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THURSDAY UPDATES
Most of this week's games are on Saturday this week. That means today's participation report is more critical than usual and it means I'll be accelerating the timetable for this week's Gameday Expectations. I'll be shooting to have those ready tomorrow night. With that in mind, we'll leave some context for tomorrow and keep this section shorter and more direct tonight.
And, in short, I think the majority of this week's question marks are more doubtful than probable.
First, the positives:
***I think A.J. Green plays and sees very close to his pre-injury workload.
***I think Julio Jones plays. If he's cleared for a full practice on Friday, he's good to go.
***Donte Moncrief looks ready to return to a full workload.
***I'm not worried about the status and effectiveness of any of the quarterbacks on the injury report.
***I'm taking Ron Rivera at his word and expect Greg Olsen to play.
Now, the negatives:
***I think it's highly unlikely that Melvin Gordon or Matt Forte are active.
***I also do not believe Lamar Miller or Adrian Peterson are healthy enough to play effectively. Miller has the best chance of being active, but he'll be limited.
***I don't think Jordan Reed plays this week. He could not withstand minimal contact last week and has managed just 29 limited snaps in two weeks.
***I don't think Tyler Eifert plays this week. The Bengals hardly ever clear players for game day if they've not practiced by Thursday.
I'll have a ton more context after Friday's practice participation and media sessions.
MIDWEEK PRACTICE PARTICIPATION REPORT AND EARLY EXPECTATIONS
The Wednesday and Thursday practice participation reports are our first chance to see which players each NFL team are limiting in practice after the previous week's games. Players limited in mid-week practice aren't necessarily in danger of missing that week's game. But they all need to be watched closely.
*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday
|
Quarterbacks
|
||||||
| Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
| Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
| Aaron Rodgers | Calf | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Andrew Luck | Shoulder / Thumb | Limited | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Tom Brady | Thigh | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Derek Carr | Finger | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Cam Newton | Shoulder | Limited | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Ben Roethlisberger | Not Injury Related | DNP | Not Listed | Expected to Play | ||
| *Matthew Stafford | Finger/Hand | MNF | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Trevor Siemian | Foot / Hip | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Tyrod Taylor | Groin | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Blake Bortles | Shoulder | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Jared Goff | Concussion | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Bryce Petty | Chest | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Ryan Tannehill | Knee | DNP | DNP | Inactive | ||
Running Backs
|
||||||
| Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
| Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
| LeSean McCoy | Knee | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Melvin Gordon | Hip / Knee | DNP | DNP | Likely Inactive | ||
| Lamar Miller | Ankle | DNP | DNP | Game-time Decision | ||
| Matt Forte | Knee / Shoulder | DNP | DNP | Likely Inactive | ||
| Adrian Peterson | Knee / Groin | DNP | DNP | Game-time Decision | ||
| Jeremy Hill | Knee | DNP | Limited | Likely to Play | ||
| Jonathan Stewart | Not Injury Related | DNP | DNP | Expected to Play | ||
| Frank Gore | Not Injury Related | DNP | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| *Theo Riddick | Wrist | MNF | DNP | Likely Inactive | ||
| James Starks | Concussion | DNP | DNP | Likely Inactive | ||
| DeAngelo Williams | Knee | Full | Full | Likely to Return | ||
| C.J. Prosise | Shoulder | DNP | DNP | Inactive | ||
Wide Receivers
|
||||||
| Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
| Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
| Julio Jones | Toe | Limited | Limited | Likely to Play | ||
| A.J. Green | Hamstring | Limited | Limited | Likely to Play | ||
| *Dez Bryant | Back | MNF | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Emmanuel Sanders | Not Injury Related | DNP | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Demaryius Thomas | Not Injury Related | DNP | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Michael Crabtree | Finger | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Amari Cooper | Shoulder | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Donte Moncrief | Hamstring | Limited | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Brandon Marshall | Shoulder / Back | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Randall Cobb | Ankle | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Steve Smith | Thigh | Not Listed | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Stefon Diggs | Hip | DNP | Limited | Awaiting Information | ||
| Tyrell Williams | Shoulder | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Sammy Watkins | Foot | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Terrelle Pryor | Finger | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play / Limited | ||
| Kelvin Benjamin | Back | Limited | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Kenny Britt | Shoulder | Limited | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Taylor Gabriel | Shoulder | Limited | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| John Brown | Illness | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Josh Bellamy | Shoulder | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Torrey Smith | Concussion | DNP | DNP | Likely Inactive | ||
| Danny Amendola | Ankle | DNP | DNP | Inactive | ||
Tight Ends
|
||||||
| Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
| Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
| Jordan Reed | Shoulder | DNP | DNP | Unlikely to Play | ||
| Tyler Eifert | Back | DNP | DNP | Unlikely to Play | ||
| Greg Olsen | Elbow | DNP | DNP | Expected to Play | ||
| Martellus Bennett | Ankle | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| Ladarius Green | Concussion | DNP | DNP | Likely Inactive | ||
| Charles Clay | Knee | Limited | Limited | Expected to Play | ||
| A.J. Derby | Concussion | DNP | DNP | Unlikely to Play | ||
| Ryan Griffin | Hamstring | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| C.J. Fiedorowicz | Concussion | Full | Full | Expected to Play | ||
| Austin Hooper | Knee | DNP | DNP | Inactive | ||
*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.
Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.
