NFL Player News

Ajirotutu entered camp in need of a big preseason, but instead caught just two passes for 18 yards across Carolina’s four exhibition tilts. It bodes poorly for Ajirotutu’s future that he couldn’t carve out a role in the Panthers’ thin receiver corps.

While Cooper’s words are encouraging, it would be great to see him practice in full at least once before Week 11 kicks off. Wednesday marked his seventh consecutive Limited Participant practice designation so he is clearly still rehabilitating the injury. We will report back with Cooper’s Thursday practice designation as soon as possible.

Harris was sidelined on Wednesday by his ankle injury but returned to the field on Thursday. It’s a good sign for his Week 11 availability against a stout Ravens run defense, and Harris still has Friday’s practice to go. True to form, Harris averaged 2.5 YPC on 21 carries in last week’s win over the Commanders. He shouldn’t be counted on as anything more than a boom-or-bust RB2 if he’s active against the Ravens this week.

Given what we know about Hill’s injury and his decision to play through it, there’s a good chance Wednesday’s DNP was more of a rest day than anything that would signal him missing Week 11’s game against the Raiders. When asked about the possibility of surgery on his wrist, Hill said that was something that’s been discussed but that he wants to play through the injury. Unless the team suggests otherwise, we’d expect Hill to be on the field this week, where he’ll profile as a solid WR1.

Hamilton was a DNP on Wednesday and will presumably be listed as limited on Thursday. The Ravens’ All-Pro safety suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Week 10 win over the Bengals, but the severity of the injury was downplayed by head coach John Harbaugh the following day. With Friday’s practice still to go, it’s looking like Hamilton will have a good chance to suit up this weekend in a pivotal AFC North matchup against rival Pittsburgh.

That makes two straight DNPs for Bigsby to open the week. The second-year back was limited in practice all of last week but ultimately played through his ankle injury. As things stand right now, his Week 11 availability is very much up in the air, but that can change if he can get on the field Friday. Even if he’s active, Bigsby will be hard to trust as anything more than a dart throw after seeing only two carries in last week’s loss to the Vikings.

Higgins was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice and will presumably log another limited session on Thursday. He’s far from a lock to suit up in Week 11 against the Chargers, but Higgins is trending in the right direction with one practice left to go in the week. If he can get on the field Friday, he should have a good chance of suiting up against a stout Chargers defense that’s allowed the fewest points of any team in the league through the first 10 weeks.

With the Texans not playing until Monday night, Thursday marks the team’s first practice of the week. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Tuesday that Collins would practice this week, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see him on the field to start the week. While he’s not a lock to return in Week 11, the general belief is that Collins will play against the Cowboys, barring any setbacks. He entered last week under the questionable tag and was ruled out after being a game-time decision during pre-game warmups. Collins’ practice status will be one to watch over the next few days.

This report comes during the portion of practice that’s opened to the media, but after yesterday’s DNP, it wouldn’t be surprising if Adams missed another practice. Adams is dealing with a wrist injury and an illness, but Jets beat writer Cimini specifically noted the illness as the reason for his absence on Thursday. We’ll wait to see what happens in Friday’s practice before prematurely speculating on Adams’ Week 11 availability against the Colts.

Hill caught three passes for 16 yards and a touchdown in the Dolphins’ Week 10 win over the Rams but had totaled 10 catches for 152 yards in his previous two games. Welker attributed last week’s performance to the Rams’ coverage, noting that the offense is “starting to realize how perfect” it has to be to get its receivers opened against coverages. The Dolphins get a very generous Week 11 matchup at home against the Raiders. It’s a good bounce-back spot for Hill in what is a must-win game for the Fins.

On one hand, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Dowdle has handled 33 of the Cowboys’ last 64 running back opportunities, and that’s after missing Week 8’s game against the 49ers due to an illness. Still, this is the first time McCarthy has gone out of his way to endorse Dowdle as the team’s lead back. Dowdle has earned 15 or more opportunities in his last two games and has totaled 163 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown over that span. He’ll have some RB3/FLEX appeal in Week 11 against the Texans.