49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (knee) was listed as a limited participant at practice on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Seahawks. Matt Barrows of The Athletic wisely pointed out that McCaffrey's ankle injury from last week is no longer part of his designation, adding that McCaffrey will "be good to go" for Saturday. Certainly good news to see. We'll track McCaffrey's status in case something changes.
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett (shin) was listed as a full practice participant on Tuesday. TE Noah Fant (knee), on the other hand, did not log participation. We'll have a clearer picture of these Seahawks' availability for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the 49ers tomorrow. Check back for further updates.
The Cardinals are planning on trading WR DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, according to The Score's Jordan Schultz. Hopkins has 2 years and $34.4 million left on his current contract but is expected to angle for a new deal this offseason, per Schultz. Arizona, meanwhile, looks to be entering a rebuild phase after canning HC Kliff Kingsbury and losing GM Steve Keim. Hopkins turns 31 in June but remained effective this past year, posting a 64-717-3 line across 9 games. He ranked 9th among WRs in PPR points per game and 18th among 80 qualifiers in yards per route run.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (ankle) was listed as a full participant on Tuesday's practice report. Fellow RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle) did not practice. Injury reports are based on estimations of participation this early in the week. We'll have a better idea of how healthy this backfield is for Saturday's Wild Card matchup vs. the 49ers tomorrow.
The Commanders fired OC Scott Turner. Washington never ranked better than 20th in total yards or 23rd in points across Turner's 3 seasons, although QB play was seemingly a bigger problem than Turner's play calling. We'll see who the Commanders tab as their next OC -- and what they do at QB. Carson Wentz is set to count $26 million against the 2023 cap but can be cut with no dead-cap penalty.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth sprained an MCL in Sunday's finale vs. the Browns but won't need surgery, HC Mike Tomlin said. The injury shouldn't have much of an impact on Freiermuth's offseason. He finished his 2nd NFL campaign with a 63-732-2 line across 16 games, ranking 10th among TEs in PPR points per game.
The Titans fired OC Todd Downing. He deployed slow-faced, run-heavy offenses the past 2 seasons. Tennessee sunk from 17th in total yards and 15th in points in 2021 to 30th and 28th this past year. We'll see who the Titans tab to run the offense going forward -- and if that guy will open up the passing game a bit. RB Derrick Henry turned 29 last week, and Tennessee has a couple of intriguing, young talents in WR Treylon Burks and TE Chig Okonkwo.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel wouldn't say Monday where QB Tua Tagovailoa is in the concussion protocol but did say that he's seen Tagovailoa "sweating" in workouts. That suggests that Tua is at least in Stage 2 of the 5-stage protocol, giving him a chance to be cleared for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Bills. McDaniel said Monday that he'll have game plans for all 3 potential starting QBs, with both Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater (finger) iffy. We'll get Miami's first practice report of the week on Wednesday.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley said Monday that the MRI on WR Mike Williams' injured back showed no fracture or muscle injury, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Staley added that the "indication" given to him is that Williams will be ready for Saturday night's game against the Jaguars. We'll certainly be tracking his status through the week.
According to Dave Burkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lions HC Dan Campbell "all but confirmed" Monday that QB Jared Goff will remain the starter in 2023. "He's really a perfect fit for what we do and what we ask," Campbell said. The Rams, of course, paid Detroit draft picks (including 2 first-rounders) to swap Matthew Stafford for Goff 2 offseasons ago. Goff didn't do anything impressive across 14 games in his 1st year with the Lions. But he finished this season throwing 324 consecutive passes without an INT. Goff also finished 15th among QBs in fantasy points per game (depending on your format). He has 2 more years on his contract, though each comes with salaries of more than $30 million vs. dead-cap totals of $10 million and then $5 million if he were to get cut, according to Spotrac. Detroit also holds the 6th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, thanks to the Rams -- along with their own selection at #18. So although Goff looks most likely to open next season at the helm, it's worth noting that Campbell stopped short of actually confirming that the 2023 job belongs to Goff.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert suffered a broken thumb in Sunday's win over the Jets. He garnered 11 carries and 2 targets in that one before leaving in the 3rd quarter. The injury doesn't necessarily mean Mostert will miss the Wild Card game against the Bills, but it's tough to imagine him getting significant backfield work with 1 full hand. Mostert's likely absence boosts the upside of Jeff Wilson Jr. for this weekend. We're certainly not betting on Miami getting to Round 2, though.
The Arizona Cardinals have fired HC Kliff Kingsbury. He went 28-37-1 across 4 NFL seasons that included 1 playoff trip: last year's loss to the Rams in the Wild Card round. The Cardinals sank to 4th in the division this season with a 4-13 record. Worse for fantasy football purposes, the offense sank from 8th in yards and 11th in points to 22nd and 21st, respectively, the worst marks of Kingsbury's stint in each category. QB Kyler Murray's Week 14 ACL tear didn't help, but his performance also fell way off vs. the previous 2 seasons before that. Kingsbury looked like a questionable choice from the start after a 6-year run as Texas Tech's HC that included a 35-40 overall record and just 2 seasons of .500 or better -- despite having 3 years of Patrick Mahomes at QB. We'll see about Arizona's next move, as well as Murray's recovery. The franchise will also be replacing GM Steve Keim, who announced Monday that he's stepping away to "focus on his health."
The Texans announced Sunday night that they are firing HC Lovie Smith. It's not a surprising move, as Houston just finished a 3-13-1 campaign. Smith seemed like an uninspired choice last offseason, being elevated from the DC position after 1 year of David Culley as HC. But he had little chance at success with a bad roster and weak QB situation. We'll see where Houston turns next, but it's tough to expect an especially attractive candidate to choose these Texans.
Chargers WR Mike Williams was knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos due to back spasms, according to ESPN's Lindsey Thiry. X-rays and an MRI on his back came back clean, a source tells Thiry, and Williams is expected to be available for next weekend's Wild Card game vs. the Jaguars. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears, though, that Williams is scheduled for additional testing on Monday. We'll keep you updated on his status.
Chargers WR Mike Williams injured his back in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos and is questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth injured a knee in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Browns and was quickly ruled out. That often portends a serious injury, but we'll update Freiermuth's status when we know more.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert is questionable to return for Sunday's game vs. the Jets with a thumb injury. We'll update his status when we know more. Mostert's absence leaves Miami's backfield to Jeff Wilson.
Update: Mostert has been ruled out.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Eagles. QB Daniel Jones is active but isn't expected to play in this game that means nothing to New York.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (right shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Giants. He reportedly threw the ball well in practice, and the team isn’t worried about him re-injuring that shoulder. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported on Saturday, though, that the Eagles will consider pulling Hurts from this game if they build a big lead. The Eagles are currently 16.5-point favorites vs. this Giants team that’s resting starters.
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett (shin) is active for today’s game vs. the Rams. He returned from that fractured finger last week – and then picked up a shin injury. Lockett got in just a limited practice on Friday this week and won’t be at 100% today. He’s a shaky WR3.
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