According to Broke Pryor of ESPN, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) has a "real chance" to return on Wednesday to face the Kansas City Chiefs. The top wideout has been sidelined over the past three weeks due to a hamstring injury. While sidelined, Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson have operated as the top options in the Pittsburgh passing attack. Before the injury, Pickens was establishing a nice connection with Russell Wilson as he averaged an impressive 16.0 PPR points per game since Wilson took the starting job. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his status during the week as Pickens would be a viable WR2 if he can return to action.

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According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. The safety was initially deemed a game-time-decision but will set his sights on returning in Week 17. Smith logged two limited practice sessions this week and was a non-participant for one of them. As a result, Jay Ward could see an increase in snaps on Sunday afternoon. Across 14 games this season, Smith has tallied 79 tackles (51 solo) with one sack, two deflections, and two interceptions.

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According to Turron Davenport of ESPN, Tennessee Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray (wrist) exited Sunday's game early with a wrist injury. Davenport noted that the linebacker went to the locker room to get an x-ray on his wrist. Murray did not tally a tackle before leaving. While sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Cedric Gray to have increased opportunities. Gray has already tallied three tackles in the first half. Over his past four games, Murray has averaged an impressive 8.5 tackles per game.

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According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Philadelphia Eagles have ruled out quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion) for the remainder of their Week 16 divisional match against the Washington Commanders. Hurts sustained this injury on their second offensive drive of the game when he took a hard hit on a 13-yard carry. On Philadelphia's opening drive, Hurts let Saquon Barkley do most of the work as punched in a two-yard score. Kenny Pickett found A.J. Brown in the end zone to finish their second drive once Hurts exited. Before the injury, Hurts completed just one pass for 11 yards to DeVonta Smith. He added 41 yards on three rushing attempts. Pickett will remain the starting quarterback for the remainder of the game and could be in line to start next weekend against the Dallas Cowboys depending on Hurts' availability.

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According to Turron Davenport of ESPN, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (eye) went to the locker room and is questionable to return in Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts. The 23-year-old was poked in the eye in the game's opening quarter. Sweat did not tally a tackle before exiting. As a result, fantasy managers should expect Sebastian Joseph-Day and Keondre Coburn to see an increase in snaps. Over his past five contests, Sweat has averaged 3.0 tackles per game with one total sack and pass deflection.

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion) exited Sunday's game against the Commanders. Hurts has struggled on the throwing end so far, amassing 11 yards off 1-for-4 passing. But he at least gotten it done on the ground, rushing for 41 yards off three carries. Unfortunately, the signal-caller took a hard hit in the first quarter and was taken to the locker room for a concussion evaluation. Fantasy managers will anxiously await an update. However, as long as Hurts is off the field, Kenny Pickett, who has already thrown a touchdown, should handle things under center.

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According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf) has a Grade 1 calf strain, a recent MRI revealed. As expected, the 30-year-old has had a quality season, totaling 37 tackles, five sacks, and one forced fumble. He exited Saturday's win over the Houston Texans. However, while the recent update is encouraging, Jones is far from a lock to be available on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If he's not out there, the Chiefs would be down one of their top defensive options, with Michael Pennel Jr. in line to see more snaps.

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After considering three high-level medical opinions, Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) has decided to forego surgery. He will rehab his MCL in hopes of returning to football action in time for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. Montgomery has been a major contributor in Detroit this season, totaling 775 rushing yards, 341 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns. The Lions should feel good about their backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs leading the way, but getting Montgomery back in January would give them a major boost in their quest to make the Super Bowl.

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The Seattle Seahawks plan to announce Zach Charbonnet as their starting running back against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Although Kenneth Walker III is healthy and cleared to play, the first snap of the game will likely belong to Charbonnet. This represents a change in the lineup from earlier in the season, but it's not much of a surprise given how well Charbonnet has played lately. Over the last two weeks, he has 188 rushing yards, eight catches, 71 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He has averaged 24.1 fantasy points per game (PPR) while filling in for Walker this year. Meanwhile, Walker is averaging 16.7 points per contest. Both players have RB1 upside, but we'd rather start Charbonnet this week given that Seattle may be inclined to ride the hot hand against a stingy Minnesota run defense.

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Carolina Panthers defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (knee, illness) is officially active for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. The veteran defender had been listed as questionable but was widely expected to play after logging a full practice on Friday. Clowney has appeared in 11 games this season, amassing 36 tackles and 3.5 sacks. This week, he'll be tasked with slowing down a Cardinals offense centered around Kyler Murray and James Conner.

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Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (calf) is active for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, guard Graham Glasgow (knee) is inactive. Both players had been listed as questionable after being limited in practice on Friday. Branch has appeared in 13 games this season, making a big impact with his 84 tackles, four interceptions, and one forced fumble. Glasgow's absence is huge news for Detroit as he had not previously missed a single snap this season. He'll likely be replaced by Kayode Awosika at the left guard position.

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Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn (concussion) is officially active for Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He had been listed as questionable but was expected to play after logging a full practice on Friday. The 26-year-old has not yet missed a game this season, amassing 84 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and one interception.

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New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams (hamstring) will not be active for the team's Week 16 matchup on Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Rams. In addition to Williams, the Jets defense will also be without cornerback Michael Carter II (back) and defensive lineman Leki Fotu (knee). Despite missing practice all week, Williams was listed as questionable for this weekend. If the 27-year-old pass-rusher had suited up, he would have been on a scaled-back snap count against the Rams, making him avoidable for fantasy IDP leagues. With Williams sidelined, expect pass-rushers Solomon Thomas, Bruce Hector and Leonard Taylor to see more run on the defensive line for the Jets in Week 16. Against a Rams offense with two of the best receivers in the game and with Williams out, the Jets defense should be avoided in fantasy lineups.

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Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay (neck) is officially active for the Week 16 divisional contest on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Gay missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to his neck injury but returned to a full practice session on Friday and will serve as the starting placekicker this weekend. At best, Gay is a deep-league streaming option in the fantasy playoffs for a Colts offense that has struggled to move the ball consistently all year behind second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson. The 30-year-old veteran booter has been solid for the Colts this season, though, making 24 of his 27 field-goal attempts and all 23 of his extra-point opportunities. While Gay has been solid from an efficiency standpoint, his lack of volume on field-goal tries makes him more of a low-upside fantasy kicking option.

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Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox (hip) and wide receiver Ashton Dulin (ankle) are both active on Sunday and will suit up against the division-rival Tennessee Titans in Week 16. Neither player is worth attention in fantasy in starting lineups, though. Alie-Cox hasn't missed a regular-season game since 2020. The 31-year-old veteran tight end is used mostly as a blocker for the Colts, although he'll occasionally see some red-zone looks. He cannot be trusted in fantasy with only 11 catches for 132 yards and one touchdown in 14 games in 2024. Dulin could actually see more of the field on Sunday with Alec Pierce out with a concussion, but he's still a long shot to stand out in the box score at the end of the day. The 27-year-old pass-catcher will still likely struggle for targets. He hasn't caught a pass since Week 2.

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Tennessee Titans kicker Nick Folk (abdomen) is officially inactive in Week 16 against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Folk was unable to practice on Wednesday and Thursday before putting in a limited session on Friday, but he will not be active for Tennessee this weekend. Instead, rookie Brayden Narveson was signed from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster on Saturday in order to take over kicking duties in Tennessee for the week. Fantasy managers that had been using the 40-year-old Folk will obviously need to look in another direction. You can probably do better than Narveson, who made 12 of his 17 field-goal attempts and all 16 of his extra-point chances in six games with the Green Bay Packers earlier this year in his first NFL action.

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Carolina Panthers wide receivers Jalen Coker (quad) and David Moore (concussion) are active for Sunday's Week 16 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Both players had been listed as questionable. Coker returned from an injured reserve stint last week and made an impact right away, totaling four catches, 110 yards, and one touchdown on an 87 percent snap share. With Xavier Legette (hip) sidelined, Coker should operate alongside Adam Thielen, giving him significant WR3/FLEX appeal. Meanwhile, Moore cleared concussion protocol this week. He hasn't missed a game all season, catching 28 passes for 286 yards and one touchdown. He, too, should handle an increased workload, but he'll likely be behind both Thielen and Coker in the pecking order.

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Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (shoulder), who was listed as questionable for the Week 16 tilt on Sunday against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts, is active and will serve as the backup to starter Mason Rudolph. After another poor showing in the Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which he threw three more interceptions, the Titans made the move to bench Levis in favor of Rudolph in Week 16. It's unclear if Rudolph will start all three of the final three games of the regular season, but Levis' fantasy stock in superflex and dynasty/keeper leagues is obviously trending down toward the end of the year. In 11 starts in his sophomore season, Levis has completed 63.7% of his passes for 1,916 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Heading into his third season in the NFL, he could be battling for a backup job in 2025.

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Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku (hamstring) is officially active for the Week 16 game.

Fantasy Spin: Njoku did not do much during practice this week but should be a popular target for Dorian Thompson-Robinson this week. He can be a starting option in all fantasy leagues.

From TheHuddle

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (ankle) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. He had been listed as questionable but was expected to suit up after being a limited participant in practice all week long. The rookie saw his four-game double-digit scoring streak (PPR) come to an end last week, but he still has fantasy appeal in his role as the Giants' primary running back. Even if his injury causes him to lose a couple of touches to Devin Singletary, Tracy should still be deployed as a strong RB3/FLEX option.

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