Sports

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Monday that although it's not official, he anticipates Joe Burrow playing on Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens.

Burrow started the first two games of the 2025 season before going down with a turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After the game, Burrow was placed on injured reserve, missing the last nine games. 

Despite Burrow's estimated recovery being three months, Taylor declined to rule his quarterback out for the season. The Bengals designated Burrow for return from injured reserve on November 10. Last week, Burrow began practicing fully and started taking snaps with the starting offense before being ruled out for Sunday's game against the Patriots the day before.

Taylor initially decided to go with backup quarterback Jake Browning. Browning has gone 0-3 in his starts, throwing for 757 yards, 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also failed to throw for over 150 yards in two of his starts.

Taylor decided to end the Browning experiment. In October, the Bengals traded a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder to acquire QB Joe Flacco from their divisional rivals, the Cleveland Browns. Flacco started the same week of the trade with just four days to prepare.

Flacco started the last six games for the Bengals, going 1-5. Flacco has thrown for 1,636 yards, 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in his time with the Bengals. Flacco has battled a shoulder injury and has struggled in his last few games.

Despite not being concerned about being benched when Burrow is healthy, Flacco has expressed a desire to start next season. Flacco will be 41 in January, going into his 19th season.

The Bengals have struggled since Burrow went down. They rank 15th in passing yards per game and fourth in the most interceptions thrown, with 12 between the two backup quarterbacks.

The Bengals are 3-8, tied for last in the AFC North. The Ravens lead the division at 6-5 and are currently on a five-game winning streak.

After starting in Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders will start again in Week 13.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Monday that Sanders will start next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. 

"Shedeur will start this week," Stefanksi said at his Monday news conference. "The No. 1 job of a quarterback is to win. So excited to get that first win under his belt.

"And then, next thing is improvement. And that's what young players do, certainly young quarterbacks do. You get one game better, and that's just from working at it. And that'll be our focus."

This story will be updated.

We saw how impactful a late-season injury can be for fantasy football in Week 12. The Green Bay Packers were without top RB Josh Jacobs due to a knee injury. As a result, Emanuel Wilson stepped in as the next-man-up and capitalized on it for fantasy managers, scoring twice en route to 25.5 fantasy points in a win over the Vikings. We'll be monitoring Jacobs' status on the short week with the Packers facing the Lions on Thanksgiving. We'll also be looking at the overall NFL injury report with fantasy analysis for key players. 

Latest news and updates

Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals (toe): We came close to seeing Burrow activated off IR in Week 12. That wasn't the case and now the expectation is Burrow will try to get on the field on Thanksgiving vs. Baltimore. It's now or never for Cincinnati and its playoff hopes. If Burrow is back, it's an upgrade for all the receivers. It will be interesting to see if Chase Brown maintains his volume of carries; he has 27 combined carries over the past two games. If Burrow does return, it seems like he could be without one his key weapons.

Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals (head): Higgins went down hard on a catch attempt late in the team's loss to New England on Sunday. He wasn't able to return after suffering a concussion. With Higgins headed for the NFL's protocol and the Bengals on a short week, it's unlikely the wideout will have enough time to play on Thursday night vs. the Ravens. If Higgins is out, Ja'Marr Chase returns from suspension and should go back to heavy target volume — especially if Burrow returns. Andrei Iosivas could see more work and is an intriguing add off the waiver wire if Higgins sits. Also keep an eye on TE Mike Gesicki, who could have streaming value. 

Baker Mayfield, QB, Bucs (shoulder): The Tampa Bay QB was forced from Sunday Night Football vs. the Rams in the second quarter after suffering a sprain in his non-throwing shoulder. By that point, the Bucs were getting run out of the stadium in a 34-7 loss, so there wasn't much reason for Mayfield to risk further injury trying to return. Teddy Bridgewater came in relief and didn't do much with 62 yards on 8 of 15 attempts. Mayfield is set to undergo an MRI on Monday, then we'll know more about his status for Week 13 vs. the Cardinals.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Steelers (wrist): Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin anticipates Rodgers being ready for Week 13 vs. the Bills. Rodgers was held out of Week 12's loss to the Bears due to a fractured left wrist. It's Rodgers' non-throwing hand so the team likely wanted a bit more time for it to heal. With Rodgers potentially back, it would provide a slight boost in value for receivers DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III. Pittsburgh should continue to lean into the run game with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, the two best fantasy starts on this team right now. 

Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers (knee): As we mentioned above, Jacobs was out last week due to the knee injury. He had been getting limited practices in prior to Week 12 and Green Bay knew it had the short week with the Thanksgiving game vs. Detroit. There's a chance Jacobs could have played this week if it were the playoffs. With that said, the short turnaround could mean he sits another game to get extra rest. Wilson looked serviceable in relief on Sunday vs. the Vikings. He'll remain a very strong RB start in fantasy if Jacobs is out again. 

Drake London, WR, Falcons (knee): This is rough for all parties. London missed Week 12 and there's a chance the Falcons play it safe with their top wideout. If that's the case, we may not see London back on the field in 2025. It would be a big blow to fantasy managers and Atlanta's offense. QB Michael Penix Jr. is done for the season and backup Kirk Cousins threw for two TDs and 199 yards and a pick vs. the Saints on Sunday. Darnell Mooney saved his fantasy day by catching a 49-yard TD to finish with a 3-74-1 line. There isn't much value in this Falcons passing game with London out and Cousins under center. 

Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints (knee): Kamara exited in the first half of Sunday afternoon's matchup vs. the Falcons and did not return. He had five touches for 15 yards prior to exiting. Devin Neal stepped in and got the majority of the work in the backfield. He finished with seven carries for 18 yards while also catching five of seven targets for 43 yards. If Kamara misses any time, Neal would be the last healthy back left. Kendre Miller went down for the season back Week 7. Neal would have some flex value given his involvement in the passing game from Week 12 and the Saints likely needing to pass more as six-point underdogs against the Dolphins. 

Week 13 NFL Injury Report

Quarterbacks

• Joe Burrow, Bengals (toe)

• Baker Mayfield, Bucs (shoulder)

• Aaron Rodgers, Steelers (wrist)

• Dillon Gabriel, Browns (concussion)

Running backs

• Josh Jacobs, Packers (knee)

• Bucky Irving, Buccaneers (shoulder/foot)

• Alvin Kamara, Saints (knee)

• Trey Benson, Cardinals (knee) — IR

Wide receivers

• Tee Higgins, Bengals (concussion)

• Drake London, Falcons (knee)

• Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars (ankle)

• Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals (appendix)

• Chris Godwin Jr., Bucs (leg)

• Terry McLaurin, Commanders (quad)

• Matthew Golden, Packers (shoulder)

• Elic Ayomanor, Titans (hamstring)

• Rashod Bateman, Ravens (ankle)

• Jayden Reed, Packers (collarbone/foot) — IR

• Kalif Raymond, Lions (ankle)

• Keon Coleman, Bills (coach's decision)

Tight Ends

• Dalton Kincaid, Bills (hamstring)

• Darren Waller, Dolphins (pectoral)

• Michael Mayer, Raiders (ankle)

• Tyler Higbee, Rams (ankle) — IR

Out for season

• Malik Nabers, Giants (knee)

• Tyreek Hill, Dolphins (knee)

• Najee Harris, Chargers (Achilles)

• Austin Ekeler, Commanders (Achilles)

• James Conner, Cardinals (foot)

• Antonio Gibson, Patriots (knee)

• Miles Sanders, Cowboys (knee)

• Cam Skattebo, Giants (ankle)

• Tucker Kraft, Packers (knee)

• Travis Hunter, Jaguars (knee)

• Calvin Ridley, Titans (leg)

• Joe Mixon, Texans (foot) 

• Sam LaPorta, Lions (back)

• Michael Penix Jr., Falcons (knee)