Bucs WR Antonio Brown (ankle) put in a limited practice on Wednesday. HC Bruce Arians said he looked "fine." Brown is fully expected to return for this weekend's game vs. the Panthers -- and might just find himself as Tampa's #1 WR.
Lions RB D'Andre Swift (shoulder) returned to a limited practice on Wednesday. It gives him a shot to play vs. the Falcons this weekend. We'll see how the next few days go for him.
Cardinals RB James Conner has yet to practice this week and is on the injury report with a heel. It was an ankle issue that had him questionable going into last week's game vs. the Lions. We'll see if Conner practices tomorrow and then how he's listed on the final injury report for Saturday's game vs. the Colts.
Cardinals WR Rondale Moore has missed the first 2 practices of the week with an ankle injury. The rookie remained Arizona's #4 WR last week, even with DeAndre Hopkins out, so he's not a viable fantasy play even if he manages to suit up vs. the Colts on Saturday night.
Chargers WR Jalen Guyton has been placed on the COVID list. His absence on Sunday vs. the Texans would leave Josh Palmer as Los Angeles' #3 WR -- but still short of bankable fantasy value.
The Seahawks have placed TE Will Dissly on the COVID list. He's not a player whose potential return we need to sweat for our fantasy rosters. But Dissly's absence could only help the fantasy outlook for TE Gerald Everett. Dissly played 46% of the snaps or more in each of the past 3 games and totaled 6 targets over that span.
Washington on Wednesday placed LB Cole Holcomb on the COVID list. We'll see whether he can make it back for Sunday night's game against the Cowboys.
The Saints on Wednesday placed TE Adam Trautman on the COVID list. If he misses Monday night's game against Miami, the Nick Vannett would be in position to lead New Orleans TEs. Juwan Johnson is also currently on the COVID list.
The Chargers on Wednesday finally placed RB Austin Ekeler on the COVID list. The move was 1st reported Monday, but then the team didn't end up putting him on the reserve at that point. It would obviously help his chances of returning for Sunday's game against the Texans if Ekeler's window dates back to the beginning of the week. For now, we'll move ahead assuming that Justin Jackson will lead the Chargers in carries and that Joshua Kelley will follow. The Houston matchup makes both players more interesting than they'd be in just about any other spot.
Niners LB Azeez Al-Shaair is questionable for Thursday night's game against the Titans with the elbow injury that kept him our of Sunday's game. He put in limited practices all 3 days this week. We'll see about his status Thursday evening.
After leaving Sunday's game against the Steelers with a hamstring and then missing practice Monday and Tuesday, Titans WR Julio Jones put in a full workout Wednesday and heads into Thursday's game with no injury status. He certainly doesn't make for a comfy play after the way his previous appearance unfolded, but Jones will at least be available for fantasy football lineups.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon (ankle) put in a full practice on Wednesday. He's evidently good to go for this weekend's game vs. the Ravens after hurting an ankle late in last week's win over the Broncos.
The Texans on Wednesday placed WR Brandin Cooks and K Ka'imi Fairbairn on the COVID list. HC David Culley has said that LB Eric Wilson -- who also landed on the COVID list Wednesday -- is the team's only unvaccinated player. So Cooks and Fairbairn have a chance to return for Sunday's game against the Chargers. You should plan as though you won't have either guy available, though.
The 49ers have ruled RB Elijah Mitchell out for Thursday night's game at Tennessee with his knee injury. Jeff Wilson Jr. dominated backfield work in Sunday's win over Atlanta, with Deebo Samuel and Jimmy Garoppolo the only 2 other Niners to handle more than 1 carry.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule said Wednesday that QB Sam Darnold (shoulder) will play vs. the Bucs this weekend. QB Cam Newton will start and have a "major role," Rhule added. It's completely unclear how snaps will be divvied between the 2 QBs, making the situation an easy avoid in Week 16 fantasy lineups.
Panthers WR D.J. Moore (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. He battled through this injury last weekend, posting a 6-48 line on a 91% snap rate in the loss to Buffalo. He should be available for this Sunday's game vs. the Bucs, but we'll keep an eye on him.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison has been activated from the COVID list. He'll be back to give RB Dalvin Cook a few breathers in Sunday's game vs. the Rams.
Broncos HC Vic Fangio confirmed on Wednesday that QB Teddy Bridgewater (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Raiders. QB Drew Lock will make his 1st start of the season in that one. The 3rd-year QB is the polar opposite of Bridgewater: big-armed, aggressive but inaccurate. We'll see exactly what Lock means for Denver's WRs, but we'd try to avoid Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick in Week 16 fantasy lineups.
The Steelers on Wednesday placed LB Devin Bush on the COVID list. That likely knocks him out for Sunday's game at Kansas City. Bush's absence wouldn't be a big loss for either the Pittsburgh defense or IDP lineups, though. Robert Spillane figures to start next to Joe Schobert if Bush is out.
Jaguars TE Dan Arnold (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He was expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee suffered in Week 12, so we'd be surprised if he was ready to play vs. the Jets on Sunday. But we'll keep an eye on the situation.
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