We made it to the last Sunday of the regular season and there is a lot of catching up to do. Here is your status report:
• The Saints will have a makeshift backcourt in Carolina with Alvin Kamara on the reserve / COVID-19 list. The Saints have also lost the rest of their primary backcourt due to contact tracing reasons, so Latavius Murray won’t play. Ty Montgomery wants to improve on the reps despite being a hybrid that runs backwards.
• Terry McLaurin (Knuckles) will attempt to play a sweepstakes for the soccer team in Philadelphia on Sunday night. Washington is also hoping to have Alex Smith (Kalb) back at the quarterback, and there is a chance Antonio Gibson (Toe) could play too. I’m not going to risk any of these people in DFS, given the uncertainty. If Smith can’t leave or has a setback, Taylor Heinicke will play.
• Christian McCaffrey (thigh) is out and Mike Davis (ankle) is doubtful, which means Rodney Smith could be Carolina’s starter against New Orleans. Perhaps Curtis Samuel sees more urgent work than usual.
• Kyler Murray (leg) has had full drills all week and will start at the Rams. But Chase Edmonds (hip) and Larry Fitzgerald (groin) are both questionable after sitting all week. Dan Arnold (back) had full training Thursday and Friday.
• Cooper Kupp (Reserve / COVID-19 List) and Jared Goff (Thumb) are not playing Arizona. John Wolford is the new starting QB, with Blake Bortles added as a backup. Cam Akers (ankle) had limited practice Friday and got a shot to play.
• The Packers have lost LT Star David Bakhtiari for the year. He tore up his ACL while training on Thursday. Jamaal Williams (Quad) had a full practice session and will be playing in Chicago.
• Dalvin Cook will not play in Detroit in week 17. His father James passed away unexpectedly this week. Alexander Mattison (concussion) had a full session on Friday and is expected to begin.
• The Bills don’t have Cole Beasley (knee) against Miami but John Brown had full practice Friday and should play. Buffalo may be number 2 or number 3 in the AFC, but with Pittsburgh likely to have several players resting in Cleveland, it’s possible the Bills will give the primary players some rest here.
The story goes on
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• Ryan Fitzpatrick has been put on the reserve / COVID-19 list so the dolphins have no choice – it’s Tua Tagovailoa in Buffalo. DeVante Parker (thigh) had limited training all week but is expected to leave. Jakeem Grant (ankle) is also in question due to two limited practices. Mike Gesicki (shoulder) had a full week of training and was not in the final injury report.
• The Eagles are the only eliminated NFC East team that allows them to rest several players in the final against Washington. Fletcher Cox (neck), Dallas Goedert (calf), DeSean Jackson (ankle) and Miles Sanders (knee) are among the excluded players. Boston Scott is likely to get interesting again here.
• Despite having a list of injuries (thumbs, ribs, ankles), Matthew Stafford has had a limited week of training and is ready to take on Minnesota. Kenny Golladay (hip) won’t play.
• As usual, the Patriots Violation Report is extensive – Bill Belichick is generally liberal with his labels. We know RB Damien Harris (ankle) won’t play, in addition to linemen David Andrews (calf) and Shaq Mason (calf). Belichick said Julian Edelman (knee) will not play.
• It is not clear whether Stephen Gostkowski (reserve / COVID-19 list) will be activated in time for the game in Houston. AJ Brown (ankle) had a full workout on Friday.
• The Steelers treat week 17 as the bye week they never had. In Cleveland, some key players will be rested, notably Ben Roethlisberger, Chris Boswell, TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward and Maurkice Pouncey. Boswell has a groin injury; Everyone else on this list is held for load management. Mason Rudolph will start at the quarterback.
• Jarvis Landry (hip) trained on full Friday and will play in his must-win game for the Browns. Cleveland is a 9.5 point favorite over Pittsburgh, an indication of how many Steelers are resting.
• The Texans don’t have LT Laremy Tunsil against Tennessee, but Duke Johnson (Hals) could play. Deshaun Watson (hand) is not in the injury report.
• Gus Edwards (back) had limited practice Friday which made him questionable for the final against Cincinnati. Willie Snead (ankle) missed all week.
• Tyler Boyd (concussion) and Tee Higgins (thigh) both returned to full practice on Friday, proposing they play against Baltimore.
• Golden Tate (Kalb) is unlikely to play for the Giants. While Evan Engram (calf) and Gabriel Peppers (ankle) had limited work this week, neither was listed in the final injury report.
• Cole Kmet (shoulder) had two limited sessions to end the week. It is classified as questionable. The bears rested Jimmy Graham all week, but it was a load management problem. Allen Robinson (thigh) was not in the final injury report. Chicago makes the playoffs with a win or a loss in Arizona.
[Week 17 Fantasy Rankings: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | FLEX | DST | Kickers]
• The Jaguars will do without James Robinson (ankle) and DJ Chark (shin). Jacksonville has already taken first place in the 2021 NFL Draft. Mike Glennon starts in Indianapolis on Sunday.
• Julio Jones (thigh) will miss his fourth straight game. He played nine times that season, ending with a 51-771-3 line. His 11.3 yards per target was the best of his career.
• Robbie Gould (Reserve / COVID-19 list) will not compete against Seattle. The 49ers are also without Deebo Samuel (thigh), Brandon Aiyuk (ankle) and Richard Sherman (calf).
• The Seahawks list Greg Olsen (foot) as questionable; He had limited training on Friday. Chris Carson (foot) and Jamal Adams (hand) are not in the injury report.
• The Chiefs have nothing to play and have already excluded Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the final against the Chargers. Travis Kelce was not mentioned, but it is plausible that he could play a subgame. Chad Henne starts at the quarterback.
• Michael Pittman (concussion) ended the week with two straight drills and is likely to face Jacksonville. Philip Rivers (toe) has been a full participant for the past two days and is not on the injury report.
• Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry (both on the reserve / COVID-19 list) are not playing in Kansas City. Although TE Donald Parham only saw three targets last week, he played 81 percent of the snapshots and had 47 reception yards.
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