NFL Player News

Head coach Pete Carroll confirmed Friday that Smith will start Sunday's game against the Texans, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

Smith missed the Raiders' Week 15 shutout loss to the Eagles due to shoulder and back injuries, but he has been a full participant throughout Week 16 prep and will reclaim the starting role under center Sunday against Houston's elite defense. His return pushes Kenny Pickett back down to the bench.

Hodge (shoulder) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Hodge played through the issue with his shoulder in the Falcons' Week 15 win over the Buccaneers, but the wide receiver's inability to practice this week implies he suffered a major setback. The depth receiver's absence will likely not shake up the Falcons' offensive target share too much, though Jamal Agnew may see more offensive snaps.

Ferguson secured three of four targets for 33 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's 38-37 overtime loss to the Seahawks.

The rookie tight end found paydirt for the first time since Week 7 in the second quarter, scoring on a third-yard pass from Matthew Stafford. Prior to last week's one-catch performance, Ferguson had been on a four-game streak without a catch, so this week's bump in targets and catches was a welcome sight for fantasy managers waiting to see some of the second-round pick's potential in the latter half of the season. The Rams remain on the road for a Monday, Dec. 29 showdown in Atlanta, and Ferguson will look to continue building on his positive momentum over the last two weeks.

Pearsall (knee/ankle) isn't practicing Friday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Pearsall came out of last week's strong showing with a pair of injuries, including an aggravation of the PCL injury that cost him Weeks 5-10 earlier this season. He hasn't practiced this week, but there's still another chance Saturday ahead of a Monday matchup at Indianapolis. San Francisco GM John Lynch suggested Friday that Pearsall has at least some chance to play, saying, "we certainly haven't ruled him out" during an appearance on KNBR radio.

Dupree (back) is questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Cowboys.

Dupree was back to limited participation in practice Friday after not practicing Thursday. The 32-year-old is recovering from a back injury suffered in the Chargers' Week 15 win over the Chiefs. The 10th-year veteran has contributed 16 tackles (nine solo), including 2.0 sacks, and one pass breakup through 14 games this season and has a chance to add to his totals should he be available Sunday.

Hooker (illness) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Chiefs.

Hooker missed consecutive practice sessions due to an illness before upgrading his participation level to full Friday, just in time to dodge an injury designation for Sunday's contest. The strong safety should be set to suit up for Sunday's game against a Chiefs offense that will be missing Patrick Mahomes (ACL). Hooker has logged consecutive games with a 100 percent defensive snap share and will likely submit a third such performance Sunday.

Allen secured two of five targets for 34 yards during Thursday's 38-37 overtime loss to the Seahawks.

Despite the season high in targets for Allen, it was Terrance Ferguson who scored the only touchdown out of the Rams' tight end trio. Currently on a six-game scoreless streak, Allen has generally been the least fantasy viable of the group of tight ends on the roster; his best week from a fantasy perspective was in Week 10, when he had two catches for eight yards and a touchdown. Given that, this week's minor boost in targets feels more like an aberration than a meaningful move towards relevance, and expectations should remain low for a Week 17 matchup in Atlanta.

Key (illness) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the Chiefs.

Key was a new addition to Friday's injury report with an illness that prevented the linebacker from practicing. The veteran defender's ability to suit up for Sunday's contest will largely depend on whether he can kick the illness in time. If Key is unable to return to playing health, Jaylen Harrell and Truman Jones would be in line for an increased snap share at outside linebacker in Sunday's contest.

Weaver (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Any fantasy interest in Weaver likely would entail Marvin Harrison (questionable - heel) missing another game, and even then it would only be a consideration in the deepest of formats. Weaver appears truly questionable after logging limited practices Wednesday through Friday this week.

Tuten (finger) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Tuten could be out multiple games, per the Jaguars' official site, so his practice participation level will bear monitoring ahead of the Jaguars' Week 17 trip to Indianapolis. He didn't practice in any capacity prior to being ruled out for Week 16, which will open the door for LeQuint Allen and DeeJay Dallas to provide backfield depth behind Travis Etienne and return kickoffs.