NFL Player News

Demercado failed to snag his only target and he was out-touched 6-to-5 by fellow backup RB Corey Kiner. Cardinals RB Michael Carter is the clear-cut starter and Kiner’s presence reduces Demercado’s bench-stash value. This looks like a three-player committee with one FLEX-viable player.

Simpson was named Alabama’s starter for 2025 after biding his time with the team from 2022-2024. In his final college season, he completed 275-of-419 passes for 3,282 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing 62 times for 282 yards and two touchdowns, earning second-team All-SEC honors.

Nothing is imminent, but this is nice to hear. Initial reports indicated that Dobbins would be unable to return “before a potential Super Bowl LX appearance.” Dobbins also recently “told a fan” that he has a chance to return before that. The veteran running back suffered a Lisfranc injury against the Raiders in Week 10 via an illegal hip-drop tackle. Before suffering the injury, Dobbins had rushed 153 times for 772 yards and four touchdowns, while catching 11-of-14 targets for 37 yards this season.

Golden has been a full participant in both practices this week despite the unsettling injury listing. The rookie wide receiver has been unable to carve out a role in the offense and played extensively in Week 18 while the coaching staff rested its key starters.

Wicks remains limited through two practices as he attempts to return from a concussion he suffered in Week 17. His availability for the Packers’ Wild Card Round game against the Bears remains up in the air. Having him on the field would provide QB Jordan Love with another capable pass catcher.

Odunze has now logged three straight limited practices dating back to last week. Rest was prescribed as the fix for his stress fracture, but an aggravation occurred during pre-game warmups in Week 15, when he hurried back after taking just one week off. Odunze sat out of practices and games until he resumed practicing late last week. After practice today, Odunze told reporters he plans on “playing” against the Packers on Saturday.

Moore is on track to play, having logged two limited sessions thus far. The Bears face the Packers on Saturday evening, and it would be great to see Moore upgrade to full participation on Thursday. Moore has played through multiple injuries already this season, while delivering both high- and low-end fantasy results. We expect him to be active this weekend.

Per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, Bowles “met with the Glazer family, which owns the team, Tuesday.” He met with his coaching staff on Wednesday and informed the Tampa Bay Times that “there will be some changes to his coaching staff.” The Glazer family reportedly took the offensive line’s myriad injuries into account before they made their decision. While no information was shared about the potential coaching staff changes, Stroud did note that “the offense did not produce under first-year coordinator Josh Grizzard.” Stay tuned.

Harbaugh said that Hampton is “working through it” and “doing everything he can” to get the ankle better. Hampton neither practiced nor played last week, as the Chargers shut down multiple key starters, giving off the impression that Hampton’s absence was more of a precautionary move than anything else. Harbaugh’s comments, coupled with Hampton’s absence, suggest he is still working his way back from the ankle fracture he suffered in Week 5. Hampton’s per-game touch counts increased each week after the talented rookie resumed playing in Week 14, culminating in a 22-touch outing in Week 17. It was his second-largest workload of the year. We still think Hampton has strong odds of suiting up for the Chargers’ Wild Card Round game against the Patriots, though his practice participation should be followed closely.

The shifty pass catcher and change-of-pace player has been a valuable contributor this season. He still has a few days to get back on track for Sunday, but if Johnson were to sit out the Bills’ Wild Card Round game against the Jaguars, it would likely add passing down work to RB James Cook’s workload.