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THURSDAY NIGHT EXPECTATIONS
I expect most of you aren't too worried about players in Thursday night's game. With the possible exception of Delanie Walker -- who is fully expected to play despite being listed questionable -- it's very unlikely anyone is fussing over the status of the Jaguars and Titans. In the interest of completeness, however, Kendall Wright and Blake Bortles are questionable. Wright was optimistic and likely to play, though there's a good chance he'll be limited as a pass catcher. Bortles is going to try to play through a mid-foot strain, with reports he'll test his foot out in warmups to be sure.
Best of luck if you need a big week from anyone other than the Titans' defense this week.
saturday expectations
Keenan Allen is out with a collarbone fracture and ankle sprain. Ryan Mathews will not be playing either. He's still in a boot with a high ankle sprain. And I don't think Carlos Hyde will play with his high ankle sprain.
phillip rivers | back | questionable
I expect Rivers will be listed questionable after Thursday's practice. His back injury is "significant" according to Adam Schefter. Ian Rapoport tweeted yesterday that most quarterbacks wouldn't be able to play through what Rivers will play through this week. While there's been no specifics, it's most likely Rivers is dealing with a disc herniation of some kind. We've seen Tony Romo and Peyton Manning play through injuries like that, albeit with questionable effectiveness. There are very likely others we've not heard about. There's a risk Rivers will have to shut things down during the game, but all indications are that he'll be playing.
Fantasy expectation: Rivers is tough and will play. His floor is lower than usual, but he's an acceptable risk if he's your best option this week.
frank gore | concussion
Gore did not practice on Wednesday. He has one less day than usual to get clearance to play. The Niners may have a walkthrough on Friday, but there may not be an official injury report sent to the league. I'm not confidently leaning either way today. We'll know Gore's status in advance of the Saturday game.
Fantasy expectation: If Gore plays, use him as you normally would.
I'm producing a "Just the Facts" version today. You will find any major updates or surprising developments on Arian Foster (hip), DeAndre Hopkins (ankle), Jamaal Charles (ankle/knee), Roddy White (knee), Harry Douglas (foot), Marshawn Lynch (back), Percy Harvin (ankle), Andre Johnson (concussion), and Eddie Lacy (eye) on my Twitter feed. As of Thursday morning, I've seen nothing to suggest any of them will be out this week.
The news is not as promising on Rashad Jennings, who is almost assuredly out this week. There's also no clarity yet on Julian Edelman, who suffered a concussion sometime between Sunday and the end of Wednesday's practice. We won't get any answers from New England. The limited Thursday practice would seem to be a positive sign, but watch for developments here over the next 72 hours.
demarco murray | hand | dnp
On Monday, I wrote and tweeted I was expecting alternating reports of optimism and pessimism from the team throughout the week and I'd be remaining pessimistic on Murray. And I'd like to stick to my guns here. A broken hand for a running back is a difficult injury to overcome, especially one requiring splint immobilization to protect a surgical repair. Everything a running back is asked to do is affected by this injury -- carrying the ball, catching the ball, pass protection -- and the arms/hands take every bit the abuse the lower body does.
But this tweet caught my eye yesterday:
Dallas Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray had a metal plate and 8 screws inserted into left hand Monday. With same injury, Emmitt Smith had 6 screws.
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) December 17, 2014
When I saw that, I immediately thought, "That's a lot of screws." And I jokingly retweeted with a comment about the size of Murray's hand. Not long after, Dr. Jeff Budoff, a friend of the column and a very well respected orthopedic surgeon who specializes in upper extremities -- i.e. the hand -- replied with this:
@JeneBramel mid shaft fx. 2x required number of screws. Solid fixation. They're gonna roll the dice with his health and play him.
— JeffBudoff (@JeffBudoff) December 18, 2014
What I hadn't considered is a collaborative decision from Murray and his doctors to strengthen his repair in this way. This is something that may happen more often than I realize, but it was notable to a hand surgeon, so it's notable to me. Fixing the bone in this way will not necessarily decrease Murray's pain. It doesn't mean he'll need a lesser-sized splint.
The extra screws are likely intended to minimize the risk of aggravating the injury while playing. A number of players have been able to return after surgery within 1-2 weeks. So, it's easy to see what the goal of accelerating that process is -- playing in Week 16.
Still more telling, Murray participated in team drills on Thursday morning. That means the team is comfortable with him taking hits and they want to see how he performs and feels with whatever splint they've fashioned for him.
I can make an argument for lots of potential outcomes on Sunday if Murray plays. You could see the Cowboys rotating him more heavily than usual or going ahead and using him as they ordinarily would. You could see the Cowboys holding Murray off the field entirely on passing downs only. You could see the team activate him and not use him unless Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar flopped.
I'm anxious to hear what Murray and the team say on Thursday and what the Friday practice and post-practice press conference sound like. I'll have more on Twitter and as clear an expectation as possible on Sunday morning.
julio jones | HIP | dnp
When asked during his Monday press conference, Mike Smith said he "anticipated" Jones would return to play this week. More optimism for Mike Smith without any hard facts to back it up. On Wednesday, Smith said Jones wouldn't practice, could play without practicing, was a game-time decision and then said he'd say no more about Jones this week.
Sounds about right to me. Coaches get frustrated answering questions they don't have a good answer for and it's very possible the medical staff still isn't sure whether Jones can play this week. That in itself is a concern, obviously.
I think it'll prove difficult for Jones to play this week, but I think the Falcons are more likely to risk putting Jones on the active roster this week than they were last week. Either way, don't expect to know Jones' status until Sunday morning.
T.Y. hilton | hamstring | dnp
I thought Chuck Pagano's firm statement on Hilton's MRI on Monday, saying it's negative and Hilton was expected to practice by Thursday, was reassuring. Especially since it was more specific than we usually hear from the Colts. But Hilton didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Teams often like to see how a questionable player responds to a Thursday practice. So, there's more concern here now than earlier in the week. And with the Colts more or less locked into their seed, it's very possible we'll see them begin resting some of their injured stars.
cam newton | back | limited
Newton continues to recover well from injuries sustained in last week's car accident. His two consecutive limited practices this week included a nearly full set of first team reps on Thursday. That means the Panthers are giving Newton the crucial mid week game prep reps and expect him to play. While they've yet to name a starting quarterback, I think Newton is a near lock. I believe they'll make sure he wakes up Friday without any spasm or limitation and announce him as the starter in tomorrow's press conference.
Follow on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news, updates and analysis. Check back Sunday morning for my expectations on all of this week's game-time injury decisions.