Etienne got in a trio of limited sessions in his preparation for Monday Night Football, with previous reports indicating there is optimism that the second-year back will be able to play against the Bengals. Final word will come 90 minutes prior to kickoff.

Higgins missed the previous three contests for the Bengals, returning to a very different situation than the one he left with quarterback Joe Burrow done for the season. Volume should continue to be an issue for the Bengals primary pass-catchers with Jake Browning under center, leaving Higgins in the WR3/4 range for the remainder of the season.

McKinnon was previously expected to play on Sunday Night Football against the Packers but was ultimately ruled out for the second consecutive game as he tends to a groin injury. Running back Deneric Prince was elevated in a corresponding move.

This was purely procedural as it was already announced that Flacco would serve as the starting quarterback against the Rams. Flacco was one of the least efficient quarterbacks in the league during his stints with the Broncos and Jets over the previous four seasons, but his efficiency metrics still give this team a better chance of winning than P.J. Walker. Either way, expect the Browns to emphasize the ground game for as long as possible against the prevent defense of the Rams.

This became the most logical outcome after Higgins returned to full practice on Friday. Sidelined since Week 9, Higgins is returning to an entirely different offensive environment after Joe Burrow was lost for the season. Even with six teams on bye this week, Higgins is best left outside the top 36 at receiver.

“This is light, honestly,” Allen said. “Thigh contusion is like a solid nick. That’s considered not bad.” Allen also said his ongoing shoulder injury is not an issue. “I feel great. This late in the season, I couldn’t ask to be feeling any better.” Allen is an elite Week 13 option.

Higgins was limited to start the week but upgraded to full on Friday. The veteran receiver has missed each of the Bengals’ last three games with a hamstring injury suffered in practice but is trending toward a return on Monday night against the Jaguars. While Higgins’ return is good for the Bengals, fantasy managers will need to consider whether or not he’s worth starting with Jake Browning under center. Browning and the Bengals managed just 222 total yards in last week’s loss to the Steelers and were 2-for-10 on third down. Higgins shouldn’t be counted on as anything more than a WR3.

Brevin Jordan is expected to draw the start, with Schultz now ruled out. The veteran tight end didn’t practice all week and was trending toward being ruled out after being listed as DNP on Friday. While Jordan is expected to get the starting nod, he’ll be hard to trust as anything more than a touchdown-dependent TE2 against the Broncos.

Texans beat writer Aaron Wilson said Brown should be considered “truly questionable” after he popped up as a DNP on Friday following two days of limited practices. Wilson reported earlier on Friday that Brown looked “fairly limited in practice,” but apparently, whatever he did wasn’t enough for the team to credit him with limited participation on the day. Brown has missed back-to-back games with his injury, and it sounds like he’s trending toward missing a third-straight game.

Dell is listed as questionable, but head coach DeMeco Ryans has expressed confidence in Dell playing on Sunday against the Broncos. The rookie receiver should be in line for a big day with tight end Dalton Schultz (hamstring) ruled out and Noah Brown (knee) listed as questionable. Dell has finished as a top-24 PPR receiver in each of his last four weeks and is a fringe WR1 this week if active.