January 1, 2026
New York Giants tight end
Theo Johnson (illness) will miss another practice on Thursday due to illness, according to interim head coach Mike Kafka. Johnson missed last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders due to an illness and is trending towards missing a second straight game to wrap up the 2025 season unless he can return to practice on Friday. If the 24-year-old has played his last game this year, he'll wrap up his second season in the NFL with 45 catches for 528 yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets. Johnson became the team's top pass-catching tight end this year and should have his fantasy arrow pointing upward as a potential TE1 target for fantasy managers going into the 2026 campaign. If Johnson is ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys,
Daniel Bellinger will have more pass-catching opportunities.
--Keith HernandezSource: Newsday - Evan Barnes
January 1, 2026
Carolina Panthers running back
Rico Dowdle (toe) practiced in full for the second straight day on Thursday and has been cleared to play in Saturday's Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to the team's official website. Although
Chuba Hubbard isn't going to go away in Carolina's backfield, the 27-year-old Dowdle has earned RB1 duties for the Panthers. In an all-important game this weekend that will decide the winner of the NFC South, Dowdle will be on the RB2/3 borderline for fantasy managers. He has certainly slowed down since a strong stretch earlier this year when Hubbard was out with injury, and he hasn't found the end zone in the last two games. In the first meeting with the Bucs two weeks ago, Dowdle had nine carries for 29 yards and caught four passes for 14 yards. Since the team's Week 14 bye, Dowdle has 160 scrimmage yards and a TD on 45 touches.
--Keith HernandezSource: Panthers.com
January 1, 2026
New York Jets running back
Breece Hall (knee) was seen on the practice field on Thursday after he missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Hall picked up a knee injury in last week's blowout loss to the New England Patriots, but his return to practice on Thursday suggests he'll have a shot to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Isaiah Davis (concussion) also missed practice on Wednesday, so New York's backfield is a bit in flux heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Despite another disappointing year for Gang Green in 2025, Hall posted the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career on a career-high 243 carries over 16 games. If he's active in Week 18, Hall will firmly be in the RB2 mix for fantasy football against Buffalo.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Brian Costello
January 1, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that left tackle Tristan Wirfs (toe) is questionable to play in Saturday's divisional clash against the Carolina Panthers in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Wirfs didn't play in last week's upset loss to the Miami Dolphins, but he could be on the right side of questionable for this week's big game after practicing in limited fashion on Wednesday. The 26-year-old's status is key for a game on Saturday that will decide the winner of the NFC South division. The loser will miss the playoffs. In a must-win game this weekend, it would be a surprise if quarterback
Baker Mayfield doesn't have his blind-side protector available.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX Sports - Greg Auman
January 1, 2026
Green Bay Packers quarterback
Jordan Love (concussion, shoulder) has cleared the league's concussion protocol, but he will not make the start in Sunday's Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, according to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated. While Love won't start this weekend, Huber says that he could end up backing up
Clayton Tune versus Minnesota.
Malik Willis (shoulder) is dealing with a right-shoulder injury that he suffered in last week's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. For added QB depth, the Packers signed
Desmond Ridder to their practice squad on Wednesday. Love should be ready to rock for the wild-card round of the playoffs next week, but fantasy managers still playing for something will be without him for another game.
--Keith HernandezSource: SI.com - Bill Huber
January 1, 2026
The Green Bay Packers claimed defensive back Trevon Diggs off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. Diggs will join the Packers as they head into the playoffs this year. Green Bay will take on the remainder of the 27-year-old's five-year, $97 million extension that he signed with the Cowboys back in 2023. Diggs most likely will not make his debut with the team in the Week 18 regular-season finale this Sunday against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, but he could be active in the wild-card round of the postseason next week. He will help make up for the loss of cornerback Nate Hobbs, who was placed on Injured Reserve this week. Injuries have been an issue for Diggs the last few years, but the Packers are hoping he can return to form after he had a league-high 11 interceptions back in 2021.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Rob Demovsky
January 1, 2026
San Francisco 49ers tight end
George Kittle (ankle) said he "absolutely" expects to play on Saturday against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks in Week 18, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "Fabulous. Great position for Saturday night to punch a one seed. So just with that, I'm doing fantastic," Kittle said when asked how he feels this week. The 32-year-old sat out of the Week 17 win over the Chicago Bears with an ankle injury, but he has been limited in two practices this week and fully intends to play this weekend in a game that will decide the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the postseason. Backup TE
Jake Tonges had a career game in the win over Chicago on Sunday night, but he'll revert to a bench role with Kittle expected to play on Saturday. Despite the tough matchup, fantasy managers will want to get Kittle back in their lineups in Week 18.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Nick Wagoner
January 1, 2026
Green Bay Packers quarterback
Clayton Tune will make the start on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, according to head coach Matt LaFleur. Regular starter
Jordan Love has cleared the league's concussion protocol and was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, but with Green Bay already locked into the No. 7 seed for the postseason, they will play it safe and hold both Love and
Malik Willis (shoulder) out this weekend. With the Packers' QB room banged up, the team signed former first-rounder
Desmond Ridder to their practice squad on Wednesday. In addition to Love and Willis, the Packers could be resting other skill players on offense, so fantasy managers may want to stay away entirely. Tune, 26, will be making his first start with the Packers and just the second start of his NFL career on Sunday.
--Keith HernandezSource: Andrew Siciliano
January 1, 2026
Detroit Lions rookie wide receiver
Isaac TeSlaa hauled in three of four targets for 49 yards and a touchdown in the 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Despite the Lions' recent offensive struggles, TeSlaa has played well, totaling three catches for 45+ yards and a touchdown in back-to-back weeks. He is on a historic pace for red-zone efficiency, scoring a touchdown on 40% of his receptions this season, all inside the 20-yard line. He faces a Chicago Bears secondary in Week 18 that has allowed the second-most touchdowns to wide receivers this season, making this a potential smash spot for TeSlaa. While his usage and other metrics underwhelm, the rookie receiver continues to add value to his fantasy profile by scoring touchdowns.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
January 1, 2026
Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback
Quinn Ewers completed 14 of 22 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in his first career win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After struggling in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ewers led the Dolphins to victory, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt and throwing a touchdown on 9% of his pass attempts. With the team deciding to bench quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa, all signs point to a new quarterback taking over for the 2026 season, and the 2025 seventh-round pick is making his case. He faces a New England Patriots defense that has ranked among the top five in 2025. While the Dolphins are playing a "meaningless" game this week, this one is anything but for the rookie quarterback, who is currently contending to be the 2026 starter.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
January 1, 2026
New Orleans Saints wide receiver
Chris Olave (illness) has been ruled out for Week 18's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. According to Saints reporter Nick Underhill, Olave had a blood clot detected in his lung and is currently at the hospital, where he is doing well. Olave's career season ends with 100 receptions on 156 targets for 1163 yards and nine touchdowns, ranking him WR6 in PPR formats. With Olave out, look for Kevin Austin and
Mason Tipton to step up, while tight ends
Juwan Johnson and
Taysom Hill will have big roles as well. While the Saints eye their fifth straight win against the Falcons in Week 18, they'll have to do it without their best offensive weapon.
--Nathan HarveySource: Nick Underhill
January 1, 2026
Chicago Bears rookie tight end
Colston Loveland hauled in six of 10 targets for 94 yards and a touchdown in the 42-38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. After a slow start to his rookie season, Loveland has put together a fantastic second half, averaging 13.0 PPR fantasy points per game, which ranks him TE5 during that span, trailing only
Trey McBride,
Brock Bowers,
George Kittle, and
Kyle Pitts. He also led the Bears' tight ends in snaps last week, playing 81% while veteran
Cole Kmet played 61% (his lowest since Week 9). With receiver
Rome Odunze (foot) not practicing ahead of their Week 18 matchup against the Detroit Lions, targets will be vacated, giving Loveland another opportunity to establish himself as a starting tight end option in fantasy this week.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
January 1, 2026
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver
Luther Burden III exploded in Week 17, hauling in eight of nine targets for 138 yards and a touchdown in the 42-38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. After missing a game due to an ankle sprain that he suffered in Week 15, Burden had his breakout game with
Rome Odunze (foot) inactive again. Burden was injured on the last play of the game and was limited in practice on Wednesday, a good sign for his availability for Week 18's game against the Detroit Lions. The Lions' secondary ranks as the second-worst against wide receivers this season, and with the Bears planning to play their starters and potentially quarterback
Caleb Williams targeting a 4,000-yard season (which would be the first in Bears franchise history), Burden is a must-start in Week 18.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
January 1, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles running back
Tank Bigsby could be the starter in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders. Bigsby was traded from the Jaguars to the Eagles after Week 1 and has served as a handcuff to star running back
Saquon Barkley this season. However, with the Eagles planning to rest their starters in Week 18, Bigsby could have a clear path to the RB1 role this week. Bigsby has averaged 6.4 yards per carry with the Eagles this season and has played slightly more snaps than
Will Shipley behind Barkley. The Commanders have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season and, just two weeks ago, allowed Barkley to rush for over 130 yards and a touchdown. Bigsby will be a name to monitor on waivers or as a DFS play if the Eagles decide to rest Barkley and the starters.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
January 1, 2026
New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback
Tyler Shough has proven he is the quarterback of the future during their four-game win streak. During the streak, Shough has completed 91 of 128 passes (72%) for 1,057 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. He has also added 70 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, making him a dual threat as well. While most didn't expect Shough to be a key piece for fantasy managers in his rookie season, he has delivered, averaging 17.0 fantasy points per game since becoming the starter, which places him as QB11 during that span. In Week 18, Shough faces the Atlanta Falcons, who rank 15th against quarterbacks this season and have caused the sixth-most interceptions as well. While the matchup is relatively difficult, Shough will hope to lead the Saints to their fifth straight win and potentially take control of the offensive rookie of the year race.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
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