Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been hit-or-miss in recent weeks. The veteran threw five touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 15, but he has thrown just two touchdowns and two interceptions over his last two outings. Goff, a pure pocket passer, is dependent on touchdowns for big-time fantasy upside, and he's tossed at least two touchdowns in half of his 16 starts this season. With Detroit still in the race for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, they should play their starters as usual in the Week 18 meeting with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are a neutral matchup for quarterbacks, so Goff has plenty of upside on Sunday.

Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) remained sidelined at practice on Thursday. Hopkins was forced to sit out on a short week in last Thursday night's win over the New York Jets and doesn't appear close to returning for a meaningless Week 18 regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday. The most likely scenario is that the Browns will rest the 33-year-old kicker and any other injured players like receiver Amari Cooper (heel) as they rest up for the wild-card round of the playoffs next week. Cleveland is already locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC, so Hopkins is likely to miss a second straight game this weekend. If that's the case, Riley Patterson will do the kicking for the Browns in Week 18. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a kicker.

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.

The San Francisco 49ers opened the 21-day practice window for wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III (ribs) to return from Injured Reserve on Wednesday and he was a full participant in practice. McCloud initially landed on Injured Reserve on Dec. 9. The 49ers now have 21 days to decide whether to officially activate the 27-year-old pass-catcher from IR. They won't be in any rush, as they'll have a first-round bye in the wild-card round of the playoffs next week before returning to action in the Divisional Round. San Fran also plays the Los Angeles Rams in a meaningless Week 18 game this Sunday, so it's possible McCloud could return for that. Even if he plays this weekend, McCloud won't be an option in fantasy lineups, as he's caught only nine passes for 113 yards and no touchdowns in 11 games this year.