Ravens WR Zay Flowers injured his right knee in the second quarter of Saturday's game vs. the Browns. He was initially deemed questionable to return before being ruled out at halftime. We'll look for an update on Flowers' injury and his status for next weekend's playoff opener. WR Rashod Bateman and TE Mark Andrews tied for the team lead with eight targets in the win over Cleveland.
Update: HC John Harbaugh said after the game that Flowers will have an MRI on Sunday and has a "chance" to be ready for the playoffs.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (ankle, knee) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Steelers. He played through these issues last week, smoking the Broncos for 131 yards and three TDs. Get him into fantasy lineups.
Bengals RB Chase Brown (ankle) is inactive for tonight’s game vs. the Steelers. He tried to suit up, but warmups didn’t go well. RBs Khalil Herbert, Trayveon Williams, and Kendall Milton are active for Cincinnati tonight. Neither Williams nor Milton has a single offensive touch this season. Herbert has eight carries and one target over his seven games as a Bengal. Herbert will likely handle most of the backfield work tonight, but we’re also expecting Cincinnati to go even pass-heavier without Brown.
The Commanders are activating RB Austin Ekeler from IR. He missed the past four games with a concussion but should be ready for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. See where Ekeler lands in our updated Week 18 RB rankings.
The Saints have downgraded WR Chris Olave to out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Buccaneers. It'll mark the eighth straight missed game for Olave because of his concussion.
Buccaneers S Jordan Whitehead will miss "multiple weeks" with injuries suffered in a car accident early Saturday, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The team is placing Whitehead on the non-football injury list, which will likely knock him out through the playoffs.
Jaguars Edge Josh Hines-Allen isn't traveling with the team and will miss Sunday's game against the Colts for a personal matter. Myles Cole and Esezi Otomewo are next up on the edge depth chart for Jacksonville, though Arik Armstead probably gets some more outside snaps. That trio has a combined 2.5 sacks for the season. So get excited.
Bills WR Amari Cooper has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game vs. the Patriots due to a family matter. We'll look for more details on the situation and whether this might impact Cooper's availability for next weekend's playoff game. He was unlikely to play much, if at all, against New England anyway.
Bengals RB Chase Brown will "work out pre-game while attempting to play" tonight against the Steelers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Brown missed the team's three official practices of the week but did participate in a Friday walkthrough. We'll see about his status for the game, but Brown looks risky for fantasy use even if active. If he sits, then Khalil Herbert could be a sneaky RB2.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Bengals WR Tee Higgins is expected to play tonight against the Steelers. That's been our expectation as well after Higgins played through a questionable tag for the same issue last week. Barring some pregame setback, Higgins should be a good fantasy play for Week 18 lineups.
Cowboys QB Trey Lance is expected to get "significant reps" in Sunday's game vs. the Commanders, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Lance has thrown just seven passes this season and is scheduled to hit free agency in March. Avoid both Lance and QB Cooper Rush in Week 18 fantasy lineups.
Commanders RB Austin Ekeler (concussion) put in a full week of practice but is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Cowboys. Out since Week 12, Ekeler could play limited snaps even if he’s active this weekend. Try to avoid him in Week 18 fantasy lineups.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel (rib, wrist) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. Although he's had a disappointing season, Samuel has averaged 5.0 targets and 3.0 carries over the last five games. So his absence leaves extra opportunity for WRs Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall and RB Isaac Guerendo.
49ers TE George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) is questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Cardinals. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. With the ‘Niners having nothing to play for, Kittle could sit this one out. We’ll look for further updates on his status but won’t get San Francisco’s inactives until a little before 3 pm ET on Sunday.
The Chiefs have listed these defensive starters as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Broncos: DT Chris Jones, CB Trent McDuffie, LB Nick Bolton, Edge George Karlaftis, S Justin Reid, and LB Drue Tranquill. Jones and McDuffie are listed with injuries, but they're likely sitting out for the same reason as the others: because K.C. doesn't need this game. It's tough to know what the snap shares will look like for other defenders.
The Packers have ruled LB Quay Walker (ankle) out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bears. It'll be the third straight game he's missed with the injury, locking in Eric Wilson and Edgerrin Cooper as the lead LBs in playing time for the game. Both have moved up our Week 18 rankings, with Cooper a particularly high-upside option. Green Bay has also ruled out CB Jaire Alexander (knee), S Evan Williams (quad), and S Zayne Anderson (concussion). Those absences should boost playing times for DB Javon Bullard, CB Carrington Valentine, and CB Eric Stokes. The Packers defense doesn't take a meaningful fantasy hit from these absences.
Chargers WR Ladd McConkey (toe) is not listed on the final injury report after putting in a full practice on Friday. The toe isn’t a concern. The Chargers will have nothing to gain in Sunday’s game against the Raiders if the Steelers win on Saturday, though. We’ll wait on the result of that game and see what it might mean for McConkey’s playing time. WR Josh Palmer (foot) is out for Week 18.
Chargers RB Gus Edwards (ankle) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders. That could have RB J.K. Dobbins in for a significant workload. But if the Steelers beat the Bengals on Saturday, the Chargers’ game will be meaningless – which could obviously impact Dobbins’ workload. We’ll keep an eye on the situation.
Packers WR Christian Watson (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Bears. He only got in a limited practice on Friday. If Watson plays, we’d be surprised if it was a full workload with the Packers having already clinched a playoff spot.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Giants. He should be cleared in time to play in next week's Wild Card game. RB Saquon Barkley and WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are listed as doubtful. They won't play in this meaningless game. TE Dallas Goedert (knee) is not listed on the final injury report and could get a few snaps in this one to knock off some rust. We'd still avoid him in Week 18 fantasy lineups. QB Kenny Pickett (ribs) is listed as questionable but didn't practice all week. We're expecting QB Tanner McKee to get the start. RB Will Shipley (concussion) is listed as questionable but was a full-go in the final two practices of the week. He should be cleared for this one and figures to operate as Philadelphia's lead back.
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