commanders. We'll keep tabs on Achane's status over the next few days.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert (ankle, knee) did not practice on Wednesday. He was on the injury report with these ailments the past two weeks but practiced on a limited basis on both Wednesdays. We're still tentatively expecting Mostert to play vs. the Commanders this weekend but will keep you updated on his status.
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill (ankle) was held out of practice on Wednesday. We've heard nothing to suggest that he's in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Commanders, but we'll keep you updated on Hill's status over the next few days.
Titans WR Treylon Burks (concussion) got in a limited practice on Wednesday -- his first since being carted off the field in Week 9. We'll see if Burks makes it back for Sunday's game vs. the Colts, but he won't be a bankable fantasy play.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride (groin) was sidelined for Wednesday's practice. We don't have any other details on the groin issue, but McBride played his usual allotment of snaps in last week's loss to the Rams. We'll see if he gets back on the field tomorrow.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown (heel) did not practice on Wednesday. He played his usual role through this injury last week and should be fine for Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. But we'll keep an eye on Brown over the next few days.
Saints WR Chris Olave (concussion) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. So he's made some good progress through the protocol, giving him a chance to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Lions. We'll update Olave's status again tomorrow.
Patriots WR Demario Douglas (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. We'll keep an eye on his progress through the protocol, but the rookie is unlikely to play vs. the Chargers this weekend. That'd leave DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster as New England's likely top two WRs.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (quad) did not practice on Wednesday. It's a new injury, but one we're not particularly worried about after Allen's 14-catch performance on a 98% snap rate last week. We'll see if Allen gets back on the practice field tomorrow.
Texans WR Noah Brown (knee) returned to a limited practice on Wednesday -- his first since going down in Week 10. We'll see if Brown is able to make it back for Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He'd be tough to trust in Week 13 fantasy lineups, though, assuming Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Robert Woods all play.
Texans TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. It's the first we've heard of the injury -- but might explain why his playing time plummeted in last week's loss to the Jaguars. We'll see if Schultz is able to get back on the field tomorrow. Brevin Jordan would likely operate as Houston's lead TE vs. Denver this weekend if Schultz is out.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (groin) did not practice on Wednesday. HC Sean Payton said afterward that he expects Jeudy to practice later this week, which would seemingly put him on track to play vs. the Texans on Sunday. We'll keep you updated on Jeudy's status.
Search
