Browns WR Corey Coleman broke his hand during Wednesday's practice. "The injury is being further evaluated in order to determine when he will return to play," the team said in a statement. Coleman will visit a specialist on Thursday to determine treatment and a timetable for return, per insider Nate Ulrich, but expect him to miss at least 4 weeks. His effectiveness beyond this will be in question considering a hand is pretty important to a WR. Whenever Coleman returns, he'll be vying for targets with WR Josh Gordon. And who knows who Cleveland's QB will be at that point. The rookie isn't a must-hold in leagues of 12 or fewer teams.
Vikings insider Matt Vensel expects a 65-35 carry split in favor of Jerick McKinnon over Matt Asiata for as long as Adrian Peterson is out. "Asiata as the goal-line guy," Vensel adds. McKinnon figures to handle most of the passing-down work. Over their final 7 games together with Peterson out back in 2014, McKinnon out-carried Asiata 93 to 58 and out-targeted him 30-20. A similar split this year would make McKinnon a RB2 with upside and Asiata a TD dependent RB3 or flex.
Browns QB Robert Griffin has a "potentially serious" shoulder injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. RG3 downplayed the issue after the game, but it sounds like there's a chance he misses time. He's undergoing additional testing today, so we should get another update soon. QB Josh McCown would step in if Griffin is sidelined and might be an upgrade for the offense.
NFL Network reports that the Broncos have released QB Mark Sanchez and that the Cowboys are already expected to sign him. Sanchez lost the Denver starting competition to Trevor Siemian after arriving from Philly via trade. In Dallas he'd back up QB Dak Prescott while Tony Romo's out with his back injury. Romo's return might leave Sanchez looking for work again in a couple of months.
The Lions have released RB Stevan Ridley. He mustered just 3.0 yards per carry on 9 preseason totes. Ridley's departure locks in Zach Zenner as Detroit's #3 RB -- and potential goal-line back. He's worth a look late in drafts, especially in non-PPR or TD-heavy formats. Rookie RB Dwayne Washington has had a strong preseason and now looks like a better bet to make the team.
The Titans on Tuesday morning traded WR Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles for swing O-lineman Dennis Kelly. This is the biggest statement to date against DGB's work ethic, which has been questioned and called out by Tennessee all offseason. If he finally gets his stuff together, though, he'll find a wide-open WR situation in Philly. The Eagles obviously remain unhappy with Nelson Agholor's development and couldn't have been impressed with Rueben Randle's preseason debut against the Bucs. Jordan Matthews, meanwhile, remains out with a knee bruise. Green-Beckham remains a hold in dynasty leagues, but you shouldn't be any more excited about his 2016 outlook today than you were yesterday. Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe, meanwhile, gain safety as late-round fantasy football draft picks without the spectre of DGB's talent looming.
Cowboys RB Darren McFadden is "on schedule" to be ready for Week 1, according to Bleacher Report's Jason Cole. A scan of the elbow he broke in June came back "good." The missed training camp and preseason time still gives Alfred Morris a shot to win the #2 RB job behind Ezekiel Elliott, though. Both Morris and McFadden are only worth considering in deep fantasy leagues.
The Patriots selected QB Jacoby Brissett with the 91st pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. He becomes the 3rd QB drafted by New England in the past 6 years. Ryan Mallett attempted 4 passes for the Pats, while Jimmy Garoppolo has chucked it 31 times through his first 2 seasons. Brissett started his college career at Florida before transferring to North Carolina State, where he completed 59.9% of his passes with 43 TDs and 11 INTs. He possesses prototypical size at 6'4, 231 pounds and has an NFL-caliber arm. Brissett will sit behind Garoppolo and, of course, Tom Brady this season. But he could eventually push Garoppolo for the right to be Brady's heir apparent.
The Bengals added WR Tyler Boyd with the 55th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. Boyd has 1 of the best production profiles in the WR class. He’s Pittsburgh’s all-time leader in career receptions (254) and receiving yards (3,361), despite spending just 3 years there. He also chipped in on the ground, totaling 520 rushing yards and a score on 63 attempts (8.3 YPC). But Boyd isn’t particularly big or athletic at 6’1, 197 pounds with a SPARQ score in the 34th percentile among WRs. He figures to top out as a #2 WR at the next level. But he has a shot to capture that gig right away in Cincinnati. Only Brandon LaFell stands between Boyd and a starting job.
A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that Patriots QB Tom Brady must serve the 4-game suspension for his role in "Deflategate." Brady won his appeal of the suspension last fall and played all 16 games. He does have the option of appealing this decision to the Supreme Court, although that's viewed as unlikely. Brady and the league could also agree on a reduced ban. But for now, he'll miss the first 4 contests of the 2016 season. QB Jimmy Garoppolo will start those games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills. Those matchups make him tough to like as a fantasy option, especially with no teams on bye for the first 3 weeks. Brady's suspension also hurts WR Julian Edelman and TE Rob Gronkowski's early-season outlooks.
Steelers WR Martavis Bryant plans to enter rehab for his depression and drug issues. “We’re all stunned, me included,” Bryant's agent said. “We clearly miscalculated the issue. His isn’t a party issue. It’s a coping issue and a depression issue, and he’s got to take care of it.” Bryant is facing a full-season ban for multiple missed drug tests. He's appealing the ban, but it isn't expected to be overturned. Like Cleveland's Josh Gordon, Bryant will be able to apply for reinstatement in 1 year. If he can get back on track off the field, he could return in 2017 at 25 years old.
With Washington's season over, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team will release QB Robert Griffin at some point. That move doesn't need to happen until March 9. That's when his $16.5 million option for 2016, which the team previously picked up, would become guaranteed. That's the number that figures to keep any team from trading for RG3, but we'd guess he'll find plenty of interest on the open market. Griffin needs to find the right situation and work to turn his NFL career around, but he at least starts with physical talent. We'll be curious to see where this goes.
The forecast for today's Steelers-Browns game calls for 20-30% chance of snow with 18 mph winds. That might be enough to break ties against guys in this game, but we're not moving any Steelers or Browns in the Week 17 rankings. QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Antonio Brown and WR Martavis Bryant remain strong fantasy plays. TE Gary Barndige is the only reliable option in Cleveland's passing game.
The Bills announced Karlos Williams as their starting RB for today's game against the Cowboys. ESPN's Mike Rodak cautions that RB Mike Gillislee will remain involved, but Williams is clearly the better bet for touches and the better fantasy play. Buffalo should be able to run it plenty in this one, giving the explosive rookie RB1 upside.
Bucs WR Vincent Jackson (knee) remained out of practice on Wednesday. The veteran might be done for the year after spraining his MCL against New Orleans in Week 14. If that’s the case, his 11th NFL season will end with a disappointing 33 grabs, 543 yards and 3 TDs.
Bills RB Karlos Williams (shoulder) is out for Sunday’s game against the Eagles. RB LeSean McCoy will see as many touches as he can handle vs. his former team.
Cardinals S Deone Bucannon is active for today's game at San Francisco after passing through the concussion protocol this week. Use him as you normally would in your IDP league.
Chiefs OC Doug Pederson says RB Spencer Ware will maintain a backfield role Sunday against the Bills even if RB Charcandrick West (hamstring) is ready to play. “I think our mentality is still the running back by committee,’’ Pederson told ESPN.com, specifically praising Ware's balance, vision and power. That could make him a nice complement to the smaller, speedier West, whose touches the Chiefs might want to limit coming off a hamstring injury. The situation adds risk to West as a fantasy option for Week 12, but he's still the 1st Chiefs back we'd use if he's active. Ware will be tough to trust as a fantasy starter if West is in the lineup but should at least still be an option for deeper leagues or those in rough shape at RB.
Cardinals WRs Michael Floyd and John Brown both missed Wednesday's practice with their hamstring injuries. Floyd went down in the 2nd half of last week's win over the Seahawks. Brown made it through the game but obviously wasn't at 100%, going catch-less on 3 targets. We'll see if either guy gets on the practice field tomorrow. WR Jaron Brown is behind them on the depth chart.
Packers WR James Jones was added to Thursday's injury report with a quad. He was listed as a limited participant. It's still unclear whether Jones injured the quad during practice or is just getting some mid-week rest. Check back tomorrow for an update.
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