NFL Player News

We can’t write “in the Bengals’ Week 17 win over the Cardinals” because there was actually 12:06 remaining when Burrow took a seat with the Bengals leading 37-7. Doing whatever he wanted against one of the league’s worst defenses — including finding Ja’Marr Chase for a pair of touchdowns, his first since October 16 — Burrow’s two scores brought him to 154 for his career, tying him with Carson Palmer for fourth in Bengals franchise history. Burrow could have had a 4-5 score day, but the Bengals kept advancing inside the Cardinals’ five-yard line then punching it on the ground. Healthy and dealing, Burrow should be out there to put the finishing touches on his 2025 box scores against the Browns in Week 18.

Tunsil ends the year with a career-best 84.7 PFF offensive grade in 802 snaps. The trade for Tunsil was largely successful for the Commanders — it’s just that one man is not a whole offensive line and Jayden Daniels got hurt anyway. He enters the final year of his contract in 2026 and, given that extension concerns were what sent him to Washington in the first place, probably will have some work done on his deal this offseason. This oblique injury is not expected to linger.

Brown is back at practice Friday after missing time earlier in the week with an illness. The 25-year-old running back is good to go for the matchup in Week 18 against the Browns. He needs just 53 yards rushing to have his first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. Brown is an RB1 for managers playing their fantasy championship in Week 18.

St. Brown was limited in Thursday’s practice and figures to be out there on the practice field again Friday given Campbell’s comments. The 26-year-old wide receiver is as tough as they come, which he showed earlier in the season as he played through an ankle sprain against the Cowboys. While the game against the Bears means nothing for the Lions, who’ve already been eliminated from the playoffs, St. Brown is hyper-aware of what his statistics mean in the grand scheme of things. While St. Brown has already secured a Pro Bowl nod this year, surely he wants to have a big game in hopes of making the All-Pro team as well. While it’s possible the Lions shut him down in the second half, expect St. Brown to be involved heavily early in this one.

Mariota was deemed doubtful to play by head coach Dan Quinn earlier this week, so his absence isn’t a surprise. Josh Johnson will start for the Commanders as they close out the season against the Tanner McKee-led Eagles. Mariota finishes the year 2-6 as a starter with a 10:7 TD:INT ratio, but ran for 297 yards on 50 attempts and added a touchdown on the ground. He’s a plausible bridge quarterback for someone this offseason. But it’s more likely he’ll return in a backup role.

Kincaid missed Week 17’s loss to the Eagles with a knee injury, but the 26-year-old tight end has practiced in a limited fashion all week this week. We expect him to suit up against the Jets in Week 18, though he could see fewer snaps given his condition and the Bills already being locked into a Wild Card spot.

Waller had seen his role in the offense diminish since Quinn Ewers took over as quarterback. The 33-year-old tight end had 66 yards and two touchdowns in his last game with Tua Tagovailoa, but had just 40 yards in a dream matchup against the Bengals in Ewers’ first start. Last week, Greg Dulcich usurped Waller completely. With Waller’s season now over, Dulcich has the role all to himself in Week 18. Waller finished with 283 yards and six touchdowns in three starts, proving he still has TE1 upside in his range of weekly outcomes even if it comes with a heaping serving of “left Week X’s game and did not return.” Waller, 34 at the start of next season, will be a free agent this offseason.

Achane hasn’t practiced all week. With the Dolphins already eliminated from playoff contention, it seems highly unlikely that the 24-year-old running back will try to tough it out against the Patriots in Week 18. We expect him to be ruled out later today and Jaylen Wright would be the expected starter against New England.

Waddle left Week 17’s game against the Buccaneers with a rib injury and didn’t return. The 27-year-old receiver returned to practice Thursday, which is a good sign for his availability despite his questionable designation. Waddle certainly has a chance to play, though with the Dolphins already out of playoff contention, the organization could opt to err on the side of caution.

Allen hasn’t practiced yet this week, but McDermott said he’ll be limited in practice Friday and good to go for the game on Sunday. McDermott said earlier in the week that Allen was trending in the right direction. The Bills are locked into a Wild Card spot, which could make Allen a tricky start in Week 18. McDermott didn’t indicate how much of the game Allen might play as the Bills could turn to Mitchell Trubisky in the second half.

No surprise here as Taylor hasn’t played since Week 14 due to a neck injury. The 21-year-old tight end finished his rookie season with 44 receptions, 369 yards and a touchdown. With improved health and quarterback play, things should be looking up for Taylor in 2026. He had a large role in the offense when healthy, it just wound up not producing much fantasy value due to how bad the offense was.