NFL Player News

Irving also lost a bad, critical late fumble that helped lead to overtime. He was victimized by a dreaded Jessie Bates “Peanut punch.” Tonight was actually the first time all season Irving got out-rushed by Rachaad White, who turned his 10 carries into 72 yards. This remains an even rushing timeshare, but White continues to win the snap battle. Hopefully Irving’s fumble didn’t endanger his future totes. We doubt it. The Bucs need his between-the-tackles prowess too much. He has 10 days to ruminate and get ready for Week 6 in New Orleans.

This comes from ESPN’s John Keim, who said he’s “not sure how much [Robinson] actually did” after the media portion of practice ended. Still, it sounds as if Robinson got in some amount of work after being a DNP on Wednesday and Thursday, which should increase his chances of suiting up on Sunday against the Browns. If Robinson is unable to go, it will be Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols splitting backfield touches, with Ekeler the favorite to handle most of the work.

Singletary has missed each of the Giants’ first two practices to open the week. Daboll said he will run Singletary through some drills later today and make a decision on his Week 5 status after practice. If Singletary is unable to go, rookie Tyrone Tracy could be in line for a busy day. Tracy has outsnapped veteran Eric Gray 63-15 on the season, and could also see extra work in the passing game with Malik Nabers (concussion) already ruled out for this week.

Nabers remains in concussion protocol and has yet to practice this week. His absence undoubtedly hurts a Giants’ passing game that is thin at receiver behind him, but it should open the door for Wan’Dale Robinson, whose 38 targets rank as fifth-most amongst all receivers, to have a busy day against the Seahawks. Robinson can be viewed as a volume-based WR2 this week.

McDaniel also said there’s a chance Odell Beckham Jr. (knee) could suit up after opening the year on the PUP list. The Dolphins plan to decide on the status of both players after Friday’s practice, so we’ll have a better sense of their availability soon. If Mostert does play, there’s a chance he eats into De’Von Achane’s workload, but McDaniel said the plan is to “modify how much [Mostert] plays in general. Achane has handled 75 of the Dolphins’ 111 running back opportunities this season and should still be viewed as the lead back until we see otherwise. Beckham, if active, is nothing more than a low-upside bench stash for the time being.

Oliver popped up on the team’s injury report Thursday and has now been ruled out for the week. The veteran lineman hopefully won’t miss more than a game, but he’s one of several Bills defenders who have already been ruled out for Week 5. In addition to Oliver, head coach Sean McDermott also said DT Austin Johnson (oblique) and S Taylor Rapp (concussion) won’t play vs. the Texans.

Shakir has yet to practice this week and has now been ruled out. He suffered his ankle injury in Week 4 against the Ravens and was reportedly “really sore” heading into this week. It doesn’t sound like there are any plans to put Shakir on injured reserve at this time, so hopefully he’ll be back after a 1-2 week absence.

Whether or not this means Cook will be elevated for Week 5’s matchup against the Steelers is to be determined, but it sounds like the Cowboys are ready to explore other internal options at running back. McCarthy also noted that Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott “haven’t been given a lot of opportunities” and “haven’t done anything to warrant their opportunities decreasing right now.” Both Dowdle and Elliott are averaging less than 4.0 YPC on the season, and its Dowdle who is currently leading the team in rushing yards (134). Cook averaged 3.2 YPC with the Jets last season and has long been trending toward washing out in the league. That he wasn’t able to be elevated to the Cowboys’ 53-man roster prior to this is somewhat concerning about where he’s at now as a player. We’ll see if he ends up taking in-game touches soon, but it sounds like Cook is slowly working his way into the Cowboys’ backfield rotation.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, is “sounds like he’s out at least six weeks.” Wallace has played all four games at left tackle this season, making one start, which came in Week 3 against the Jets. The injury to Wallace is just the latest to a Patriots offensive line that is also expected to be without center David Andrews (shoulder) for the remainder of the season. Already one of the worst lines in the league, the Patriots can ill-afford to continue losing linemen in what is already shaping up to be a lost season.

Mixon attempted to play in Week 4 but was declared inactive after pregame warmups. There was hope his near-return would signal him being active in Week 5 against the Bills, but that doesn’t appear to be the case after the veteran running back missed two straight practices to open the week. Per Rapoport, Mixon’s absence means Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale will again lead Houston’s backfield.

It was reported on Wednesday that this would be happening. Now, Hockenson will take the practice field for the first time this season on Friday and has three full weeks to be activated. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported in early September that the Vikings were “loosely targeting” Week 7 as the return date for Hockenson, so we’ll see where things go from here. Hockenson turned in a career year in his first full season with the Vikings, totaling 95 receptions for 960 yards and five touchdowns while finishing as the fantasy TE2 in fantasy points per game. His return will give Sam Darnold and the league’s fourth-ranked offense one more elite target in the passing game.