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KEY WEDNESDAY MEDIA UPDATES
***Sammy Watkins played around half of Buffalo's offensive snaps last week. He was expected to practice Wednesday but was held out after informing the training staff he had soreness in his foot. It may be nothing -- you would expect the Bills to be very cautious with his practice reps -- but there are multiple reasons for concern here. Firstly, and obviously, soreness in the surgically repaired foot is what Watkins struggled with for weeks before finally deciding to take two months off to rest and rehab. To again feel soreness after three limited practices and just 25 game snaps could be expected but doesn't sound much different from where Watkins has been previously. Also, the team wasn't expecting this. The Bills told reporters Watkins would be limited before practice began, which suggests there wasn't much concern earlier this week. Finally, Watkins was in the locker room after practice and refused to talk to reporters. Tomorrow's participation report and press conference are critical here.
***Jordan Reed didn't practice today. Still in a lot of pain, Reed's shoulder was said to be progressing "slowly" by Jay Gruden. Reed is hoping to play through a high grade shoulder sprain but will have to prove he will have enough strength and range of motion in the shoulder to play effectively and protect himself from a cascade injury. Consider him questionable at best for now.
***A handful of New England offensive players missed practice today. That's unusual. It's rare for the team to hold players out altogether. Often the training staff finds ways to get those players on the field for at least a few individual reps. We still haven't heard much about Rob Gronkowski's back injury. Hopefully no news is good news here and Gronkowski's practice participation increases through Friday.
***Andrew Luck won't get a formal participation listing until Thursday but all indications are he's been cleared for contact and will return to play on Monday night.
***Aaron Rodgers (hamstring) and Derek Carr (finger) have injuries that will limit their practice reps this week. Carr played effectively despite a painful finger dislocation and should not be limited during his game this week. Rodgers will play but likely has a mid-grade hamstring strain. In the past, those injuries have limited Rodgers ability to threaten defenses by scrambling and this one may affect his ability to move in the pocket, too. Watch his practice participation carefully.
***The Chargers often limit offensive players early in week and Tyrell Williams is no exception on Wednesday. The labral injury to his shoulder can be played through but he'll need to show his range of motion is sufficient to play. Depending on the location and severity of the labral tear, we could see him miss a week or two to rehab and strengthen his shoulder to limit the risk on an in-game setback or shoulder dislocation.
THURSDAY NIGHT INJURY EXPECTATIONS
Here are the key offensive players listed on the practice participation or game status report for Thursday Night Football:
Stefon diggs | Knee | Questionable | Expected to Play
Practice Participation: Mon - Limited | Tue - Limited | Wed - Full
Diggs was nearly able to play on Thanksgiving day but elected to rest. He returned to a full practice on Wednesday and, though listed questionable, is expected to return this week. Watch for any pregame news, but Diggs should be safe to use on Thursday night.
EARLY WEEK 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
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Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Aaron Rodgers | Hamstring | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Andrew Luck | Concussion | MNF | Expected to Play | |||
Tom Brady | Knee | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Derek Carr | Finger | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Carson Palmer | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Tyrod Taylor | Groin | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Blake Bortles | Shoulder | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Alex Smith | Chest | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Trevor Siemian | Foot | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Jay Cutler | Shoulder | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Running Backs
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||||||
Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Mark Ingram | Toe | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Lamar Miller | Ankle/Ribs | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Jonathan Stewart | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Latavius Murray | Ankle | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Devontae Booker | Ankle | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Theo Riddick | Ankle | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
C.J. Prosise | Shoulder | DNP | Inactive | |||
T.J. Yeldon | Ankle | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Chris Ivory | Hamstring | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Ryan Mathews | Knee | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Jacquizz Rodgers | Foot | Full | Expected to Play | |||
DeAngelo Williams | Knee | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Mike Gillislee | Hamstring | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
Alfred Blue | Calf | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Tyler Ervin | Ribs | DNP | Inactive | |||
Wide Receivers
|
||||||
Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Antonio Brown | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
A.J. Green | Hamstring | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Mike Evans | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
T.Y. Hilton | Back | MNF | Likely to Play | |||
Larry Fitzgerald | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Michael Crabtree | Ankle | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Emmanuel Sanders | Thumb | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Tyrell Williams | Shoulder | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Julian Edelman | Foot | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Sammy Watkins | Foot | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Jeremy Maclin | Groin | Limited | Game-time Decision | |||
Kelvin Benjamin | Shoulder | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Jordan Matthews | Ankle | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Marvin Jones | Thigh | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
DeVante Parker | Back | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
DeSean Jackson | Shoulder | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Michael Floyd | Hamstring | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
John Brown | Illness | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Eddie Royal | Toe | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Will Fuller | Knee | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Tavon Austin | Chest | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Torrey Smith | Shoulder | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Robert Woods | Knee | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Brandon LaFell | Knee | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Chris Hogan | Back | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
Allen Hurns | Hamstring | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Tight Ends
|
||||||
Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Rob Gronkowski | Back | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Jordan Reed | Shoulder | DNP | Game-time Decision | |||
Jimmy Graham | Knee | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Travis Kelce | Shoulder | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Martellus Bennett | Ankle/Shoulder | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Charles Clay | Knee | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Julius Thomas | Back | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
C.J. Fiedorowicz | Shoulder | Limited | Expected to Play |
*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday
Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.