Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) has resumed on-field work, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell. The 2024 first-round pick out of Michigan suffered a preseason ACL tear that cost him his entire rookie campaign, forcing veteran Sam Darnold into the starting role. However, it was unclear how much McCarthy was slated to play in Year 1. Darnold threw 35 touchdowns and led Minnesota to 14 wins in 2024, but his late-season collapse in Week 18 and the NFC Wild Card Round could impact his standing with the organization. In all likelihood, McCarthy will start at some point in 2025, and he's an intriguing fantasy football option due to his elite supporting cast consisting of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson.

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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee) is practicing on Thursday after being listed as a "DNP" on Wednesday with knee and rest designations. Brown was limited or missing from practice early in last week's preparation, and the team is clearly being cautious with the All-Pro wideout. Brown registered just three receptions for 10 yards on three targets in last week's NFC Wild Card victory over the Green Bay Packers, but the team attempted just 21 passes compared to 35 rushes. Brown should be expected to suit up on Sunday, and he'll face a Rams defense that surrendered the 14th-most fantasy points per game to wideouts during the regular season.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee) is not practicing on Thursday, marking the fifth consecutive official practice he has been held out of since suffering a knee injury in the Week 18 win over the Cleveland Browns. Flowers, who posted his first 1,000-yard season and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2024, is looking unlikely to suit up against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round on Sunday. The 2023 first-round pick played in every regular-season game in his second year with the franchise, and the timing of the injury in unfortunate. With Flowers likely out of action this week, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews, and Justice Hill should see additional opportunities in the passing game. His potential absence could loom large in Baltimore's chances to collect a road victory at Buffalo and advance to the AFC Championship Game.

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In a media availability on Thursday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he is interested in signing a contract extension. The 39-year-old has compiled a 34-17 record in three seasons with the Vikings, though he has begun his postseason career with an 0-2 record. O'Connell comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree and has been known for his reputation for working with quarterbacks. O'Connell helped guide Sam Darnold to career highs in passing yards (4,319) and passing touchdowns (35) in 2024, and Minnesota will surely want to keep him around to pair him with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the foreseeable future.

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Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said the team wants to bring kicker Brandon McManus back for the 2025 NFL season. The 33-year-old signed with Green Bay on October 16 and played in 11 games for the Packers. He connected on 20 of his 21 field goal attempts and all 30 of his extra-point tries during the regular season. The Super Bowl 50 champion with the Denver Broncos has hit on over 82% of his career field goal attempts and arguably had the best season of his career in 2024. McManus averaged 9.0 fantasy points per game this season, so he'll be on the fantasy radar next season if he re-signs with the Packers.

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Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is set to interview with the New York Jets on Thursday for their head-coaching vacancy. In addition to Slowik, the Jets will interview Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith for the same position on Thursday. Slowik, who is now in his second year running the Texans' offense, also received some head-coach looks last offseason but remained in Houston. The Texans' offense wasn't as productive in 2024 in quarterback C.J. Stroud's second season, but the team still managed to win the AFC South and win a playoff game for the second straight season. If the Texans were to pull the upset over the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend in the Divisional Round, it would make Slowik even more attractive to teams looking for a new head coach.

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Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said there's no concern about kicker Zane Gonzalez's hip injury or his status for the Divisional Round playoff game this Saturday versus the hosting Detroit Lions. Gonzalez was listed as limited in the team's first practice of the week on Tuesday but was a full-go on Wednesday, signaling he's ready to kick this weekend. If the 29-year-old puts in another full practice on Thursday, he'll most likely be removed from the final injury report. After joining the Commanders midway through the 2024 campaign, Gonzalez delivered stability at the position and made five of his seven field-goal attempts and all 19 of his extra-point tries in six regular-season games before kicking the game-winning field goal last Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round. Despite that, he'll be a shaky fantasy option in Detroit in a game in which the Commanders won't have the luxury of settling for field goals.

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ESPN's Ed Werder reports that University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders would almost certainly accept if Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offers to make him the next head coach, according to sources. Those around Sanders are encouraging him to pursue the opportunity, and Jones is enamored with the idea of hiring the former NFL cornerback. While Dallas has yet to request a formal interview with Sanders, he's the current betting favorite to become the next head coach of the Cowboys. The team has requested interviews with former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and current Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and more names should surface this weekend. Sanders was the head coach at Jackson State for three seasons before signing a five-year $29.5 million deal at Colorado. He also played five seasons in Dallas and helped the team win Super Bowl XXX.

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Houston Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon (ankle) was not seen at practice with the rest of the team on Thursday due to an ankle injury. Mixon wasn't on the injury report on Tuesday before being added on Wednesday while being listed as a limited participant. However KPRC's Aaron Wilson writes that it would be a surprise if Mixon were not active on Saturday to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The 28-year-old is a vital piece of Houston's offense, having rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season. He had 106 yards on the ground and scored in last week's blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round. However, Mixon's status is now worth watching heading into Saturday's contest. If he's out or limited at all, Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale would take on bigger roles in the backfield.

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Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said on Thursday that linebacker Bobby Wagner (ankle) will play on Saturday against the hosting Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round despite missing both Tuesday's and Wednesday's practices with an ankle injury. It remains to be seen if Wagner will return to practice on Thursday, but the 34-year-old was able to play every defensive snap in last Sunday night's wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite apparently injuring his ankle in that game. While Wagner may not be 100 percent for this weekend's contest -- not many players at this time of year are 100 percent -- he will be active as the Commanders look to pull the upset in Motown. If Wagner's ankle gives him more issues during the game, Nick Bellore could be asked to play more snaps. In his 13th NFL season, Wagner managed over 100 combined tackles for the 13th time in his career.

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The Dallas Cowboys are expected to interview Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for their head-coach job at some point this weekend ahead of the Eagles' Divisional Round playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Before Dallas even requested an interview with Moore, he was considered one of the favorites to replace Mike McCarthy after he was let go earlier this week. The 36-year-old Moore was the Cowboys' backup quarterback from 2015-17 and then immediately became the team's QBs coach in 2018 when he wrapped up his playing career. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019 and remained in that role through 2022. Moore was the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive coordinator in 2023 before joining the Eagles in 2024. His offenses have finished in the top 10 in total yards three different times.

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Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said on Wednesday that he will be undergoing a cardiac ablation and hip-replacement surgery this offseason. Harbaugh left the Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos with an atrial flutter, a type of arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat at an abnormally high rate. He had an electrocardiogram scan, and paramedics eventually got his heart back to a normal rhythm before Harbaugh returned to coach the rest of the game. Harbaugh's last heart flare-up came in 2012 when he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers. The 61-year-old also walks with a significant limp because of his hip, which will be fixed with surgery. Despite his health issues, Harbaugh doesn't have any plans of retiring. "It would take my heart stopping for me not to be out there on the sideline," Harbaugh said in October.

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Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) logged a limited session in Wednesday's team practice. The seventh-year pro re-aggravated a knee injury in last weekend's 32-12 win against the Los Angeles Chargers that he's been dealing with on and off since Week 6. However, when it occurred is unclear, as he participated in 98% of Houston's snaps. It's excellent news for the seventh-year pro, who was tagged with a DNP just one day ago. Despite missing six games this season, the 27-year-old is the second-leading snap-getter amongst his fellow linebackers and ranked third on the Texans with 70 tackles (45 solo) in 2024. While he appears to be trending in the right direction for Saturday's road tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs, it'd be wise to monitor him over the next few days due to the nagging nature of the injury. If Al-Shaair cannot play, teammates Neville Hewett and Christian Harris project to pick up the slack in Houston's front seven.

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Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott (shoulder) logged a limited practice session for the second consecutive day in preparation for his team's meeting with the Detroit Lions this Saturday. The rookie was used sparingly in his debut campaign -- hauling in all five of his targets despite appearing in all 17 contests. Ironically, Sinnott played more snaps earlier on in the season than he'd rack up over its last three outings -- logging double-digit snap percentages twice as opposed to the 12 times he did so over the first 13 weeks. This role remained the same in the Wild Card round, as he registered just seven of a possible 73 snaps while fellow TEs John Bates (38) and Zach Ertz (46) handily out-snapped him. With the Commanders lining up on Saturday, the 22-year-old will have one more shot to enhance his practice participation before his team must designate a status for the Divisional Round. If he can't go, Bates and Ertz would garner a higher workload.

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Los Angeles Rams defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon (thigh) was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's team practice. Witherspoon notched three tackles -- including a sack and TFL -- in Monday night's 27-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings but injured his thigh in the third quarter and did not return to the contest. While it's unfortunate that he was tagged with a DNP to kick off the week, he'll still have a few more shots to elevate his practice participation ahead of Sunday's road tilt with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 29-year-old tied for the team lead with nine pass breakups during the regular season and ranked third amongst cornerbacks in snaps played. If he can't suit up, fellow DBs Josh Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. project to pick up some extra playing time in the Rams' defensive backfield.

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Free-agent PK Aldrick Rosas (Lions), PK Matthew Wright (Titans) and PK Tucker McCann (Titans) recently worked out for the Washington Commanders.

From TheHuddle

Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker (personal) was not present with the rest of the team for Wednesday's practice due to personal reasons. It doesn't mean that the Lions won't have Decker available for the Divisional Round playoff game this Saturday against the visiting Washington Commanders, but his status will be worth watching closely. As long as he returns to the team and practices on Thursday, Decker should be ready to go. However, if he remains away from the team and doesn't play on Saturday, it will be a noteworthy piece missing from Detroit's offensive line as quarterback Jared Goff's blind-side protector. The 30-year-old veteran started 14 games during the regular season and is an anchor on the Lions' O-line. If Decker's personal issues keep him from playing, Dan Skipper could be forced to make the start at left tackle.

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Washington Commanders wide receiver Jamison Crowder (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice a day after being listed as a non-participant. The veteran pass-catcher was most likely just being rested early in the week. If he's able to be a full-go on Thursday, he could be removed from the final injury report entirely ahead of Saturday's Divisional Round clash in Detroit against the top-seeded Lions. Even if the 31-year-old is available for this weekend's playoff contest, fantasy managers should avoid him everywhere after he played only 11 of the team's 73 offensive snaps in the wild-card win last Sunday evening against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Crowder was not targeted at all in that game and caught only nine passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets all year in only six regular-season games played.

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Washington Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez (hip) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice after he was limited on Tuesday. The upgraded practice status for Gonzalez means that he should be able to kick this Saturday against the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, barring a setback in practice with his hip on Thursday. The 29-year-old veteran joined Washington midseason and ended up going 5-for-7 on his field-goal tries while making all 19 of his extra-point attempts in six regular-season games. He made all three of his field goals, including the game-winner that doinked off the upright, in the three-point wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday night. Gonzalez also made all three of his extra points in that contest. Gonzalez has been solid for the Commanders, but he won't be one of the best fantasy kicking options this weekend in Detroit.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) was limited in practice for the second straight day this week on Wednesday, the only player on the team not to practice in full. Hardman remains on Injured Reserve and will likely need to upgrade to a full practice session to have a shot at being activated and playing on Saturday when the team takes on the visiting Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The 26-year-old was designated to return from IR back on Jan. 1 but did not suit up for the Week 18 loss to the division-rival Denver Broncos in the regular-season finale. If Hardman is activated and plays this weekend, fantasy managers will want to avoid him everywhere, as he'll likely see limited snaps as a depth option for KC's receiving corps. The former second-rounder in 2019 caught only 12 of his 14 targets for 90 yards and no scores in 12 games in 2024 before going on IR.

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