January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal (neck) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the right direction after logging back-to-back full practices. The 24-year-old returns from a one-game absence and is expected to lead Los Angeles' backfield with rookie
Omarion Hampton (ankle) sidelined. With that being said, we expect fellow running back
Hassan Haskins to carve out a role, too. There's some uncertainty about how the Chargers will fare with
Trey Lance quarterbacking the offense against a strong Broncos defense. If the Bolts struggle to move the ball on Sunday, we could see Vidal drop to the low-end RB3/flex tier.
--Andersen PickardSource: Kris Rhim
January 4, 2026
New Orleans Saints tight end
Taysom Hill (shoulder) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Atlanta Falcons. Hill exited during the third quarter and finished the game with three catches for 32 yards. The 35-year-old's future remains uncertain, and there has been plenty of speculation that he could retire following New Orleans' season finale on Sunday. He received a curtain call of sorts back in Week 16, when he had four catches, 36 receiving yards, 12 carries, 42 receiving yards, and a 38-yard passing touchdown in the Saints' final home game of the season. If this was indeed Hill's final game, he has put the finishing touches on an impressive career that saw him do a little bit of everything on offense.
--Andersen PickardSource: New Orleans Saints PR
January 4, 2026
Miami Dolphins wide receiver
Jaylen Waddle (ribs) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New England Patriots. He had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity. This
Quinn Ewers-led offense finds itself incredibly short-handed with Waddle,
De'Von Achane (shoulder),
Darren Waller (groin, IR), and
Tyreek Hill (knee, IR) all sidelined.
Malik Washington, Cedrick Wilson, and late-season breakout
Theo Wease Jr. should step up as Ewers' top targets in the passing game on Sunday. Those receivers will look to outduel a Patriots defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest yards to opposing wide receivers in 2025.
--Andersen PickardSource: Miami Dolphins
January 4, 2026
Miami Dolphins running back
De'Von Achane (shoulder) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New England Patriots. He had been listed as doubtful after missing all three practices this past week. Achane finishes his third NFL season with a career-high 1,350 rushing yards. He also logged 67 catches, 488 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns while ranking as the overall RB5 in full-PPR scoring to this point. We expect second-year back
Jaylen Wright to earn more snaps with Achane sidelined. Wright had 24 carries, 107 rushing yards, and one touchdown against the Jets in Week 14, and he also found the end zone in Week 16 versus Cincinnati. New England has a very strong run defense, but Wright still ranks as a volume-based RB2 for fantasy football.
--Andersen PickardSource: Miami Dolphins
January 4, 2026
Buffalo Bills tight end
Dalton Kincaid (knee) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New York Jets. He had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity. Kincaid is returning from a one-game absence, and he hasn't played more than half of the snaps in a single contest since Week 5. The 26-year-old will likely continue to handle fewer snaps than
Dawson Knox, but Kincaid should remain a top target for
Josh Allen in the passing game, especially near the goal line. He ranks as a mid-range TE2 for Week 18 fantasy football.
--Andersen PickardSource: Buffalo Bills
January 4, 2026
Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Brandin Cooks (coach's decision) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New York Jets. He is a healthy scratch after he didn't carry an injury designation into this weekend. Cooks had the best game of his short Bills tenure last week, catching four passes for 101 yards. Now, he'll have a chance to rest before Buffalo embarks on its playoff run.
Keon Coleman is active following a two-game absence and will take Cooks' place in the lineup. Coleman will join
Khalil Shakir,
Joshua Palmer,
Tyrell Shavers, and
Gabe Davis as the Bills' active receivers on Sunday.
--Andersen PickardSource: Buffalo Bills
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Rams tight end
Tyler Higbee (ankle) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the right direction after the team activated him from injured reserve on Saturday. The veteran tight end is returning from a six-game absence. Prior to his injury, he had caught 20 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns through nine games. Higbee and
Colby Parkinson should lead the Rams' tight end room on Sunday with
Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) inactive.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Grosbard
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Rams tight end
Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. Ferguson practiced in full all week long, but he was added to the injury report on Saturday and listed as doubtful. The rookie finishes his first professional regular season with 11 catches, 231 yards, and three touchdowns. He came on particularly strong near the end of the year, scoring a touchdown in each of his last two games. Fortunately, the Rams activated
Tyler Higbee (ankle) on Saturday, so the veteran will replace the rookie on Los Angeles' gameday roster.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Grosbard
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Rams running back
Blake Corum (ankle) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. He missed two consecutive practices before logging a limited session on Friday, and he was officially listed as questionable entering this weekend. Corum had exited last Monday's game early, so it's encouraging that he's able to get back onto the field just six days later. He should continue to get involved as the No. 2 running back behind
Kyren Williams. Corum has logged 50 carries, 346 rushing yards, and five rushing touchdowns in his last five games. He ranks as a strong RB3/flex option this week.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Grosbard
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Rams running back
Kyren Williams (ankle) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. He had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity. The Rams can only finish as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the NFC, so there was some speculation that they might rest their injured starters, including Williams. However, head coach Sean McVay made it clear that he wanted his starters to play, especially after last week's loss against Atlanta. Thus, Williams will play this weekend and should continue to share touches with
Blake Corum. He has at least 70 rushing yards in each of his last five games, ranking as a mid-to-low RB1 option for fantasy football this week.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Grosbard
January 4, 2026
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver
Davante Adams (hamstring) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. He had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity. Adams is now heading for his third consecutive absence, but the Rams appear optimistic that he'll be able to play in the opening round of the playoffs next weekend. The veteran receiver finishes the regular season with 60 catches, 789 yards, and 14 touchdowns, ranking as the overall WR7 in full-PPR leagues so far. This was his lowest yardage total in a decade, but he made up for it as
Matthew Stafford's favorite scoring threat around the goal line.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Grosbard
January 4, 2026
Houston Texans running back
Jawhar Jordan (ankle) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Indianapolis Colts. He exited in the second quarter and was initially listed as questionable before being downgraded to out. He finishes the game with just three rushing yards on five carries. Jordan made a name for himself in the month of December with 38 carries, 190 rushing yards, seven catches, and 34 receiving yards in three games leading up to Week 18.
Nick Chubb (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch this week, so Jordan's departure should create more opportunities for
Dare Ogunbowale and
British Brooks behind
Woody Marks.
--Andersen PickardSource: Houston Texans
January 4, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs running back
Isiah Pacheco (rest) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pacheco had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity this past week. His reduced workload in practice was not injury-related, as the Chiefs allowed him to rest because they had already been eliminated from playoff contention.
Kareem Hunt is active on Sunday afternoon and should operate as the primary running back in this
Chris Oladokun-led offense. We also wouldn't be surprised to see rookie
Brashard Smith earn more snaps if Kansas City wants to evaluate his role and viability for the 2026 campaign.
--Andersen PickardSource: Matt McMullen
January 4, 2026
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Xavier Worthy (illness) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. He had been listed as doubtful after missing all three practices this past week. Kansas City has already been eliminated from playoff contention, so Worthy finishes his second pro season with 42 catches, 532 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown through 14 games.
Travis Kelce,
Marquise Brown, and
JuJu Smith-Schuster should operate as
Chris Oladokun's top targets in the passing game on Sunday afternoon.
--Andersen PickardSource: Matt McMullen
January 4, 2026
Minnesota Vikings quarterback
J.J. McCarthy (right hand) exited during the third quarter of Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Green Bay Packers. He is officially listed as questionable to return. Given that Minnesota is eliminated from playoff contention and Green Bay is penciled into the No. 7 seed, it seems somewhat unlikely that the Vikings will put McCarthy back into the game if he's not fully healthy. For the time being,
Max Brosmer has taken over at quarterback. At the time of his departure, McCarthy had completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 182 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero turnovers. He also had seven rushing yards. Injuries continue to be a common theme for the former first-round pick. McCarthy missed the entire 2024 season, and he played 100% of the snaps in fewer than half of the Vikings' games this year.
--Andersen PickardSource: Minnesota Vikings
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