NFL Player News

Lacey was benched by ex-defensive coordinator Larry Coyer after the Week 6 loss to the Bengals for performance reasons. With Coyer now gone, it sounds like Lacey is going to get another chance. The Colts are allowing opponents to complete 71.2 percent of their passes, dead last in the league.

The Patriots listed Jones as questionable on the final injury report, but on Friday, Jones told the media he expects to play. The fourth-year corner has played 467 snaps from the slot this season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 70.9 while also forcing three interceptions.

He didn’t practice all week for the second-straight week and, again, carries some IR shutdown risk over the weekend ahead of Sunday’s game. If he remains active, Ward starts Week 17 firmly on the questionable line.

If he can go, Teller’s return will push Teven Jenkins into a reserve role. RT Jack Conklin (concussion) will miss his third-straight game as well.

He did not practice all week and would seem to be at some risk of not suiting up in Week 17 as well. Trayveon Williams played 19 snaps as Quinshon Judkins’ backup in Week 15 and would seem likely to see around the same against Buffalo. Judkins will be the only back on Cleveland’s roster worth playing for fantasy purposes.

Njoku will miss a second-straight game due to the knee injury he suffered in Week 14. The veteran tight end was unable to get on the practice field this week and will now set his sights toward returning in Week 17 against the Steelers. Njoku’s absence should pave the way for rookie TE Harold Fannin to have another high-volume day after seeing a season-high 14 targets in last week’s loss to the Bears.

Lamb has missed the first two days of practice due to an illness, but his getting on the field in any capacity should be a good sign for his Week 16 availability. Players sidelined with illnesses tend to be good to go by game day, so we’d expect a positive report on Lamb before the weekend when the team releases its final injury report.

The Patriots again will be without their leading tackler for Sunday’s game against the Ravens. Spillane was unable to get on the practice field this week and hasn’t played since Week 13 against the Giants. In addition to Spillane, the Patriots also listed CB Carlton Davis, CB Marcus Jones, EDGE Harold Landry, and DT Christian Barmore as questionable for Week 16.

CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported earlier this month that it is “unlikely” the Browns will arrive at a decision next week. Watson is recovering from a torn Achilles that ended his 2024 campaign and has been practicing with the team for the last several weeks. There’s little reason for a 3-11 Browns team to activate Watson at this point in the year, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see them opt to sideline him ahead of the offseason. Watson remains under contract with the Browns in 2026 and counts over $80 million to the Browns’ cap space.

McMillan was a DNP on Wednesday but was upgraded to a full participant on Thursday and Friday. The rookie receiver is officially off the injury report and good to go for Sunday’s pivotal Week 16 matchup against the Bucs. McMillan profiles as a low-end WR2 after failing to top 43 yards for three straight weeks. The Panthers also listed OG Damien Lewis, CB Jaycee Horn, and OT Taylor Moton as good to go for Sunday’s game.

This news doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but we appreciate the clarity. With Bam Knight (ankle) now on injured reserve, Carter will get the opportunity to handle RB1 duties against a Falcons defense that ranks 25th in rushing yards allowed and 24th in yards per carry allowed. Carter played on 53 offensive snaps last week compared to Emari Demercado, who was in on just seven snaps. Carter will have some appeal as a FLEX play in Week 16.