Lions LB Alex Anzalone put in a limited practice Wednesday, his first action since fracturing a forearm in Week 11. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Anzalone has "a realistic chance" to play Sunday against the Vikings. We'll see whether we get further details on the LB's role ahead of the game. But he'll make for a risky IDP option at best.
Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters Wednesday that he'll start QB Jimmy Garoppolo and rest Matthew Stafford for Sunday's game against the Seahawks. That's the move we've been expecting, and we already had Garoppolo projected as the starter in the Week 18 QB rankings. But it's nice for the team to make it official ahead of the weekend.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that QB Josh Dobbs will start this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. QB Brock Purdy will miss the game with his right elbow injury, and San Francisco evidently saw enough of QB Brandon Allen earlier this year. Dobbs has flashed some fantasy upside in the past, most recently last year with the Cardinals and Vikings, finishing as a top-12 fantasy QB in six of his 12 full games. With rushing ability, a nice group of weapons, and a strong offensive scheme, Dobbs is an interesting play this week in superflex leagues and DFS.
The Bills have already ruled LB Terrel Bernard out for Sunday's game at New England. He's officially dealing with quad injury, and HC Sean McDermott has deemed him "probably somewhere between day to day and week to week." The coach had already indicated that his team will rest at least some starters for its meaningless finale.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the team is preparing QB Tyler Huntley to start this weekend's game vs. the Jets. QB Tua Tagovailoa will be limited in practice on Wednesday with his hip injury, and it sounds like he hasn't been ruled out for Week 18 yet. But fantasy owners should be planning as if it'll be Huntley under center again for now. He played well in the Week 17 win over the Browns, completing 22 of 26 passes (85%) for 225 yards (8.7 YPA) and one TD, adding another 52 yards and a score on the ground. Just as importantly, the Dolphins stayed pass-heavy, registering a +11% pass rate over expected. That makes it easier to trust guys like WR Tyreek Hill and TE Jonnu Smith in Week 18 fantasy lineups, although Huntley is still a downgrade from Tagovailoa.
Commanders RB Austin Ekeler (concussion) has been designated to return from IR. He's been out since suffering his third documented concussion in Week 12. We'll see if Ekeler plays in Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys, which would ding RB Brian Robinson's value. Ekeler should at least be ready to go for Round 1 of the playoffs.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert (knee) has been designated to return from IR. We doubt he plays in Sunday's meaningless regular-season finale vs. the Giants, but Goedert should be ready to go for Round 1 of the playoffs. He averaged 5.6 targets, 4.8 catches, and 55 yards in eight healthy games this season -- although a huge chunk of that production came in a 170-yard outing against the Saints in Week 3 with WR A.J. Brown out.
Chiefs QB Carson Wentz will start this weekend's game vs. the Broncos, HC Andy Reid said Wednesday. QB Patrick Mahomes will get the day off after clinching the AFC's No. 1 seed last week. Other key contributors like RBs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, WRs Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, and DeAndre Hopkins, and TE Travis Kelce also figure to be held out or limited against Denver. Try to avoid the Chiefs offense in Week 18 fantasy lineups. They're currently implied for only 14.75 points in Denver.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said Wednesday that he'll rest starters, including RB Saquon Barkley, in Sunday's finale vs. the Giants. The Eagles are locked in as the NFC's No. 2 seed. So Barkley won't have a chance to get the 101 rushing yards he needs to break Eric Dickerson's single-season record. But he'll be healthy heading into the playoffs. Don't expect QB Jalen Hurts or WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to play on Sunday, either. We'll see whether Kenny Pickett (ribs) or Tanner McKee starts at QB. Backfield duties figure to be handled by Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley.
Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) won't play in this weekend's game vs. the 49ers, HC Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday. RB Trey Benson (ankle) was placed on IR on Tuesday, leaving Michael Carter as Arizona's lead back for the finale. He out-touched RB DeeJay Dallas 15-1 in last week's loss to the Rams and sits surprisingly high in the Week 18 RB Rankings.
Browns RBs Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong (concussion) were sidelined for Tuesday's practice. Both guys are in danger of missing Saturday's game vs. the Ravens. That'd leave D'Onta Foreman as Cleveland's likely lead back. RB John Kelly is also on the active roster, with RB Jacob Kibodi on the practice squad. The Browns are 17.5-point underdogs with a 12.25-point implied total in Baltimore, so this is a backfield to avoid in Week 18 fantasy lineups.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that "there's a chance" he plays both QBs Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe in Saturday's finale vs. the Ravens. QB Jameis Winston continues to work through a shoulder injury and is expected to be the No. 3 QB. Thompson-Robinson has been predictably awful the past two weeks, completing 54% of his passes at 4.0 yards per attempt with 0 TDs and three INTs. Any playing time for Zappe would be good news for Browns pass catchers, although he's no world-beater either. Zappe owns a career 63% completion rate and 6.8 yards per attempt.
The Cowboys released RB Ezekiel Elliott. "Out of respect and appreciation for Zeke and wanting to provide him with an opportunity to pursue any potential playoff participation possible, we are releasing him from the Cowboys roster today," owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. We don't expect playoff teams to be tripping over themselves to add Elliott, who's averaging 3.1 yards per carry this season. Zeke has continued to get snaps near the goal line lately, so his absence boosts RB Rico Dowdle's TD chances in Sunday's finale vs. the Commanders.
Cardinals RB Trey Benson has been placed on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury, so he will not be playing in Week 18. With RB James Conner battling a knee injury, Benson had a chance to start and potentially go off heading into the 2025 season. Instead, Michael Carter will likely start if Conner is out.
49ers QB Brock Purdy suffered a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation in the Monday night loss to the Lions, HC Kyle Shanahan said. Purdy will likely miss this weekend's finale vs. the Cardinals but isn't expected to have any long-term issues.
The Rams have clinched the NFC West but need to beat the Seahawks on Sunday to secure the No. 3 seed. A loss would likely send them to No. 4. But HC Sean McVay strongly suggested on Monday that he'll rest starters against Seattle. "Typically, we’ve erred on the side of leaning a little bit more towards getting some rest and rejuvenation for guys because of the toll that a season takes," HC Sean McVay said. “I would imagine, as we continue to finalize our plans, that’s probably the direction that we’ll go.” McVay also said that he's "excited about watching Blake Corum get a heavy workload" and that he's excited to see rookie RB Cody Schrader play. Although he'll likely be running behind a backup offensive line against a solid Seahawks defense, Corum is shaping up as an interesting Week 18 fantasy play.
The Browns are placing WR Cedric Tillman on IR for his concussion. Tillman suffered the injury back in Week 12. He actually returned to practice ahead of the Week 15 game against Kansas City but has never returned to game action. The IR placement makes it a six-game concussion absence -- a worrisome timeline for an injury that most commonly costs a player a single game. We'll see this offseason whether the concussion will impact Tillman beyond this season.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer suffered a heel injury in Saturday's win over the Patriots. HC Jim Harbaugh didn't have an update on the severity on Monday but said that IR isn't on the table. We'll look for more information on Palmer's injury but don't expect him to play in Sunday's finale vs. the Raiders. That could mean more snaps for guys like D.J. Chark and Derius Davis, although neither would be a bankable Week 18 fantasy start.
Panthers HC Dave Canales said Monday that RB Miles Sanders (ankle) has been cleared to play. He was actually cleared to play late last week, per Canales, but didn't have enough time to get prepped for the Buccaneers game. But it sounds like, barring a setback, Sanders will play in Sunday's finale vs. the Falcons. With RB Chuba Hubbard out with his calf injury, Sanders would be the favorite to lead Carolina's backfield in touches over RBs Raheem Blackshear and Mike Boone. Sanders has mustered just 3.7 yards per carry this season and wouldn't be an exciting fantasy option. But he could be a volume-based RB3 or Flex play.
49ers QB Brock Purdy injured his right elbow late in Monday night's loss to the Lions. HC Kyle Shanahan said afterward that the team believes it's a nerve issue but that Purdy is scheduled for more tests on Tuesday. Shanahan was non-committal on Purdy's availability for this weekend's finale vs. the Cardinals. Considering San Francisco has nothing to play for, there's a good chance it's QB Josh Dobbs at the controls on Sunday. In a good scheme with plenty of weapons and rushing ability, Dobbs would be in play as a QB2 and in DFS.
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