Browns TE David Njoku (ankle) missed practice again on Thursday. At this point, he's looking unlikely to play vs. the Dolphins this weekend. TE Harrison Bryant went target-less when Njoku missed Cleveland's last game, so he's not a viable fantasy play if Njoku is out on Sunday.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice. HC Andy Reid described Hardman's issue as "soreness," but it certainly seems like he's in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars. His absence would leave #3 WR duties to some combination of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson.
Jaguars TE Evan Engram (back) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He'll need to put in a full practice on Friday to be a comfortable fantasy play vs. the Chiefs this weekend.
Lions RB D'Andre Swift (ankle, shoulder) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He's fully expected to play vs. the Bears this weekend, but it certainly doesn't look like he'll be ready for a full workload.
Bills QB Josh Allen (elbow) missed practice again on Thursday. We're currently projecting Allen to miss Sunday's game vs. the Vikings, leaving QB Case Keenum as Buffalo's starter. We'll see if Allen practices on Friday and then how he's listed on the final injury report.
As expected, Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard (ankle) is active for tonight's game vs. the Falcons. He was listed as questionable but put in full practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, so he should be at least close to 100%. We're projecting D'Onta Foreman to lead Carolina's backfield tonight, but there's some uncertainty here considering we haven't seen a full game with Foreman and Hubbard together since the Christian McCaffrey trade.
The Panthers did not activate S Jeremy Chinn (hamstring) from IR ahead of tonight's game against the Falcons. That means another start for Myles Hartsfield, who has been added to our Week 10 IDP rankings. Chinn looks like he's on track to be ready for Week 11.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard (ankle) plans to play tonight against the Falcons, "barring surprise," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. We'd still bet on RB D'Onta Foreman leading the Carolina backfield in carries in this high-upside matchup.
Raiders LB Blake Martinez announced Thursday that he's retiring. It's a shocking move, given that Martinez had made his way into the Raiders lineup after getting his release from the Giants at the start of the season. Martinez appeared in line to start this Sunday against the Colts after the team placed Divine Deablo (forearm) on IR. It's not yet clear who the Raiders will have at LB this weekend. In addition to Deablo and Martinez, Denzel Perryman (hip, ribs) did not practice Wednesday. Jayon Brown -- a healthy scratch in Week 9 -- Luke Masterson and Darien Butler are next in line. Martinez played 5 seasons with the Packers (4) and Giants before losing most of 2021 to an ACL tear.
Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow has been placed on IR with an oblique injury. He'll miss at least the next 4 games, making Week 14 his earliest possible return. Renfrow has dealt with a few different injuries this season and averaged just 4.8 targets, 3.5 caches and 32 yards across 6 games. He's cuttable in all redraft leagues. Vegas will now be without Renfrow and TE Darren Waller for at least the next 4 weeks, which should push even more value to RB Josh Jacobs and WR Davante Adams. WR Mack Hollins and TE Foster Moreau should also get target boosts. Keelan Cole figures to take over as the #3 WR but isn't worth adding to fantasy rosters.
Raiders TE Darren Waller has been placed on IR after aggravating his hamstring injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The team reportedly expects Waller to make it back when first eligible, but that's not until Week 14. He's a fine stash on fantasy rosters if you have room, but Waller is also cuttable if you're in a squeeze. His absence leaves Foster Moreau as Vegas' lead TE for at least the next 4 games vs. the Colts, Broncos, Seahawks and Chargers. He's posted strong route rates and averaged 6.3 targets, 3.7 catches and 34 yards in 3 games without Waller this season. Consider Moreau a low-end TE1.
The Colts released RB Phillip Lindsay. Even with RB Jonathan Taylor out last week, Lindsay was just 3rd in the backfield behind Deon Jackson and Jordan Wilkins. The move looks like another sign that Taylor is on track to return for Sunday's game vs. the Raiders.
Buccaneers DB Antoine Winfield Jr. put in a full practice Wednesday for the 1st time since suffering a concussion in the Week 7 loss at Carolina. That points to him almost certainly returning for Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Germany. Winfield sits among the top 20 DBs in fantasy points per game in most scoring formats this year. He belongs back in IDP lineups in most cases.
Steelers LB Myles Jack did not practice Wednesday because of a knee issue. He saw his usual level of playing time in the Week 8 loss to the Eagles, but missing practice coming out of the Week 9 bye seems ominous. HC Mike Tomlin gave no insight into expectations for Jack this week. We'll see about his status the next 2 days.
Giants TE Daniel Bellinger said Wednesday that he expects to play again this season, though his return timeline remains unclear, according to SNY's Connor Hughes. The rookie has been out since suffering a Week 7 eye injury that required surgery. He says some healing is still needed before he can return to action.
Raiders LB Denzel Perryman missed Wednesday's practice with hip and rib injuries. Levi Damien of Raiders Wire says Perryman was "visibly in pain for much of the game" in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. It's tough to say whether that impacted his playing time. Perryman played 75% of defensive snaps vs. 91% for Blake Martinez, in a game Divine Deablo left early. With Deablo now on IR, Martinez looks like the safest IDP option in the corps for this week and a solid-to-good starter over at least the next 4 games. We'll see about Perryman's status for Sunday's home date with the Colts, a high-upside matchup.
Packers LB De'Vondre Campbell remained out of practice Wednesday with the knee injury that cost him Sunday's game at Detroit. We'll see whether he's able to rebound ahead of this week's home date with the Cowboys. Rookie Quay Walker (100%) and veteran Krys Barnes (40%) led playing time among non-edge Packers LBs in Detroit.
Broncos S Justin Simmons (knee) and EDGE Baron Browning (hip) missed Wednesday's practice, though each was reportedly working on a side field. HC Nathaniel Hackett deemed each player day-to-day afterward, though it's never a good sign to miss the 1st practice coming out of a bye week. EDGE Randy Gregory also worked on a side field but remains on IR. He has been out since Week 4 with a knee injury. "We're going to start working him in, and we're hoping he gets back sooner rather than later," Hackett said, according to the team website. "He's really doing well in the rehab room."
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott said after a limited practice Wednesday that he'll "need to get some more reps to see where I'm at" for Sunday's game at Green Bay, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. "The long game (playoffs) is definitely the priority," Elliott added. It sounds like even if Elliott's ready to return Sunday from the knee injury that cost him the last game, we should expect a lighter-than-usual workload. That bodes well for RB Tony Pollard's usage. We'll keep watching for more on the situation throughout the week.
Anyone with Falcons TE Kyle Pitts on their fantasy teams knows just how disappointing a 2nd season he's been having. QB Marcus Mariota says he carries some of the blame. "Well, first and foremost, I can do a better job of giving Kyle more opportunities with the ball," Mariota said Wednesday, according to NFL.com. "I think sometimes I've been a little too safe, a little too conservative where I'm putting the football, so giving him a chance to go get it. I think that'll help some of his target numbers." That acknowledgement could portend some extra opportunities for Pitts on Thursday night against a Panthers defense that Football Outsiders rates 28th in pass-defense DVOA. Mariota delivered 9.0 yards per pass attempt and a 71.4% completion rate in the Week 8 meeting with Carolina. See where Pitts sits in our Week 10 fantasy football rankings.
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