It's officially crunch time in the fantasy football world as most leagues prep for the final week of the regular season. 13 grueling weeks before this led to one pivotal matchup with many teams clinging to any sort of hope for a playoff berth. Who knew Week 14 of the NFL season could mean so much?
Week 14 brings a different schedule with two Monday Night Football games to go along with the final bye week of the season, as the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals are down this week. With 15 games on the docket, there are plenty of injuries to keep an eye on and some key fantasy players are already ruled out.
There are still several days left to get on the practice field and thus boost playing status. Some players have a better chance than others to play though and teams will know more about certain players on Friday or even Thursday night after practice.
On the bright side, there are no significant fantasy injuries to report from 13 teams. We'll start this week's fantasy football injury report on the Thursday Night Football game.
New England Patriots
A pair of Patriots players have been ruled out as Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) and Demario Douglas (concussion) will miss Thursday's game. Stevenson is expected to be out for several weeks with a high ankle sprain.
That's not it for the Patriots offense, as wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) and DeVante Parker (knee) are both questionable for the primetime affair against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Starting running back Najee Harris missed practice on Tuesday and Wednesday with a knee injury, but he is expected to play on Thursday. Harris has never missed a game in his NFL career, starting 46 consecutive games for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh had already ruled out quarterback Kenny Pickett after he underwent ankle surgery. The Steelers did not place him on injured reserve, though the anticipation is he will miss four weeks.
Indianapolis Colts
Running back Jonathan Taylor is set to miss a second straight game due to a thumb injury. He is expected to miss 3-5 weeks after having surgery, but Colts head coach Shane Steichen refused to officially rule Taylor out for Sunday's game.
Cincinnati Bengals
Rookie running back Chase Brown had a mini breakout last Monday with 61 rushing yards on nine carries. He missed four games earlier this year with a hamstring injury and that same ailment left him limited in practice on Wednesday.
Jacksonville Jaguars
All eyes are on Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence who sprained his ankle Monday night and is seen as a longshot to play this week. He was limited in practice on Thursday and is not ruling himself out for Sunday's game. The belief is the Jaguars won’t risk it and he'll miss at least this week.
Starting running back Travis Etienne (ribs) was limited along with backup D'Ernest Johnson (knee) and wide receiver Zay Jones (knee).
Elsewhere for Jacksonville, fantasy mainstay Christian Kirk has been ruled out for Week 14 with a core muscle injury, one that may force the wide receiver to miss multiple games.
Cleveland Browns
Amari Cooper remains in concussion protocol and did not practice on Wednesday. He leads the Browns in receiving yards and has yet to miss a game this season.
Running back Kareem Hunt missed practice with a groin injury. After scoring six times over a five-game span, Hunt has just 13 fantasy points across the last three weeks.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback Derek Carr is in concussion protocol for the second time in a month. He's also dealing with rib and shoulder injuries. Jameis Winston is a good bet to play on Sunday.
Tight end Juwan Johnson (quadricep) was limited and QB/de facto tight end Tayson Hill (foot/left hand) did not practice on Wednesday. Wide receiver/returner Rashid Shaheed also missed practice on Wednesday with a groin injury after he did not play last week.
Chris Olave was added to the injury report on Thursday with an illness.
Houston Texans
Tight end Dalton Schultz missed last week's game with a hamstring injury. He was limited in the first practice of the week. The same goes for wideout Noah Brown (knee), who's missed two of the last three games.
The Texans will want both pass-catchers this week and the rest of the way after standout rookie Tank Dell went down with a broken fibula, ending his season.
New York Jets
Breece Hall did not practice today or yesterday as he rehabs an ankle injury but said he expects to play. The second-year back rushed for 28.5 yards per game across the last six contests but allotted 236 receiving yards during that span.
Los Angeles Rams
Breakout rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua has an AC sprain in his shoulder and was limited on Wednesday, even though he did “everything” according to Rams head coach Sean McVay. He posted 23 PPR fantasy points last week, scoring only his second touchdown since Week 5.
Tight end Tyler Higbee suffered a neck injury and missed Wednesday's practice. He scored more than five fantasy points five times this season and failed to haul in more than two catches in six of the last eight games.
Baltimore Ravens
For the first time this season, quarterback Lamar Jackson was absent from practice on Thursday as he is away from the team with an illness.
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday's session with an illness. He's started the last four games, catching eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown (22 PPR points) in that span.
Seattle Seahawks
Both Seahawks running backs Kenneth Walker (oblique) and Zach Charbonnet (knee) missed practice on Wednesday. Walker did not play in either of the last two games. DeeJay Dallas and Kenny McIntosh would split carries if neither can go.
Buffalo Bills
Tight end Dawson Knox appears ready to return after being activated off injured reserve. He averages just over four PPR fantasy points per game.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City's top two running backs Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) and Jerick McKinnon (groin) are both dealing with ailments. Pacheco missed his second practice of the week on Thursday, while McKinnon continues to work his way back after missing the last two games.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers opened Josh Palmer's practice window and he was limited on Wednesday. The wide receiver averaged 11 PPR points per game in his last four before heading to injured reserve.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry left last week's game in the fourth quarter with a head injury but Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he was not in concussion protocol. The star running back is questionable for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.
Green Bay Packers
For the first time in three weeks, running back Aaron Jones returned to practice for the Packers in a limited capacity. He hasn’t played since Week 11 and missed five games so far this season.
Christian Watson, Green Bay's No. 1 wide receiver, is dealing with a hamstring injury he suffered last Sunday. The team does not know the extent of the injury.
“Hopefully it’ll be sooner rather than later,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said.
Follow Us
Subscribe