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It would be quicker to list the skill position players who practiced fully today than those who were either limited or taking a Wednesday of veteran rest. There will almost certainly be a player I've not listed that develops into a game-time decision or worse by Sunday morning. Be sure to check out the Injury Expectations column for updates. You can also follow on Twitter for critical injury-related updates between now and gametime Sunday morning.
Best of luck and health to your roster during your playoff runs.
aaron rodgers | clavicle | limited
Rodgers says he's met two of the team's three criteria for a return. His strength and range of motion in the injured shoulder are near 100% and he's throwing without pain. However, the third hurdle -- adequate healing in the bone on imaging tests -- is the highest and most difficult to clear. And it won't happen this week. Rodgers said Monday's scans, a little more than four weeks after his injury, did not show enough healing for him to be cleared for contact. It's extremely unlikely that those scans will be repeated in the same week and it's also unlikely that they'll reassure the conservative Green Bay medical staff until six weeks have passed since his injury. Rodgers is adamant that the team has not discussed shutting him down for the season, but I'm certain that possibility is on the mind of everyone involved. Early next week feels like a line in the sand for Rodgers' season.
le'veon bell | concussion | full
Bell fully practiced Wednesday. While he reportedly practiced with a helmet on, it doesn't appear that the Steelers had a full contact, padded practice. So there's still at least one stage left for Bell to clear. The Steelers don't appear to be worried, however, as they made Bell available to the media after practice. Without a late week setback, Bell should be cleared to play despite the scary combination of loss of consciousness and amnesia. You'll want to watch his practice participation carefully through the end of the week.
julius thomas | knee | limited
Unless Thomas fully practices on consecutive days or says he's certain to play, consider him a game-time decision again for Week 14. Thomas has practiced in some form in each of the past two weeks before deciding that his knee was not yet ready to play. A limited Wednesday practice is not necessarily reassuring here.
jay cutler | groin / ankle | no official report
The Bears don't play until Monday and won't release an official injury report until Thursday. As of Monday afternoon, Cutler hadn't been medically cleared to practice. That was the case leading up to Week 10 and Cutler quickly advanced his practice reps and played. I think that's less likely to happen this time, but I'll be watching for practice clues as the week progresses.
jordan reed | concussion | DNP
Reed wasn't cleared for contact for nearly 14 days after his concussion and had recurrent symptoms shortly after his first contact practice. Those recurrent symptoms push him back on the return to play protocol. How far he falls back is dependent on symptoms. And it's not a good sign that he wasn't not supposed to be speaking to the media today. That suggests his symptoms may have persisted; players who are symptom-free are often cleared for interviews, even if they haven't yet been cleared for contact. If that's the case on Wednesday, we may not see Reed cleared until Week 15.
percy harvin | hip | DNP
I discussed Harvin's recent procedures and potential diagnoses at length on Monday. He's now at least seven days removed from a cortisone injection and not practicing on Wednesday. That combination means he won't be playing on Sunday. The best case scenario now, I believe, is that Harvin sees a limited snap count (10-20 snaps) in Week 15 and is then re-evaluated for Week 16. If he holds up in a limited snap count and the Seahawks need a win in Week 16 to secure a playoff bye, we could see an expanded role for him. If you're thinking that's a whole lot of "ifs" for Harvin to have any meaningful fantasy value during your playoff weeks, you're correct. Use the roster spot on another player. If you're deep at all positions, you won't use Harvin. If you're thin at a postion, there's likely someone of higher upside on your free agent list.
DARREN MCFADDEN | ankle | dnp
rashad jennings | concussion | limited
McFadden was near the top of the list of players who carried the injury-prone tag entering the season and he's done nothing to shed that label. I was skeptical of McFadden's Week 13 return after just a handful of practice reps, noting that he was at high risk of aggravating his hamstring strain or suffering a cascade injury. It's not clear when or how McFadden suffered his ankle injury, but there are already whispers that it's worse than the team originally expected and little chance he'll play in Week 14. He can't be counted on for any meaningful production this year.
Jennings wasn't available to the media after Wednesday's practice but has been cleared for exercise. That's a promising development. The Jaguars moved Jennings to injured reserve around the same time last season after a concussion, so there was reason for concern that he'd be brought more slowly through the return to play protocol. Of course, this is the Raiders, who may have accelerated Terrelle Pryor too quickly earlier this season and cleared Mychal Rivera for contact last week after just 48 hours of observation. There haven't been many late week recurrences of concussion symptoms this year, but with Jordan Reed's recent setback and the Raiders history of living on the edge of concussion clearance, be prepared for any twist in Jennings' case up until gametime this week.
dennis pitta | hip | IR-return
owen daniels | leg | IR-return
randall cobb | leg | IR-return
Daniels is doing some individual work but has yet to practice with the team. His earliest return will be Week 15. Cobb hasn't been cleared for individual drills yet. Neither player has a great chance to play enough snaps to have fantasy value by Week 16. The Ravens remain optimistic that Pitta could return this week, but that feels like a longshot. And we've seen how tricky the final stages of hip rehab can be with Percy Harvin. Still, Pitta has the best chance to get meaningful targets before the fantasy playoffs end.
Follow on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news, updates and analysis. Check back Sunday morning for my expectations on Julius Thomas, Jay Cutler, Le'Veon Bell and this week's other game-time injury decisions.