NFL Player News

Deen (6'2/250) has a bit of work to do if he’s to be ready for Purdue’s opener versus Northwestern on Aug. 30. The former three-star recruit ranked as Rivals’ No. 12 prospect in the state of Indiana for the most recent cycle. He probably was looking at an uphill climb for early playing time even before undergoing this procedure, meaning that this should mostly be counted as a depth blow for Boilermakers HC Jeff Brohm and staff.

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.

It’s the second injury that will cost Patrick at least one game this year. He previously missed time due to a chest issue. Still playing behind an offensive line in ruins, expect Derek Carr’s favorite throw to be a check-down to Alvin Kamara this week.

The down-horrific Saints are without four of their top five receivers for this game. Mason Tipton is the last man standing among that group. Tipton was targeted three times last week but failed to bring in a single one of them. The sickest of sickos can roll him out as a WR5 for fantasy purposes.

Williams reportedly aggravated his groin injury in practice. He was technically listed as questionable, but the consensus among reporters is that the veteran back will not suit up. This leaves do-it-all offensive player Taysom Hill to operate as the Saints’ primary change-of-pace rusher, among other things. His upside is quite high for a player with tight end eligibility.

Dugger has been out with the knee issue for a few weeks. He did not practice once this week, putting his availability for Week 11 up in the air as well. Dugger has two pass breakups, one forced fumble, and a sack in six games this year.