Fantasy Football News | Page 14

Wide receiver Keenan Allen may not be available for Giff Smith’s debut as the Chargers interim head coach.

Allen did not play in Brandon Staley’s final game as the team’s head coach because of a heel injury and he did not practice on Tuesday for the same reason.

Related players: Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Jalen Guyton

The Chargers will host the Bills on Saturday night, and owners should at least have plenty of notice for a backup plan if Allen doesn't play. As we said last week, the Bolts have no reason to rush Allen back into their lineup. Palmer could be a replacement option if he's on your wire, and had a big game in Week 15. However, the Chargers trailed the Raiders and had nothing to lose on the offensive side. The Bills proved to be a tough matchup against the Cowboys in Week 15 against the Cowboys.

Texans’ QB C.J. Stroud, who missed Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans and remains in the concussion protocol.

Related players: Davis Mills, Case Keenum

Schefter's post went on to say Stroud is likely to miss a second-straight game this coming Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. It's a tough break for fantasy owners who have rode Stroud to the playoffs this season. While it was Mills who backed up Stroud most of the season, Keenum got the start last week and one would think he gets the call again in Week 16 if Stroud is out. It could be a tough go against the good Browns defense.

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, speaking at a Colts holiday event Tuesday at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, said he hopes to finish his recovery from a right shoulder injury early and begin throwing a football next month.

Richardson said he could begin throwing after 16 weeks but he's hoping to push that mark. Richardson had season-ending shoulder surgery on Oct. 24. Tuesday marked eight weeks since Richardson’s surgery to repair the Grade 3 AC joint sprain he suffered in his right (throwing) shoulder in Week 5. The injury occurred after he was tackled at the end of a 4-yard run against the Tennessee Titans, the story went on to say.

New Orleans listed Chris Olave (ankle) as a limited participant for today’s injury report. The Saints conducted a walk-through.

As we reported Monday, Saints head coach Dennis Allen said he expected Olave’s to return to practice “in some form or fashion” on Tuesday. It's a good sign for Olave getting back into action, but keep in mind it's a Thursday game for the Saints this week.

Rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker is now on the Lions’ 53-man roster.

Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater

Hooker tore his ACL in his final game at Tennessee and the third-round pick has been on the non-football injury list for the entire regular season, the story said. Hooker will still only be the team's QB3, but Hooker can continue practicing through the rest of the season. Bridgewater is planning to retire after this season, so Hooker would presumably be line for the No. 2 job next year, the story said.

The Steelers expect Mason Rudolph to start Saturday’s game against the Bengals, but Kenny Pickett is pointed in the right direction of being the backup this week.

Pickett returned to limited work Tuesday.

He has missed the past two weeks after tightrope surgery on a high ankle sprain, the story said. Pickett isn't expected to play this week despite his return to practice, however as we reported Monday, Tomlin and the Steelers have yet to officially rule Pickett out for Week 16.

The Ravens have made it official with running back Melvin Gordon.

Baltimore announced on Tuesday that the club has signed Gordon to its 53-man roster.

Related players: Gus Edwards, Justice Hill

Gordon technically replaces Keaton Mitchell on the Ravens’ 53, as he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL during the team’s victory over Jacksonville on Sunday. Gordon has appeared in two games for Baltimore this season, taking 13 carries for 53 yards. He also caught three passes for 46 yards. Gordon will likely run behind Edwards and Hill but does have those 16 touches in two games so it's possible he jumps right into the three-man committee.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh.

Asked today about a report that Chase will miss at least one game with a separated shoulder, Taylor said it’s too soon to determine that.

“We’ll see how the week goes,” Taylor said.

There were reports overnight that Chase would miss at least a week with his shoulder injury, but the Bengals are now disputing that. Hopefully the injury report this week will give owners a better clue as to what Chase's status will be. Owners will have plenty of notice to make lineup adjustments with the contest being played Saturday.

During a Tuesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Aaron Rodgers said that he would be pushing to play if he was 100 percent but that he has not reached that point in his recovery from a torn Achilles.

Rodgers intimated that there would be a conversation about playing without reaching that point if the Jets were still alive, but they were officially eliminated from playoff contention last Sunday and Rodgers has shifted his attention toward the future. Rodgers added that he can also see himself playing for the Jets beyond the 2024 season.

Rams running back Ronnie Rivers, who has been on IR, has been designated to return to practice per team.

Related players: Kyren Williams, Royce Freeman, Zach Evans

Rivers last played in Week 6 and was the main backup to Williams. When both backs landed on IR, the Rams went on an RB shopping spree and brought in the likes of Darrell Henderson, Freeman and Myles Gaskin. The team has since cut Henderson and Gaskin leaving Freeman as the main backup to Williams. A possible Rivers return could put him back in the RB2 spot, but that remains to be seen.