January 2, 2026
Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback
Riley Leonard will start under center in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Houston Texans, according to James Boyd of The Athletic.
Seth Henigan will be the No. 2 QB.
Philip Rivers, who started the team's last three games, is TBD as far as being active. The 44-year-old came out of retirement to help replace
Daniel Jones (Achilles), but now that the Colts are out of the playoff picture, they'll take a look at Leonard in Week 18 with an eye toward the future. Rivers already announced that he will retire for a second time following the conclusion of this weekend's games. Arm strength was certainly an issue for Rivers in his return to football in 2025, although he managed to stay healthy and keep the Colts competitive. The eight-time Pro Bowler completed 63% of his pass attempts for 544 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions in three games.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - James Boyd
January 2, 2026
New England Patriots tight end
Hunter Henry (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Henry missed practice on Wednesday and was able to suit up for limited sessions on back-to-back days to finish out the week. The expectation is that the Patriots will play their starters with there still being a chance of them clinching the top seed in the AFC. Henry has been one of the more reliable pass-catchers on the roster this season. He's scored a touchdown in back-to-back games, while hauling in nine receptions for 84 yards. Fantasy managers should consider Henry a TE1 for the upcoming matchup versus the Dolphins.
--Andy WebbSource: patriots.com
January 2, 2026
Dallas Cowboys tight end
Jake Ferguson (calf) has been removed from the Week 18 injury report and will play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the division-rival New York Giants. Ferguson didn't practice on Wednesday, was limited on Thursday, and upgraded to a full practice on Friday. The 26-year-old will be active this weekend, but after not finishing last week's Christmas Day win over the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys probably are in no hurry to play Ferguson the same as they normally would in a meaningless game. Fantasy managers should consider him to be a very volatile streaming option at the position, especially since quarterback
Dak Prescott might not play a full game. Ferguson was a big part of Dallas' high-scoring offense in 2025, setting career-highs in catches (81) and touchdown receptions (eight) while racking up 595 receiving yards in 16 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jon Machota
January 2, 2026
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) did not practice all week and is doubtful to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, according to Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. Wicks suffered a concussion in last Saturday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and now he'll sit out the season finale after not being cleared from the league's concussion protocol. The 24-year-old will be trying to return to practice so that he'll have a chance to suit up for the wild-card round of the playoffs next week. Wicks will miss his third game of the season in Week 18 and will finish with a career-low 30 catches (46 targets) for 332 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games in 2025. He had nine touchdown catches in his first two years in the league, but a crowded WR corps made it difficult for Wicks to stand out in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: Packers.com - Wes Hodkiewicz
January 2, 2026
Green Bay Packers quarterback
Malik Willis (shoulder, hamstring) is officially listed as questionable for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, according to Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. The Packers plan to rest
Jordan Love (concussion, shoulder) this weekend, so if Willis is ruled out,
Desmond Ridder would likely be elevated from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster to back up
Clayton Tune under center. Willis was limited in practice all week after injuring his right shoulder in the Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Saturday. He was excellent for fantasy managers who streamed him in deeper leagues before his injury, going 18-for-21 passing for 288 yards and a touchdown as a passer while adding 60 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. Willis is trending toward sitting out in Week 18 with the Packers resting their injured players.
--Keith HernandezSource: Packers.com - Wes Hodkiewicz
January 2, 2026
Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver
Tory Horton (shin) is not expected to return for the rest of the season, according to head coach Mike Macdonald. Horton was placed on Injured Reserve on Nov. 22 with a shin injury. "It just needs time and rest. It's unfortunate, but these things happen. We're with him, he's doing a great job. We're just not going to have him right now," Macdonald said. In his last game played in the Week 9 win over the Washington Commanders, the 23-year-old fifth-rounder had his best game of the year, catching all four of his targets for 48 yards and two touchdowns with
Cooper Kupp out due to injury.
Rashid Shaheed has replaced Horton as an electric kick returner on special teams and as a deep threat down the field on offense after being acquired in a midseason trade with the New Orleans Saints. Horton should be fully recovered for offseason workouts.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Talk - Charean Williams
January 2, 2026
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll refused to name a starting quarterback for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. "You'll see on Sunday," Carroll said. The head coach added that there is "a rotation in mind" between
Kenny Pickett and
Aidan O'Connell.
Geno Smith (ankle) has already been ruled out. Pickett is expected to make the start against the Chiefs, but he may not play the entire game before giving way to O'Connell, who has yet to play a snap this year. In Pickett's lone start against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, Pickett went 15-for-25 passing for only 64 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Fantasy managers should definitely be staying away from the Raiders' QB situation in Week 18 in a meaningless game.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Paul Gutierrez
January 2, 2026
Green Bay Packers running back
Josh Jacobs (knee, ankle) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Jacobs was limited during the first two practices of the week before getting in a full session on Friday. He has been battling multiple lingering injuries for several weeks now. The Packers aren't playing for anything this weekend and are already locked in the seventh seed. They've already named
Clayton Tune as the starting quarterback for Sunday's game. The expectation is that the rest of the starting unit will sit out or play limited roles. There's a good chance the Packers sit Jacobs and let him rest up for the postseason. If he does play, his workload is uncertain, which makes him a risky fantasy option.
--Andy WebbSource: packers.com
January 2, 2026
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Jayden Reed (illness) won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Reed was limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday due to an illness, but he was able to get in a full session on Friday. Reed is cleared to play, but it's unclear how much he'll actually play in this game. Third-string quarterback
Clayton Tune will be under center as well, with the team choosing to rest
Jordan Love (concussion, shoulder). The Packers are already locked into the seventh seed, so there's little incentive for them to play their starters. Reed will probably see limited snaps and won't be a reliable fantasy option with Tune throwing the passes on Sunday.
--Andy WebbSource: packers.com
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Hassan Haskins (concussion) is listed as questionable ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Haskins was able to finish the week with a full practice session, which is good news. He still needs to get fully cleared by the league before he's eligible to play. Rookie
Omarion Hampton (ankle) has already been ruled out for this game.
Kimani Vidal (neck) is listed as questionable as well for Sunday's regular-season finale, so the Bolts' backfield is in flux. The Chargers have little incentive to play their starters, so it wouldn't be shocking if some practice-squad players saw increased looks. Haskins is unlikely to be an appealing fantasy option, even if he's active and Vidal is out. Remember, backup quarterback
Trey Lance is running the offense against one of the best defenses in the league.
--Andy WebbSource: Los Angeles Chargers
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal (neck) is officially listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. Vidal is trending in the right direction after getting in two straight full practice sessions to end the week. There seems to be a decent chance that he'll return from his one-game absence this weekend. He'd likely take over as the lead back with rookie
Omarion Hampton (ankle) ruled out for this game. Fellow back
Hassan Haskins (concussion) carries a questionable tag into this game as well. Backup quarterback
Trey Lance is starting, which could lead to a run-heavy game plan for this offense. Vidal could be looking at a 20-plus carry game, assuming he's able to suit up. Without Vidal or Haskins, the Chargers would likely lean on
Jaret Patterson or
Amar Johnson. The Chargers' backfield is a situation to avoid in a game where the offense is expected to have a tough time moving the ball with a backup QB.
--Andy WebbSource: Los Angeles Chargers
January 2, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback
Justin Herbert (hand) was removed from the Week 18 injury report on Friday, but he will not play in the regular-season finale against the division-rival Denver Broncos on Sunday, according to Eric Smith of Chargers.com. Herbert was limited in practice on Wednesday before being held out on Thursday and Friday. The Chargers announced early in the week that they would be resting Herbert with a playoff spot already locked up. Backup
Trey Lance will make his first start of the year in a bad matchup against a team trying to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye. Despite a suspect offensive line protecting him, Herbert enters Week 18 action as the QB7 in overall fantasy points. In 16 regular-season games, he threw for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Herbert added 498 rushing yards and two TDs on the ground.
--Keith HernandezSource: Chargers.com - Eric Smith
January 2, 2026
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver
Luther Burden III (quadriceps) has been cleared to suit up for Sunday's Week 18 matchup versus the Detroit Lions. Burden was limited in practice to begin the week, but he has been cleared to play after getting through two full practice sessions to end the week. The rookie wideout is seeing a larger workload with
Rome Odunze (foot) being sidelined since Week 13. Odunze carries a questionable tag heading into Week 18, but he's not expected to play. During that span, Burden has seen six or more targets in each of those games. He's coming off his best performance of the season, where he hauled in eight receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. Fantasy managers should consider Burden a high-end WR2 for this weekend, assuming Odunze remains out.
--Andy WebbSource: Chicago Bears PR
January 2, 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver
Rome Odunze (foot) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's Week 18 matchup versus the Detroit Lions. Odunze has been sidelined since Week 13, but he has a chance at playing in the regular-season finale. He missed the first two days of practice, but he was able to get through a limited session on Friday. He still seems like a long shot to suit up, given the Bears have little incentive to play Odunze at less than 100 percent health, and Chris Emma even mentions it seems more likely that he won't return until the playoffs next week. The Bears have already locked up the NFC North, so they're only playing for seeding right now. The absence of Odunze would mean increased looks for
DJ Moore,
Luther Burden III, and
Olamide Zaccheaus.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Emma
January 2, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs running back
Kareem Hunt (illness) was under the weather this week and missed the first two practices. He returned to a full session on Friday, though, and has been removed from the Week 18 injury report. The Chiefs could opt to rest
Isiah Pacheco in the regular-season finale against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders, which would put Hunt in line for lead-back duties to close things out. Hunt should only realistically be considered for starting fantasy lineups this weekend if Pacheco is ruled out on Sunday. The 30-year-old has taken on more of a secondary role in the Chiefs' backfield of late, having not seen double-digit carries in any of the last three games. He was the team's preferred option in the backfield for most of the season, though. Hunt has 158 carries for 597 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games, adding 15 receptions for 122 more yards and a TD through the air.
--Keith HernandezSource: Chiefs.com
RADIO
