AJ Mass, ESPN staff writer
Who should you start with? Who should you sit on? To help you set up your fantasy football lineups and avoid starting offensive players who are not in the lineup, we will post fantasy football-related updates and analysis here as NFL teams release their official inactive rosters. Any rankings cited in this column come from our ESPN Fantasy staff rankings.
Official Sunday inactivity should begin approximately 90 minutes before scheduled kickoff time: approximately 11:30 a.m. for early games and approximately 2:30 p.m. for late afternoon games.
Refresh frequently to get the latest information.
Game at 1 p.m. ET
Diontae Johnson, WR, Barr: Team Decision- pause
Impact: Rashod Bateman (knee) is ready to go. Johnson refused to substitute when Bettman was injured in Week 13, which is why he was suspended.
Raheem Blackshear, running back, CAR: Chest – inactive
Impact: Chuba Hubbard is expected to get all the snaps.
David Njoku, TE, CLE: Hamstring – inactive
Impact: Jordan Akins is the Browns’ starting TE with Njoku out.
Cedric Tillman, WR, CLE: Concussion—— go out
Impact: Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore will get the bulk of the WR targets, at least until Tillman is cleared to play.
Dustin Hopkins, K, CLE: Team Decision- inactive
Impact: Riley Patterson was promoted from the practice squad amid Hopkins’ struggles.
Evan Ingram, TE, JAX: Shoulder – Output/IR
Impact: Surgery ended his season. Brenton Strange is a huge downgrade.
Harrison Butker, K, KC: knee– positive
Effect: Bartek is activated by infrared light. Matthew Wright was waived.
Dee Eskridge, WR, MIA: knee– go out
Impact: Meanwhile, Jaylen Waddle (hamstring) has been removed from the injury report and will compete.
Grant DuBose, WR, MIA: Shoulder – positive
Impact: He might get some of the impression Odell Beckham Jr. left when he was waived.
Derek Carr, QB, NO: Concussion—— go out
Impact: Jack Harner starts. This is a clear downgrade for the Saints passing game.
Bub Means, WR, NO: Ankle – Output/IR
Impact: He practiced some this week but isn’t ready to return. Kevin Austin Jr. and Cedrick Wilson Jr. should both continue to see targets.
Drew Lock, QB, New York: Heel – go out
Impact: Tommy DeVito will start. Lock, who originally wore a walking boot, will serve as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.
Brace Hall, RB, NY: knee– positive
Impact: He’ll play ball and take on guard duties, at least initially.
Where to find you, RB, NYJ: hand – Output/IR
Impact: The Jets’ key returning player suffered a broken hand that ended his season. Lower the team’s D/ST level.
Tyler Conklin, TE, NY: personal – go out
Impact: Conklin and his wife did not travel with the team as they awaited the birth of their child. Jeremy Ruckert will start for the Jets, but you should probably look elsewhere.
Tony Pollard, running back, No. 10: Ankle – positive
Impact: Pollard expects to see his usual workload today.
Zane Gonzalez, K, WAS: foot – inactive
Impact: With Gonzalez unable to go, Greg Joseph will step in.
Noah Brown, WR, WAS: kidney– Output/IR
Impact: Expect Demi Brown to be more involved.
Jamison Crowder, WR, WAS: calf– positive
Impact: He was activated from IR, but he may not be ready to make a significant contribution just yet.
Game at 4 p.m. ET
Emari Demercado, running back, ARI: Back – Output/IR
Impact: James Conner and Trey Benson will likely handle all RB touches.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, BUF: knee– In doubt
Impact: He should be back for the first time since Week 10, but don’t expect miracles.
Quentin Morris, TE, BUF: Shoulder – In doubt
Impact: Dawson Knox will still be involved in TE targets.
Josh Downs, WR, IND: Shoulder – In doubt
Impact: He would immediately slot back into the Colts’ No. 1 WR mix if he plays, but that’s far from a guarantee.
Ashton Dulin, WR, IND: Ankle – go out
Impact: Adonai Mitchell will likely be the No. 3 wide receiver this week.
Will Dissly, TE, LAC: Shoulder – go out
Impact: Stone Smart emerged as a key figure in an interesting final moment.
Ladd McConkey, WR, LAC: knee– In doubt
Impact: He was in a similar situation last week and sat out. He might play today, but can you risk it?
George Pickens, WR, PIT: Hamstring – go out
Impact: Don’t expect the Steelers to run a ton of passing games with Pickens out.
Bucky Ervin, RB, TB: Back – In doubt
Impact: Expect him to play, but you really shouldn’t count on him. If Irving is out, Rashard White and Sean Tucker will share the workload.
Sterling Shepard, WR, TB: foot – In doubt
Impact: If he can suit up, it lowers expectations for another big week from Jalen McMillan.
Sunday night game
Luke Musgrave, TE, UK: Ankle – Output/IR
Impact: Just pointing out here that he’s back in practice but with an eye on the playoff roster.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, SE: calf– suspect
Impact: Zach Charbonnet performed well during Walker’s rehab. There is no need to rush him back.
