Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (left knee) was limited in practice on Tuesday. Prater was recently designated to return from injured reserve and has been practicing in his 21-day window for the past week. Prater has not played since Week 4, so it is no surprise that the Cardinals are easing the 40-year-old back into action. Prater is one of the better kickers in NFL history. Before his injury, he had not missed a kick this season. However, if he were to be activated ahead of Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams, he would be a risky play in fantasy. The Cardinals offense can be inconsistent at times, and Prater may need to shake off some rust. Even so, it is good to see Prater progressing from his injury.

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Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (knee) was limited at practice on Tuesday. Rookie running back Trey Benson (ankle) was also limited. Conner picked up his injury in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers. There has been much speculation as to whether or not Conner would be able to play in Week 17, especially since the Cardinals have been eliminated from playoff contention. Conner's participation in practice in any capacity on Tuesday is a very encouraging sign for his availability this weekend. Benson missed Week 16 with his ankle injury. His availability on Sunday would be a great sight for depth behind Conner or for Benson's standalone value. Conner has been on fire lately. He has rushed for 90 or more yards and scored a touchdown in three straight games. Fantasy managers have been riding Conner all the way to championship weekend as a result. Conner has rushed for his second 1,000-yard season in 2024. He has also caught 45 passes for 410 yards. If Conner is active this weekend, he should pick up where he left off in Week 16 when the Cardinals face the Los Angeles Rams.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle/knee) was limited to kick-off Week 17 preparation. Higgins often receives rest for various ailments throughout the season. However, he has not been listed with an ankle injury recently. That suggests that he picked up the ankle issue on Sunday, but the fact that he practiced in any capacity is encouraging. Higgins has put together a strong stretch of games recently. He has scored in four of his past five games and is receiving solid target volume. Higgins is having a solid season all-around with 727 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games. The seven touchdowns match Higgins' career high. The Bengals will face a tough defense when they host the Denver Broncos in Week 17. However, matchups do not seem to matter with the way quarterback Joe Burrow is currently playing. Additionally, Higgins' ankle injury is worth keeping an eye on as the week progresses, but it is relatively unconcerning for now.

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (right wrist/knee) was limited in practice on Tuesday. Burrow has been on the injury report with the wrist injury throughout the season. He has also been limited with the knee injury for the past several weeks. As such, his limited participation on Tuesday is not concerning. Burrow is amid one of the best stretches of his career. He has thrown for three or more touchdown passes in every game since Week 9. He has also not thrown for less than 251 passing yards since Week 8. He has racked up 4,229 passing yards and 39 touchdowns in 15 games this season. He is the reason why many fantasy managers are in their championship games. The Bengals face a tough matchup with the Denver Broncos in Week 17. However, this team has been unstoppable lately and they are playing for their playoff lives. A win this weekend would go a long way toward their playoff hopes.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) tore his MCL, LCL and ACL in the Week 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday and also dislocated his knee and suffered meniscus damage. He has a long road of recovery ahead of him that will require multiple surgeries. "It would be great if he could participate at some point next season, but it's far from guaranteed he will play at any point next season. It's similar to what happened with Browns running back Nick Chubb. They're both knee dislocations, but not all knee dislocations are the same. This is a much more complicated surgery process," Dr. David Chao said. It's the second straight year that Dell's season has been cut short due to a serious leg injury. However, this one is much more serious and will affect his long-term fantasy value heading into 2025. Despite playing three more games in 2024, Dell wasn't as productive as he was in his rookie campaign, catching 51 of 81 targets for 667 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.

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The Denver Broncos have opened the 21-day practice window for running back Tyler Badie (back) to return from Injured Reserve after he collapsed on the sideline after suffering a back injury in the Week 4 win over the New York Jets. It means that Badie will be back at practice with the team this week, but it won't guarantee that he'll be active this Saturday in a big game on the road in Cincinnati against the Bengals. The 24-year-old had to be carted off the field back in Week 4 but has now recovered from his back injury and is ready to get back onto the practice field. When healthy, he'll be buried on the Broncos' RB depth chart behind Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps) and rookie Audric Estime, putting him well off the fantasy radar. In three games this year, Badie had only 11 carries for 86 yards while catching three passes for minus-two yards.

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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that pass-rusher Bradley Chubb (knee) will not be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list in order to play in the final two weeks of the season despite returning to practice three weeks ago. The 28-year-old linebacker has been recovering all year from a torn ACL and other damage in his knee that he suffered a full year ago and will end up not playing a single game for the Dolphins in 2024. Barring a setback in the offseason, Chubb should be fully ready to take part in offseason workouts and for the start of the 2025 season next fall. The former fifth overall pick of the Denver Broncos in 2018 out of North Carolina State was on pace to set a new career-high in sacks in 2023 before suffering his knee injury. Miami's pass rush will be much better off if Chubb is healthy in 2025.

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Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (concussion) did not practice at all this week and has officially been ruled out for Wednesday's Christmas Day game against the Houston Texans. This was the expectation after Hill suffered a concussion in last Saturday's divisional win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a quick turnaround in Week 17, Hill was never expected to clear the league's concussion protocol. He will now hope to recover in time to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Jan. 5. Derrick Henry will continue to operate as Baltimore's clear lead back versus the Texans on Wednesday, with Keaton Mitchell and rookie Rasheen Ali seeing expanded roles as change-of-pace options behind Henry. Neither Mitchell or Ali will likely see enough touches to warrant standalone fantasy value.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion) has been ruled out for Wednesday's Christmas Day game against the Houston Texans in Week 17. Agholor didn't practice all week and will miss his second straight game after suffering a concussion in Week 15 against the New York Giants. The 31-year-old will now be hoping he can recover from his head injury in time to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday, Jan. 5. Zay Flowers (shoulder) is questionable for Wednesday, so there's a possibility that Rashod Bateman serves as Baltimore's No. 1 receiver if both Flowers and Agholor are out. If that comes to pass, Tylan Wallace could be a sneaky DFS sleeper against a Texans defense that has allowed the seventh-most half-PPR points to opposing receivers in 2024. As of right now, Flowers is on the right side of questionable.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (shoulder) returned to a limited practice on Tuesday and is officially listed as questionable for the Christmas Day game on Wednesday against the Houston Texans. Flowers injured his shoulder in last Saturday's win over the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and was a DNP on Sunday and Monday. Despite the questionable tag, the 24-year-old wideout is expected to play. However, fantasy managers still alive in the playoffs will want to double-check Flowers is available on Christmas Day. If he's active, he should be deployed in most starting lineups, especially with Nelson Agholor (concussion) missing a second straight game. Despite injuring his shoulder last weekend, Flowers hit 100 yards on the nose on five catches in the win over Pittsburgh. Consider him a low-end WR2 in fantasy.

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Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely put up a respectable performance in Week 16 and ended up as the TE9 in half-PPR formats. He saw a 66% snap share and 13% target share against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 17, he'll go up against a Houston Texans team that is one of the tougher teams against the position, allowing 8.2 fantasy points per game. Justice Hill (concussion) and Nelson Agholor (concussion) have both been ruled out though, and Zay Flowers (shoulder) is considered questionable. That means Likely may see a bigger target share and lineup at some more wideout spots in this matchup, making him a bit of a risky play.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman has surpassed almost every career high this season except for receptions. He's even quadrupled his previous-best touchdown mark (eight this season). In the Ravens' Week 17 matchup with the Houston Texans, they'll be without Nelson Agholor (concussion) and Justice Hill (concussion), and Zay Flowers (shoulder) is considered questionable. Bateman may be the number-one wideout on the depth chart, but he'll remain the primary deep threat even if Flowers plays. The Texans allow 29.6 fantasy points per game to receivers in half-PPR formats, so Bateman has a borderline WR2 ceiling in this game.

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Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry decided to flip the script the last two weeks after putting up a dud against the Giants, he came back and posted 162 yards on the ground against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16. On Christmas Day, he takes on the Houston Texans who give up the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing backfields. They still allow 106.8 rushing yards per game but only nine touchdowns and forced 10 fumbles. However, it looks like Henry may get even more work in this game since Justice Hill (concussion) has been ruled out. He remains a must-start for any fantasy managers trusting him in their fantasy championships or playoffs.

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Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews heads into the team's Week 17 matchup with four straight finishes in TE1 territory and nine of them overall. He also leads the position in touchdowns with nine after scoring against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in Week 16. Even though the Houston Texans allow only 8.2 fantasy points per game against tight ends, Andrews could see more snaps and targets with Nelson Agholor (concussion) and Justice Hill (concussion) ruled out on top of Zay Flowers (shoulder) being tagged as questionable. Andrews still holds TE1 value heading into this Christmas day matchup.

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has come out of the team's Week 14 bye with a vengeance after posting big-time performances against the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, in a short week, he goes up against the Houston Texans who allow 17.4 fantasy points per game (12th most) to opposing quarterbacks. The last time these two times faced off in last year's playoffs, Jackson finished with four total touchdowns, 152 passing yards on 16-for-22 throwing, and 100 yards on the ground. The QB1 on the season remains a set-it-and-forget-it type of play.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (abdomen) was limited in practice the last two days and is listed as questionable to play on Christmas Day on Wednesday versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Fields did not suit up for the Saturday loss to the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 16, but he could return as Russell Wilson's backup on a short week. Even if he does, the 25-year-old signal-caller obviously shouldn't be used in any starting fantasy lineups as the clear backup in Pittsburgh. Fields last started a game for the Steelers back in the Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Wilson has since taken over and been a big boost to the team's passing attack. Since Week 6, Fields has attempted just one pass and has carried the ball seven times for 58 yards in four games. If Fields doesn't get cleared to be active on Wednesday, Kyle Allen will operate as Wilson's backup.

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The Kansas City Chiefs defense will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. The Chiefs defense held the Houston Texans to 19 points while collecting two interceptions and two sacks in Week 16. The Chiefs secondary has been active lately, catching six interceptions in the past two weeks, but they may have their hands full with Russell Wilson this week. Wilson has thrown just four interceptions this season, but two have come in the last two weeks. The Steelers offense has scored the 12th most points this season, just three fewer points than the Kansas City offense. The Chiefs defense is ranked as the ninth-best defense in our RotoBaller rankings this week. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting the Kansas City defense in the fantasy playoffs.

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According to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (concussion) is trending the right way for a potential Week 18 return. The veteran running back has been sidelined since suffering a concussion during their Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While he has been on the injured reserve, Brian Robinson Jr. has seen the vast majority of the snaps with Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. operating as change-of-pace options. Before his injury, Ekeler was deployed as the top third down running back and averaged a solid 11.6 PPR points across his first 11 games in the DMV. He saw 3.5 targets per game and found the back of the end zone four times. Fantasy managers should continue to expect Brian Robinson Jr. to operate in his workhorse role during their Week 17 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. Butker had a great bounce-back game last week against the Texans, nailing both field goal attempts and all three extra-point attempts. The Chiefs kicker should have the opportunity to build on that solid performance against a tough Steelers defense. If the Pittsburgh defense can stop the Kansas City offense in the redzone, Butker could score more points in this week's contest. Butker is ranked as the eighth-best kicker in our RotoBaller rankings this week, making him a start-worthy kicker. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting Butker on Christmas Day.

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According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (knee) said that he "feels pretty good" and that he is "going to play" on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. The 41-year suffered what he deems an "MCL issue" during Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status throughout the week in case he faces a setback during practice. Rodgers was beginning to find his footing on what has been a disappointing season as he averaged a solid 26.0 PPR points during Weeks 14 and 15. However, on Sunday, Rodgers would score only 17.4 as he threw for just 256 yards and one score against the Rams. Given his inconsistently all season, fantasy managers should view Rodgers as a high-floor QB2 in all formats facing the Buffalo Bills who have allowed the 13th-most PPR points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

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