NFL Player News

Given that Driskel wasn’t even on the Browns until November, it’s a bit of a surprise that he was elevated to the back-up spot over P.J. Walker. Driskel started in Week 18 when the Browns rested Flacco and completed 13-of-26 passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Browns’ 31-14 loss to the Bengals. He added seven rushes for 33 yards, and mobility is certainly one of his best traits. Regardless of who back-ups up Flacco, the Browns will be in big trouble if the veteran were to get hurt.

Doubs missed Week 13 with the brain injury. He was limited in practice this week, but an early game on Thursday made it impossible for him to clear the league’s concussion protocol in time. He should be back for a Week 15 tilt with the Seahawks. His absence will leave Jayden Reed as the team’s top receiver, though Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks will both be in the mix for targets. Reed will sit on the WR2/3 border while the deep threats are high-risk FLEX plays for Week 14.

When the injury occurred is unclear but Moore is coming off of a 14-target workload so it stands to reason he may have closed Week 13 a little banged up. Fantasy managers should expect him to suit up for now, though it is possible he picked up the injury in practice today.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters yesterday he expects Highsmith to return from the ankle injury this week. A limited session on Wednesday is a step in the right direction. Highsmith has missed three games because of the injury and previously missed three more with a groin issue. He has three sacks and four TFLs in six appearances this season.

Decker will now miss his third game since Week 10 and was entirely unable to practice this week. Hopefully, the team is just taking the conservative route and Decker will be readily available for the stretch run later this season. The Lions will be woefully short-staffed in the defensive trenches, having also ruled out DL Josh Paschal (knee), DL Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) and DL DJ Reader (shoulder).

Lawrence will spend a minimum of four games on injured reserve. He will technically be able to return for a meaningless Week 18 game, but the odds of that happening are close to zero. Lawrence was also dealing with an injury to the AC joint in his left shoulder. He missed two games with the issue before returning last week, only to suffer a brutal concussion on a dirty hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. It’s possible Lawrence will undergo shoulder surgery while on injured reserve, which would mark an official end to his disappointing 2024 season. Mac Jones will close out the year as the Jags’ starter. Jones threw for 235 yards and two scores in relief of Lawrence last week but was much worse in his two starts. He barely registers as a QB2 for Superflex leagues.

Samuel played a limited role in Week 13, logging just 22 snaps versus the 49ers. He was not targeted but did turn his lone rush attempt into seven yards. With Keon Coleman likely to return this week, fantasy managers don’t need to worry about Samuel going forward.

Coleman has missed three games with the wrist issue. He returned to practice last week for a trio of limited session, but the Bills chose to hold him out for Sunday night’s game against the 49ers. All signs point to him returning this week, though the Bills may need to see him get in a full practice before giving him the green light. If active for Week 14, Coleman will spend a week in the WR4 ranks until we can get a clear picture of what his role looks like post-injury.

Johnson suffered his second recorded concussion in the Lions’ Week 13 Thanksgiving game; the first occurred in Week 5, 2023. There was a chance that the added downtime could give Johnson a shot at returning for Week 14 but he appears to be on the typical concussion-recovery track. Fantasy managers should currently expect Johnson to miss Week 14.

Kincaid has been out for two weeks while nursing the knee issue. The second-year tight end was unable to practice in any capacity last week, so a limited session on Wednesday is a major step in the right direction. Dawson Knox has been serviceable in his pair of starts with six catches for 96 yards. He could hold onto a part-time role once Kincaid returns, making it a potentially frustrating situation for fantasy managers.

Swift has been stuck in RB2/3-land for much of the past five games. Adding a soft tissue injury to the mix is unlikely to improve his prospects. Hopefully, Swift is able to practice in full by week’s end.