NFL Player News

The Dolphins placed Waller (groin) on injured reserve Friday.

Waller could not get on the practice field in any capacity throughout Week 18 prep, and he'll now move to IR in advance of Sunday's season finale against the Patriots. The veteran tight end thus wraps his comeback campaign, having come out of retirement to play for the Dolphins in 2025, with 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns (on 34 targets) across nine regular-season appearances. While Waller's overall production doesn't jump off the page, when healthy he showcased playmaking ability and a capacity to thrive in the red zone that should appeal to multiple offenses across the league. That said, Waller played out 2025 on a one-year, $2 million deal with Miami and now is set to hit free agency, and it remains to be seen whether the 33-year-old tight end will even decide to return for another NFL season. Greg Dulcich will operate as the top pass-catching tight end for rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers in Week 18 with Waller unavailable.

Coach Sean McDermott said Friday that Kincaid (knee) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Jets, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Per Glab, Kincaid, who was inactive Week 17, will log his third straight limited practice Friday. With that in mind, the tight end is no lock to be active for Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET contest. Even if Kincaid is in uniform versus the Jets, the Bills could elect to limit his snaps with an eye toward keeping him healthy/available for the team's postseason run.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Achane (shoulder) will not practice Friday and will be considered a game-time decision for Sunday's season finale against the Patriots, Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald reports.

Achane is seemingly trending toward receiving an official 'questionable' tag with the release of Friday's injury report, though McDaniel noted that Miami typically holds players who are unable to close the practice week with any on-field reps out of game action, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are placing TE Darren Waller (groin) on IR on Friday, while WRJaylen Waddle (ribs) will practice in a limited capacity and be listed as questionable. With Miami already well out of playoff contention, the team could simply opt to take a cautious approach and preserve Achane's health. In that case, Jaylen Wright would stand to lead the team's backfield Week 18, while rookie Ollie Gordon would step into the No. 2 role, with newcomer Donovan Edwards also potentially available to mix in.

Coach Sean McDermott noted Friday that Allen (foot) will be limited at practice Friday, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Per the report, McDermott said that the QB will be "good to go" for Sunday's game against the Jets, and he'll continue to take it one day at time in the meantime. Friday's final injury report will clarify whether Allen carries an injury designation into the weekend, but in the event that he is active for the Bills' regular-season finale, it remains to be seen how long he'd stay in the game, with the team potentially prioritizing keeping Allen healthy ahead of the postseason. One possible scenario would involve Allen making a cameo Sunday in order to preserve his consecutive start streak, which stands at 121 regular-season contests.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Waddle (ribs) will be limited in practice Friday and listed as questionable for Sunday's season finale against the Patriots, Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald reports.

Waddle missed practice Wednesday and since has logged back-to-back limited sessions, though it sounds like his status for Sunday's divisional matchup and season finale could come down to the wire. It appears Miami will consider holding out a number of key playmakers, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, as Darren Waller (groin) will be placed on IR and De'Von Achane (shoulder) will sit out practice again Friday, though the standout running back hasn't yet been ruled out for Week 18. Waddle's status will be made official no later than 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Brown (illness) returned to practice Friday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

After missing practice both Wednesday and Thursday, Brown's return to the field Friday has him trending in the right direction as Sunday's season finale against the Browns approaches. The Bengals' final injury report of the season will relay whether Brown heads into the weekend with a designation or fully cleared for Week 18 action.

Coach Aaron Glenn said Friday that Taylor (neck) won't play in the Jets' season finale against the Bills.

The same applies to Jelani Woods (hamstring), which leaves Jeremy Ruckert and Stone Smartt as the 3-13 Jets' top available tight ends this weekend. Taylor, who last played Week 14, thus finishes his rookie campaign with 44 catches for 369 yards and a TD (on 65 targets) in 13 regular-season contests. Looking ahead, the 2025 second-rounder should maintain his key role in New York's offense next season, but look for plenty of personnel changes this offseason in terms of the team's skill positions.

Stout (concussion) is questionable to play against the Seahawks on Saturday.

Stout suffered a concussion against the Bears on Sunday and logged an LP/LP/FP practice progression this week. Despite Friday's full session, he's been tabbed questionable for Week 18, which may mean he has yet to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol. If Stout is able to get clearance to play, including from an independent neurologist, he'll likely take on his usual role as San Francisco's starting slot cornerback for a battle with Seattle that will determine the No. 1 NFC playoff seed.

Gross-Matos (knee) will not carry an injury designation into Saturday's contest against the Seahawks.

Gross-Matos will be good to go for Week 18 even though he was unable to practice Thursday due to the knee injury that's been bothering him for the last week or so. The defensive lineman will likely operate in his regular reserve role behind Sam Okuayinonu and Bryce Huff versus Seattle.

Juszczyk (hip) does not have an injury designation for Saturday's matchup versus Seattle.

Juszczyk managed a hip issue throughout the week but has been given the green light to play Saturday after logging a full practice Thursday. His availability is a big deal for San Francisco's offense given the veteran fullback's impact as a blocker and pass catcher. While he doesn't get enough touches on offense to be impactful in fantasy, Juszczyk has put together a nice 23-208-2 receiving line on 26 targets this season.