Patriots RB Damien Harris (thigh) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Bills. That figures to leave RB Rhamondre Stevenson in a workhorse role. He's averaged 15.4 carries and 6.4 targets in the 5 games that Harris missed all or most of this season.
The Rams have already ruled DL Aaron Donald out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks. Donald might very well miss games beyond that, as he's dealing with a high-ankle sprain. We'll see what else comes from the team on that front. Missing Donald clearly damages the Rams defense vs. both the pass and the run. It's tough to say how much, because it'll be the 1st time in his career Donald has missed a game with injury. He previously sat out Week 1 of 2017 because of a contract dispute and then missed the regular-season finale that year after the team clinched.
Rams HC Sean McVay confirmed that QB Matt Stafford (concussion, neck) is not expected to play vs. the Seahawks on Sunday. We'll see whether L.A. sticks with QB Bryce Perkins or goes back to QB John Wolford, but neither guy would be more than a low-end QB2 in fantasy football.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (knee) won't practice on Wednesday, HC Kyle Shanahan said. Shanny added that McCaffrey "just felt something" in that left knee during last week's game and that they're "hopeful" he'll be able to play vs. the Dolphins on Sunday. That's not quite as reassuring as the reports on CMC's status over the previous couple of days. We're still tentatively expecting him to play this weekend, but we'll continue to keep a close eye on that knee.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that TE David Njoku is dealing with a different knee injury from the one that landed him on last week's injury report. Stefanski added that he's not ruling Njoku out for this weekend's game vs. the Texans -- which means that his availabiltiy for that one is in question. We'll keep an eye on Njoku over the next few days, but fantasy owners should have an alternative lined up.
Update: Njoku did not practice on Wednesday.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that he expects QB Aaron Rodgers (rib, thumb) to play vs. the Bears this weekend. Rodgers said Tuesday that he expects to be out there ... so we're expecting him to be out there. The injuries will add some risk to his Week 13 fantasy profile, but Rodgers will certainly carry QB1 upside against a Chicago defense that can't stop anything.
We'll watch the status of Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase throughout this week, but it sure sounds like he's ready to get back to a full-time role. "I don't have no pain," he told reporters Wednesday, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. We'll take this as good news rather than a subtle linguistic clue that Chase does have some pain. Expect to start Chase in your fantasy football lineups against the Chiefs' rookie perimeter CBs this weekend.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor said RB Joe Mixon would be practicing with the team today, according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. Completing a practice is reportedly the final step for Mixon to get through the league concussion protocol, which would return him for Sunday's game against the Chiefs. We'll keep watching to confirm his status, but expect to have Mixon back in fantasy football lineups this week.
Steelers RB Jaylen Warren told reporters Wednesday that doctors have cleared him to return from the hamstring injury that cost him Monday night's game against the Colts. He expects to play Sunday against the Falcons. That should put him ahead of Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland Jr. if Najee Harris (abdomen) is unable to go. The lack of clarity on Harris' status for that high-upside matchup makes Warren a solid waiver-wire addition where available.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert told reporters on Wednesday that his recovery from his shoulder injury is going well and that he hopes to be ready to return when first eligible in Week 15, according to NBC Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro. If you kept Goedert stashed over the past 2 weeks, keep stashing. And if he was dropped in your fantasy league, he might be worth grabbing now.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (rib, thumb) did not practice on Wednesday. Rodgers has been sitting out Wednesdays since suffering that thumb injury, so this doesn't tell us much about his status for this weekend's game vs. the Bears. Rodgers said Tuesday that he plans on playing in that one. We'll see if he practices on Thursday.
Steelers RB Najee Harris' status for Sunday's game vs. the Falcons is "up in the air," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Harris' abdominal injury is not major, Rapoport adds, so this shouldn't be a long-term absence. But Pittsburgh's backfield is in flux right now with both Harris and Jaylen Warren (hamstring) iffy for Week 13. If both guys miss, Benny Snell figures to operate as Pittsburgh's lead back, with Anthony McFarland in a change-of-pace role.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson labeled RB Travis Etienne (foot) "day-to-day" on Wednesday and said that he's optimistic that Etienne will be able to play vs. the Lions on Sunday, according to Sports Illustrated's John Shipley. Etienne is expected to participate in the walkthrough portion of Wednesday's practice, per Pederson. We'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Wednesday that TE Kyle Pitts will miss the rest of the season with his knee injury. He underwent surgery on Tuesday (November 29) for what was reportedly a torn MCL. We don't have an official recovery timeline, but we'd expect Pitts to be available for at least some of the offseason program and back to 100% by training camp. He had a frustrating 2nd season but remains a high-upside dynasty asset with plenty of 2023 bounce-back potential. We'll be curious to see exactly where he goes in early drafts this coming offseason.
Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) got in a limited practice on Tuesday. He was able to return for limited snaps after hurting that shoulder very early in last Thursday night's game vs. the Vikings, finishing with 3 catches on 4 targets for 62 yards. Meyers will carry elevated risk in fantasy lineups if he plays vs. the Bills this Thursday night.
Patriots RB Damien Harris (thigh) did not practice on Tuesday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said yesterday that Harris is not expected to play against the Bills on Thursday night. That'd leave RB Rhamondre Stevenson in a workhorse role. He checks in as a top-4 RB across scoring formats in the Week 13 Rankings.
Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds (groin, heel) and EDGE Greg Rousseau (ankle) each put in full practices Monday and Tuesday, which makes them appear on track to return for Thursday night's game against the Patriots. Edmunds had decent outings against New England last year, tallying 7, 8 and 8 tackles in 3 meetings. You can find him and Rousseau in our Week 13 IDP rankings. Elsewhere on the injury report: S Damar Hamlin and CB Dane Jackson each missed Monday's practice with illness but returned for Tuesday's workout.
The Athletic's Matt Barrows suggests that 49ers RB Tevin Coleman could help replace RB Elijah Mitchell going forward. Coleman carried 12 times across Weeks 5 and 6 but has been on the practice squad since. We'll see if he's elevated ahead of Week 13 -- and then who's active behind RB Christian McCaffrey for Sunday's game vs. the Dolphins. Coleman, Jordan Mason and Ty Davis-Price are all worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said on the Pat McAfree Show on Tuesday that he got "good news" with the scans on his ribs and plans on playing vs. the Bears this weekend. "I might miss practice Wednesday but that's been the standard for the last six, seven weeks [and] go to one of my favorite places to play, Chicago, get a big win, get into the bye week and get healthy," Rodgers added. We'll keep you updated on his practice participation throughout the week.
Eagles S C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a lacerated kidney in Sunday night's win over the Packers and is out indefinitely, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's reportedly not expected to end Gardner-Johnson's season, but we'd bet on at least multiple missed games. That makes Gardner-Johnson OK to drop for a replacement in many IDP leagues. You can stash him in deeper formats, though.
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