Team news: Cleveland Browns

The Browns are signing veteran WR Diontae Johnson, sources say. Cleveland brought the former Steelers and Ravens pass catcher in for a visit today, and the sides then agreed to a deal. Back to the AFC North for Johnson.

Related Players: Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, Jerry Jeudy, DeAndre Carter, David Bell

This is a fantastic depth chart to land on for Johnson, but it would be all but impossible to trust him on fantasy squads after the tour of the NFL he's been on over the last year. If he gets cut and goes to the Bengals, he will have earned the ultra-rare Grand Slam tour of the entire division.

Reunion: the Cleveland Browns and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco reached agreement today on a one-year, $4 million deal worth up to $13 million with incentives. Flacco now will return to Cleveland, where he won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023.

Flacco also spoke with the Steelers and Vikings but opted to spend his 18th NFL season with the Browns.

Related Players: Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett

It's interesting that the team didn't just retain Jameis Winston, considering he signed a very similar deal with the Giants earlier this offseason. Regardless, Flacco will team up with Pickett as the veteran backstops in case a potential rookie option needs time to get up to speed in the league.

Browns game status for Week 17 vs. the Dolphins:

Jameis Winston - questionable
David Njoku, Ogbo Okoronkwo and Cedric Tillman - out

Related Players: Jordan Akins

With Njoku out Akins should get plenty of run, but it's not quite enough to stick him in TE streaming considerations.

Colts HC Shane Steichen: QB Anthony Richardson (back/foot) questionable vs. Giants. 'We'll see how next 48 hours go.' Did not practice this week.

Related Players: Joe Flacco

So he's not officially out, but fantasy managers are going to need a backup plan. If Flacco goes, it gives a boost to the entire WR room, pushing Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. up to WR3 consideration.

QB Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol and head coach Nick Sirianni expresses doubt he'll be playing Sunday. Kenny Pickett the likely starter, as has been expected.

Pickett can be left on waiver wires in all but the deepest SuperFlex leagues, while the pass-catching corps takes a bit of a hit. A.J. Brown should still get plenty enough work to be considered on the WR1/2 fringe.

Three quarterbacks at practice. Jalen Hurts is not one of them.

Kenny Pickett is throwing with Tanner McKee before practice.

It's not looking good for Hurts, so it's time managers start making a concession plan, if they haven't already. The Eagles pass-catchers —particularly Devonte Smith— should also see a small downgrade.

The Eagles list QB Jalen Hurts as DNP on their estimated practice report because of a concussion, putting his status for this weekend in doubt.

Related Players: Kenny Pickett

Things aren't trending well for Hurts, as fantasy managers should be looking for a Championship Week back-up as soon as possible.

For Baltimore-Houston:
— Ravens WR Zay Flowers, questionable with a shoulder injury, is expected to play.
— Texans WR Diontae Johnson, just acquired via waivers, is planning to make his Houston debut in Week 18 vs. the Titans. Today is too quick.

Related Players: Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace

This is a nice Christmas Day matchup for Flowers, so keep him locked into WR2 range if he's ready by kickoff.

The Eagles are hurting at quarterback as they seek to clinch the NFC East.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni offered no updates on Jalen Hurts (concussion) and Kenny Pickett (ribs) in Monday’s news conference.

Related players: Tanner McKee

Hurts will need to clear concussion protocol before being able to suit up for Week 17. As we all know, the trend as of late is players tend to miss the following week when in protocol, so Hurts owners will need to have a backup plan in place. The Eagles-Cowboys game was moved to the early window, but we should know Hurts' status before game time. Pickett, however, could end up being a game-time call, so owners who would be counting on him may also need to come up with a plan. If both QBs are out, McKee would get the start. Either way, it could be a downgrade for the rest of the Eagles offensive fantasy players against the Cowboys in Week 17.

The Ravens won’t have to wait long to see Diontae Johnson again.

The NFL’s daily transaction report shows that the Texans have claimed the veteran wide receiver off of waivers. The Ravens cut Johnson last Friday after a brief stint with the team that ended in acrimony when Johnson refused to enter the team’s Week 13 game. The two teams will play each other on Wednesday.

The loss of Tank Dell leaves the Texans shorthanded at WR so the move makes some sense. It's hard to say just when, or even if, Johnson will take the field for the Texans. Even if Johnson plays in Week 17, he just can't be trusted as a fantasy option, especially since it's likely like the fantasy finals for your league. It seems the realistic hope for Johnson would be to get some snaps in before the end of the regular season, and then be a reliable option in the NFL playoffs. Given the news has been mostly negative about Johnson this season, that could be considered a longshot.