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KEY WEDNESDAY MEDIA UPDATES
***Julio Jones did not practice on Wednesday. The Falcons continue to insist Jones has a low-grade injury and will play this week. That may prove accurate. However, Jones wasn't able to do much after the injury last week and the team was nervous enough to send him for an MRI earlier this week. We should have a better sense of how much to be concerned after Thursday's practice participation.
***Observers in Washington were impressed with how well Jordan Reed was moving and catching passes in individual drills on Wednesday. He was not cleared for contact or team drills, however, and is still uncertain for this week's game. It will be multiple weeks before Reed's injury heals but he has an outside chance of returning this week if he can convince his medical staff he has enough strength and range of motion to play safely.
***Despite missing a significant part of last week's game after being bent backward and limping off the field with an apparent left leg injury, Doug Martin was not listed on today's practice participation report. In an extended locker room interview, Martin expressed his frustration at the recent struggles of the Tampa Bay rushing game. There was no discussion of an injury.
***A.J. Green is still not practicing and continues to rehab on the side. The Bengals do not return players to play until after they've proven able to practice. Expect Green to miss his third game this week. Best case scenario is for a return to limited practice by the end of the week in the hopes of some playing time in Week 15. Tyrell Williams fully practiced today, which strongly argues his shoulder held up well enough last week in full time duty to reassure that he is not on the verge of shutting down and having surgery soon.
***Adrian Peterson's rehab continues to progress. However, he told reporters today his recovery estimate was 4-6 weeks and he will not return if the Vikings fall out of playoff contention. He's not yet ready to return and I still believe his best-case scenario is a limited role in Week 16.
THURSDAY NIGHT INJURY EXPECTATIONS
Here are the key offensive players listed on the practice participation or game status report for Thursday Night Football:
Jeremy Maclin | Groin | Not Listed | EXPECTED TO PLAY
Practice Participation: Mon - Limited | Tue - Full| Wed - Full
Maclin was very close to returning last week but the Chiefs held him out in anticipation of Thursday's huge divisional matchup against the Raiders. Maclin fully practiced through midweek and is not listed on the game status report. Those factors make an aggravation relatively unlikely and Maclin should see his pre-injury workload.
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
|
||||||
Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Aaron Rodgers | Hamstring | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
*Tom Brady | Knee | MNF | Expected to Play | |||
Andrew Luck | Shoulder | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Ben Roethlisberger | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Carson Palmer | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Tyrod Taylor | Groin | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Trevor Siemian | Foot | Limited | Could Return | |||
Blake Bortles | Shoulder | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Jared Goff | Illness | Illness | Expected to Play | |||
Cody Kessler | Concussion | Full | Likely Active / Backup | |||
Running Backs
|
||||||
Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Mark Ingram | Toe / Knee | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
Lamar Miller | Ankle / Ribs | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Matt Forte | Knee / Foot | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Jonathan Stewart | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Frank Gore | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Theo Riddick | Wrist | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Ryan Mathews | Knee | Full | Likely to Play | |||
Chris Ivory | Hamstring | Limited | Awaiting Information | |||
T.J. Yeldon | Ankle | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Duke Johnson Jr | Ankle | Full | Expected to Play | |||
DeAngelo Williams | Knee | Limited | Awaiting Information | |||
C.J. Prosise | Shoulder | DNP | Inactive | |||
Dwayne Washington | Ankle | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
Wide Receivers
|
||||||
Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Julio Jones | Toe | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
A.J. Green | Hamstring | DNP | Inactive | |||
Brandon Marshall | Knee / Foot | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Larry Fitzgerald | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Tyrell Williams | Shoulder | Full | Expected to Play | |||
*Julian Edelman | Foot | MNF | Expected to Play | |||
Sammy Watkins | Foot | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Stefon Diggs | Knee | Full | Expected to Play | |||
DeVante Parker | Back | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Jarvis Landry | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Michael Thomas | Foot | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Jordan Matthews | Ankle | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
Marvin Jones | Quad | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
Jamison Crowder | Hip | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Dontrelle Inman | Ankle | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Mohamed Sanu | Groin | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Dorial Green-Beckham | Abdomen | DNP | Awaiting Information | |||
Will Fuller | Hip | DNP | Likely to Play | |||
Robert Woods | Knee | Limited | Awaiting Information | |||
Tavon Austin | Chest | Full | Expected to Play | |||
Eddie Royal | Toe | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Marquess Wilson | Groin | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
John Brown | Illness | DNP | Likely to Play / Limited | |||
Brandon LaFell | Knee | Limited | Expected to Play | |||
Tight Ends
|
||||||
Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Game Status | FBGs Expects | ||
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
Jordan Reed | Shoulder | Limited | Awaiting Information | |||
Jimmy Graham | Not Injury Related | DNP | Expected to Play | |||
Eric Ebron | Knee | Limited | Likely to Play | |||
*Martellus Bennett | Ankle | *MNF | Expected to Play | |||
Julius Thomas | Back | DNP | Likely Inactive | |||
Charles Clay | Knee | 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.