The eight remaining teams have submitted their injury reports for this weekend’s games. Nothing too significant or unexpected, but a few that will cause minor adjustments on most people’s boards.
HOUSTON: The Texans have ruled defensive end Jerry Hughes (ankle). He played in all 17 regular-season games, with 3 sacks, but didn’t play in the playoff game last week. … Andrew Beck (who plays at tight end and fullback) is questionable with a back injury. Beck didn’t practice on Tuesday or Wednesday but was a limited participant on Thursday. … George Fant is questionable after missing Thursday’s practice with an illness; Fant started at tackle against the Browns.
BALTIMORE: The Ravens won’t activate Mark Andrews off IR. This makes Isaiah Likely look as likely as any tight end to get in the end zone this weekend (up there with the likes of Kelce and Kittle, it seems). In the six games Andrews has missed, they’ve thrown 14 TDs, and Likely has caught 5 of those touchdowns. … The Ravens have ruled out cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) and Tylan Wallace. Wallace, recall, scored a walk-off game-winning touchdown on a punt return against the Rams, but he probably wasn’t going to get on the field anyway (Devin Duvernay is ready to return). … John Harbaugh indicates that Dalvin Cook will be active in some compacity.
TEXANS-RAVENS WEATHER: Weather in Baltimore will be less than ideal. The forecast indicates temperatures in the mid-20s, with winds up to 15 mph.
GREEN BAY: The Packers have ruled out defensive tackle Kingsley Enagbare, who’s typically on the field for about half of their plays. … Jaire Alexander didn’t practice at all on Wednesday or Thursday; they’re calling him questionable. When Alexander is on his game, he’s one of the top few cornerbacks in the game (as evidenced by the superb diving interception early in the Dallas game). … AJ Dillon (thumb, neck) is questionable; he didn’t practice at all on Tuesday or Wednesday but returned as a limited participant on Thursday. If Dillon doesn’t play, it will instead be Emanuel Wilson as the second running back in the offense, and I don’t think it makes a big difference either way.
SAN FRANCISCO: The 49ers have ruled out Clelin Ferrell; he’s part of the defensive line rotations. … And linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) is questionable. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, making it seem like he’ll be available. He certainly qualifies as a notable player – 2nd on the team in tackles.
PACKERS-49ERS WEATHER: There will be some moisture deal with, but nothing too significant. The forecast indicates temperatures in the high 50s, with a 70 percent chance of light rain and winds up to 9 mph.
TAMPA BAY: The Bucs look pretty healthy. Shaquil Barrett (ankle) and Chase Edmonds (toe) are their most notable listings. Both are questionable. But returned to practice today as limited participants.
DETROIT: Sam LaPorta (knee) was able to log his usual snap count last week, but he’s not fully healthy. He’s been a limited participant in practice the last two games. He’ll almost certainly play, but the injury makes him seem unlikely to put up his usual numbers. Playing with the same injury, he caught 3 passes for 14 yards and a touchdown last week. … The Lions have ruled out Kalif Raymond (knee).
KANSAS CITY: Skyy Moore (knee) is practicing but will not be activated off IR. … Kansas City has ruled out defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (triceps); he’s typically on the field for about half of their plays. … Reserve receivers Justyn Ross and Kadarius Toney are both questionable, but those aren’t players who’ll have notable roles regardless. … With Buffalo’s injury issues, I’ve adjusted my projections (see below), making KC a slight favorite rather than a slight underdog.
BUFFALO: The Bills have ruled out Gabe Davis (knee); when he missed their last game, they plugged Trent Sherfield into his role, but Sherfield didn’t have a pass thrown his way in that game. (The Davis injury makes Khalil Shakir look certain to be their 2nd-best wide receiver). … More notably, Buffalo has all kinds of defensive injuries. Its top 3 cornerbacks are all hurt (top 4 if we’re counting TreDavious White, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4). Christian Benford is out, while Rasul Douglas and Taron Johnson are both questionable. Johnson. Johnson needs to clear the concussion protocol. In the regular season, there were 12 instances in which a player was knocked out of a game and then was deemed questionable on Friday after being a limited participant in practice. Only 3 of those 12 players were active. Douglas (knee) participated fully in practice today, making it look like he’ll be ready. But less than ideal to be facing KC with a depleted secondary. … The Bills are apparently holding out hope that linebacker Terrel Bernard (pictured) will play; they’re calling him questionable (with the ankle injury he suffered last week). But he hasn’t practiced a lick. Bernard led them in tackles in the regular season, with 43 more than anyone else on the team. … Two other defensive reserves have been ruled out: Taylor Rapp and Baylon Spector.
KC-BILLS WEATHER: Weather shouldn’t be much of a factor. The forecast calls for 23 degrees at kickoff, with winds of 10 mph and only a slight chance of snow. Not ideal conditions, but both teams have played in worse weather.
With those news items worked in, my divisional round rankings would look something like this (PPR scoring) ...
DIVISIONAL ROUND RANKINGS | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Tm | Player | Pass | Rec | Run | TD | PPR |
RB | SF | McCaffrey | 0 | 32 | 103 | 1.45 | 25.9 |
QB | BUF | J.Allen | 228 | 0 | 41 | 2.07 | 25.4 |
QB | BAL | L.Jackson | 238 | 0 | 53 | 1.71 | 24.7 |
QB | KC | Mahomes | 252 | 0 | 26 | 1.87 | 22.9 |
QB | SF | Purdy | 262 | 0 | 13 | 1.92 | 22.4 |
WR | DET | St.Brown | 0 | 100 | 2 | .64 | 22.2 |
QB | DET | Goff | 282 | 0 | 1 | 1.81 | 21.5 |
QB | TB | Mayfield | 250 | 0 | 7 | 1.74 | 20.3 |
QB | GB | Love | 238 | 0 | 5 | 1.80 | 19.9 |
QB | HOU | Stroud | 235 | 0 | 12 | 1.66 | 19.9 |
WR | SF | Samuel | 0 | 62 | 20 | .84 | 17.3 |
RB | BUF | Cook | 0 | 30 | 76 | .50 | 16.9 |
WR | KC | Rice | 0 | 71 | 0 | .50 | 16.2 |
RB | DET | Gibbs | 0 | 23 | 56 | .74 | 16.1 |
RB | KC | Pacheco | 0 | 19 | 66 | .68 | 16.0 |
RB | TB | R.White | 0 | 30 | 58 | .58 | 15.7 |
WR | TB | Evans | 0 | 74 | 0 | .62 | 15.7 |
RB | BAL | Edwards | 0 | 10 | 62 | 1.17 | 15.3 |
TE | KC | Kelce | 1 | 64 | 0 | .46 | 15.2 |
WR | SF | Aiyuk | 0 | 78 | 0 | .42 | 14.8 |
WR | HOU | Collins | 0 | 73 | 0 | .43 | 14.5 |
RB | GB | A.Jones | 0 | 19 | 60 | .43 | 13.1 |
WR | BUF | Diggs | 0 | 56 | 0 | .29 | 12.7 |
RB | DET | Montgomery | 0 | 9 | 63 | .68 | 12.4 |
TE | SF | Kittle | 0 | 61 | 0 | .36 | 12.4 |
RB | HOU | Singletary | 0 | 13 | 66 | .39 | 12.2 |
WR | TB | Godwin | 0 | 57 | 1 | .27 | 11.9 |
WR | BAL | Flowers | 0 | 49 | 3 | .31 | 11.4 |
WR | GB | Reed | 0 | 46 | 5 | .45 | 11.4 |
TE | BAL | Likely | 0 | 50 | 0 | .44 | 11.4 |
TE | DET | LaPorta | 0 | 43 | 0 | .43 | 10.9 |
TE | BUF | Kincaid | 0 | 46 | 0 | .21 | 10.6 |
TE | HOU | Schultz | 0 | 40 | 0 | .29 | 9.5 |
WR | BAL | Beckham | 1 | 46 | 0 | .24 | 9.0 |
WR | BUF | Shakir | 0 | 44 | 1 | .21 | 8.9 |
PK | BAL | Tucker | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 8.7 |
WR | GB | Doubs | 0 | 38 | 0 | .22 | 8.5 |
WR | DET | J.Williams | 0 | 40 | 3 | .23 | 8.4 |
WR | HOU | Metchie | 0 | 38 | 2 | .20 | 8.3 |
WR | DET | J.Reynolds | 0 | 43 | 0 | .22 | 8.2 |
TE | TB | Otton | 0 | 30 | 0 | .25 | 7.8 |
WR | GB | Wicks | 0 | 37 | 0 | .23 | 7.6 |
WR | TB | Palmer | 0 | 31 | 1 | .19 | 7.5 |
WR | GB | Watson | 0 | 34 | 1 | .27 | 7.3 |
PK | SF | Moody | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 7.3 |
PK | TB | McLaughlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 7.2 |
PK | HOU | Fairbairn | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 7.0 |
PK | KC | Butker | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 6.9 |
PK | GB | Carlson | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 6.8 |
PK | BUF | Bass | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 6.7 |
PK | DET | Badgley | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | 6.2 |
RB | BAL | J.Hill | 0 | 14 | 19 | .15 | 6.1 |
RB | BAL | D.Cook | 0 | 10 | 24 | .18 | 6.0 |
WR | HOU | Woods | 0 | 26 | 0 | .15 | 6.0 |
WR | BAL | Bateman | 0 | 27 | 1 | .13 | 5.9 |
WR | BAL | Agholor | 0 | 25 | 0 | .19 | 5.7 |
TE | HOU | Jordan | 0 | 26 | 0 | .15 | 5.7 |
WR | BUF | Sherfield | 0 | 23 | 0 | .10 | 5.6 |
TE | GB | Kraft | 0 | 24 | 0 | .15 | 5.4 |
WR | KC | Watson | 0 | 26 | 0 | .20 | 5.3 |
WR | KC | Hardman | 0 | 15 | 2 | .12 | 5.3 |
TE | GB | Musgrave | 0 | 22 | 0 | .13 | 5.1 |
RB | BUF | T.Johnson | 0 | 8 | 16 | .12 | 4.2 |
RB | TB | Edmonds | 0 | 9 | 14 | .07 | 4.2 |
RB | KC | Edwards-Helaire | 0 | 10 | 12 | .12 | 4.2 |
WR | GB | Melton | 0 | 19 | 0 | .14 | 4.2 |
WR | SF | Jennings | 0 | 20 | 0 | .09 | 4.0 |
TE | KC | Gray | 0 | 16 | 0 | .14 | 4.0 |
WR | KC | Valdes-Scantling | 0 | 18 | 0 | .08 | 3.4 |
TE | BUF | Knox | 0 | 12 | 0 | .12 | 3.2 |
RB | SF | Mitchell | 0 | 1 | 24 | .07 | 3.1 |
TE | DET | Wright | 0 | 11 | 0 | .09 | 2.9 |
WR | BUF | D.Harty | 0 | 12 | 0 | .04 | 2.7 |
WR | HOU | Hutchinson | 0 | 12 | 0 | .06 | 2.6 |
RB | SF | Juszczyk | 0 | 8 | 1 | .10 | 2.4 |
WR | TB | D.Moore | 0 | 10 | 0 | .08 | 2.3 |
TE | HOU | Beck | 0 | 5 | 0 | .12 | 2.1 |
WR | KC | James | 0 | 8 | 0 | .06 | 1.9 |
WR | DET | Peoples-Jones | 0 | 9 | 0 | .06 | 1.7 |
WR | KC | Toney | 0 | 5 | 0 | .04 | 1.5 |
RB | GB | Wilson | 0 | 0 | 10 | .06 | 1.4 |
RB | GB | Dillon | 0 | 1 | 7 | .06 | 1.3 |
TE | TB | Durham | 0 | 5 | 0 | .02 | 1.1 |
RB | HOU | Pierce | 0 | 1 | 5 | .04 | 1.1 |
TE | BAL | Kolar | 0 | 5 | 0 | .03 | 1.1 |
RB | BUF | Murray | 0 | 0 | 6 | .06 | 1.0 |
WR | TB | Thompkins | 0 | 2 | 2 | .05 | .9 |
TE | DET | Mitchell | 0 | 4 | 0 | .02 | .9 |
RB | BAL | Ricard | 0 | 3 | 0 | .02 | .9 |
WR | DET | A.Green | 0 | 3 | 0 | .02 | .7 |
TE | HOU | Saubert | 0 | 2 | 0 | .02 | .6 |
WR | TB | Jarrett | 0 | 3 | 0 | .01 | .5 |
RB | HOU | Ogunbowale | 0 | 1 | 2 | .01 | .5 |
WR | BAL | Duvernay | 0 | 1 | 0 | .03 | .4 |
RB | KC | Perine | 0 | 1 | 0 | .01 | .4 |
WR | SF | Bell | 0 | 2 | 0 | .01 | .3 |
TE | KC | Bell | 0 | 1 | 0 | .01 | .3 |
TE | BUF | Morris | 0 | 1 | 0 | .01 | .3 |
RB | GB | Taylor | 0 | 0 | 2 | .00 | .3 |
TE | SF | Woerner | 0 | 1 | 0 | .01 | .3 |
WR | SF | McCloud | 0 | 1 | 0 | .02 | .2 |
RB | SF | Mason | 0 | 0 | 2 | .01 | .2 |
WR | KC | Ross | 0 | 1 | 0 | .01 | .2 |
QB | SF | Darnold | 3 | 0 | 0 | .02 | .2 |
RB | BAL | Gordon | 0 | 0 | 1 | .01 | .2 |
QB | KC | Gabbert | 3 | 0 | 0 | .02 | .2 |
QB | TB | Trask | 3 | 0 | 0 | .02 | .2 |
QB | GB | Clifford | 2 | 0 | 0 | .02 | .2 |
QB | HOU | Mills | 2 | 0 | 0 | .02 | .2 |
QB | DET | Bridgewater | 2 | 0 | 0 | .01 | .2 |
TE | TB | Kieft | 0 | 0 | 0 | .02 | .2 |
RB | DET | C.Reynolds | 0 | 0 | 0 | .01 | .1 |
TE | GB | Sims | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | .1 |
QB | BAL | Huntley | 1 | 0 | 0 | .01 | .1 |
RB | TB | Tucker | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | .1 |
QB | BUF | K.Allen | 1 | 0 | 0 | .01 | .1 |
TE | SF | Willis | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | .1 |
TE | GB | Deguara | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | .1 |
WR | SF | Conley | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | .1 |
TE | BUF | Gilliam | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | .1 |
WR | GB | Heath | 0 | 0 | 0 | .00 | .1 |
—Ian Allan