NFL Player News

Ossai played through this injury last season, appearing in 16 regular season games and all three of their postseason contests. The second-year pass rusher totaled 3.5 sacks and two TFLs after missing his 2021 rookie campaign with a torn meniscus. Ossai should be ready for training camp.

The Monday Night matchup for Week 12 will feature the Harbaugh brothers facing off for the first time since Jim Harbaugh signed on to coach the Chargers this offseason. Jim and John famously coached against each other in Super Bowl XLVII, with John and the Ravens coming out on top over Jim and the 49ers. This Chargers team has a heavy Ravens influence, with former Ravens exec Joe Hortiz now the Chargers’ general manager. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson will look to keep the Ravens contending while Justin Herbert will quarterback a changed Chargers offense in the latest iteration of the “HarBowl”.

The Cowboys will play their annual Thanksgiving game against the NFC East rival Giants. Jerry Jones wanted to go “all in” on the Cowboys this season, and they are running it back with head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott leading the team. Ezekiel Elliott will return to the team, putting the Salvation Army kettle on high alert. Meanwhile, the Giants are expected to start Daniel Jones after a frustrating 2023. Malik Nabers will be an exciting receiver to watch, but it will be difficult to trust any other Giant for fantasy. Fantasy managers will be eyeing Prescott and CeeDee Lamb the most this Thanksgiving.

Caleb Williams will experience his first Thanksgiving matchup, heading to Detroit in Week 13. The Bears have invested heavily into Williams, with Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and D’Andre Swift joining D.J. Moore and company in what looks to be an exciting offense. They will face an established high-powered offense in Jared Goff and the Lions, who have not won on Thanksgiving since 2016. Fantasy managers will be glued to the screen Thanksgiving afternoon hoping to watch both offenses feast.

The NFL returns to Germany this season, with the Panthers and Giants playing in Munich for Week 10. Bryce Young will experience his first international game while the Giants, presumably starting Daniel Jones, will play their fourth ever international game. Both teams were among the worst in the league last season with frustrating 2023 campaigns. The Panthers will look to build upon Young and other highly-selected offensive weapons like Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks. The Giants hope to get a better return on their investment in Daniel Jones in this lone Germany matchup.

The two-time Super Bowl champions will head to Pittsburgh to play in a Christmas game broadcast on Netflix. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs contingent will be competing for one of the top seeds in the AFC at this time while the Steelers may be competing for a playoff spot. At this point of the season, the Steelers will have a large sample size to judge their quarterback room and either Justin Fields will have taken over or Russell Wilson will be holding down the fort. With the other Christmas game being Ravens-Texans, this day looks to have massive playoff implications in the AFC.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford heads back to his former home while Lions quarterback Jared Goff hosts his former team after freshly signing a four-year, $212 million contract extension. This will be a rematch of last season’s Wild Card game, where the Lions bested the Rams 24-23. Goff and Stafford were dealt for each other in 2021, with the Rams winning a Super Bowl and the Lions making it to the Conference Championship since then. This game will kick off Sunday Night Football for the season and will feature many fantasy-relevant players, including top receivers Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Heyward has not attended voluntary offseason workouts and looks to sit out OTAs as he awaits a contract extension. The six-time Pro Bowler is entering the final season of a four-year, $65 million contract. He has been with the Steelers since getting drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Heyward just turned 35 and is a three-time first-team All-Pro, though his 2023 season was plagued by injury. He appeared in 11 games, tallying two sacks and winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his off-the-field work. Fowler notes that Heyward has never missed an offseason program. The Steelers will work to get an extension done with a mainstay of their defense for over the last decade.

Byrd had a cup of coffee on the Texans’ practice squad at the end of the 2023 season but saw his only action while on the Falcons last year. He appeared in one game and logged 18 snaps on offense. Byrd was a rotational receiver for Atlanta in 2022, totaling 268 yards and two scores across 14 games. Byrd’s previous experience as a kick and punt returner could be useful to the Commanders, though he is still a long-shot to make the team.

Gill was waived by the Bears after they drafted Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round. Gill ranked near the bottom of the league in net yards per punt last year and struggled to pin opponents inside the 20. He will be fighting with Riley Dixon for the Broncos’ punting gig this summer.

Carr, who quarterbacked the Raiders from 2014 to 2022, will get a matchup against his former team on the second to last week of the regular season (and the final week of the fantasy football playoffs). Carr in 2023 threw for 3,888 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in his first season as Saints quarterback. His adjusted yards per attempt (7.3) was slightly above his career mark of 7.1. Neither the Saints nor the Raiders have a great chance to compete for a postseason berth in the season’s penultimate week.