Team news | Page 9

The Packers got an easy win on Monday night. But it didn’t come without a dark cloud.

Receiver Christian Watson left with a knee injury. More will be learned on Tuesday as to its severity.

“There’s some concern there, certainly,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “We’re going to get some more testing done tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.” Watson did return to the game and even ran a long route downfield that was incomplete. He then left for good. The Packers play in the late window Sunday in a key game at the Vikings so we'll have to monitor the practice reports, but the level of concern could mean Watson won't be available for Week 17.

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.

“I think I’ll be in a better place ankle-wise,” Patrick Mahomes said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “Obviously the body’s going to be sore just with a short week and everything like that, but I think the ankle should be in a better place. We’ll see in practice, but as far as how I felt after this game compared to the one before, I’m definitely in a lot better place.”

The short week could be a factor but it's hard to doubt Mahomes as this point. He bounced back rather nicely in Week 17, throwing for a TD and then running for another. The Chiefs play on Christmas Day against the Steelers.

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.

Gannon said the Cardinals will not rest Kyler Murray in either of the final two games.

Related players: Clayton Tune

The Cardinals have been eliminated from the playoffs but the good news for fantasy owners is they are going to continue to play Murray. Tune is the backup and doesn't necessarily offer the Cardinals a future option. Murray is coming off a decent fantasy game in Week 16, throwing for a TD and also running for another. Murray and the Cards are at the Rams on Saturday night in Week 17. They end the season at home against the 49ers in Week 18.

George Pickens and DeShon Elliott were a full participants in today's walk through.

It's great news for the Steeler offense that Pickens looks to be on track to play in Week 17. The hope would be Pickens is able to log a full workload in the game as well, which is a Christmas Day contest against the Chiefs. It's not the best matchup coming off an injury but Pickens should be back as the team's WR1.

Chargers will be opening J.K. Dobbins' 21-day window today, Jim Harbaugh tells reporters.

Related players: Gus Edwards

Dobbins has been on IR for the past four games with a knee injury. He's not a lock to play this week and he's not a lock for a safe workload even if he does play. The Chargers travel to New England in Week 17, so the matchup isn't a bad one. It's an early window game on Sunday, so owners should have plenty of notice. We'll also keep an eye on the practice reports this week.

McDaniel non-committal on whether Jaylen Waddle (knee) will practice this week: "I'm expecting to get everything from Waddle that he can do... I've [talked to] the trainer to make sure we protect him from himself. We will see how the week progresses. I don't know exactly what it will look like."

Waddle owners should probably not count on Waddle for Week 17, or at the very least have a backup plan. Waddle and the Dolphins play the Browns in the later window on Sunday so it could further complicate things for owners who were hoping to play him.

DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell tore his ACL along with dislocating his knee.

No surprises here as it was a terrible injury to watch during the game. While he's obviously out for the season, the bigger question is what will his status be for 2025. It's a huge question mark at this point given the seriousness of the injury. Even if Dell is able to play next season, he may take a while to get back to 100%.

Browns TE David Njoku has a knee injury.

Related players: Jordan Akins

There isn't much more about the injury. Njoku was dealing with a hamstring injury coming into the game but still put up a 8-66-0 line in a Week 16 loss. Njoku has been on fire as of late, despite not playing in Week 15. He had a 7-42-1 line in Week 14 and a 9-52-2 line in Week 13. It doesn't seem to matter who the QB is, Njoku has been heavily involved so those counting on him in what is likely your Week 17 finals will want to monitor his practice schedule this week. The Browns host the Dolphins in a later Sunday window game.