NFL Player News

Okwara signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the Lions in March following his 10-sack 2020 campaign. Okwara had the fifth most QB pressures among EDGE rushers last season, and was graded as Pro Football Focus’ sixth best EDGE rusher through Week 3. His absence will make Detroit’s defense even more toothless than it has been in the early going.

Pederson later said that Etienne Jr. will be “okay.” The shoulder continues to haunt Etienne Jr. on the injury report even if it isn’t keeping him from suiting up and playing. That’s provided a bigger runway for Tank Bigsby, though this suggests that Bigsby’s elevated usage may just be about protecting Etienne Jr. — it’ll be another mystery to figure out ahead of Week 6’s date with the Bears.

He will not return from the injured list today. He’ll likely get a real chance at playing in Week 6 after practicing on Thursday and Friday of this week. Jamaal Williams will continue to be the main backup for Alvin Kamara against Kansas City.

This doesn’t give us much to go on. Shakir missed Week 5’s loss to the Texans after injuring his ankle against the Ravens. While it doesn’t sound like he’s dealing with anything too long-term, it wouldn’t be surprising if he missed a game or two. With an extra day to heal before facing the Jets on Monday night, there’s a chance Shakir suits up. That said, we’ll have a better sense of where things stand when the practice report is released later in the week.

Engram hasn’t played since injuring his hamstring during Week 2’s pre-game warmups. The veteran tight end was thought to have a chance to return in Week 5, but he was eventually ruled out after being limited in practice all week. Engram and the Jaguars face the Bears in London in Week 6. Fantasy managers eager to start him may want to wait before rushing him into their lineups in his first week back.

Robinson ran seven times for a mere 18 yards and two scores in Sunday’s win but didn’t see a carry in the second half. Quinn said the decision not to play Robinson was “a coaching decision” while adding that Robinson was fine after the game. It wouldn’t be surprising if Robinson was on a limited practice schedule again this week, but still suited up to play in Week 6 against the Ravens.

He continued to call Mixon “week to week,” but said the back was “definitely improving.” The Texans have been claiming Mixon as week-to-week for a solid month now. Practice participation is the guiding light and Mixon didn’t practice at all next week. We’d wait until we see Mixon practice two consecutive days before getting our hopes up that he’ll return again. Dare Ogunbowale and Cam Akers split the reps in Week 5 for the Texans, with Dameon Pierce also a possibility to get some reps in Week 6 if he can shake a hamstring injury.

News you don’t necessarily love to read after Adam Schefter reported the Texans consider Collins “day-to-day” earlier this morning. Practice participation for Collins will be telling this week, but if the Texans were going to leave Collins on the shelf for any game coming up, it would make sense that it’d be against the Patriots. Collins left Week 5’s game against the Bills with the hamstring and did not return, finishing with a 2/78/1 line. Ryans later added that “It takes a couple of weeks for a hamstring.”

It was a mild surprise when Gray took the first snaps at running back against the Seahawks, but a fumble quickly marked the end of that and paved the way for Tyrone Tracy. If Devin Singletary continues to miss time, that fumble should clear a bigger runway for Tracy to make an impact in Week 6 against the Bengals.

Smith suffered his concussion in Week 3 against the Saints and missed Week 4 as a result of his injury. Some time off during the Eagles’ bye gave him enough time to recover, as he and A.J. Brown (hamstring) are both expected to return against the lowly Browns. In three games this season, Smith has caught 21 passes for 239 yards and one touchdown on 28 targets. He’ll profile has a high-end WR2 this week if he returns.