Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (toe) is participating in 11-on-11 drills during Wednesday's practice, and SI.com's James Rapien writes that it feels like the door could be cracked open a bit for him to potentially make his return this weekend against the New England Patriots in Week 12. It's the first time that Burrow has taken part in 11-on-11 work since having turf-toe surgery back in September. The 28-year-old is taking first-team reps with veteran Joe Flacco resting a balky right shoulder. Like he did last week, Flacco is expected to return to practice on Thursday, so he should be available to play against the Patriots if Burrow is held out for another week. Burrow has made it clear he wants to play again this season, and Cincy is desperate for a win at 3-7. It's unclear if he will play this Sunday, but fantasy managers should scoop him up if he's still available on your league's waiver wire.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, but he said he's "going to try to practice" on Thursday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. Rodgers said it is more comfortable to take snaps in the shotgun formation right now, but the goal is to be able to take snaps under center. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer suffered a small fracture in his left (non-throwing) hand in the Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but he won't need surgery and could play as early as this Sunday versus the Chicago Bears. The final decision on whether Rodgers can play this weekend will come down to head coach Mike Tomlin. Mason Rudolph is leading the first-team offense on Wednesday and would be in line to make his first start of 2025 on Sunday if Rodgers is not cleared.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (ankle) was not seen with the rest of the RBs at the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday, according to Alan Saunders of PGH Steelers Now. Although Warren said the ankle injury he suffered in the Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals wasn't serious, his status is uncertain for a Week 12 clash against the Chicago Bears this Sunday. The 27-year-old was held out of the entire fourth quarter of last Sunday's victory, although the Steelers had the game wrapped up by then. Fantasy managers looking for RB depth should consider Kenneth Gainwell a speculative pickup this week, just in case Warren is out or limited against Chicago. Gainwell had nine carries for 24 yards last Sunday and also caught a season-high seven passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He's rostered in half of Yahoo leagues at the moment.

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Wednesday that they activated quarterback Aidan O'Connell (wrist) from Injured Reserve. O'Connell has missed all of the 2025 season to this point after suffering a fractured right wrist in the preseason. It's possible that Geno Smith's poor play could open the door for O'Connell to make starts under center for the Raiders before the end of the year, but it's unclear if that's potentially in play as early as Week 12 when the team takes on the visiting Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Kenny Pickett has been serving as Smith's backup for the first 11 weeks of the season, but O'Connell could quickly jump him on the depth chart now that he's back. The 27-year-old has a 62.6% completion rate in his two years in the NFL, throwing for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 20 games (17 starts).