Buffalo Bills

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.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (heel) will not practice on Wednesday. Cooper didn't practice all of last week, either, and was held out on a short week in last Thursday's win over the New York Jets. The Browns are locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC for the playoffs and have already announced they will rest starting quarterback Joe Flacco. Even if the 29-year-old Cooper returns to practice later this week, there's no guarantee that the Browns will want to risk him aggravating his heel injury a week before the playoffs kick off. Fantasy managers that have Cooper shouldn't expect much, if anything, from him in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (neck, finger) is still dealing with a sore neck on Wednesday, according to head coach Sean McDermott. However, he was a full participant in the team's walkthrough practice to begin the week, and he is not at risk of missing the crucial Week 18 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. The winner of that showdown will clinch the AFC East and the right to host a Wild Card game, so a minor neck injury is not going to keep Allen out of action. He remains a high-end QB1 for fantasy leagues that extend to Week 18. Allen said himself he's "good to go" for Week 18's Sunday night game.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (neck) came out of Sunday's game against the New England Patriots banged up after taking a rough hit late. He came out of that contest with an extremely sore neck. But on Tuesday, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Allen's neck stinger won't likely impact his practice status during the week. With the AFC East title on the line against the Miami Dolphins, there should be no doubt that the 27-year-old quarterback will be out there in a must-win game. Allen might be limited in practice to start the week, but he should be a full-go by Sunday.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir saw one rushing attempt for a gain of 10 yards and caught all four of his targets in the passing game for 39 yards in the team's Week 17 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. The 23-year-old does have some explosive abilities with the ball in his hands in Buffalo's offense, but it hasn't amounted to much for fantasy managers. Shakir has found paydirt only two times in 16 games and has 33 receptions for 506 yards on 39 targets all year. Since his last time scoring in the Week 11 win over the New York Jets, Shakir has 11 receptions on 14 targets for 143 yards and no touchdowns through the air. As long as Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox stay healthy, Shakir will be hard-pressed to be a reliable fantasy option.