Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) is missing another practice on Wednesday but was able to do positional drills off to the side. Pickens has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury and is up in the air to return on a short week in a big divisional clash on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens. A return to the practice field on Thursday, however, would be a good sign that Pickens is trending in the right direction. Despite missing the last two games due to injury, the 23-year-old would be an enticing fantasy play against the Ravens secondary if he's able to return to the field this weekend. The last time these two teams met on Nov. 17, Pickens had season-highs in catches (eight) and targets (12) for 89 yards. If he misses a third straight contest, Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson would continue to see a boost snaps and targets in a great matchup.

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San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) is not taking part in Wednesday's practice due to a hamstring injury. The rookie out of Louisville did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday last week due to a foot injury, so it appears he picked up a new ailment in last Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Guerendo handled 100% of the team's running back touches (20) last week, but another injury could result in Patrick Taylor Jr. entering the fantasy football radar. Fantasy managers counting on Guerendo should pick up Taylor as an insurance policy for the fantasy football playoffs. The Dolphins present a neutral matchup for fantasy running backs, so whoever gets the start could have RB1 upside in Kyle Shanahan's offense.

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) may not be back for the rest of the season. Shanahan said that if Williams was healthy, he would be playing. However, with the 49ers looking unlikely to make the postseason, it's possible we won't see Williams over the final three games of the year. The 36-year-old is also dealing with the tragic death of his son this year, and his recovery from an ankle injury has taken a lot longer than anticipated. Williams has missed each of the team's last four games and missed yet another practice on Wednesday. As things currently stand, we'd be surprised if he was active in Week 16 versus the Miami Dolphins, which is more bad news for a Niners offense that failed to score a touchdown in last week's loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Rams.

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (knee) is practicing on Wednesday leading up to the Week 16 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This marks the first time he has practiced since he suffered a knee injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14. Head coach Antonio Pierce said O'Connell is trending toward being available for Sunday, so for now, he can be assumed as "probable" for Week 16. The 26-year-old has thrown for 899 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions in six games this year. Although he's heading into a matchup with the most fantasy-friendly defense for quarterbacks, he's not a recommended starting option in single-QB formats. If he can't play, Desmond Ridder is in line for another start.

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Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (ankle) is not practicing on Wednesday ahead of the Week 16 matchups with the Indianapolis Colts. The veteran did not practice at all last week due to an ankle injury and still played against the Cincinnati Bengals, so fantasy managers will likely have to wait until Sunday to truly know if he's at risk of missing the AFC South matchup. However, Tennessee might opt to get Tyjae Spears more touches after he scored two touchdowns and posted 92 total yards last weekend. The Colts have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to running backs, so this is a backfield worth monitoring for the rest of the week.

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Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan confirmed Mason Rudolph will start at quarterback against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, but he is not naming him the starter for the rest of the season and will take it week by week. The veteran and former Pittsburgh Steelers backup is set to take over for Will Levis after another turnover-heavy game from the 2023 second-round pick out of Kentucky. Although the Colts have allowed the 12th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, Rudolph is not worth rolling the dice on in the fantasy football playoffs. However, he has a small shot at upside for those counting on him in two-QB and Superflex leagues. If he posts a disastrous performance in Week 16, the Titans could go back to Levis in Week 17.

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The Arizona Cardinals signed veteran free-agent running back Tony Jones to the practice squad on Wednesday, according to NFL.com. The 27-year-old was on the team's preseason roster but was released just ahead of the regular season. With Emari Demercado (back) on Injured Reserve and Trey Benson (ankle) dealing with an ankle injury, the Cardinals running back rook behind James Conner is beginning to get thin. DeeJay Dallas would likely operate as the RB2 behind Conner against the Carolina Panthers this weekend if Benson can't play, but Jones could be elevated to the active roster and back him up. Jones has rushed 93 times for 274 yards and two touchdowns in 25 career games with the Saints, Seahawks, and Cardinals.

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Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange (shoulder) is a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to an AC joint sprain, according to head coach Doug Pederson. While the injury is not ideal, it's a good sign that he was not held out of practice to begin the week. The second-year tight end out of Penn State enjoyed the most productive game of his career last week against the New York Jets, catching 11 of his 12 targets for 73 yards. With Evan Engram (shoulder) out for the season, Strange will operate as the lead tight end in Jacksonville for the rest of the year. The 23-year-old has streamer appeal against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends in 2024.

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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Grant DuBose (head) is expected to return to Miami on Wednesday after suffering a scary hit to the head in last week's loss to the Houston Texans. The 23-year-old has been hospitalized in Houston since Sunday, so this is great news. That said, the 2023 seventh-round pick has already been placed on Injured Reserve and will not play again this season. DuBose caught two passes for 11 yards in three games for Miami this year.

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Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (concussion) was listed as a full participant for the team's walkthrough practice on Wednesday. Despite the estimated practice participation, it appears that Johnson has made notable progress through the league's concussion protocol and will have a chance to play in Week 16 against the division-rival Detroit Lions on Sunday after missing each of the last two games due to a concussion that he suffered in the Week 13 loss to the Lions. If the 23-year-old clears the concussion protocol later this week and is active this weekend, he won't be a realistic starting option in fantasy football as the clear backup behind D'Andre Swift in Chicago's lackluster offense. In his second NFL season in 2024, Johnson has seen just 48 rushing attempts for 139 yards (2.9 yards per carry) and has added 11 receptions for 88 yards in 11 games.

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The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Wednesday that they placed running back Sincere McCormick (ankle) on season-ending Injured Reserve. In a corresponding move, the team also signed running back Chris Collier to the 53-man active roster. The 24-year-old said himself on Tuesday in an Instagram post that he wasn't expecting to return in 2024, and now it's official. He was injured in Monday night's loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The former undrafted free agent go some run in recent weeks in Vegas' backfield with both Alexander Mattison and Zamir White injured and had 27 carries for 142 yards (5.26 yards per tote) while adding four catches for 12 yards in Weeks 13 and 14. McCormick averaged 4.7 yards per carry on 39 rushing attempts this year, but he'll be a free agent next spring and the Raiders could move on without him this offseason.

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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (knee) will not practice on Wednesday, but head coach Mike McDaniel is calling him day-to-day. Waddle injured his knee early in the Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans and never returned, leaving his fantasy managers with a donut in the first round of the fantasy playoffs. McDaniel is hopeful that Waddle will get back on the field this week, but his status for Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers is in question. If Waddle cannot go, it will mean more targets for receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Jonnu Smith, while wideout Malik Washington would essentially serve in the WR2 role for Miami. The good news for the Dolphins is that Waddle's injury isn't considered long-term, so even if he sits out of Week 16, he should play again before the end of the 2024 regular season. Check back later this week for an updated view of his Week 16 availability.

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Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) is seeking a third opinion on his injured knee, which is why the Lions have yet to place him on Injured Reserve, according to head coach Dan Campbell. It was reported earlier this week that Montgomery will have season-ending surgery to fix an MCL sprain in his right knee that he suffered in the Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills, but the Lions are doing their due diligence on Monty's injury. More likely than not, fantasy managers will be without the 27-year-old for the last two weeks of the season. Montgomery's injury sets up Jahmyr Gibbs to eat for fantasy managers when it matters most, with Craig Reynolds and rookie Sione Vaki providing depth as backups the rest of the way. Montgomery will finish his 2024 season with 185 carries for 775 yards (4.2 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns while adding 36 catches for 341 yards through the air.

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The expectation is that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (ankle) is going to try and give it a go in Week 16 against the Houston Texans on Saturday despite suffering a mild high-ankle sprain in the Week 15 win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. Mahomes obviously won't be 100 percent if he plays this weekend, but the belief right now is that he will play against Houston. The two-time MVP looked to be in quite a bit of pain in the fourth quarter on Sunday as he hobbled off the field, but head coach Andy Reid said he could have gone back into the game if needed. The Chiefs still have not locked up the top seed for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, so they still have something to play for in Week 16. Mahomes practiced in full on Tuesday and is on track to play, although his mobility will certainly be limited if he's active, making him hard to get behind as a QB1 in fantasy.

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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion) remains in the league's concussion protocol, head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday. Tillman suffered his concussion in the Week 12 win over the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and hasn't practiced or played since. The 24-year-old will likely miss the first practice of the week on Wednesday as the team prepares to face the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Tillman still has a few more days to make progress, but as of right now, the second-year pass-catcher appears to be on his way to missing yet another game. The Browns were also without tight end David Njoku (hamstring) in the Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Receiver Jerry Jeudy has gone off in recent weeks and is the only trustworthy fantasy wideout in Cleveland at the time, although that could change this week with Dorian Thompson-Robinson taking over at QB.

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The Atlanta Falcons are placing kicker Younghoe Koo (undisclosed) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to a source. In a corresponding move, the Falcons have signed kicker Riley Patterson off the Cleveland Browns practice squad and onto their 53-man active roster. Koo is now out for the rest of the season and would be unavailable to kick in the wild-card round of the playoffs if the Falcons get into the postseason. The 30-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury in the Monday night win over the Las Vegas Raiders and will now go on the shelf. Normally a very reliable kicker, Koo struggled with accuracy in 2024, making 25 of his 34 field-goal attempts, although he made all 26 of his extra points. Patterson will now fill in heading into a Week 16 contest against the New York Giants. With rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. making his first career start, fantasy managers will want to steer clear of Patterson.

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The Arizona Cardinals are opening kicker Matt Prater's (knee) 21-day practice window to return from Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon. Prater had surgery in October to fix the meniscus in his left knee and will be back on the practice field for the first time since Week 6. Given the 40-year-old veteran's long absence, there's no guarantee that he will return to game action this Sunday in Carolina versus the Panthers. If the Cardinals like what they see from Prater in practice this week, though, they'll have to activate him from IR by Saturday if they want him as their placekicker this weekend. Chad Ryland has filled in for Prater the last 10 games and has made 22 of his 26 field-goal attempts and all 18 of his extra-point tries. Prater will be a risky fantasy play if he returns, while Ryland should be considered a streaming option in deeper leagues if Prater is held out.

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New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (elbow, heel) is expected to practice on Wednesday and will make the start in Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons, according to head coach Brian Daboll. Lock injured his left elbow and heel in the Week 14 loss to the New Orleans Saints and was inactive for the Week 15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The 28-year-old was in a walking boot last week but appears to have made enough progress to return to the starting role this weekend. In his two starts in Weeks 13 and 14, Lock was underwhelming, going 42-for-81 for 405 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a lost fumble, but he did add 116 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries. While Lock probably gives the Giants offense a little more upside than Tommy DeVito, he's nothing more than a desperation QB2 play for fantasy managers in superflex leagues without any other options.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston will serve as the backup to Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the Week 16 game against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. This was expected to be the case when the Browns named Thompson-Robinson as the starter early this week. The Browns benched Winston after he threw three interceptions in the Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In seven starts this year after replacing Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Winston threw for 2,038 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding 12 interceptions and also losing two fumbles. Thompson-Robinson didn't look all that much better in relief last weekend, but the Browns will change it up for at least this week. The matchup is a nice one for DTR in just his fourth career NFL start, but at best, he'll be a desperation QB2 in superflex leagues in the playoffs.

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The Cleveland Browns announced on Wednesday that they have officially placed running back Nick Chubb (foot) on season-ending Injured Reserve. Tight end Brenden Bates was signed to the active 53-man roster in a corresponding move. Chubb suffered a broken left foot in the Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will close out his season for the second straight year on IR due to injury. The good news is the 28-year-old will not require surgery, but it's the second straight offseason he will be rehabbing an injury after tearing multiple ligaments in his knee during a gruesome injury early in 2023. The four-time Pro Bowler will be an unrestricted free agent next March, so he could have already played his last down in Cleveland. Coming off his major knee surgery, Chubb looked sluggish this year, averaging a career-low 3.3 yards per carry in eight games. It's fair to wonder how much he has left after these injuries.

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