NFL Player News

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported earlier that Nabers “seems like a longshot to be ready” for Week 5’s game against the Seahawks. Two straight DNPs to open the week only add to that possibility, but head coach Brian Daboll said the team will wait as long as possible before deciding on his Week 5 availability. Whether or not Nabers plays is dependent on his ability to clear concussion protocol, not the coaches. If doctors don’t clear him in time, he’ll be ruled out, which could pave the way for Wan’Dale Robinson to have a high-volume day through the air.

The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman reports, Matt LaFleur said “I would hope so,” when asked if Doubs will return to practice on Friday. Regarding Doubs’ Sunday availability for the Packers’ Week 5 game against the Rams, LaFleur said “I don’t know. We’ll take it one day at a time.” It’s possible this is just LaFleur playing coy but Doubs’ status now deserves monitoring. We will provide updates as soon as possible.

Rice landing on IR was a matter of when not if. After suffering a devastating knee injury in the Chiefs’ Week 4 win over the Chargers, head coach Andy Reid said things didn’t look good for Rice, who was carted off the field. We don’t yet know the full-extent of his injury, but the team reportedly fears Rice suffered a torn ACL, which would end his season. Reid said earlier on Thursday that they were waiting for the swelling in Rice’s knee to go down before running any additional tests.

Davis was unable to play in Week but appears on track to return for Week 5. He will play a key role in the Saints’ game plan against Travis Kelce. Hopefully, Davis is able to make it through the week without suffering any setbacks.

Hill was listed as a DNP with a rib injury on Thursday, but now we know the specifics of his injury. Plenty of players have played through fractured ribs, so there’s still a chance Hill is on the field for Week 5 against the Chiefs. Hill and the Saints play on Monday night, giving him some extra time to heal up. Thursday is also their first practice of the week, meaning there are two more opportunities for him to get on the field before receiving an injury designation. We’ll see how this one unfolds in the coming days.

It is too early to tell if Miller will suit up soon but he should be stashed on fantasy benches regardless. Miller broke 10 tackles on just 41 rushing attempts as a 2023 rookie and would fit in as a capable complement to Alvin Kamara, if active.

With Jaelan Phillips (knee) out for the season, the Dolphins claimed Bowser off the Seahawks’ practice squad, adding him to their 53-man roster. Bowser is a seven-year veteran of the league who has tallied 19.5 sacks and 22 TFLs in his career. He’ll likely start off as a situational pass rusher for the Dolphins, and could be active as early as Week 5.

Hill has an extra day to recover with the Saints facing the Chiefs on Monday night. The volatile do-it-all tight end offers as high a ceiling as any, though suffering two chest injuries in the season’s first four weeks may reduce his workload, if active.

Dawkins was a DNP to start the week, but returned on Thursday and told Bills beat writer Katherine Fitzgerald that he was able to get through all of the team’s practice reps. Barring any setbacks, it sounds like Dawkins should be good to go for Sunday against the Texans.

Despite missing Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he “absolutely” expects Johnson to play in Week 5 against the Bears. In two games with Andy Dalton, Johnson has seen a whopping 27 targets while posting a 15-205-2 line through the air. This ankle injury appears to be a minor one. Assuming he’s active, Johnson will be a high-upside WR2 against the Bears.

Sanders was added to the injury report with an illness but did practice on Wednesday. Players tend to get past these things in short order, so we’d expect to see Sanders out there in his normal backup role unless the team states otherwise.