Two straight practices, albeit limited ones, should put Allen on the right side of questionable on Friday barring something new popping up. Allen will be an unexciting FLEX play against the Steelers in Week 5 if active.
The Vikings’ No. 2 wide receiver sat out on Wednesday due to “a little hamstring soreness.” If he can get through today and tomorrow without aggravating the sore muscle, he should be able to play in Week 5 against the Saints. His WR3/FLEX viability is subject to Justin Jefferson’s (ankle) status.
Saints coach Kellen Moore told reporters that Kamara’s knee checked out okay when asked about it yesterday, it seems this back injury won’t be serious enough to keep Kamara out of Week 5 either. He’ll be a reasonable FLEX play against the Vikings if he plays.
Darrisaw is on the wrong side of questionable, having logged consecutive absences to begin Week 5. With Vikings LG Donovan Jackson (knee) out, Kyler Murray could be looking over his shoulder quite often against the Saints this weekend.
Barkley will likely be listed as a non-participant on today’s official injury report. He is unlikely to play in Week 5 against the Jaguars. Aside from Barkley, the Eagles have RBs Will Shipley and Dameon Pierce on the active roster. Shipley will probably lead the backfield in touches this week, but it could be a messy workload split.
With C Cam Jurgens now a Raven, Kendall is the Eagles’ starting center. Unfortunately, he is not practicing this week, leaving practice squad C/OG Jake Majors as his potential Week 5 fill-in. Potential starting OT Fred Johnson (knee) is practicing.
Joe Brady is quoted as saying that if Moore feels he’s healthy enough to play, he “owes it to the WR to let him be out there.” It’s not exactly a quote that inspires a lot of confidence in Moore’s availability for Monday night’s matchup with the Rams after he left Week 4’s game due to landing on the shoulder. We would regard Moore as on the doubtful side of questionable at this point, but there’s time to turn that around on Friday and Saturday.
The Colts’ starting center is back, sporting a brace on his right ankle. Assuming he makes it through today and tomorrow without suffering a setback, he should be good to go for Week 5.
Gonzalez and fellow starting perimeter CB Carlton Davis (neck) have missed each of the Patriots’ first two practices this week, putting them on the wrong side of questionable for Week 5 against the Raiders. Las Vegas lines up Brock Bowers as a wide receiver most of the time. Missing both starting coverage defenders would make life tough on the defense.
Tyler Goodson has had the RB2 role for the past couple of weeks and is set to continue now that Demercado was waived to make room for Tyler Smith to come off injured reserve. Demercado has now been waived twice in two months, and though he may be claimed again, he could also wind up on a practice squad next week.
Brady said the same goes for nickel CB Dee Alford (ankle). While this is positive news for the Bills’ defense, Oliver has already missed one game this season with a hip injury. Alford is not a top-tier coverage defender, but both players will be missed in the short term.
“I don’t see any change in terms of the depth chart at all. I felt I was underutilizing a strength,” McDaniel said about the increased usage of Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal. McDaniel’s statement is good for Hampton in the sense that we know Hampton will retain a reasonable role. And it’s bad because McDaniel is all but confirming the pecking order will remain the same. Expect more low-end RB2/FLEX nonsense from Hampton.
Jackson began the week on the wrong side of questionable after spraining his ankle in Week 4 against the Titans. Ravens coach Jesse Minter has already said that Jackson doesn’t need to practice “much” in order to play. While some sort of limited session is still possible for today, it is unlikely, with Jackson skipping warmups. If he can get in a limited session tomorrow, he has a chance to play. Stay tuned.
It looks like Chase will practice in some capacity today. He made the long walk to the Bengals’ practice field, fully suited up in pads, carrying his helmet. Given the NFL’s five-phase concussion protocol, we expect to see him listed as a limited participant today, but we will provide an update if he upgrades to full participation. Chase has a chance to play in Week 5 against the Dolphins.
Nabers is currently going through route running drills with his position group, putting him on track to play in Week 5 against the Commanders. Nabers sat out yesterday, citing extra soreness in his surgically repaired knee, but told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan that he usually feels better as the week progresses. A WR1 finish is in play this week, assuming he is active.
Higgins is sporting a T-shirt and shorts at today’s practice. We expect to see him listed as a non-participant at the end of the day. Consecutive absences put him on the wrong side of questionable for the Bengals’ Week 5 game against the Dolphins, though he still has at least a small chance of turning things around tomorrow. Stay tuned.
That role increase is, of course, Payton’s way of saying he is taking back play-calling duties from OC Davis Webb. Schefter tried to cushion the blow by saying Webb will still have a “significant game-planning and game-day role.” While Schefter didn’t outright say that Payton is now the play-caller, . It’s one of the most predictable outcomes of the season. Payton is a legendary coach known for his offensive genius. He was always going to take back the play-calling gig the moment things went south, though we doubt he expected it to happen this quickly. The Broncos are a dismal 27th in points per game. They rank slightly better in EPA per play at 21st, but that’s still a disappointing start for this offense.
Diggs was held out of Wednesday’s session because of the hamstring issue. Even a limited practice today puts him on track to suit up on Sunday. Terry McLaurin, on the other hand, looks likely to miss another week with a hamstring injury of his own. That will put Diggs in the WR1 seat for Week 5 against the Giants. Antonio Williams will continue to operate as the team’s No. 2 receiver.
McLaurin could technically return later in the session and go down as a limited participant, but we highly doubt that will happen. He will be listed as a DNP for the second day in a row, making it extremely unlikely he is available for Week 5. After facing the Giants this week, the Commanders get a slightly longer rest period before taking on the 49ers on Monday in Week 6. If they are worried about McLaurin re-aggravating the issue, they get their bye the following week, which would give him plenty of time to recover. For now, Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams will lead the team’s receiver room.
Daniels is practicing in full and is expected to return to the lineup this week. He has suffered the same elbow dislocation twice in the past year, but his game-changing running ability is a big part of what makes Daniels a potential superstar quarterback. Blough might be more tactile with how he calls quarterback runs, but they will still be in the playbook this week. Daniels will be a low-end QB1 once he is officially cleared to play.
McCarthy told reporters the team is evaluating Pittman’s roster spot, meaning they could place him on injured reserve. He would miss at least four weeks while on IR. Pittman tried to play through the foot injury but only made it two weeks before aggravating the issue. He was spotted using a scooter to support his foot in the locker room on Wednesday. We suspect the Steelers will place him on IR to give Pittman enough time to fully recover. Germie Bernard will now operate as the team’s permanent WR3, with Roman Wilson taking on more work as the clear No. 2 receiver. Both players will be decent FLEX options for Week 5.
Smith will presumably retake his starting spot at left guard after practicing in full this week. He missed the first month of the year while on IR because of a late-summer thumb injury and subsequent surgery. Dallas will now have their three-time Pro Bowl lineman back for Week 5.
Williams has already been ruled out for Week 5, but Wiederer notes that he is “progressing notably with his on-field recovery steps.” He added that the Bears having a Thursday game in Week 7 complicates things slightly. If Williams returns in Week 6, he will have an unusually short turnaround to his next game. That’s a bridge the Bears will potentially have to cross next week. For now. Tyson Bagent will draw the start again on Sunday. Ben Johnson has made magic with both of his backups so far. We fully expect the offense to survive one more week without Williams under center.
Love was listed as a limited practice participant after he tweaked his ankle in the Cardinals’ Week 4 loss to the Giants. Though he seemingly seized command of Arizona’s backfield in Week 3, Tyler Allgeier was heavily involved in Week 4 as Love hurt his ankle. He was already nursing his other ankle heading into the season and may see limited touches again with this latest tweak. Love is still trending to play Week 5 against the Lions but may sit back on the RB2/3 borderline as his ankle heals.
Okonwko returned to the lineup last week after missing a handful of games with the hamstring injury. His limited designation today is likely just maintenance. With Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs banged up, he should see more work in Week 5. Okonkwo is in the TE2 mix for Sunday’s game versus the Giants.