NFL Player News

It’s hard to know if the Cardinals came into this game panning to target Dortch or simply adapted once the Bills lost slot cornerback Taron Johnson to injury on the first drive. Regardless, Dortch was far-and-away the most targeted receiver, getting five more targets than Marvin Harrison Jr. We’re not sure that will continue, but Dortch is clearly a big part of this offense and is a solid target in PPR leagues but will be a harder sell in other formats since most of his work is underneath and close to the line of scrimmage.

Fantasy managers who started McMillan in Week 17 are wondering if this could have been brought to Canales’ attention before yesterday’s 1/5 dud. Carolina’s passing game appears to go through fits and starts. McMillan remains a good WR2 bet for those of you playing in Week 18 leagues.

He’ll almost certainly be placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 18’s game against the Buccaneers. Sanders broke his ankle on Carolina’s first play from scrimmage yesterday against the Seahawks. The 2024 fourth-rounder enters the 2026 offseason in the third year of his rookie contract having not taken a noticeable step forward in his sophomore year while struggling through a midseason high-ankle sprain. He doesn’t figure to offer a lot in fantasy leagues in 2026 from where we sit at the end of the 2025 season.

They can still win the division and get as high as the No. 3 seed, so, yes, we expected this to be the outcome. Any fantasy leagues in the wilderness relying on Woody Marks, Nico Collins, and C.J. Stroud need not worry about them not playing. At least as long as this game doesn’t get out of hand.

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.