NFL Player News

Palmer (6'1/210) was quiet for two years at UAB before breaking out with a 47/858/7 receiving line in his final season. He averaged 18.3 yards per catch as an outside chain-mover. Palmer doesn’t show elite speed on tape but has no problem winning contested grabs and fighting for balls in traffic. Taken in the sixth-round he will need to contribute on special teams as a rookie.

McDaniel stressed that Fitzpatrick doesn’t want to be shut down. The 29-year-old safety didn’t play against the Buccaneers in Week 18, and with Miami eliminated from playof contention there isn’t a great reason outside of pride for the safety to play. He still might.

It’s a little weird that the Cowboys have to keep telling people the starting quarterback is going to start, but, here ya go. Prescott will get the start in the finale against the Giants with a chance to add to his numbers in a game that means nothing outside of where the teams will draft come April.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Jackson to play in Week 18, but Harbaugh will leave the door open and we’re sure we’ll get at least one Jackson practice appearance given the stakes. It does feel like Jackson has simply given all he has physically and hasn’t been able to play at full strength since Week 3 or 4. Jackson’s practice status will be one of the hottest topics of Week 18, we’d put him on the pessimistic side of questionable to open the week based on this quote. Harbaugh offered a “If Lamar’s ready to go, he’s playing, that’s it.” If not, it’ll be Tyler Huntley trying to win the AFC North for the Ravens.

It sounds like most of Detroit’s regulars will be going against the Bears in Week 18, though perhaps if there’s any long-term concern about a particular injury, a player or two could sit. Detroit has nothing to play for but can still spoil Chicago’s bid to be the No. 2 seed.

Steichen said in his Monday press conference that the team was still “having discussions” on who will start the finale against Houston, and that the team would announce a decision Wednesday. It’s possible that 44-year-old Philip Rivers could get one more chance at a win, but the Colts may want to see what they have in the (much) younger Riley Leonard. Anthony Richardson could also potentially get the nod for the meaningless finale, but with the signal-caller still dealing with vision limitations, it seems unlikely.

Campbell said that St. Brown should be good “long term” and that the wideout wants to play against the Bears. But Campbell also noted “If we’re sitting there borderline and...it could be hard or we think they’re setting themselves up for long-term risk, then no, it’s not worth it” when asked about playing injured players. It’s hard to read between the lines there, but we think St. Brown has a chance to play in Week 18 based on how minor this feels.

For those of you keeping up-to-the-minute updates on the end of the Raiders season — there’s a few of you, right? — Carroll said yesterday that Smith had a high-ankle sprain. He apparently does not have that, after all. But what he does have remains significant. The end result is probably still Kenny Pickett starting in Week 18 against the Chiefs in a game that the Raiders clearly want to lose. Pickett does, admittedly, give them a leg up in that competition. We’ll see if he can match Chris Olodokun throw for throw.

Badgley had a PAT blocked after being elevated from the practice squad in the one-point loss to the Eagles in Week 17. Matt Prater (quad) is expected to be ready to kick in Week 18 as well as the playoffs.

McCreary played four games for the Rams earlier this season after being acquired from the Titans before the trade deadline. His return will help cover over the loss of Quintin Lake as the Rams look to get their defense back on track ahead of the playoffs.

The Vikings will see how McCarthy’s grip strength is at the end of the week. It still feels like it’s more likely that McCarthy sits if they’re only really going to check him at week’s end, but the door is at least cracked a little for a Week 18 return against Green Bay. If McCarthy sits again, Max Brosmer will likely get to close out the season with his unique sack-taking stylings. O’Connell did notably say that he wants all quarterbacks (including John Wolford and Brett Rypien) to be “ready to play.”