NFL Player News

Grandy (chest) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns.

After not practicing Wednesday or Thursday, Grandy logged a full session Friday and was listed as questionable. However, that wasn't enough to be cleared for game action, and he'll miss a second consecutive contest to end the campaign. The undrafted tight end will finish his second NFL season with two receptions for seven yards across 28 offensive snaps.

Cousins was added to the Falcons' injury report due to an illness but won't have a designation for Sunday's game against the Saints and will be available to start at quarterback, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Cousins was a full participant in practice throughout the week, but he may be operating at something less than 100 percent heading into the season finale after coming down with an illness. More so than the ailment, however, Cousins' fantasy prospects could be hindered by the prospect of some of his top pass catchers being less than fully healthy. Though wideouts Drake London (knee) and Darnell Mooney (knee) and tight end Kyle Pitts (knee) are active Sunday, all were listed as questionable heading into the weekend and were limited in the Falcons' final Week 18 practice. As such, it's possible that any or all three players could have their reps managed to some degree, given that the 7-9 Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention and have little on the line in the season finale.

Harrison will not play in Sunday's game against the Saints due to an illness, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Per McElhaney, Harrison, Kirk Cousins and David Onyemata all woke up Sunday morning feeling ill, but only Harrison will sit out of Sunday's regular-season finale. As such, Harrison will end the 2025 regular season with 29 tackles (20 solo), including 2.0 sacks, and two pass defenses across 10 games (four starts) while serving in a rotational role on defense and as a contributor on special teams. The 2018 third-rounder signed a one-year contract with the Falcons in October and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Winters could miss the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs due to an ankle injury he sustained during the 49ers' 13-3 loss to the Seahawks on Saturday, Noah Furtado and Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle report.

Winters went to the locker room in the second quarter of Saturday's loss after sustaining an ankle injury and wasn't cleared to return, finishing with two tackles (one solo). Tatum Bethune (groin) also left the game in the fourth quarter, and the starting duo were replaced by Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow. The conclusion of Sunday's slate of games will ultimately determine who the 49ers face in the wild-card round and when, but it appears Winters is in danger of missing at least the first round of the NFC playoffs. Along with Kendricks and Wallow, Curtis Robinson -- who was a healthy scratch for Week 18 -- would all be candidates to start at linebacker if one or both of Winters and Bethune were to miss the first round of the postseason.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the 49ers' 13-3 loss to the Seahawks on Saturday that Bethune's groin injury could prevent him from playing in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs, Noah Furtado and Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle report.

Bethune left in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game after sustaining a groin injury, finishing the contest with seven tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks, and one pass defense. Dee Winters (ankle) also left the contest in the second quarter, and the potential loss of two starting linebackers is a huge blow to a San Francisco defense that is already without Fred Warner (ankle - IR) along with pass rushers Mykel Williams (knee - IR) and Nick Bosa (knee - IR). Eric Kendricks, Garret Wallow and Curtis Robinson (who was inactive for Week 18) would all be in line for more defensive snaps at linebacker if one or both of Bethune and Winters were to be sidelined for the wild-card round.

Brown finished Saturday's 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers with 13 tackles (five solo).

Not only were Brown's 13 stops a career high, they were also the most among defensive linemen in a single game this season, per Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer. The sixth-year pro will end the 2025 regular season with 73 tackles (33 solo), including a career-high 5.0 sacks, seven pass defenses and one forced fumble across 17 games. It was an impressive bounce-back season for Brown, who missed all but one regular-season game in 2024 after suffering a meniscus injury in his knee in September of 2024. The Panthers' loss Saturday means they are relying on a Falcons win over the Saints on Sunday to clinch the NFC South division title and the No. 4 seed in the conference playoffs.

The Texans are planning on resting Collins ahead of the postseason and are expected to make him a healthy scratch for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Colts, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though they can still clinch the AFC South on Sunday with a win over the Colts and a loss by the heavily favored Jaguars to the 3-13 Titans, the Texans will instead prioritize their top wideout's health in Week 18 rather than potentially exposing him to an injury in the pursuit of an unlikely bid for a division title. Even if Houston ends up making Collins active for the contest, he still wouldn't appear likely to play any snaps. Expect the Texans to proceed with Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Christian Kirk and Xavier Hutchinson as their main options at receiver against Indianapolis.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan relayed that Purdy suffered a "stinger" after taking a hard hit to his left shoulder on the 49ers' final offensive play of Saturday's 13-3 loss to the Seahawks, Noah Furtado and Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle report. "It's just I got hit, and the left shoulder sort of lit up," Purdy said after the contest. "I feel good right now. We'll see how I feel [Sunday]."

After accounting for 13 touchdowns over the 49ers' first three games following their Week 14 bye, Purdy had a down performance Saturday, completing 19 of 27 passes for 127 yards -- his third-lowest total of 45 career starts -- and one interception while adding 21 yards on two carries as San Francisco fell short in its bid for the NFC's No. 1 seed. His night ended on a rough note after he took a hard blindside hit on his final dropback, resulting in him lying on the turf for a few moments before he retreated to the sideline. Fortunately for Purdy, he appears to have avoided anything significant, with Shanahan noting that the quarterback could have re-entered the game if the 49ers had gotten the ball back. Purdy could still have his practice reps managed to some extent during the upcoming week, but the stinger isn't expected to affect his availability for the 49ers' wild-card matchup versus a to-be-determined opponent.

Waddle, who is officially listed as questionable with a rib injury, isn't expected to play in Sunday's season finale against the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Official word on Waddle's status will arrive when the Dolphins post their inactive list 90 minutes prior to their 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, but Miami appears set to be without two of its top playmakers in the finale, as star running back De'Von Achane (shoulder) is listed as doubtful and expected to sit out. Waddle's expected absence will leave Malik Washington, Cedrick Wilson, Theo Wease, Tahj Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as Miami's available options at receiver.

Reed (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

Reed has played sparingly this season, primarily on special teams. He'll now be out until at least the Super Bowl, should the Chargers advance that far in the postseason.