Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (ankle) missed his second straight practice of the week on Wednesday due to an ankle injury that he picked up in the wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Despite injuring his ankle last weekend, Wagner played every defensive snap in the three-point win. However, the 34-year-old veteran is in danger of missing the Divisional Round matchup this Saturday against the Detroit Lions unless he can get back onto the practice field on Thursday. Not having Wagner available this weekend would be a huge loss for the Commanders defense as they look to slow down one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league in the Lions. In the event that Wagner isn't cleared to suit up on Saturday, the Commanders would look to Nick Bellore to step up in the middle of their defense.

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (back) suffered a minor back injury in last Saturday's wild-card win over the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers but is not listed on the injury report this week as the team begins preparing for a Divisional Round showdown this Sunday against the hosting Buffalo Bills. Jackson's status for this weekend's big game was never really in question, but now it's official that the 28-year-old will be good to go. Last year's NFL MVP had only 175 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win over Pittsburgh, adding 81 rushing yards on 15 attempts, but he'll likely be needed to do more against Buffalo in what should be a high-scoring affair. The QB1 in overall fantasy points during the regular season, Jackson will be a high-priced, top-tier QB option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues against Buffalo, even if he's without top wideout Zay Flowers (knee) for a second straight game.

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The Baltimore Ravens claimed wide receiver Diontae Johnson off waivers from the Houston Texans on Wednesday. However, per NFL rules, Johnson won't be awarded to the Ravens until after the Super Bowl, so he won't be eligible to play in the rest of the postseason. Johnson has had quite the wild ride this year, starting the year with the Carolina Panthers before being dealt to Baltimore at the trade deadline. After being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and catching only one of five targets for six yards in four games with the Ravens, he was released and picked up by the Texans. He caught three of five targets for 24 yards in his two games with Houston before being waived, and now he's back in Baltimore. The 28-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in March, so there's a good chance he won't open the 2025 season with the Ravens.

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Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) was a full-go in practice on Wednesday for the second straight day this week. Montgomery said that he's "ready to go" for the Divisional Round game this Saturday versus the visiting Washington Commanders despite spraining his MCL in the Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The 27-year-old missed the final three weeks of the regular season but had an extra week to rest with Detroit on bye during the wild-card round of the playoffs. It's great news for the Lions backfield that Monty will be available this weekend, as he has been the tone-setter for the team's ground game the last two seasons. He had 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 185 carries over 14 games before his knee injury, adding 36 catches for 341 yards through the air. The potential for fewer touches alongside Jahmyr Gibbs this Saturday will make him a more volatile fantasy asset, though.

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Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz said they want to bring impending free-agent pass-rusher Khalil Mack back for the 2025 season. "I don't know if it's possible to get everybody back, but I wanna get as darn close as possible and nobody more than Khalil Mack," Harbaugh said. In addition to being a free agent when the new league year begins in March, Mack has acknowledged that he'll be contemplating retirement this offseason. Despite dropping from a career-high 17 sacks in 2023 to only six in 16 regular-season games in 2024, Mack, a three-time All-Pro, made his ninth Pro Bowl and was an integral part of a strong Bolts defense in Harbaugh's first year as head coach. If the 33-year-old does choose to play one more year, LA will have a good shot at re-signing the former first-rounder. Despite playing in 16 games, a groin injury severely impacted his production.

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Buffalo Bills rookie running back Ray Davis (concussion) was listed as a limited participant during the team's walkthrough practice on Wednesday. Although it was just a walkthrough, it's good news that Davis was limited after suffering a concussion in the wild-card win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Thursday will be a much bigger test as Davis works his way through the league's concussion protocol with hopes of being active for Sunday evening's Divisional Round battle against the Baltimore Ravens. The 25-year-old will likely need to upgrade to a full session in practice on Thursday or Friday to have a realistic chance to play this weekend as the primary change-of-pace option behind starter James Cook. Davis is an explosive backup option out of Buffalo's backfield, but if he's unable to gain clearance, Ty Johnson would serve as the primary backup to Cook against Baltimore.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee) is not practicing on Wednesday ahead of the AFC Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills. Reports suggest Flowers has an outside chance to play against Buffalo on Sunday, but missing the first session of the week is not a promising sign. The second-year pro earned his first Pro Bowl nod this season after catching 74 passes for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. He did not miss a game this year before suffering a knee injury in the Week 18 win over the Cleveland Browns, forcing him to miss the AFC Wild Card bout against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If Flowers can't go this week, wide receiver Rashod Bateman, tight end Mark Andrews, and running back Justice Hill should see more work in the passing game.

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The Houston Texans signed wide receiver Alex Erickson to the practice squad on Wednesday, according to NFL.com. This move came after the team released veteran wideout Diontae Johnson on Tuesday and promoted Jared Wayne to the active roster. Erickson, a 32-year-old undrafted free agent out of the class of 2016, has hauled in 112 passes for 1,373 yards, and two touchdowns across 105 NFL games with the Bengals, Panthers, and Chargers. He last suited up for the Chargers in 2023. Unless Houston suffers another wide receiver injury and advances to the AFC Championship Game, it would be a surprise if Erickson sees game action.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Robert Woods (hip) is back on the practice field on Wednesday after missing Tuesday's session due to a hip injury. The 32-year-old caught two of his four targets for 22 yards in last week's AFC Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Chargers and is a significant contributor after season-ending knee injuries suffered by Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Woods is not one of the better wideouts in the NFL anymore, but he provides veteran leadership and dependability in Houston's up-and-down offense. His return to practice suggests he's trending toward facing the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, but he does not have much fantasy football or DFS upside.

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The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore reports that there is a lot of momentum building for Detroit Lions offensive coordinator to become the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Johnson is the top head-coaching candidate this cycle for his work elevating Detroit's offense the last couple of seasons. "I was told last night that [for] Ben Johnson, the Raiders make more sense because he doesn't want to go against the Lions and Dan Campbell being in the same conference," Dan Patrick said. "Whether that is true or not, I think also the allure of Tom Brady [was a factor], and Brady is making decisions with the Raiders. It feels like he is making the decisions with the Raiders." Another factor that could appeal to Johnson is that he could have a hand in picking the next general manager if he were to go to Vegas. Either way, the Raiders still need to find a solution at quarterback.

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After a disastrous rookie season in 2023, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young got off to a terrible start in 2024 and was benched after just two games in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. The Athletic's Joseph Person writes that the second-year signal-caller made arguably the most important 180-degree turnaround in franchise history. Young was among Pro Football Focus' highest-graded QBs in the final 11 weeks of the season, and his turnaround was sparked by improved body language and fire and much better footwork. Young's footwork ended the year "light years ahead" of where it was at in 2023 and to begin this season, according to a team source. The former No. 1 overall pick had a 61.8 completion percentage, 2,104 yards, 15 TDs and six interceptions in his last 10 starts. He won't be a QB1 in fantasy in 2025, but his turnaround gives fantasy managers hope he could eventually get there.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Wednesday that rookie running back Ray Davis (concussion) remains in the league's concussion protocol. It means that Davis probably will not practice on Wednesday after suffering a concussion in Sunday's wild-card win over the Denver Broncos. The 25-year-old could be fighting an uphill battle to clear the concussion protocol before Sunday's Divisional Round showdown against the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Even if Davis returns to practice later this week, he'll need to be cleared by an independent neurologist in order to get the green light to suit up on Sunday evening. With Davis up in the air to play in the Divisional Round, Ty Johnson could be in line for a bigger role behind starter James Cook against Baltimore. Johnson had a season-high nine carries for 44 yards against Denver and caught his fourth TD of the year. Check back on Davis' practice status.

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After returning to a full practice on Tuesday, Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) said he's "ready to go" for the Divisional Round clash against the visiting Washington Commanders this Saturday. Montgomery sprained the MCL in his right knee in a Dec. 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and at the time, it was reported he would undergo season-ending surgery. However, Monty never had plans to go under the knife and was always targeting the Divisional Round for his return. The six-year veteran spent every day strengthening his knee, and he said it "feels better than it did before I got hurt." Still, given the long layoff, it's unclear how much he'll play this weekend. Montgomery was averaging around 28 snaps per game before the knee injury, gaining 775 yards with 12 touchdowns in 14 appearances. He's been Detroit's tone-setter on the ground, but he'll be much more of a risk in fantasy lineups this weekend.

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Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will interview with the New York Jets on Wednesday for their head-coach vacancy, according to a source. After a successful season running a top-five defense in Denver during the 2024 campaign, Joseph is in demand for several head-coaching openings around the league and will also interview for the Las Vegas Raiders job on Thursday. The 52-year-old has previous head-coach experience and led Denver's defense to No. 3 in points allowed (18.3 points per game) and No. 1 in sacks (63) this year. The Broncos defensive unit was among the bottom third in the league just a season ago, which makes it more impressive what Joseph was able to accomplish in 2024. The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh after just five games and are most likely to move on from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason.

From RotoBaller

The Dallas Cowboys have interest in and are expected to interview former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh for their vacant head-coach position, according to a source. There has been plenty of speculation about who the Cowboys would consider for the job after parting ways with Mike McCarthy earlier this week, but Saleh would be their first known request for the head-coach position. In addition to the Cowboys, Saleh is in the mix to become a head coach again with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders. If he doesn't land a head-coaching job, he's also expected to be in play for several defensive-coordinator openings around the NFL. The 45-year-old was fired on Oct. 8 after starting 2-3 with the Jets, his fourth year at the helm. For the rest of the 2024 season, Saleh served as an offensive consultant for the Green Bay Packers.

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Free-agent CB K'Waun Williams (Broncos) is expected to announce his retirement from the NFL in the next several weeks, according to a source on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

From TheHuddle

NFL Network's Jane Slater reports that former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is a candidate for Dallas' open head-coaching position. In addition to Witten, Slater mentions former defensive back and current University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as candidates for the head-coach job. Slater believes that if Dallas had retained Mike McCarthy on a short-term deal, Witten might have joined the staff as an heir apparent to take over for McCarthy. Former New England Patriots head coach and current University of North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick is expected to be an option as well for Jones. Witten has been the head coach at Liberty Christian School in Texas for the last four years but has no other coaching experience, which makes him a long shot for the Cowboys' head-coach job.

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Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf) was able to get through a full practice session on Tuesday. The star pass rusher is trending in the right direction after missing the final two games of the regular season due to a calf injury. Despite that, Jones still finished with 37 tackles, five sacks, and one fumble forced in 15 games. The six-time All-Pro pass rusher was likely just out as a precaution and should be 100 percent ready for Saturday's playoff matchup against the Houston Texans. The return of Jones will certainly give this defensive unit a lift this weekend.

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Detroit Lions defensive back Terrion Arnold (foot) was listed as a full participant during Tuesday's estimated practice session. That is good news after Arnold was forced to exit early during the regular season finale due to a foot injury. Arnold was carted off the field, which is normally never a good sign, but he appears to have avoided a serious injury. That being said, Arnold is trending in the right direction ahead of this weekend's divisional-round matchup against the Washington Commanders. Arnold recorded 60 tackles and 10 passes defended in his 16 games with the Lions. He should be ready to go for this weekend, barring any setbacks.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed running back Evan Hull to a reserve/future deal on Tuesday. The former fifth-round pick has spent each of the last two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He has mostly been on the practice squad with only two actual appearances in those two seasons. The expectation is that Hull will compete for a spot on the active roster during camp. He didn't see much action with the Colts, so maybe a change of scenery will help him.

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