Kirk was limited all of last week but starts out this week listed as a full participant for the 49ers’ Wednesday walkthrough practice. He remains on injured reserve, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said Kirk is a “possibility” for Week 7. A full practice listing is a good start and Kirk could see WR3 volume immediately with Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel dealing with injuries.
Elliss suffered a lower-leg injury on his right leg in Week 6. Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that the injury is not season-ending, but did not rule out a stint on injured reserve. Either way, it sounds like Elliss will miss Week 7 and potentially more.
Baker played through the groin injury in Week 6 but starts out this week not practicing due to both the groin injury and an illness. Also not practicing for the Cardinals defense were DL Walter Nolen (ankle), S Andrew Wingard (knee), and CB Garrett Williams (knee). Each player will likely need to practice in some capacity in order to play in Week 7.
McDuffie injured his groin during last Thursday’s practice and did not play in Week 6 against the Cardinals. He starts out this week not practicing, putting him on the wrong side of questionable for Week 7. Also not practicing was LB Nate Landman (concussion). The Rams defense continues to lose players to injury; the Raiders face this defense in Week 7 and could see more fruitful fantasy performances than usual.
In a semi-surprising twist of fate, the Raiders running back on the practice report with injuries is Washington, who was limited with foot and back injuries on Wednesday. Ashton Jeanty was not listed on the practice report. A limited practice indicates Washington is still trending to play Week 7, but with him appearing on the injury report and Jeanty off, any hopes for Washington achieving standalone fantasy value will have to wait.
Bowers is usually a limited practice participant due to his knee injury, before upgrading to full and eventually playing. However, this week is notable as he was listed with hamstring and calf injuries instead of a knee injury. He was still limited as usual on Wednesday but the new designations are something to keep an eye on throughout the week.
Henderson will be active for the Patriots’ Thursday Night Football game, but his usage is up in the air. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel got RB Corey Kiner going late last week after Henderson fumbled. The Patriots won’t simply discard their former second-round pick, so he remains FLEX-viable, but he may be playing with a very limited touch count.
Adams is set to undergo a procedure after rupturing his hamstring tendon in Week 6 against the Cardinals. He will be sidelined for 6-10 weeks. The Rams were already very thin at wide receiver and Puka Nacua has spent multiple weeks on the injury report as well. Acquiring a capable wide receiver makes sense, but as Graziano mentions, the Rams have already traded away a lot of their draft capital. Thus far, GM Les Snead has already given up their 2027 first- and third-round picks, and their 2028 second-round pick and their 2029 third-round pick. He notes that Rams QB Stetson Bennett played for Browns coach Todd Monken in college. Perhaps Monken would be interested in a reunion.
Earlier today, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Rams “will at least explore the possibility of trading for a wide receiver.” Obviously, McVay doesn’t want to tip off other wide receiver-needy NFL teams about their potential entrance into the trade market, and he has no reason to be honest with us. Acquiring a new wide receiver makes sense, and the Rams were aggressive players in the trade market last offseason. Stay tuned.
Coleman can return to practice this week and the team now has 21 days to bring him off injured reserve. He could be back on the field as soon as Sunday. With the Broncos’ offense struggling and two backs already seeing work in the backfield, it’s hard to imagine Coleman having much fantasy value in his first game back. He’s worth stashing in deeper leagues, but it might be a while before fantasy managers want him in their lineups.
Bateman left the Ravens’ Week 6 game against the Browns and did not return, though head coach Jesse Minter told reporters on Monday that he was going to be fine. Expect the team to manage his reps in practice this week with an eye on getting him ready for Sunday. Bateman has made a handful of splash plays this year, but his production is low-volume and high-variance. He will be a low-end FLEX option for Week 7.
Addison, well-rested coming off his team’s Week 6 bye, is ready to go. The Colts’ defense has played poorly, and they will likely be without top CB Sauce Gardner (calf). Addison can be a volatile producer at times, but he warrants WR3/FLEX treatment this week.
The Ravens acquired Jurgens from the Eagles two weeks ago, but he hasn’t made his Baltimore debut yet while he works through the league’s concussion protocol. A full practice today puts him on track to suit up in Week 7. His return will move rookie Vega Ioane back to right guard.
This is just a maintenance day for the Vikings’ No. 1 wide receiver. Jefferson has an excellent matchup this week against the struggling Colts’ defense. The unit will likely be without No. 1 CB Sauce Gardner (calf), further enhancing Jefferson’s WR1 outlook for Week 7.
Schultz never left the Texans’ Week 6 game against Jacksonville, but he was spotted with a limp after taking a knee to the leg. It’s possible the injury was worse than initially expected. If he were to miss Week 7, Foster Moreau, who scored twice last week, would be the next man up. Given that Schultz was barely putting up TE2 numbers as the starter, our hopes for Moreau as a streaming option would not be high.
Brown was on the injury report because of the wrist injury several times earlier in the season. The team only listed him with a knee issue last week, and he was cleared from the injury report on Friday, but it’s likely that he’s been managing the wrist injury all season. Blake Fisher, his projected backup, also missed practice today, so this is at least a situation to monitor throughout the week.
NFL on Prime’s James Palmer reported last week that Surtain was likely to return for the Broncos’ Week 8 game against the Chiefs, rather than face the Cardinals in Week 7. Given Surtain’s multi-week absence, and Palmer’s reporting, we expect to see Surtain listed as a limited participant on the final injury report. Whether he returns in time for the Cardinals’ game remains to be seen.
The Steelers will likely limit Dowdle’s reps for a few weeks as he manages the toe injury that cost him three games. He should be good to go for Sunday’s game by Friday. Dowdle saw 10 touches in his first game back and looked relatively explosive, running for 40 yards on seven attempts. He is in the RB3 mix for Week 7 versus the Saints.
Surgeries are sometimes delayed to help reduce swelling. Occasionally, new information is gathered during this time and/or during the surgery. Adams is currently expected to be sidelined for 6-10 weeks. Perhaps the wide return-to-play timeline is due to the fact that the surgeon has not yet fully assessed the injury. We tentatively expect the team to share an updated recovery timeline once Adams undergoes the procedure on his ruptured hamstring tendon. Stay tuned.
Kamara has been playing through the back issue for several weeks. He is expected to do so again this week. Kamara is part of a three-back committee, and he isn’t the leader of the trio, but that didn’t stop him from finding the end zone on nine touches last week. With a limited receiving role to go along with his shrinking rushing workload, he’s barely in the RB3 mix for Week 7.
A limited practice to start the week is usually maintenance. Donaldson looked good last week, running for 39 yards on six attempts, though he did commit one fumble. Donaldson is one of three backs seeing work for the Saints, and none of them have made a strong case to get more touches. Donaldson is a weak FLEX option for Week 7.
Neither did Mike Evans, who is dealing with Achilles tendinitis. These absences shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Evans is expected to miss Week 8 after aggravating his Achilles issue on Monday. Samuel is expected to miss “at least a couple of weeks” and has been sidelined for just one game so far. Jordan Watkins and Brandin Cooks are in line to start for the 49ers this week. What a time to be alive.
Boston played through the injury last week, catching just 1-of-5 targets for 15 yards. The foot injury could be bugging him. Fortunately, he did not appear to suffer any setbacks. Boston is a WR3/FLEX against the Titans in Week 7.
The rookie wide receiver has been awfully banged up over the past two weeks. He suffered a concussion in Week 5, yet managed to play in Week 6. Unfortunately, he did not leave the contest unscathed, picking up two lower-body injuries. Hopefully, he resumes practicing fully tomorrow.
Kyle Shanahan told reporters he’s hopeful Bosa returns to practice tomorrow. The oft-injured pass-rusher hasn’t played since Week 2. Even if he does practice on Thursday, there’s no guarantee that will get him back on the field for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.