Fantasy Football News

Cleveland Browns standout cornerback Denzel Ward (ribs, ankle) was limited in practice on Tuesday. Ward was limited on Monday as well but he has not missed a game in 2024. As such, his status for Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers is not likely to be in doubt. The Browns are beat up on defense. Cornerback Greg Newsome II (shoulder) has also been limited in practice this week while defensive end Myles Garrett (hip) joined the two corners on the injury report on Tuesday. The Browns will need all hands on deck to slow down a talented Steelers offense. Before last week's slugfest against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers had scored at least 26 points in four straight games. Additionally, the Steelers are in the midst of a five-game winning streak and do not look like they will be vulnerable to the Browns. With this Browns defensive unit so beat up, expect the Steelers' skill position players to have a solid day against this middling defense. Neither Ward nor Newsome has played well enough in 2024 to insight fear into opposing passing offenses. What is more, if Garrett has to miss this game, the Steelers offense may be unstoppable.

Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II (shoulder) was a limited participant in practice for the second day in a row on Tuesday. Newsome is a solid young corner opposite Denzel Ward (ribs, ankle). With Ward also battling injuries and defensive end Myles Garrett (hip) finding his way onto the injury report on Tuesday, this Browns defense is very beat up. Newsome has not missed any games this season and his limited participation for two straight days suggests he will be able to play on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns' defense has struggled in 2024. While they are middle-of-the-road against the pass, they are the ninth-worst rushing defense. The Steelers should have no problem moving the ball on the ground and through the air on this defense in Week 12. With neither Newsome nor Ward playing at 100%, expect Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens to receive plenty of opportunities for fantasy points in Week 12 in addition to running back Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (hip) did not practice on Tuesday. Garrett was not listed on Monday's injury report so his sudden appearance is concerning for Browns fans. The Browns' defense has not played anywhere near the level it did in 2023 when they were one of the best units in the league. Without Garrett, this defense would crumble. Garrett has recorded seven sacks and two forced fumbles this season. He has not been as dominant as in past years, but he has still been excellent. The Browns will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night so Garrett's sudden appearance on the injury report does not bode well for his chances to play this week. Garrett's absence would signal a boost in value for Steelers players. Wide receiver George Pickens, running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, and quarterback Russell Wilson would all benefit from Garrett's absence. This is already not a scary matchup for Steelers players and it could quickly turn into a must-start situation for each player if Garrett is poised to miss this game.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (knee) was a full participant in practice on Tuesday. Jeudy has been listed on the injury report for two straight days but has been a full participant both times. Jeudy certainly did not appear to be limited by injury in Week 11. He caught six passes on 11 targets for 142 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the New Orleans Saints. The production was by far Jeudy's best of the season. With quarterback Jameis Winston slinging the rock, Jeudy has enjoyed solid success in recent weeks. He has reached at least 73 receiving yards in three straight games. Week 11 marked his second touchdown of the season. The Browns will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 12. The Steelers pose a tough matchup for opposing offenses. However, Winston has been able to find success through pure volume and that does not project to dwindle in Week 12. With the way the Steelers' offense is playing, they should have no problem jumping out to a lead in this game. As such, the Browns should have to play catch up just as they have for most of the season. Jeudy has a chance to deliver high-end flex value or even WR2 numbers once again in Week 12.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was a full participant in practice Tuesday. Watt was listed as a DNP on Monday's practice estimate but it appears to have been a rest day for the eighth-year veteran. Watt is arguably the most important piece of a talented Steelers defense. He has recorded 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 2024. With the Steelers set to play the Cleveland Browns and a turnover-prone Jameis Winston in Week 12, Watt could have a field day. The Steelers are rolling in 2024. They sit atop the AFC North with a 8-2 record. Thursday Night games tend to be defensive struggles which bodes well for Watt's production. As such, the Steelers D/ST could be excellent in this game if they can to force turnovers out of Winston.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said that tight end Jake Ferguson (concussion) "will be hard-pressed" to play on Sunday against the division-rival Washington Commanders in Week 12 after suffering a concussion early in Monday night's blowout loss to the Houston Texans. Ferguson was quickly ruled out in Week 11 and will struggle to gain clearance from the league's concussion protocol on a short week. The 25-year-old deserves to be kept on fantasy rosters through his injury, but those in need of a TE with six teams on bye this week may want to look at Ferguson's replacement, Luke Schoonmaker. The 26-year-old ended up playing 43 offensive snaps on Monday after Ferguson was hurt and hauled in six of 10 targets for 56 yards. Schoonmaker will be a TE2 sleeper/streamer if Ferguson is ruled out for Week 12, as expected.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said that quarterback Cooper Rush will once again be the starter for the Week 12 matchup with the division-rival Washington Commanders on Sunday. However, there will be a package of plays for backup Trey Lance. The Cowboys have been blown out in back-to-back games in the two games that Rush has started, and McCarthy admitted himself that he regrets not getting Lance into the game late in the Monday night loss to the Houston Texans. Rush did throw for over 300 yards with a touchdown and interception in the loss to Houston on Monday, but there's a good chance Lance could be making starts under center for the Cowboys by season's end now that Dak Prescott (hamstring) is out for the year. Rush will be no better than a low-end QB2 in superflex leagues this Sunday against Washington.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said he's hoping the team will get wide receiver Brandin Cooks (knee) back for their Week 12 contest versus the division-rival Washington Commanders on Sunday. Cooks has been on Injured Reserve since Oct. 5 due to an infected right knee that required surgery. The fact that the Cowboys have yet to open the 31-year-old veteran's 21-day practice window before coming off IR makes us skeptical that we'll see Cooks on the field against the Commanders this weekend. And even if Cooks is activated from IR and is active on Sunday, we'd expect him to serve as more of Dallas' No. 3 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert in his first game back. Before his injury, Cooks had been a disappointing WR4/flex for fantasy managers, collecting nine catches for 91 yards and one touchdown. Things won't get any better with Cooper Rush at QB.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore was limited in practice for the second straight day to open the week on Tuesday. Moore's injury isn't believed to be serious enough to put him in danger of missing Thursday night's game against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers, so the Browns are likely just taking it easy on the 24-year-old wideout on a short week. Like many of Cleveland's offensive skill players, Moore has benefitted from quarterback Jameis Winston taking over under center due to the season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson. In the last three games with Winston starting, Moore has 17 receptions (29 targets) for 179 yards and his first touchdown of the season, which came this past week in the loss to the New Orleans Saints. However, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for Moore as a WR4/flex in a tough matchup against the Steelers' vaunted defense this week.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) was listed as a limited participant in practice on Tuesday for the second straight day this week ahead of Thursday's divisional tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off Week 12 action. The Browns most likely aren't going to do much more than walkthrough practices on a short week, and the 28-year-old should be good to go to suit up on Thursday night. Coming off a nine-catch, 81-yard performance in the Week 11 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Njoku should be treated as a midrange TE1 in fantasy with more upside now that quarterback Jameis Winston is throwing him passes. In three games since Deshaun Watson (Achilles) went down with a season-ending injury, Njoku has caught 19 of his 23 targets for 171 yards and one touchdown while working with Winston.

The New York Giants are signing free-agent quarterback Tim Boyle to their practice squad on Tuesday to add more QB depth after he worked out for the team, according to a source. The move comes a day after the Giants announced that they are benching Daniel Jones in favor of Tommy Devito coming out of their bye week. Drew Lock will serve as the backup to DeVito, with Jones sliding all the way down to third on the depth chart. Boyle was with the Houston Texans during training camp before joining the Miami Dolphins, where he went 15-for-26 for 153 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in two games when Tua Tagovailoa was on Injured Reserve. The 30-year-old has completed only 61.7% of his passes with four TDs and 12 interceptions in 22 games (five starts) in his five-plus years in the NFL. It would take injuries to DeVito and Lock for Boyle to get any run in New York.

The New York Giants worked out free-agent quarterback Alex McGough on Tuesday, according to NFL reporter Eric Edholm. McGough was a seventh-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 out of Florida International University but has yet to log a regular-season stats in the NFL. It would be a surprise if the 29-year-old sees any playing time this year even if he signs with the G-Men, but the organization is doing its due diligence at the position after benching veteran quarterback Daniel Jones for Tommy Devito. This workout can be safely ignored for fantasy football purposes.

The Jacksonville Jaguars activated running back Keilan Robinson (toe) from Injured Reserve on Tuesday, according to JaguarsPR on X. The fifth-round rookie out of Texas has not made his NFL debut after suffering a toe injury in the preseason leading up to Week 1. Robinson spent his freshman year at Alabama before transferring to Texas for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. However, he spent his career primarily backing up NFL running backs Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Jonathon Brooks. He ended his college career with 796 rushing yards, 332 receiving yards, 966 return yards, and 13 total touchdowns. Robinson has 4.42 speed and could see touches, but it would be a surprise if he entered the fantasy football radar in 12-plus team leagues this year.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has said he wants to play in 2025 despite a miserable season for the team this year. However, ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini said the firing of general manager Joe Douglas likely means Rodgers will not be back with New York next year. It's early to speculate, but Rodgers had a great relationship with Douglas and has advocated for interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. With the organization likely to undergo a ton of change this offseason, finding a new franchise quarterback and resetting the roster could be on the agenda. Rodgers has completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,442 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 11 games for the Jets this season. It would be fascinating to see how many organizations would be interested in acquiring the future Hall of Famer this offseason if he becomes available.

The New York Giants are signing offensive lineman Tyre Phillips to the practice squad on Tuesday, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The 27-year-old started in nine games for the G-Men last season before suffering a torn quad, but he is fully recovered. Phillips has played in 44 career games with 27 total starts since entering the NFL as a third-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2020. While New York is far removed from the NFC Playoff picture, Phillips could make his way onto the active roster and enhance the team's offensive line down the stretch for running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and new starting quarterback Tommy Devito.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) is heading to the Injured Reserve list due to a knee injury, and his 2024 season is over. The former Buffalo Bill signed a three-year, $39 million deal this offseason to join a team that was supposed to compete for an AFC South championship. In 10 games with Jacksonville, he racked up 20 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. While he was not much of a fantasy football contributor, his absence for the rest of the season could open more opportunities for Parker Washington. That said, all of the Jaguars' offensive skill players lack upside until Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) returns from his shoulder injury, which could be after the Week 12 bye.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said he wanted to use quarterback Justin Fields in more packages in the Week 11 win over the division-rival Baltimore Ravens, but the Steelers stalled out on too many of their third downs on offense. "We have two starting quarterbacks," Smith said Tuesday. "It's a very unique situation." Fields only carried the ball twice for 17 yards in the 18-16 win over Baltimore and has rarely seen the field since Russell Wilson took over under center. To be fair, Wilson has looked much better running Pittsburgh's offense than most people expected after missing the start of the 2024 season due to a nagging calf injury. Fields could get more involved in Week 12 on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, but unless Wilson misses more time with an injury, Fields will be off the radar in single-QB fantasy leagues.

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has struggled mightily in 2024 and missed two more field goals in the two-point loss to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11, but head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday that the team has no plans to bring in competition for Tucker. The seven-time Pro Bowler has seen his conversion rate fall to 72.7% this year, which is his lowest mark ever 11 games into a season. His six misses are one more than all of 2023, and he's just on miss shy of tying his career worst. In the team's four losses this year, Tucker has missed five field goals. Sunday was just the sixth time in his 206 career games in which he missed multiple kicks. As a result, the 34-year-old veteran is no longer the most accurate kicker in NFL history, as his career success rate of 89.3% ranks behind Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro (89.4%). Despite his struggles, Tucker should be considered a top-10 fantasy kicker in Week 12 on Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said after the 34-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Monday night that he regrets not giving quarterback Trey Lance an opportunity to run the offense late in the blowout. "I think the one thing I should have done at the end, and I just didn't do, was put Trey in there. I could've gotten him a series. That's one thing that I would second-guess myself on," McCarthy said. The former third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 has barely played in the NFL but should get more opportunities down the stretch in 2024 in a lost season for the Cowboys with Dak Prescott (hamstring) done for the year. Lance, 24, went 4-for-6 for 21 yards and an interception late in the Week 10 blowout loss to the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. If Dallas gets spanked again in Week 12 by the Commanders, Lance should get some more action.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott caught all three of his targets for 16 yards and carried once for eight yards in a 34-10 loss to Houston on Monday. It was ugly all around as the Cowboys rushed for just 64 total yards and spent most of the night playing catch-up behind backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Running back Rico Dowdle had 10 carries for 28 yards, leading the team in both categories. Elliott's best days are behind him as is, but the entire Dallas backfield simply can't be trusted as the team prepares for Washington in Week 12.