During the season, I will transcribe Jene Bramel's Thursday injury video conference and provide you with his thoughts on which players to trust or fade for your lineups in the upcoming week's schedule of games. Click here to view Jene's Week 14 injury video conference. In addition to all pertinent injury news, Jene has in-depth details on the injuries to Julio Jones, Tyrell Williams and Jordan Reed.
THURSDAY UPDATE
Jeremy Maclin, KC (groin) Maclin fully participated in practice on Wednesday and was not on the injury report this week. Expect him to play this Thursday night.
Result: Trust
Derek Carr, OAK (finger). Carr did not play a single snap under center last week to prevent any damage of jamming his pinky finger. Look for him to play a lot out of the shotgun, if not all of his snaps. The game at Kanas City is expected to be cold (low-mid 20s) which could affect his finger and his throwing. This should not affect his production, but the weather could limit his effectiveness, especially the longer the game goes on.
Result: Trust
QUARTERBACK
Trevor Siemian, DEN (foot) - After missing last week with a foot injury, Trevor Siemian is back to two consecutive limited practices this week. It looks like Denver is preparing for Siemian to play this week at Tennessee.
Result: Trust
Aaron Rodgers, GB (hamstring), Tom Brady, NE (knee), Andrew Luck, IND (concussion), Ben Roethlisbeger, PIT (knee), Tyrod Tayor, BUF (groin), Carson Palmer, ARI (non-injury), Blake Bortles, JAC (shoulder), Jared Goff, LA (illness) - All are expected to play this week and the concern, if any, is minimal.
Result: Trust
Robert Griffin, CLE (shoulder) - Griffin has been out since Week 1 however he has been practicing for a few weeks and will be given the start this week against Cincinnati. Cody Kessler has been cleared of his concussion protocol and will be the team's #2 quarterback.
Result: Trust
RUNNING BACK
Mark Ingram, NO (toe, knee) Last week Ingram did not practice much during the week in fact he had two DNPs on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, yet he still played on Sunday. He appeared to tweak his toe mid-way through the game and wasn't as productive in the second half. This week he was limited on Wednesday and did not practice on Thursday. We could see a 50/50 split between him and Tim Hightower at Tampa Bay. Keep an eye on his Friday practice status, but he looks like he'll play, but he could be limited in his total touches on Sunday.
Result: Trust that he plays
Lamar Miller, HOU (ankle, ribs) - Look for Miller to play this week at Indianapolis, however his workload and effectivness has waned in the last month or so. He has not been a dominant back lately topping 80 yards rushing only twice in the last six games, never exceeding more than three catches in a game in that span. Lingering, nagging injuries are probably a big reason for his struggles.
Result: Trust, but expectations aren't what they used to be
Theo Riddick, DET (wrist) We've seen Riddick miss practice and be able to play on Sunday, so we're not too concerned about this injury.
Result: Trust
Chris Ivory, JAC (hamstring), Ryan Mathews, PHI (MCL sprain) - Both are practicing and are expected to return this week.
Result: Trust
WIDE RECEIVER
Julio Jones, ATL (toe) - There seems to be more going on than what has been led on so far. The Friday practice is going to be critical in measuring his status for Week 14 at Los Angeles. If he returns to a full practice at the end of the week (Friday), he should be good to go for Sunday. There still could be an aggravation or tweak during the game, which is something to consider, which also adds into his status of trust or fade. When he left the game last week he really struggled to push off and return to the game. He did not look effective at that point. This prompted an early-week MRI and now he has missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He could be a game time decision and there's a good chance that he will be limited.
Result: Fade for now, monitor Friday practice status
A.J. Green, CIN (hamstring) Green is still working on the side and will not play this week. The best case scenario is that we see him for very limited work in Week 15 with a possible return in Week 16.
Result: Fade
Tyrell Williams, SD (shoulder) Fully participated in practice on Wednesday and is slated to play this week at Carolina. Williams has 21 catches for 307 yards and 4 touchdowns in the last four games. Not too bad for playing with a knee and shoulder injury.
Result: Trust
Julian Edelman, NE (foot), Sammy Watkins, BUF (foot), Stefon Diggs, MIN (knee), Davonte Parker, MIA (back), Marvin Jones, DET (quad), Jordan Matthews, PHI (ankle) - Edelman, Watkins, Diggs and Parker will play. We'll probably continue to see limited touches for Watkins, but he'll play. Jones, and Matthews are closer to returning this week than they were last week. The thought is they will also play. Jones has two consecutive limited practices this week. His Friday practice status will tell a lot.
Result: Trust - The only one to be wary of is Marvin Jones, but he will probably be a go this week vs. Chicago.
Michael Thomas, NO (foot) The Saints have been quiet about any updates, however we know that he has not practiced this week. It's not even clear when he suffered the injury, but it was probably later in the game. It's definitely possible that he will return to practice on Friday and be able to play, but at this point we don't know. It's hard to trust him for now, but there's no indication that he will miss the game at Tampa Bay. We'll continue to monitor this situation as the week progresses, but right now he's a game time decision at best.
Result: Fade for Thursday lineups
Mohamed Sanu, ATL (groin), Dorial Green-Beckham, PHI (abdomen, oblique). His oblique strain is not an easy injury to play through, especially for a wide receiver. He has not practiced and may be out this week. Fade both players.
Result: Fade
Robert Woods, BUF (knee) Woods is back to a limited practice and may be coming back this week, however he's still going to be struggling with his knee. If he plays I don't see him being that effective, nor do I expect a high volume of snaps.
Result: Fade
Eddie Royal (toe), Marquess Wilson (groin), Josh Bellamy (shoulder), CHI wide receivers - All are either not practicing or limited. We're waiting to see how things shake up on Friday to get a clearer picture of the Bears wide receiver corps.
Result: Fade
TIGHT END
Jordan Reed, WAS (shoulder) - There's a few conflicting reports on Reed's status for this week. One report says that he looks like he's in pain and didn't want to do much. Then an hour later there's been some tweets that suggested he looked good and that he himself feels that his range of motion has returned. As of Thursday, it looks like he is preparing to play this week. He had two limited practices this week, but still no contact. A full practice on Friday will lean stronger to him playing. Right now, the trend is positive rather than negative. There's a possibility of him aggravating his shoulder or taking a big hit that could cause some pain, or missed snaps or series. There's still concern for him if he does play. We should know for sure on Friday.
Result: Trust - signs point to him playing.
Eric Ebron, DET (knee) Ebron has been limited in two consecutive practices this week, but the thought process is that he will play this weekend with a good matchup against the Bears.
Result: Trust
Martellus Bennett, NE (ankle) Bennett is still dealing with a high ankle sprain and he has tried to play through it, but has tweaked it a few times mid-game that has hampered his return to full health. He should be active, but look for him to be somewhat limited once again.
Result: Trust him to play, but expect limited production.
Julius Thomas, JAC (back) It is looking like Thomas will be out this week vs. Minnesota and that this is looking more and more like a full month recovery.
Result: Fade
Questions, suggestions and comments are always welcome to haseley@footballguys.com