Who Should I Start? Terrel Bernard or Malcolm Rodriguez

Friday, January 3, 12:16 PM

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on WGR550 radio that linebacker Terrel Bernard (quadriceps) will not play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival New England Patriots, but he "feels good" about his availability for next week's wild-card playoff game. Bernard suffered a quad injury in the Week 17 blowout win over the division-rival New York Jets and will now rest up so that he can be available for the Bills defense to kick off the postseason. The 25-year-old linebacker enters Week 18 action as the No. 34 linebacker in IDP fantasy formats with 104 tackles (55 solo), one sack, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery in his 13 starts this year. Getting him back for the playoffs will be important for a Bills defense that hasn't been as dominant as in year's past.

Friday, November 29, 1:08 PM

Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (knee) suffered a torn right ACL in Thursday's Thanksgiving Day win over the division-rival Chicago Bears and will miss the rest of the season. It's a tough blow for Rodriguez, who had started six games this year while picking up 43 tackles and two sacks. The 25-year-old's season-ending injury came in the fourth quarter of the eventual 23-20 victory over Chicago on Turkey Day. He had five tackles and one pass breakup in the game before departing. Rodriguez will certainly need surgery and could be in danger of missing the start of the 2025 season, depending on how his rehab goes in the offseason. The Lions defense also lost a key piece of their linebacking corps recently when Alex Anzalone broke his forearm. The 30-year-old is expected to miss six to eight weeks and was placed on Injured Reserve.