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Fantasy football injury updates and injury reports for RB, WR, TE for Week 17 (2024), as of Friday 12/27, including Jalen Hurts, Alvin Kamara, James Conner, Davante Adams, CeeDee Lamb, David Njoku, Tee Higgins, J.K. Dobbins, Malik Nabers, Chuba Hubbard, Tony Pollard, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle.
The 2024 NFL season is just about over, which means fantasy championships are here. The ultimate goal of winning a fantasy championship is within the grasp of many players. Now is the worst time possible to get complacent and miss out on injury news for key players on your team.
In the final week of fantasy seasons, there are still multiple impactful injuries to keep an eye on heading into the weekend. Seeing which players are dealing with injuries and which ones aren't quite at 100% yet will go a long way if you're looking to win the all important final game of the season.
Without further ado, let's look at some injuries to watch and consider heading into Week 17. Any top players previously questionable not discussed in this article have been removed from the Friday injury report and are good to go. Don't forget to bookmark our fantasy football player news page, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy football mobile app with push notification alerts to stay notified.
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Key Players Ruled Out This Week
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) has been ruled out for the season. In his absence, tight end Jake Ferguson, running back Rico Dowdle, and WR Brandin Cooks should be the main benefactors.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion/left finger) is out for Week 17. Kenny Pickett, who played solid in relief last week, will get the start, hurting the offense across the board in fantasy.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (groin) is out for Week 17. Kendre Miller should get most of the touches out of the backfield, similar to last week except hopefully with more efficiency and a better game script.
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) is out for Week 17. He missed last week as well, and will be replaced by Jordan Akins once again, but no sane fantasy manager playing for a championship would consider starting Akins, especially while Dorian Thompson-Robinson is under center.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle/knee) is officially questionable for Saturday afternoon against the Denver Broncos. He practiced in a limited fashion all week after injuring his ankle last week against the Browns.
According to reports Higgins is optimistic to play Saturday, but if he were to miss out, expect Ja'Marr Chase and Chase Brown to be even more involved in the offense, with other options left with the scraps from Joe Burrow.
James Conner and Trey Benson, RBs, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals running backs James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle) are each questionable for Saturday night against the Los Angeles Rams. Both were limited at practice all week, meaning they both have a decent shot of suiting up.
Make that another day of practice for Arizona Cardinals RBs James Conner and Trey Benson.
A good sign for their respective statuses this Saturday. pic.twitter.com/AG2w2Lu42p
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) December 26, 2024
Conner left last week in the second half with his injury, while Benson was out last week. Each benefits in fantasy without the presence of the other, and if both were to miss out, Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas would be the next men up.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) was activated from injured reserve, but is still questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Patriots. Dobbins practiced fully Friday, meaning he has a good chance to suit up in Week 17 for managers in the fantasy championship.
The Chargers are activating RB JK Dobbins from IR, expected to play Saturday vs. Patriots. (via @rapsheet, @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/8aRR0oS4Zc
— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2024
With Gus Edwards ruled out, Dobbins has a chance to dominate touches out of the backfield in his return. If he were to suffer a setback, Kimani Vidal would be the next man up.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (toe) is officially questionable for Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. He didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, but practiced in a limited fashion Friday, meaning he has a good chance to suit up.
The Giants star rookie has been banged up throughout the season, but has been stellar and dominating target share for the Giants no matter who is in at quarterback. If Nabers were to be held out, WanDale Robinson and Darius Slayton would become decent fantasy options, while Tyrone Tracy would likely be more involved in the passing game out of the backfield.
Davante Adams, WR, New York Jets
New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams (hip) only practiced in a limited fashion on Friday, and is officially questionable for Sunday's faceoff with divisional rival Buffalo Bills.
Adams has been huge for fantasy managers the past few weeks, and likely a big reason for many underdog runs. With that said, the veteran might be playing banged up, but that shouldn't stop fantasy managers from trusting him. Just as in Green Bay, he has become Aaron Rodgers's top target. He he were to miss out, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall would be the main benefactors in the passing game.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's divisional matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He didn't practice Wednesday, but did log limited practices Thursday and Friday.
Hubbard seems likely to play and continue his surprisingly dominant fantasy season, but if he weren't to play, both the Panthers and fantasy managers would be in rough shape. His current listed backups are Raheem Blackshear and Velus Jones Jr. If Hubbard plays, he is a must-start.
Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pollard has been banged up the past few weeks, but has continued to play despite extremely limited practice participation. He didn't practice at all this week.
Tyjae Spears has gotten more opportunities because of Pollard's ankle, and has thrived, especially in the passing game and by the goal line. It is surprising the Titans haven't shut down the veteran Pollard for the season, as the Cowboys did with CeeDee Lamb, to let Spears get more chances to prove himself as a long-term option.
I was ready for Isaac Guerendo, Braelon Allen, Sincere McCormick, Zach Charbonnet, Kendre Miller, or Jerome Ford to be this year's out-of-nowhere fantasy playoff hero.
I was not prepared for Tyjae Spears to be him.pic.twitter.com/IE666hR1RS
— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) December 22, 2024
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, WRs, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receivers Tyreek Hill (wrist/rest) and Jaylen Waddle (knee) are each questionable for Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns. Both were limited at practice all week, meaning fantasy managers should feel optimistic about their statuses.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is also questionable with a hip injury, but is expected to play. It seems likely all will play despite being eliminated from playoff contention, but fantasy managers should still be extra cognizant given they play at 4:05 rather than 1 p.m.
🎥 Tua Tagovailoa on potentially playing on Sunday after being eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday:
"I don't think any of us on our team should take this for granted... how do you even know there's going to be a next year for your career?" (@MiamiDolphins) #GoFins pic.twitter.com/SblwXA0grX
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) December 26, 2024
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