NFL Player News

Olszewski has been a staple on special teams for the Steelers before a costly fumble early in the season. The fact that he couldn’t carve out a significant role on offense through the absence of wide receiver Diontae Johnson spelled the end, with the team moving on in favor of electric rookie Calvin Austin. Olszewski could stick with a team needing help on special teams.

Brewer was a DNP on Wednesday and Thursday but will practice in some capacity on Friday, per McDaniel. The veteran lineman has played through injuries for most of the season, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he did end up suiting up again this week. McDaniel said whether or not Brewer plays will depend on how the next two days go.

Fitzpatrick has been dealing with a calf injury since Week 15’s game against the Steelers. He will now miss back-to-back games due to the injury and will try to make it back for Week 18’s season finale against the Patriots. His absence should free up some room in the secondary for Mike Evans and company after the Bucs have struggled to get things going through the air as of late.

Baker entered the league’s concussion protocol earlier this week after going down in Week 16’s game against the Falcons. The star safety will miss at least one game due to his brain injury, with backup safety Kitan Crawford looking like the next man up to fill his role. In addition to Baker, the Cardinals also ruled out LT Paris Johnson (knee), and CB Kei’Tre Clark (knee) for Week 17.

Michael Badgley will again draw the start in place of Prater. Badgley went 2-for-3 on extra points last week and also made his only field goal attempt. Badgley has made 11-of-12 field goal attempts this season while splitting time between the Colts and Bills, and could be a worthwhile streaming option if needed. In addition to Prater, the Bills also ruled out DT Jordan Phillips and S Jordan Poyer. Backup safety Jordan Hancock will likely start in Poyer’s absence.

The soreness in Allen’s foot “has dissipated throughout the week,” according to McDermott. Allen has been dealing with a foot injury he suffered in Week 16’s win over the Browns, but this doesn’t seem like anything too serious. Allen did not miss a play after going down last week and has been limited throughout practice this week. The Bills have struggled to move the ball through the air as of late, but McDermott said on Friday he doesn’t expect Allen’s injury to slow him down this weekend. He will be in the QB1 mix despite a tough matchup.

Taylor has now missed three straight games as a result of his neck injury. The rookie tight end, who has caught 44 passes for 369 yards and one touchdown this season, will have one more chance to suit up for Week 18’s season finale against the Bills, but after missing three-straight weeks of practice, he could be a long shot for next week. In addition to Taylor the Jets also ruled out EDGE Will McDonald (knee), DL Jay Tufele (foot), and LB Kiko Mauigoa (neck) for Week 17.

Jacobs was limited in practice all week but does not carry an injury designation into Saturday’s game against the Ravens. The Packers’ RB1 played through the same injuries last week but wound up playing on just two offensive snaps after he lost a fumble in the third quarter. A loss by the Lions on Thursday means the Packers have officially clinched a playoff berth, and it seems unlikely they would propel themselves to an NFC North title, although, it is still possible. Jacobs is expected to draw the start on Saturday against the Ravens, but given his injuries and the fact the Packers already secured a playoff spot, he’s becoming hard to trust in the fantasy championships.

McCarthy was sidelined for Week 17’s game against the Lions due to a hairline fracture in his throwing hand. The Vikings don’t have anything to play for in the season finale, so there will be little reason to force McCarthy back onto the field if he’s not at or close to 100 percent. The Vikings will evaluate him in the weeks leading up to next week’s game, but it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw Max Brosmer under center to close out a disappointing 2025 campaign for the Vikes.

JuJu, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown all saw exactly three targets with Rashee Rice sidelined this week. Smith-Schuster somehow led the trio in catches and yards. He isn’t a fantasy option in his own right, but JuJu is preventing any other wideout from stepping up as the team’s No. 1 receiver. Fantasy managers can ignore all three players for their Week 18 showdown with Las Vegas.

Worthy’s box score speaks for itself. Even with Rashee Rice out, the speedy wideout was nowhere to be found. Of course, he did pull off his signature move once again by catching a pass with one foot out of bounds, resulting in an incompletion. A complete lack of spatial awareness has been one of Worthy’s many issues entering the NFL, and he hasn’t made any progress in his second year. We don’t need to tell you this, but Worthy is not on the fantasy radar for Week 18.