NFL Player News

Fowler (5'11/254) was a jack of all trades for the Crimson Tide, seeing action at fullback, tailback, tight end, H-back, and playing special teams. More Le’Ron McClain than Lorenzo Neal, Fowler averaged 6.59 YPC and caught seven touchdown passes in college, but isn’t quite a hole-clearing lead blocker. He’ll have to show well on special teams to last in the NFL.

Per Macdonald, there are still “tests” for Cross to “take” later this week. We do not expect the Seahawks to have their stud left tackle on the field on Saturday, though. Seahawks No. 2 OL Josh Jones (knee/ankle) “just got banged up” and will be able to play if Cross cannot. Fortunately for the Seahawks, the 49ers’ defensive front has been thinned out by injuries of its own.

Higbee will return to practice this week, though it’s unclear if he will be ready for LA’s Week 18 date with the Cardinals. The Rams only have minor differences in seeding to play for this week, so they will likely hold him out until the playoffs, even if he could return on Sunday. Higbee will split reps with Colby Parkinson and Terrance Ferguson in the postseason.

He did, however, say that he wants to stay in Tennessee. Okonkwo turned his three grabs into 55 yards and a score last week. That put him at a 54/558/3 receiving line on the year. All three of those numbers are either new career-highs for Okonkwo or at least tie his previous high-water mark. Okonkwo may never hit the next gear for fantasy purposes, but he’s a capable start who works well with the ball in his hands. He should have no issues finding a multi-year contract as a free agent in the spring.

Salyer went down with the hamstring issue in Week 16 and did not suit up last week. With little to play for this week, he will rest up ahead of LA’s upcoming Wild Card Round game. Austin Deculus is the favorite to start at left tackle in Week 18.

Bonsignore seems to imply both players will take reps in Week 18. Pickett has been the first player off the bench, so we assume he will get the start. Should the Raiders actually employ a two-quarterback game plan, neither player should be anywhere near a re-draft or DFS lineup.

Dorlus went down with the knee injury in Week 17 and there was concern that it was a major issue. He won’t play in Week 18, meaning his season is over, but Morris said he would only be out for a couple of weeks. It doesn’t sound like this will affect his offseason routine at all, which is good news for the former fourth-round pick. His breakout second season comes to an end with 8.5 sacks and 26 pressures.

The Bills released K Michael Badgley from the practice squad on Monday. He had an extra point attempt blocked by the Eagles last week. Given Badgley’s release and Prater’s full participation, we expect Prater to kick for the Bills in Week 18 against the Jets. He could be fairly busy in his first game back.

Austin missed Week 17 with the hamstring issue. DK Metcalf will be out for Week 18 to finish serving his two-game suspension, meaning Austin could immediately return to a high-volume role. The Steelers will lean on their ground game this week in battle for the AFC North with the Ravens, but fantasy managers can pencil Austin in for a handful of targets if he is active, putting him on the WR4/5 radar for the final week of the regular season.

This is Kincaid’s second consecutive limited practice, dating back to last week. He was sidelined on Wednesday and Thursday and did not play on Sunday. Bills No. 2 TE Dawson Knox (knee) was also limited today, though he suited up in Week 17, catching 5-of-5 targets for 30 yards. Earlier today, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Kincaid “is in a better spot now than he was last week.” He seemingly has a chance to play in Week 18, but the Bills are only playing for playoff seeding at this point, having locked up a Wild Card Weekend spot already. They could choose to keep him inactive against the lowly Jets.

Dowdle was listed as a DNP on Tuesday, but the team upgraded him to a full session for today’s walkthrough. He doesn’t appear to be at any risk of missing Week 18 versus the Bucs. Dowdle out-touched Chuba Hubbard 15-7 last week, though he posted a quiet box score for fantasy purposes. Expect the Panthers to try to get him going early in a must-win spot versus the Bucs.