Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (back) is still not practicing on Friday and has now missed six days overall (four straight practices and two more estimated practices) due to pretty serious back spasms that kept him sidelined for the Week 17 loss to the New York Giants. Richardson said he was feeling much better this week, but with the Colts being eliminated from the playoffs with their loss last week, it's unlikely that the team would throw Richardson out there in Sunday's regular-season finale against the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars if he's not 100 percent. If he's ruled out on Friday, veteran Joe Flacco would make a second straight start in a friendly matchup for fantasy purposes. Richardson, the fourth overall pick last year, continues to be injury-prone early in his career and did not have the second-year breakout that many were predicting in 2024.

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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said on Friday that quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion) is "progressing through the protocol" when asked about Hurts' status heading into the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival New York Giants. Sirianni didn't offer any additional details. Hurts suffered a concussion in the Week 16 loss to the division-rival Washington Commanders and was inactive for last week's blowout win over the division-rival Dallas Cowboys. With the Eagles locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC for the postseason, they will rest key starters on both sides of the ball this weekend, including Hurts. Hopefully, he will make enough progress through the concussion protocol in order to be cleared to play in the wild-card round of the playoffs next weekend. If Kenny Pickett (ribs) doesn't play in Week 18, third-stringer Tanner McKee will get the start against New York.

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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (rib) has been inactive for the last two weeks with a rib injury. Bills head coach Sean McDermott indicated that Samuel is the only player likely to be questionable for this Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. The Bills have already secured the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture, so the main reason to consider playing Samuel this week would be to give him some game reps before their playoff matchup next weekend. Samuel has had a disappointing season, recording only 24 receptions for 201 yards and one touchdown. Fantasy managers should look for alternative wide receiver options for production in Week 18.

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Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that veteran kicker Matt Prater (knee) "will not go" in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Prater suffered a meniscus injury in his knee earlier this year and missed the last three months as a result. The 40-year-old kicker only ended up playing in four games in 2024 before injuring his knee in his fourth year with Arizona and 18th year in the NFL. In the four games he was active, Prater made all six of his field-goal attempts (one from 50-plus yards) and was successful on all 10 of his extra-point tries as well. Prater will be a free agent heading into his age-41 season in 2025. Chad Ryland will close out the year this weekend as Arizona's kicker. He's bounced back from a tough rookie season with the Pats to go 26-for-30 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points in his 12 games with the Cardinals.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on WGR550 radio that linebacker Terrel Bernard (quadriceps) will not play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival New England Patriots, but he "feels good" about his availability for next week's wild-card playoff game. Bernard suffered a quad injury in the Week 17 blowout win over the division-rival New York Jets and will now rest up so that he can be available for the Bills defense to kick off the postseason. The 25-year-old linebacker enters Week 18 action as the No. 34 linebacker in IDP fantasy formats with 104 tackles (55 solo), one sack, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery in his 13 starts this year. Getting him back for the playoffs will be important for a Bills defense that hasn't been as dominant as in year's past.

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The Buffalo Bills signed quarterback Mike White to a one-year contract extension on Friday that runs through the 2025 season, according to a source. With the Bills planning to sit quarterback Josh Allen after a brief appearance in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival New England Patriots on Sunday, the Bills have elevated White from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster. Backup Mitchell Trubisky is expected to see most of the playing time in a meaningless regular-season finale for Buffalo with the team already locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC for the postseason. The 29-year-old White could also see some run late in Sunday's game, though. White had a nice little run for the New York Jets in four starts in 2022, but he's attempted just six passes since the start of the 2023 season.

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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said it was a medical decision to sit quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals this Sunday and also downplayed the signal-caller's injury. "It's nothing more than when you hit your funny bone. When you get an NFL helmet in the wrong place it irritates the nerve. Brock is going to be fine. It's going to quiet down," Lynch said. The 25-year-old injured his elbow late in the Monday night loss to the Detroit Lions and hasn't practiced yet this week. With the Niners already eliminated from the playoffs, there's just no reason for the team to throw Purdy out there against Arizona. Veteran Joshua Dobbs will get the start instead. Entering Week 18, Purdy is the QB10 in overall fantasy points, although his 2024 was a step down from his breakout in 2023.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens caught three of seven targets for 50 yards in the Christmas game 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Week 17 was Pickens' first game back from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined from Weeks 14-16. Pickens and the struggling Steelers offense will look to bounce back with a strong performance in Week 18 as they host the Cincinnati Bengals, who rank middle of the pack against opposing wide receivers. Pickens caught three passes for 74 yards and a touchdown in his previous game against the Bengals in Week 13. The Steelers have already clinched a playoff spot. However, they want to steer the ship in the right direction before the playoffs start, as they are on a three-game losing streak heading into this matchup. Look for Russell Wilson to look Pickens' way often in this one. RotoBallers ranks have him as our WR11 in Week 18.

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has seen his fantasy production dip over the last three weeks. The main reason is that the Steelers have lost all three games by 14 or more points, meaning game flow has not been in Harris's favor. In addition to that, they faced three top-10 defenses against the run. Last week against the Chiefs, Harris accumulated 81 all-purpose yards, which was his best production since Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 18, Harris will get another crack at the same Bengals, and fantasy managers can start Harris as a reliable RB2 this week, as the Bengal's defense has been vulnerable against the run in 2024. Harris comes in as RB18 in the latest RotoBaller running back rankings for Week 18.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson saved his Week 17 fantasy stat line on the ground as he rushed for a season-high 55 yards and a touchdown in the Christmas game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Wilson struggled through the air, only throwing for 205 yards on 37 pass attempts while also throwing an interception and no passing touchdowns. The Steelers are on a three-game losing streak and will look to steer the ship as they head into the playoffs next week as either the division winner or, more likely, a Wild Card team. This week, the Steelers will host the Cincinnati Bengals, who allow the fifth most points to opposing quarterbacks on the season, making Wilson a low-end QB1 play in Week 18.

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Kansas City Chiefs are designating defensive back Jaylen Watson (ankle) to return from injured reserve, and he will practice on Friday. Watson suffered this injury in Week 7's win over the San Francisco 49ers, leading him to land on the IR. During Weeks 8-14, with Watson out, the Chiefs have ranked 27th in EPA/play as a defense. The Chiefs still rank second in points allowed per game during the season (18 PPG). With the Chiefs locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Watson will have a chance to suit up this Sunday against the Denver Broncos to get a few reps before the Chief's next game, the Divisional playoff round, the weekend of the 18th of January.

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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (ribs) is no longer on the injury report and will suit up against the Cincinnati Bengals for the regular season finale. He logged full practices on Wednesday and Thursday, showing encouraging signs of his availability on Saturday as the Steelers host the Bengals in Week 18. The Steelers are currently on a three-game losing streak and will look to eliminate the Bengals from playoff contention with a win on Saturday. Over the past two games, Warren has accumulated 204 all-purpose years and is one of the more explosive players on this Steelers offense. Fantasy managers can deploy Warren as a low-end RB2/flex play in a plus matchup as he comes in as RB16 in the latest RotoBaller running back rankings.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring) was limited in practice for the second straight day this week on Thursday. Shepard missed the Week 17 victory over the division-rival Carolina Panthers but will likely need to return to a full practice on Friday to avoid a questionable designation going into the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday versus the division-rival New Orleans Saints. If the 31-year-old veteran gets the green light to play in a must-win game this weekend for the Bucs, he'll return to his WR3 duties in Tampa's offense behind Mike Evans and emerging rookie Jalen McMillan, leaving him little fantasy upside in the final regular-season game. In his first year with the Bucs, Shepard has scored only once (back on Oct. 3), has not gone over five catches in a game and has just one game with 60-plus receiving yards despite the team's success through the air in 2024.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Devin Culp (ribs) was upgraded from a limited participant on Wednesday to a full participant on Thursday. His counterparts at tight end both went from DNP to limited participants, so Friday's practice statuses will determine a lot heading into their season finale. The rookie saw his biggest snap share of the year in Week 17 with Cade Otton (knee) sidelined. If any of the tight ends are forced to watch from the sidelines, Culp should see some extra snaps again after posting 52 yards and three catches against the Carolina Panthers.

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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Michael Woods II (knee) is dealing with a knee issue and is considered questionable for the Week 18 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. The second-year wideout started seeing some playing time through the last five games and even registered a snap share of 86% in their game against the Dolphins. He has yet to post a finish better than WR56 in half-PPR formats, so he's not a recommended play if he does suit up. If he's sidelined, however, it could mean some more targets for Elijah Moore.

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Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder) will miss his first game of the season due to a shoulder injury. The Browns' season finale comes against their AFC North foe, the Baltimore Ravens, and it doesn't help that their defense is banged up. Ward leads the NFL with 19 passes defended and will finish as the seventh leading tackler on the team with 48 combined (41 solo). He also registered two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one tackle for loss. Cameron Mitchell (knee) is next on the depth chart but he's considered questionable, so Chigozie Anusiem may get some more playing time.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (shoulder) received a questionable tag for the season finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. The team is already expected to start Bailey Zappe, their fourth starting quarterback of the season. Winston led the Browns to two of their three wins this season including one over the Ravens in Week 8. If he's able to suit up, he'll likely be relegated to emergency QB while Dorian Thompson-Robinson would play the backup role.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest) upgraded to a full participant in practice on Thursday. This was an improvement for the veteran receiver after he had been limited on Wednesday. Valdes-Scantling has been the epitome of a boom-or-bust player this season, demonstrating a heavy dependence on big plays. Over his last six games, he has caught just 13 of 26 targets for 347 yards and four touchdowns. To make matters even worse, in two games since Derek Carr (hand) went down, Valdes-Scantling has caught just two of nine targets for 64 yards and zero scores. He should be benched in most fantasy leagues if Carr remains sidelined, as expected, in Week 18.

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Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (abdomen) was added to the injury report after logging a limited practice on Thursday. The 25-year-old was not previously known to have an injury, so his status warrants monitoring as the Titans' Week 18 contest against the Houston Texans draws closer. Okonkwo has never missed a game through nearly three seasons in the NFL. He has come on quite strong lately, catching 22 of 28 targets for 182 yards over his last three games. If active this Sunday, he'll continue to rank as a fringe top-12 fantasy tight end.

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New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (knee) was a limited participant during practice on Thursday. This was the second day in a row that he had limited involvement. The 28-year-old has not yet missed a game this season, amassing 44 catches, 468 yards, and three touchdowns through 16 contests. His production seemed to be declining with Derek Carr (hand) sidelined, but that changed last week as he caught six of 10 targets for 66 yards through the air. If he can maintain this type of workload in Week 18, Johnson will be a viable low-end TE1 in fantasy football.

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