Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that "there's a chance" he plays both QBs Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe in Saturday's finale vs. the Ravens. QB Jameis Winston continues to work through a shoulder injury and is expected to be the No. 3 QB. Thompson-Robinson has been predictably awful the past two weeks, completing 54% of his passes at 4.0 yards per attempt with 0 TDs and three INTs. Any playing time for Zappe would be good news for Browns pass catchers, although he's no world-beater either. Zappe owns a career 63% completion rate and 6.8 yards per attempt.
The Cowboys released RB Ezekiel Elliott. "Out of respect and appreciation for Zeke and wanting to provide him with an opportunity to pursue any potential playoff participation possible, we are releasing him from the Cowboys roster today," owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. We don't expect playoff teams to be tripping over themselves to add Elliott, who's averaging 3.1 yards per carry this season. Zeke has continued to get snaps near the goal line lately, so his absence boosts RB Rico Dowdle's TD chances in Sunday's finale vs. the Commanders.
Cardinals RB Trey Benson has been placed on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury, so he will not be playing in Week 18. With RB James Conner battling a knee injury, Benson had a chance to start and potentially go off heading into the 2025 season. Instead, Michael Carter will likely start if Conner is out.
49ers QB Brock Purdy suffered a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation in the Monday night loss to the Lions, HC Kyle Shanahan said. Purdy will likely miss this weekend's finale vs. the Cardinals but isn't expected to have any long-term issues.
The Rams have clinched the NFC West but need to beat the Seahawks on Sunday to secure the No. 3 seed. A loss would likely send them to No. 4. But HC Sean McVay strongly suggested on Monday that he'll rest starters against Seattle. "Typically, we’ve erred on the side of leaning a little bit more towards getting some rest and rejuvenation for guys because of the toll that a season takes," HC Sean McVay said. “I would imagine, as we continue to finalize our plans, that’s probably the direction that we’ll go.” McVay also said that he's "excited about watching Blake Corum get a heavy workload" and that he's excited to see rookie RB Cody Schrader play. Although he'll likely be running behind a backup offensive line against a solid Seahawks defense, Corum is shaping up as an interesting Week 18 fantasy play.
The Browns are placing WR Cedric Tillman on IR for his concussion. Tillman suffered the injury back in Week 12. He actually returned to practice ahead of the Week 15 game against Kansas City but has never returned to game action. The IR placement makes it a six-game concussion absence -- a worrisome timeline for an injury that most commonly costs a player a single game. We'll see this offseason whether the concussion will impact Tillman beyond this season.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer suffered a heel injury in Saturday's win over the Patriots. HC Jim Harbaugh didn't have an update on the severity on Monday but said that IR isn't on the table. We'll look for more information on Palmer's injury but don't expect him to play in Sunday's finale vs. the Raiders. That could mean more snaps for guys like D.J. Chark and Derius Davis, although neither would be a bankable Week 18 fantasy start.
Panthers HC Dave Canales said Monday that RB Miles Sanders (ankle) has been cleared to play. He was actually cleared to play late last week, per Canales, but didn't have enough time to get prepped for the Buccaneers game. But it sounds like, barring a setback, Sanders will play in Sunday's finale vs. the Falcons. With RB Chuba Hubbard out with his calf injury, Sanders would be the favorite to lead Carolina's backfield in touches over RBs Raheem Blackshear and Mike Boone. Sanders has mustered just 3.7 yards per carry this season and wouldn't be an exciting fantasy option. But he could be a volume-based RB3 or Flex play.
49ers QB Brock Purdy injured his right elbow late in Monday night's loss to the Lions. HC Kyle Shanahan said afterward that the team believes it's a nerve issue but that Purdy is scheduled for more tests on Tuesday. Shanahan was non-committal on Purdy's availability for this weekend's finale vs. the Cardinals. Considering San Francisco has nothing to play for, there's a good chance it's QB Josh Dobbs at the controls on Sunday. In a good scheme with plenty of weapons and rushing ability, Dobbs would be in play as a QB2 and in DFS.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs ran 18 times for 117 yards and a TD. He also caught four passes for 46 yards. With David Montgomery still injured, Gibbs has taken over as the main RB and will look to run the Lions to victory next week against the Minnesota Vikings to secure the #1 seed.
Bills HC Sean McDermott said Monday that QB Josh Allen will start Sunday's game vs. the Patriots to keep his consecutive starts streak alive but that he won't play for long. Buffalo is locked into the AFC's No. 2 seed, so it'll be QB Mitchell Trubisky for the majority of Week 18. Don't expect the Bills' other key offensive weapons to play their usual amount either. We'll look for more information on Buffalo's exact plans, but this is probably an offense to avoid in season-long fantasy lineups.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that RB Aaron Jones (quad) is "doing well" and "should play" vs. the Lions on Sunday night. Jones came out of the Week 17 win over the Packers with a quad contusion but figures to play through it in this weekend's game for the NFC North crown. We'll keep you updated on his status throughout the week.
WR Olamide Zaccheaus led Washington in targets for the second straight game in Sunday night's win over the Falcons. He delivered 8 receptions for 85 yards and a TD on those 9 targets, plus a carry for 8 yards. TE Zach Ertz followed at 7 targets (6-72-2 receiving). WR Terry McLaurin managed just 1 catch on his 7 targets.
Texans HC Demeco Ryans was vague when asked whether he'll play starters in Sunday's finale vs. the Titans. Houston is locked into the AFC's No. 4 seed. "Everybody has to be ready to go," Ryans said of Week 18. "Everybody will be out there playing and we'll see how the game goes. But, for us right now, we gotta go play better." The Texans could certainly use some positive momentum heading into the playoffs coming off two straight losses, including a 31-2 shellacking at the hands of the Ravens on Christmas. So it'd make sense for the regulars to play at least a few series. But we'd be surprised if guys like QB C.J. Stroud, RB Joe Mixon, and WR Nico Collins played the entire game.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs) will be available for the start of the playoffs, HC Andy Reid said Monday. Pacheco was knocked out of Wednesday's win over the Steelers and is highly unlikely to play in this weekend's meaningless finale vs. the Broncos. The Chiefs then get a first-round bye before their playoff opener. Pacheco has remained in a committee alongside RB Kareem Hunt since returning from his leg injury, so neither guy is particularly attractive in playoff fantasy contests.
Titans HC Brian Callahan said Monday that QBs Will Levis and Mason Rudolph will both play in this weekend's finale vs. the Texans. It's unclear exactly how snaps will be divvied, but it's obviously a situation to avoid in all fantasy lineups. The Titans currently hold the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and figure to be in the QB market.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. posted modest numbers in Sunday night's loss to the Commanders. He finished with 223 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT on 19-of-35 passing. That's 54.3% completions and 6.4 yards per attempt against a Washington defense that entered the game ranked just 20th in pass DVOA. But Penix did pilot a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then helped set up what would have been the game-winning FG attempt at the end of regulation (which fell short).
Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks led the team in targets (8), receptions (4), and receiving yards (52) with WR CeeDee Lamb out for Sunday's loss to the Eagles. All three marks also set season highs for Cooks. TE Jake Ferguson (5), WR Jalen Tolbert (4), and WR/RB Kavontae Turpin (4) trailed him in targets.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley delivered 167 yards on 31 carries in Sunday's beatdown of the Cowboys, getting him to 2,005 rushing yards for the season. That puts Barkley just 101 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season NFL record. The question now, of course, is whether Philly will Barkley enough Week 18 carries to go after that record -- or any carries at all. The Eagles have already locked up the NFC's No. 2 seed and thus have nothing (team wise) to play for in the regular-season finale.
Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. posted two of his three largest yardage totals for the season in his two meetings with the Rams. He also delivered his best and sixth-best fantasy scores in those contests -- despite not scoring a TD in Saturday's loss. That contest found him catching six of 10 targets for 96 yards. That tied his season high for receptions and marked just his third week of double-digit targets. Overall, Harrison has basically doubled his production vs. the Rams compared with the rest of his games.
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