NFL Player News

The deal is worth “up to” $3.5 million. “Up to” does a lot of work during free agency, but Mitchell probably has somewhere around a $2 million base. The 27-year-old (in May) is one of the more forgotten names of the spring after yet another injury-ruined 2024, but he could end up a massive bargain if he manages to stay healthy. That, of course, is a poor bet, but for now Mitchell is a decent bet to serve as the No. 2 back behind Isiah Pacheco after Pacheco’s own injury-marred and unproductive campaign. Mitchell will make for a fine late-round hedge in summer best ball drafts.

That will unlock some of Indianapolis’ wideout options should Riley Leonard be able to aim the ball in their direction. Derek Stingley (oblique) is off the injury report, as is linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. It doesn’t sound like Lassiter would be resting if this were a win-and-in game for the Texans.

Willis could suit up for backup duties, but we expect him to be the emergency third quarterback behind starting QB Clayton Tune and backup QB Desmond Ridder. Willis has been a valuable backup for the Packers this season. They will likely try to preserve his health for the playoffs.

You don’t often see torn pectoral injuries suffered by defensive players recover enough to play in the same season they were hurt, but occasionally someone will do it. Kancey will probably be of limited effectiveness against the Panthers, but the Buccaneers are pulling out all the stops they can to keep their season alive in Week 18.

He’ll split carries with Chris Rodriguez in all likelihood against the Eagles on Sunday. Croskey-Merritt will only be an RB3 with that workload, even against a resting Eagles team.

We do not expect Wicks to suit up this week, even if he clears the NFL’s concussion protocol. The Packers have already secured the NFC’s No. 7 playoff seed and head coach Matt LaFleur said he intends to rest some players.

We’d be surprised if Haskins assumed a big role after suffering a concussion in Week 17. Kimani Vidal is likely to be the leader of the backfield in Week 18 for those of you searching for somebody to play in this game.

He’d figure to be the lead back against the Broncos if cleared, but Vidal certainly is no guarantee to play after just getting back to full work on Thursday. Vidal has enough receiving chops to be on the RB2/RB3 line against a tough Broncos defense, but this script should quickly take him to passing game work with Trey Lance involved.

In short, Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi seemingly received a promotion. Previously, Borgonzi and the head coach reported to the president of football operations, Chad Brinker, who had the final say on the 53-man roster. Now, the head coach will report directly to Borgonzi. Brinker and Borgonzi will, in turn, report directly to Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk. Borgonzi will also now have final say on the 53-man roster and lead the search for the Titans’ next head coach. Brinker will reportedly “remain heavily involved in all aspects of running the building, as well as salary cap planning, research and analytics,” but we cannot help noticing that he and Borgonzi look an awful lot like peers now. While this could foment positive change, increasing an owner’s involvement in front office personnel’s day-to-day work does not always work out for the best.

While he might not be fully recovered from his midseason ankle injury, this feels like a “rest week” for Hampton after he touched the ball 22 times against the Texans in Week 17. It’ll be hard to completely figure out the Chargers RB room — if you want to go there with them as huge underdogs against the Broncos — in Week 18. Kimani Vidal probably is the lead option at the moment.

Bateman hasn’t practiced all week, but John Harbaugh said he believes both Bateman and Marlon Humphrey (illness — also questionable) to be cleared by game time on Sunday. Bateman has barely cracked the fantasy radar all season and would be hard to trust if he was healthy.