NFL Player News

The Lions’ banged-up secondary does not need to lose another player. Branch’s return was needed. Hopefully, the impactful safety can resume practicing fully on Friday. The Lions face the Giants in Week 12. Lions CB Terrion Arnold (concussion) remains sidelined.

The Colts will likely be forced to throw often against a pass-funnel Jaguars defense in Week 17, so whatever Raimann give them could be an upgrade on Luke Tenuta in a game where they’ll need to keep Jacksonville’s pass rushers away from Statue Phil Rivers. It does sound like there’s a chance he will sit or that he’s at a re-aggravation risk based on this wording.

We still don’t know the specifics of Sampson’s hand injury that sidelined him for Weeks 15 and 16, but the rookie running back practiced every day this week and has a good chance of seeing a lead role for the Browns if he’s active. Sampson served as the Browns’ RB1 all the way back in Week 1, and wound up catching eight passes for 64 yards while adding another 12-29-0 on the ground. Sampson would have some appeal as an RB3/FLEX option if he’s available for this week’s fantasy championships. If Sampson is able to go, Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams would likely split backfield duties.

Gardner has not played since injuring his calf in Week 13’s loss to the Texans. He had not practiced at all until Friday’s session. This strikes us as a bit of a desperate play, which makes sense as the Colts are a loss away from elimination. If Gardner can play up to his talent for the whole game, he’ll likely lower Brian Thomas’ upside in Week 17.

Njoku will miss his third-straight game due to a knee injury that he suffered in Week 14. The Browns are at risk of being down their top two TEs with Harold Fannin (groin) being added to Friday’s injury report. We’ll see if Njoku can get back on the field in time for Week 18’s season finale against the Bengals.

It’s never a good sign when a player is added to Friday’s injury report. A soft-tissue injury creates even more cause for concern. Until we hear otherwise, Fannin should be considered as legitimately questionable for Week 17’s game against the Steelers, which is bad news for a Browns offense that is already down David Njoku (knee). In addition to Fannin, backup QB Dillon Gabriel (shoulder) was also added to Friday’s injury report and is listed as questionable. CB Myles Harden (shoulder), DT Sam Kamara (elbow), and OG Wyatt Teller (calf) are also listed as questionable for this weekend.

He re-aggravated his neck injury in Monday night’s loss to the 49ers. Steichen said that Buckner will undergo surgery next week and that he “expects Buckner to play again next season.” Buckner has a $26.6 million cap hit in the last year of his contract in 2026 and might be a candidate for a restructure given how this year went. His age-31 season ends with 10 starts, four sacks, and 47 combined tackles.

Brown had his wisdom teeth removed earlier in the week and was listed as a DNP on Wednesday and Thursday. Brown isn’t expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Bills, but his return is notable after two days away. We will check back in regarding his Week 17 availability when the team releases its final practice report in a few hours.

It’s the clearest signal we’ve had this week that Henderson will have a chance to clear concussion protocol before Week 17’s game against the Jets. The rookie running back was limited in both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices, but could be trending toward a return before the weekend. The Patriots should release their final injury report in the next couple of hours, so Henderson’s name will be one to watch when that is announced. If he is unable to go, Rhamondre Stevenson would be in line for a big workload against one of the league’s worst run defenses.

Wallace has started all 12 games he’s appeared in for the Panthers this season, totaling 61 tackles, four pass breakups, and two sacks while earning a PFF grade of 54.2. Wallace was injured in Week 15 and missed last week’s game as a result. Now, the second-year linebacker will be shut down for the remainder of the season and look to come back healthy in time for training camp next season. Canales said linebacker Claudin Cherelus will continue to start in Wallace’s absence.