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.

Mims will be active for Week 13 against the Texans but continues to be off the fantasy radar. The rookie receiver has caught two or fewer passes in each of his last six games and has yet to top three receptions in any game this season.

Jeudy didn’t practice to start the week but closed out Friday with a full practice. He’ll be good to go for this week’s contest against a Texans defense that’s allowed the 11th most fantasy points to opposing receivers over the last two weeks, although it’s worth noting Jeudy hasn’t cleared 60 receiving yards since Week 7.

Flacco was named the backup over P.J. Walker earlier this week. Knowing Dorian Thompson-Robinson was unlikely to play due to a concussion, head coach Kevin Stefanski was functionally naming Flacco the team’s Week 13 starter. As expected, DTR was ruled out on Friday, paving the way for Flacco to make his debut as a member of the Browns. At 38 years old, it’s fair to wonder how much Flacco has left in the tank. On the other hand, Cleveland’s tandem of Walker and Thompson-Robinson has created one of the worst offensive environments in the NFL. Even a modest improvement via Flacco will go a long way. The move will keep Amari Cooper in the WR3 conversation while giving Elijah Moore some FLEX potential versus the Rams.