NFL Player News

After back-to-back playoff collapses, it’s fair to wonder if VanGorder saw the writing on the wall in Atlanta. VanGorder, 52, was an obvious candidate to be scapegoated for the losses, even though he was working “under” defensive-minded head coach Mike Smith. VanGorder spent four seasons as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator after coaching linebackers for the team in 2007. He has an extensive history coaching at the college level, as well.

Franklin missed Wednesday’s practice but was back on the field for two full practices before being removed form the report entirely. He is good to go for Week 10. Franklin leads the league in tackles (95) and has two TFLs plus an interception to his name this year.

Seibert missed Wednesday’s practice before getting in two limited sessions. The Commanders signed Zan Gonzalez to their practice squad as an emergency option. He should be called up to the active roster over the weekend. Seibert is an ace kicker when healthy, but fantasy managers may want to avoid this situation for Week 10.

Dell was added to Friday’s injury report with a back injury and Nico Collins (hamstring) only practiced once this week, in a limited capacity on Friday. C.J. Stroud could be without his starting wide receivers for this one. We will report back with updates on Dell as soon as possible.

Robinson was limited in all three practices last week before being listed as questionable. He was initially expected to play but didn’t get the go-ahead during pre-game warmups. He appeared to be on track for a similar runout this week until the Commanders held him out of Friday’s practice and ruled him out. It’s possible he suffered a setback and almost certain that the Commanders didn’t see his injury playing out this week. Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez each saw 11 carries last week. Ekeler will jump into the RB2 ranks for Week 10 while Rodriguez is a flyer RB4.

Collins returned to practice on Friday but practiced only in a limited capacity. Technically, he could play but he appears to be a long shot at this time. This soft tissue injury needs to be managed properly but Tank Dell’s Friday back injury could compel the team to make Collins active on a snap count. He is a very risky start, if active.

Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters this morning that Lawrence was trending toward missing Week 10. Lawrence has been limited in practice throughout the week but reports have all suggested he will not play. Barring a surprising turn of events over the weekend, we should prepare for “Mac Jones SZN” on Sunday. Lawrence leads the league in completions and yards on throws 20 or more yards downfield. His connection with rookie Brian Thomas Jr. has been one of the few things preventing the offense from truly bottoming out. With Jones under center, things go from bad to potentially untenable for the passing attack. Thomas Jr. will spend a week at the back of the WR2 ranks until we get a better idea of what the offense will look like under Jones.

Smith was given Wednesday and Thursday off to process his trade from the Browns to the Lions and was granted permission to visit his home in Florida, which suffered damage in a recent Hurricane. When asked if he would play this week, a smiling Smith told reporters, “I really don’t know but that’s a Dan [Campbell] question. Hopefully, I can play.” The Lions will be without starting LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle) and neither CB Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral) nor S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle) will make their return.

Brown tweaked his knee in Week 9 and was unable to return after exiting in the third quarter. He participated in all three practices this week before being cleared and should be close to full strength heading into an NFC East showdown with Dallas. Brown hasn’t hit 100 yards in a game since Week 6, which was only his second triple-digit performance of the year. Despite injuries bogging down his season, Brown remains in the WR1 ranks for Week 10.

Decker suffered the shoulder injury during Thursday’s practice and was unable to participate on Friday. The Lions’ exceptionally talented offensive line should be able to shoulder the load but this is an unfortunate development for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Hopefully, it is a non-issue in Week 11.

Goedert went down with a hamstring injury in Week 6 and has been out ever since. He logged three full practices this week and should not have much of a pitch count in his first game back. With DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown also good to go, Goedert is at best third in the pecking order for targets. He sits on the TE1/2 border for his Week 10 matchup with Dallas.