Fantasy Football News

San Francisco 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (groin) missed practice on Friday, his third missed practice in a row since his 14-carry outing with the Cowboys. (Source: Matt Maiocco on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Mitchell returned from injury in Week 18 and saw a gradual increase in action each week, going from 16% to 22% to 33% snap share. After receiving 14 carries in the divisional round, Mitchell’s status for the conference championship may be in question. If Mitchell misses time, McCaffrey will be in line for plenty of action against Philadelphia.

After being absent from practice on Wednesday and Thursday, RB Christian McCaffrey returned to practice and is anticipated to play against the Eagles. (Source: Matt Maiocco on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Despite missing a pair of practices with a calf injury, McCaffrey isn’t expected to miss any time. McCaffrey played on just 67% of the team’s offensive snaps against the Cowboys, which could be attributed toward either injury limitations or RB Elijah Mitchell’s return. With Mitchell potentially out, McCaffrey could be in line for more work against Philadelphia.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Texans see 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their top candidate for their vacant head coaching position. They share mutual interest and will meet with the team next week. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Texans parted ways with Lovie Smith and have heavily pursued Ryans, who was considered a top candidate across the league for coach-needy teams. Ryans has found success in San Francisco, captaining one of the strongest defenses in the NFL. The Texans have talent on defense and have been effective at creating turnovers over the last couple of seasons, and Ryans could help usher the Texans into their new era if hired.

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who was the AFC’s top alternate QB selection, remains in concussion protocol and will not be available for Pro Bowl activities as he continues to recover. (Source: Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: While Tagovailoa was not elected directly to the Pro Bowl, he was the first alternate and was set to replace either Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow. Even a month after entering protocol, Tagovailoa remains in the process as the team is being deliberate and careful with their approach to his health. Tagovailoa’s health should remain monitored over the offseason coming off of a year where he threw for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns in 13 games.

According to ESPN’s Ben Baby, TE Hayden Hurst is good to go for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Kansas City Chiefs. (Source: Ben Baby on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hurst (calf) was a midweek addition to the Bengals’ injury report, logging a limited practice Thursday and a full practice Friday. Hurst, who had five catches and a touchdown in the divisional round, is good to go for a chance at another Super Bowl berth for Cincinnati. Hurst has been solid all season for the Bengals and is always a threat to score in the red zone, even if he had just two scores in the regular season.

Deebo Samuel was limited in practice on Thursday. (Source: Omar Ruiz on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is back-to-back limited practices for Samuel after he was originally expected to miss practice on Wednesday. He is fully expected to play on Sunday against the Eagles.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Carolina Panthers have hired Frank Reich as the team’s head coach for the 2023 season. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The hiring of Reich means interim coach Steve Wilks will not return as the team’s head coach after a 6-6 finish to the year under his lead. Reich, despite being let go by the Indianapolis Colts, was successful in Indy and could quickly help out the team as they look for direction. Reich also has a history with the Panthers, playing quarterback for the organization.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the New York Jets are hiring former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett as their next offensive coordinator. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hackett was fired from the Broncos after a less-than-successful season, but he has a history of working with offenses including in Buffalo and Jacksonville and in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers. Hackett has worked with Jets head coach Robert Saleh in the past as well, and he comes in to replace Mike LaFleur. With question marks at quarterback heading into 2023, this adds more speculation for the Jets offense going forward.

Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (pelvis) was the only player on the team not to log a full practice, though he logged a limited practice after failing to practice last week. (Source: Kansas City Chiefs on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hardman has not played a game since Nov. 6 as he has dealt with an injury that has left him sidelined for an extended time. However, he has returned to practice, even just in a limited role. There’s a chance he could make his return, though his status should be monitored. In his absence, WR Kadarius Toney saw an increased role in the divisional round.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle) was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. (Source: Ari Meirov on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Despite suffering an ankle sprain in the divisional round, Mahomes was able to log a full practice on Wednesday. Earlier reports said they expected him to play in the conference championship, and full participation is a good sign of such. Mahomes said he was feeling good in a press conference as well.

The Philadelphia Eagles did not list A.J. Brown (hip) on the team's injury report on Wednesday. (Source: Philadelphia Eagles on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Brown had been dealing with a hip injury that seemed to limit him in the divisional round of the playoffs to an extent. Heading into the conference championship, Brown is off the injury report and appears ready to play. Brown averaged 88 yards a game in the air during the regular season and will be important against the 49ers' defense.

Jimmy Garoppolo (foot) did not participate in practice Wednesday. (Source: Nick Wagoner on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Garoppolo is not expected to practice this week, per head coach Kyle Shanahan. With Garoppolo apparently needing additional time to heal up from his foot injury, Josh Johnson is expected to continue to serve as the backup to Brock Purdy.

Ezekiel Elliott wants to stay with the Cowboys in 2023, and he is willing to accept a pay cut in order to achieve that. (Source: Michael Gehlken on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: There had been rumors of Dallas potentially releasing Elliott, but it sounds like he may stay with the team if he takes less money. The Cowboys want to re-sign Tony Pollard and they'll probably need Elliott to take a pay cut to be able to pay Pollard. Elliott posted the worst season of his career this year.

The Packers are reportedly willing to explore trading Aaron Rodgers to an AFC team, per a report from Dov Kleiman. Rodgers does not have a no-trade clause in his contract. (Source: Dov Kleiman on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Considering the Packers do not need permission to trade the veteran quarterback, there are numerous teams that could call the Packers with a trade offer. The two possible suitors would be the Raiders and the Jets, both in need of an upgrade at quarterback. Rodgers' fantasy stock will depend on if he is dealt to a team with a receiving group that is an upgrade over what he currently has in Green Bay.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots are hiring Alabama OC/QB coach Bill O’Brien as their next offensive coordinator. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: After a 2022 season that had no coach specifically listed as the team’s offensive coordinator, the Patriots are shifting and bringing in O’Brien at OC. The team’s offense stagnated to 21.4 points per game after averaging over 27 the season beforehand. As Mac Jones and Rhamondre Stevenson enter their third seasons, the Patriots will look to reinvent the offense and take advantage of the rookie contract window.

Free Agent Running Back Tony Pollard has been diagnosed with a fractured fibula along with a sprained ankle and will now require surgery on his left leg. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: It's brutal news for Pollard, who enjoyed a bit of a breakout campaign in 2022 as he began to supplant Ezekiel Elliott as the Cowboys top running back. He tallied over 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career and was set up for a nice payday in the offseason whether it be from Dallas or elsewhere. The injury will take an estimated three months to recover, so the market for the former Memphis Tiger may dwindle just a bit.

Tom Brady is reportedly unlikely to return to the Buccaneers, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Brady is going to take some time and decide what is next for him at age 45. The future-hall-of-famer is unlikely to return to Tampa Bay after a disappointing 2022 season. As he weighs his options, the two most likely scenarios appear to be Brady retiring or testing out free agency and finding another team for the 2023 season. Brady will still have fantasy value in 2023 should he find a landing spot with a better offensive line and a solid stable of pass catchers.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers has signed a four-year extension with the Seattle Seahawks worth up to $22.6 million. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Myers converted on 34 of his 37 field goal attempts and missed just one extra-point attempt in 2022, being selected as a Pro Bowl kicker. Myers was also a perfect 6-for-6 from 50-plus yards. With a career field-goal percentage of 87.5% in four years with Seattle, Myers seems to provide solid fantasy production as a kicker going forward.

Jalen Hurts is off the injury report and fully cleared from his shoulder injury ahead of Saturday's divisional round game against the Giants. (Source: Ari Meirov on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hurts returned from his injury in Week 18 also against the Giants. He got another week off as he now prepares for a playoff game against the same Giants team.

Chiefs' RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was officially designated to return from injured reserve on Tuesday, and he will resume practicing immediately. (Source: Ari Meirov on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: With the transaction official, it is looking quite possible, if not probable, that CEH will suit up to face the Jaguars on Saturday. Having missed so much time, he will likely be appearing behind both Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. There is no guarantee Edwards-Helaire will provide any sort of fantasy value at this point in the season, though he makes for a fine late-round playoff best ball pick in leagues that continue to draft.