NFL Player News

Brock Wright, meanwhile, did not record a catch against Arizona. Zylstra looks to be the team’s TE1 with T.J. Hockensen (thumb) done for the season. He’s not worth rostering though.

The hits keep coming for McCaffrey and the 49ers, who said McCaffrey was expected back “at least by early November” just yesterday. While that may still be possible, the nature of McCaffrey’s injury sounds rather serious. McCaffrey went to Germany last week to get treatment for his Achilles tendonitis, but at that time, it was assumed only to be an issue in one of his legs. Jordan Mason will continue to handle the workload for the 49ers while McCaffrey is away, although he’s rumored to begin running on grass later this week.

Beathard lost the Jaguars’ QB2 job to Mac Jones and was released with an injury settlement at the end of camp. Now apparently recovered from the groin injury he suffered in the preseason, Beathard is hoping to re-enter the space has a backup. The Giants haven’t dealt with any reported injuries to their quarterback room, but even at full strength, there are improvements that can be made. Beathard has thrown for 3886-19-14 in his career and is 3-10 as a starter. If he signs with the Giants, it will likely be as a member of their practice squad with a chance to be elevated later if needed. Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito are all currently on the team’s 53-man roster.

Njoku returned to practice on Thursday of last week, but was a surprise DNP on Friday ahead of another missed game. Njoku’s practice participation will be one to watch ahead of Week 5’s matchup against the Commanders. He has not played since Week 1.

Speaking Monday, McCarthy said Parsons will “be challenged to play this week.” The Cowboys hesitated to rule out Parsons after he went down during Thursday night’s Week 4 matchup against the Giants, but it sounds like they more or less know what his availability will be for Week 5. Whether or not Parsons lands on injured reserve will be the thing to watch for, as his landing on IR would require him to miss at least four games. With DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) also out for the next several weeks, the Cowboys are suddenly very thin at pass-rusher. They’ll likely make a few roster moves in the coming days to account for their losses.

The Falcons only held a walkthrough, but it would border on unbelievable for Palmer to be cleared ahead of Thursday Night after picking up a concussion on Sunday. Sterling Sheppard will likely operate as Tampa’s third receiver on TNF, with Cade Otton also a threat for more targets.

The Bucs only had a walkthrough but McMillan would not seem likely to come back from his hamstring injury ahead of Thursday Night Football against the Falcons. He initially suffered the injury in Friday’s practice. Cade Otton and Sterling Sheppard vacuumed up a lot of targets last week in the absence of McMillan and would seem in line for continued moderate volume if McMillan doesn’t turn it around in the next few days.

Evans played through a knee injury in the Buc’s Week 4 matchup against the Eagles and was removed from the injury report altogether before the weekend. While he’s clearly dealing with a few ailments, Monday’s “DNP,” which is an estimation since the Buccaneers didn’t hold an official practice, could be more about getting Evans some rest on a short week. We’ll see how things look on Tuesday and Wednesday when the Buccaneers are actually on the field, but it goes without saying that this is a situation to monitor ahead of Thursday’s Week 5 tilt with the Falcons.

The Falcons didn’t log an official practice today as they prepare to face the Buccaneers on a short week on Thursday night. Monday’s designation is only an estimation, but it isn’t anything to be overly concerned about at this point. We’ll see how the rest of the week progresses, but McCloud should be in good shape for Thursday, barring any setbacks.

Shakir did play through the injury in Week 4, so we’re not overly concerned just yet, but it is something to monitor this week and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a day of rest or two ahead of Week 5’s game against the Texans. Shakir has been targeted 5 or more times in each of the last three weeks, scoring one touchdown.

Everything we’ve heard about Watson’s high-ankle sprain leads us to believe this will be a multi-week injury. This is confirmation you should not be expecting to use him in fantasy lineups this week. Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, and Romeo Doubs will all see small boosts in Watson’s absence.