Bengals WR Tee Higgins was added to Wednesday's injury report with a foot and limited in practice. That might mean he got hurt the foot today. We'll see what he does on Thursday and how he's listed on the final injury report for Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Raiders.
The Bucs designated RBs Leonard Fournette (hamstring) and Gio Bernard (knee, hip) to return from IR. Both guys are eligible to return to practice and appear on track to play in Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Eagles. We'll monitor their practice participation this week. Assuming they're healthy, Fournette should step back into a workhorse role, with Bernard mixing in for a few passing-down snaps.
The Giants fired HC Joe Judge. He becomes the 3rd straight Giants HC to last 2 seasons or fewer. Judge went 10-23 over the past 2 years but was strapped with a bad offensive line, an inconsistent QB and an oft-injured RB. GM Dave Gettleman is retiring, so it'll be a brand new regime in New York.
Bills WR Emmanuel Sanders (knee) put in a full practice on Tuesday. That puts him on track to return for Saturday night's Wild Card game vs. the Patriots. The question now is whether he'll get his starting job back from WR Gabriel Davis, who definitely provides more pop at this point. We'd avoid Sanders in fantasy lineups this week -- but his return does add risk to Davis' outlook.
Browns GM Andrew Berry threw support behind QB Baker Mayfield on Tuesday. "We fully expect Baker to be our starter and bounce back," Berry said. Actions speak louder than words, of course. So we'll see if Cleveland makes any major moves at QB this offseason. The Browns exercised the 5th-year option on Mayfield's contract, so he's on the books for nearly $19 million in 2022.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Monday that he expects RB Chris Carson to be ready for the start of training camp. Carson underwent cervical-fusion neck surgery in November to attempt to alleviate his long-term discomfort. We'll keep an eye on his rehab. Carson will turn 28 a few days after the 2022 season kicks off and is set to count $6.4 million against the cap this year.
The foot injury that sidelined Panthers WR Terrace Marshall for Week 18 is a "short-term deal," HC Matt Rhule said Monday. Marshall is expected to be ready for OTAs. He can use all the practice reps he can get after a woefully disappointing rookie season.
Saints HC Sean Payton said Monday that QB Taysom Hill will have 2 surgeries to repair the Lisfranc injury in his left foot. The 1st procedure will repair the injury with a piece of hardware; the 2nd will be later to remove that hardware. Payton didn't have a projected timeline for recovery for Hill. But, based on the fact that Hill needs 2 surgeries, former NFL head team Dr. David Chao expects him to be sidelined for 6-9 months. The long end of that timetable would threaten his availability for the start of the 2022 campaign. We'll monitor Hill's rehab this offseason.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon has been activated from the COVID list. We'll watch his practice participation this week, but he should be ready for his usual workload in Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the Raiders.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said Monday that RB Tony Pollard (foot) will be "ready to roll" in Saturday's Wild Card game vs. the 49ers. It's confirmation that Pollard was held out of the regular-season finale as a precaution. Pollard averaged 7.7 carries and 3.7 targets over his final 3 games and is likely looking at a similar workload in the playoffs.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Monday that he expects WR Tyreek Hill (heel) to play vs. the Steelers on Sunday night. That's not a surprise considering Hill played a bit last week after hurting that heel in pregame warmups. Hill clearly wasn't close to 100%, though, so his effectiveness this weekend is in question.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Monday that RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire is "making great progress" with his shoulder injury. But Reid stopped short of saying that Edwards-Helaire will be ready for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Steelers. "I think we'll be able to get a little work out of him this week, but we'll see how the next couple days go," Reid said. We'll see what CEH is able to do in practice this week.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Monday that he "anticipates" RB Darrel Williams (toe) being available for Sunday night's game vs. the Steelers. Williams hurt his toe on the last play of the 1st half of the Week 18 win over Denver and did not return. "It's still a little tender, but he's working through that and we'll see how it goes this week," Reid said. We'll keep an eye on Williams' practice participation this week.
The Eagles on Monday activated TE Dallas Goedert and many other players from the COVID list. The most fantasy-relevant names beyond Goedert included RBs Jordan Howard and Boston Scott, and LB Alex Singleton.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said Monday that he's "hopeful" to have RBs Miles Sanders (hand) and Jordan Howard (stinger) for Sunday afternoon's Wild Card game vs. the Bucs. It's surprising that he even mentioned Howard considering he played through that stinger in Week 17 before missing Week 18 on the COVID list. We'll keep you updated on the Eagles backfield throughout the week.
Bucs HC Bruce Arians confirmed on Monday that RB Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is expected back for Sunday afternoon's Wild Card game vs. the Eagles. Especially with RB Ronald Jones dealing with an ankle injury, Fournette should return as Tampa's feature back.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne (Lisfranc) told reporters on Monday that he's been running in the pool and will resuming running on the field soon. He expects to be ready for the start of camp. Etienne underwent surgery on September 2 to repair the Lisfranc tear in his left foot. He was expected to be sidelined for 4 months, so it sounds like his rehab is on track. Etienne should be ready to roll for the start of the 2022 season. We can't say the same for RB James Robinson, who tore his left Achilles in late December.
The Dolphins fired HC Brian Flores. This one was not expected. Flores lasted 3 seasons in Miami, compiling a 24-25 record. He won 19 games over the past 2 years, though, and seemed to have the Fins heading in the right direction. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Miami is retaining GM Chris Grier. "A power struggle in Miami," Rapoport tweeted. We'll see where the Dolphins go at HC.
The Bears fired HC Matt Nagy. This move has been anticipated for weeks now. Nagy went 12-4 in his first season at the helm but totaled only 22 wins over the past 3 seasons. He also didn't seem to maximize QB Justin Fields' skill set this year. Chicago's next HC hire will be key for Fields' development.
Update: Chicago also fired GM Ryan Pace.
The Vikings have fired HC Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman, NFL Network reports. It ends an 8-year run for Zimmer and a 16-year run for Spielman in Minnesota. Zimmer's tenure brought just 3 seasons of double-digit wins and 2 playoff victories. We'll see who the Vikings hire to run the show going forward.
Search
