Best Bets Today – Feb. 19, 2025
FTN Staff
When we get to this point of the NFL season, teams can have a ton of injuries piled up. The NFL is not an easy league to play in, and we’re now in Week 20 of the season. That doesn’t even count training camp and preseason football. Fortunately, there are not a ton of injuries for us to deal with this weekend.
NFL Divisional Round Injury Report
Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
The reports from Houston are that Joe Mixon is expected to play, but he is listed with an ankle injury. I’m hard-pressed to see him miss against Kansas City, but it is the first game of the weekend, so there won’t be a surprise Sunday night if he did somehow miss. Dameon Pierce would get the bulk of the work and Dare Ogunbowale would likely chip in on some passing downs in the worst-case scenario.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
We saw Tyler Higbee forced to leave the game against the Vikings Monday night with a chest injury. He had to go to the hospital to get checked out but it seems like he’s on the cusp of being back for the matchup against Philadelphia. He’s practiced in a limited fashion for the past two days, so he’s on the right track. If he’s out, Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson would be the main two tight ends to take his place.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Zay Flowers’ status is all but set. After missing the Wild Card game against the Steelers, Flowers is listed as doubtful against the Bills, so he is all but ruled out. That means Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace should have much more work than last week when they smacked Pittsburgh around. Baltimore can also utilize their tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely in the passing game to fill the void.
Original Monday Injury Report
The Monday night game between the Rams and Vikings still needs to happen, but there don’t appear to be a ton of injuries moving into the next weekend. Hopefully, it’s a clean game on Monday for injuries and the last eight teams left standing are in the best position they can be.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
As of Monday, it seems Zay Flowers has a legitimate chance to miss the game against the Bills. The talk coming out of Baltimore seems very unsure if the knee for Flowers is going to cooperate for the weekend. What that means for the Ravens is tough to guess, because Lamar Jackson only had to throw 21 passes last week against the Steelers. They ran through Pittsburgh’s defense with zero resistance, and they could do that again against Buffalo. Rashod Bateman caught a touchdown, and Isaiah Likely led the team with 53 receiving yards, so those two players would be the most likely to benefit from an absence from Flowers.
Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills
Ray Davis paid the price for one of Josh Allen’s only poor throws on Sunday, as he reached for an errant pass and got crushed by a Denver defender. Davis entered concussion protocol, so that will be something to keep an eye on this week. If he can’t suit up, that should raise the floor for the James Cook/Ty Johnson combo in the backfield. They both had strong games on Sunday and should combine for every running back touch against the Ravens.
