Commanders S Kamren Curl (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns. He put in limited practices all week after missing last Saturday's game at San Francisco. Curl will make for a risky IDP play this week if active.
Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins left Friday's practice with a knee injury that is expected to make him a game-time decision for Sunday against the Falcons, according to the team website. On top of that, Hopkins will also see his 4th QB of the season. Colt McCoy's concussion symptoms resurfaced Friday, meaning he'll miss the game. Arizona will start David Blough over Trace McSorley. Blough -- who started 5 games for the 2019 Lions -- will have been with the team less than 3 weeks come game time. The whole situation makes it tough to like any Cardinals pass-catchers for Week 17. We're not significantly downgrading the outlook for RB James Conner, however.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) suffered a setback in Wednesday's practice and won't play vs. the Broncos this weekend, HC Andy Reid said. "I'm not that worried about it," Reid added, which presumably means Hardman should at least be ready for the playoffs. JuJu Smith-Schuster remains the only reliable fantasy play in Kansas City's WR corps.
Cardinals QB Colt McCoy had his concussion symptoms return Friday and will not play Sunday against the Falcons, HC Kliff Kingsbury told reporters. The team will instead turn to QB David Blough for the Week 17 start. The former Lions backup opened this season on the Vikings practice squad, but Arizona plucked him for its active roster on Dec. 14. The Cardinals now clearly believe him to be the better option than Trace McSorley. Blough won't be a meaningful fantasy option, and he's likely a downgrade vs. McCoy for Arizona pass-catchers -- if only because he hasn't been with the team as long. Of course, we'll also see about the status of WR DeAndre Hopkins, who is now dealing with knee trouble.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (knee, ankle) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. That obviously doesn't hurt RB Brian Robinson's Week 17 fantasy profile, but it's worth noting that RB Jonathan Williams stepped into the passing-down role with Gibson banged up late in last week's loss to the 49ers. Robinson still doesn't project for big passing-game usage this weekend -- but he's a strong fantasy play based on his rushing upside against a bad Cleveland run defense.
Titans HC Mike Vrabel declined to name a starting QB for Week 18 after Thursday night's loss to the Cowboys. Joshua Dobbs looked like a functional NFL QB for most of that game, finishing 20-of-39 for 232 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. "It was a great opportunity to evaluate Josh, and we'll make a decision going forward," Vrabel said. "I thought he did some good things, and obviously a couple of throws he'd like to have back. We'll see where things are here in a couple of days." Dobbs threw for just 2 fewer yards against Dallas than QB Malik Willis TOTALED in his 3 starts. We're guessing the Titans roll with Dobbs in next weekend's must-win game vs. the Jaguars, but we'll keep you updated.
Browns RB Nick Chubb gets a tough matchup in Week 17. The Commanders come in 3rd-best in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs, trailing only San Francisco and New England. Washington has allowed just 2 RBs to reach 80 rushing yards all season: Saquon Barkley, who did so in 1 of 2 meetings; and Derrick Henry, who averaged a mere 3.6 yards per rush in their meeting. Washington's run D has softened lately, according to Football Outsiders DVOA, ranking 30th in that area in 2 games since the team's bye. But they also faced Barkley (2nd time) and the 49ers in those contests. Cleveland, meanwhile, ranks just 24th in total offensive DVOA since QB Deshaun Watson stepped in: 27th passing and just 22nd rushing. That struggling offense won't help draw attention away from Chubb, who has also gone from 5.6 yards per carry before the team's Week 9 bye to 3.96 per rush since.
Falcons rookie WR Drake London has garnered 35% of Falcons targets over the past 3 games, including rookie QB Desmond Ridder's 2 starts. That ranks him 3rd among all WRs over that span, trailing only Tyreek Hill and Michael Pittman Jr. London faces an Arizona defense this week that looks like a negative matchup for WRs by adjusted fantasy points allowed. But Arizona ranks just 19th in Football Outsiders' pass-defense DVOA, has 2 starting corners on the injury report and just lost S Budda Baker to a shoulder fracture. The Cardinals look like a neutral matchup for London at worst. You'll find some caution to our optimism for London in our Week 17 WR rankings, but the rookie lands inside the top 30.
Bengals TE Hayden Hurst (calf) fully participated in practice on Thursday. We'll keep tabs on his status ahead of Week 17's game vs. the Bengals on Monday night. Check back tomorrow for an update.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs (illness) missed Thursday's practice. Hopefully the star wideout feels better soon. TE Dawson Knox (hip) logged limited participation. With Week 17's game vs. the Bengals occurring on Monday night, these Bills pass-catchers will have an extra day to get right. We'll track their statuses as more information becomes available.
Who would have guessed that any NFL wideout would be excited to see Colt McCoy enter the huddle? Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins should feel that way when McCoy returns to action for this Sunday's game against the Falcons. Hopkins has been targeted on 37.1% of McCoy's pass attempts this season, drawing 11+ in every one of the QB's appearances. The 1st 2 came with WR Marquise Brown out, but Hopkins got 11 looks and tallied 7 catches the past 2 times with Brown back in the lineup. (Brown saw 8 targets in each of those contests.) Hopkins, of course, didn't have a target issue last week with QB Trace McSorley, who threw 10 passes his way. But Hopkins caught just 1 of those. He has caught at least 7 balls in every game that has involved McCoy. Atlanta arrives as the 6th-best scoring matchup for WRs, which obviously helps Hopkins. You'll find him prominent in our Week 17 WR rankings.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (knee) didn't practice again on Thursday. Backup QB Tyler Huntley is looking like he'll get the nod again for Week 17 vs. the Steelers. We'll let you know if anything changes tomorrow.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (toe) upgraded to full practice participation on Thursday. He's trending in the right direction to play in Sunday night's Week 17 showdown vs. the Ravens. We'll let you know about his status on the final injury report tomorrow.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry (knee) once again participated in a limited capacity at Thursday's practice. Pop back in tomorrow for a more concrete outlook for his status ahead of Week 17 vs. the Dolphins.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (knee) logged limited participation again on Thursday. A full practice on Friday would inspire hope for the veteran's ability to play in Week 17 vs. the Rams. We'll check back in on this tomorrow in case something changes.
Broncos WRs Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and Courtland Sutton (hamstring) participated in a limited capacity again on Thursday. Friday's report will give us a more concrete outlook of their statuses for Week 17 vs. the Chiefs. The same goes for TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring), who did not practice for the 2nd day in a row. We'll let you know more tomorrow.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (right thumb, knee) practiced in a limited capacity on Thursday. The veteran has fought through injury all season, so he'll probably be fine for Week 17 vs. the Vikings. We'll let you know if something changes on tomorrow's practice report.
Packers WR Christian Watson (hip) did not practice again on Thursday ahead of Week 17 vs. the Vikings. It's not looking good for the rookie's availability on Sunday. Limited participation on Friday would inspire some hope at a minimum. Check back again tomorrow for updates.
Packers RB Aaron Jones (knee, ankle) practiced in a limited fashion again on Thursday ahead of Week 17 vs. the Vikings. A full go on Friday would certainly give fantasy managers hope for his availability. Be sure to check back tomorrow once we find out more.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (ankle) participated in a limited fashion at Thursday's practice. After not practicing at all on Wednesday, this is certainly a good sign. Fellow RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle) also logged limited participation. RB Travis Homer (ankle) did not participate for the 2nd day in a row. Final word on these guys ahead of Week 17 vs. the Jets will come tomorrow.
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