Buffalo Bills

After a couple of rough weeks in a row, Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel (hamstring) will aim to bounce back in Week 18. Despite missing Thursday's practice with a hamstring injury, the seventh-year receiver was removed from Washington's injury report and appears to be good to go for this week's matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Although this game is meaningless for the Commanders, Samuel has been a main target for quarterback Sam Howell this season. That connection could bring him into speculative start territory, but with Howell looking putrid lately, it still doesn't spark much confidence. Consider Samuel a flex option for the final week of the regular season.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (heel) has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular season finale on Sunday versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Cooper will miss his second straight game to close out the regular season. With the Browns locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC, they are choosing to rest some key players ahead of the wild-card round next week. The 29-year-old set a franchise record with 265 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Week 16 win over the Houston Texans, but that will end up being his final game of the regular season. Receivers Elijah Moore (concussion) and Marquise Goodwin (knee) are questionable and could also be rested, so quarterback Jeff Driskel might be working with rookie Cedric Tillman, David Bell and James Proche II as his top receivers against the Bengals.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (finger, neck) was a full-go in the team's practice for the second straight day on Thursday. Allen suffered a neck stinger on a hard hit late in the team's Week 17 win over the New England Patriots, but the Bills have not been concerned at all and the 27-year-old signal-caller will be ready to go for a huge Sunday night matchup against the Miami Dolphins in the Week 18 regular season finale. The Bills will win the AFC East if they beat the Dolphins and they could miss the playoffs entirely if they lose, so there is a lot riding on this contest. Allen is going to be the highest-priced fantasy QB in DFS contests this weekend, and rightfully so. He's currently the overall QB1 in total fantasy points and scored five touchdowns against the Dolphins in their first meeting back in Week 4 in Buffalo.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (heel) is missing another day of practice on Thursday. Cooper set a franchise record with 265 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Week 16 win over the Houston Texans and then missed last Thursday's win over the New York Jets due to a heel injury. The Browns are already locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC for the playoffs, so even if Cooper is able to return to practice on Friday, it seems unlikely that they would risk a setback with his heel in a meaningless game against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday. The Browns have already announced they'll be resting starting quarterback Joe Flacco. The 29-year-old is probably not going to be an option for anyone playing fantasy football in Week 18.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel (hamstring) was on the initial Week 18 injury report on Wednesday but practiced in full, so his downgrade to a non-participant on Thursday should raise some eyebrows. It's possible the Commanders are just resting the 27-year-old wideout heading into the final game of their season, but we'll have a better idea of his Week 18 status against the Dallas Cowboys after the team practices on Friday. Washington has nothing left to play for this season, so it's a legitimate setback for Samuel, the Commanders will most likely hold him out this Sunday. He's been inconsistent for fantasy managers in D.C. on a weekly basis, catching a total of 60 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games in his third year with the team. If Samuel doesn't play this weekend, it would open up a bigger role for Jahan Dotson behind Terry McLaurin.