NFL Player News
-
Marcus Mariota QB | WAS
Commanders' Marcus Mariota: Sits out walkthrough
Mariota (hand/quad) did not participate in Monday's walkthrough.
Mariota reportedly is considered day-to-day due to injuries to his quadriceps and right throwing hand, which forced him out early during Saturday's loss to the Eagles. He'll have two more opportunities to get back on the practice field ahead of Thursday's home matchup against the Cowboys. With Jayden Daniels (elbow) already ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 season, Josh Johnson will stand to start Thursday for Washington if Mariota is unavailable Week 17.
-
Gardner Minshew QB | ARI
Chiefs' Gardner Minshew: Sent to injured reserve
The Chiefs placed Minshew (knee) on injured reserve Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
While Minshew avoided a torn ACL, which was the initial fear Sunday, he's been diagnosed with a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It's enough to end Minshew's season, as he'll miss the final two weeks. In the meantime, Kansas City will play out the string on the season with Chris Oladokun and Shane Buechele as its quarterback options.
-
Corey Kiner RB | ARI
Cardinals' Corey Kiner: Piles up 32 rushing yards
Kiner carried six times for 32 yards while logging nine of the Cardinals' 57 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons.
Kiner finished second on the team to only Michael Carter in both carries and yardage, but all of his touches were contained to one second-quarter drive that culminated in a Chad Ryland 25-yard field goal. Though Kiner was efficient with his opportunities, he still looks like he could be the third man on the running-back depth chart behind both Carter and Emari Demercado, both of whom saw more usage than Kiner in the second half of the contest.
-
Emari Demercado RB | KC
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Fares well in change-of-pace role
Demercado carried five times for 30 yards and failed to haul in his lone target in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons.
After playing just seven snaps on offense in last week's loss to the Texans, Demercado saw increased playing time in Week 16 with the Cardinals placing Bam Knight (ankle) on injured reserve ahead of the game. Demercado ended up playing 18 of the Cardinals' 57 offensive snaps and ripped off gains of at least five yards on four of his carries, but he still played second fiddle to Michael Carter out of the backfield. Carter (11 carries for 65 yards, zero receptions on two targets) ended up logging 30 snaps and appears poised to lead the Arizona backfield in opportunities over the final two weeks of the season.
-
Pharaoh Brown TE | ARI
Cardinals' Pharaoh Brown: No targets in Week 16
Brown went without a target while playing seven of the Cardinals' 57 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett targeted tight ends on 17 of his 31 pass attempts Sunday, but the bulk of those looks went to Trey McBride (4-27-0 receiving line on eight targets) and Elijah Higgins (7-91-0 on eight targets). Brown and Josiah Deguara (no catches on one target), meanwhile, remained afterthoughts on offense, which is expected to remain par for the course over the final two games of the season, barring an injury to either McBride or Higgins.
-
Derrick Henry RB | BAL
Ravens' Derrick Henry: Missed final drive due to rotation
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Henry's absence during the final drive of Sunday's 28-24 loss to the Patriots was due to a planned "rotation," Ryan Mink of the team's official site reports.
Henry had built steam by the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss, in which he logged 18 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns while also losing one fumble. Nonetheless, it was Keaton Mitchell who started the entirety of Baltimore's final drive, within which he rushed twice for four yards. On the night, Mitchell had nine carries for 13 yards. Harbaugh's statement at least confirms that Henry didn't miss the final drive due to any sort of injury, but fantasy managers would certainly prefer Henry's utilization to have spanned the final stretches of a must-win contest in which he averaged 7.1 YPC. Harbaugh noted that in retrospect he "would rather have had [Henry] starting the [final] drive." The veteran RB will look to remain impactful as the Ravens fight to stick around in the AFC playoff picture on the road against Green Bay on Saturday.
-
Josiah Deguara TE | ARI
Cardinals' Josiah Deguara: Fails to corral target in Week 16
Deguara was unable to haul in his lone target while playing eight of the Cardinals' 57 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett targeted tight ends on 17 of his 31 pass attempts Sunday, but Trey McBride (4-27-0 receiving line on eight targets) and Elijah Higgins (7-91-0 on eight targets) did the heavy lifting for the position group. Deguara, meanwhile, will continue to function mainly as a blocker and special-teams contributor for Arizona. Through 10 appearances, Deguara has drawn just three targets, turning them into one catch for six yards.
-
Steven Sims WR | ARI
Cardinals' Steven Sims: No catches in season debut
Sims failed to haul in his lone target while playing seven of the team's 57 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons. He also returned two kickoffs for 55 yards.
Elevated from the practice squad for the first time all season ahead of the Week 16 contest, Sims ended up sharing the No. 4 receiver role with Jalen Brooks, as both players logged single-digit snaps in the loss. Sims made his greatest impact on special teams, where he should continue to be a factor as a return man if the Cardinals elevate him again for either or both of their final two games of the season.
-
Jalen Brooks WR | ARI
Cardinals' Jalen Brooks: Role shrinks in Week 16
Brooks went without a target while playing three of the Cardinals' 57 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Falcons. He returned two kickoffs for 56 yards on special teams.
After drawing three targets in both of the Cardinals' previous two contests, Brooks saw his role on offense diminish while Arizona welcomed Marvin Harrison back from a heel injury. Unless Arizona is missing one of Harrison, Michael Wilson or Xavier Weaver for one of its final two games of the season, Brooks doesn't look as though he'll be in line for many snaps on offense.
-
Kimani Vidal RB | LAC
Chargers' Kimani Vidal: Day-to-day with neck strain
Vidal has been diagnosed with a neck strain and is considered day-to-day, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Vidal was forced from Sunday's 34-17 win over the Cowboys in the fourth quarter after he rushed five times for 11 yards on 21 offensive snaps. If Vidal is unable to play next Saturday against the Texans, Omarion Hampton would likely see a larger share of the backfield work, with Hassan Haskins spelling Hampton as the Chargers' RB2.