NFL Player News

The Buccaneers’ bye week could not come at a better time. The week off will give Wirfs some time to recover without the risk of missing an extra game, and the team is still holding out hope that Mike Evans (hamstring) can return in Week 12 after the bye. Wirfs will likely miss a game or two, but it seems unlikely the team will place him on injured reserve. Still, it’s a massive loss for the Buccaneers, who will likely replace him with veteran backup Justin Skule, who replaced him on Sunday. Todd Bowles said that Wirfs has a “low grade knee sprain” and “will be week to week.”

Bryant left the Raiders’ Week 9 loss to the Bengals with an ankle injury. He was the direct backup to Brock Bowers with Michael Mayer out, but Bryant starts out not practicing out of the bye. If Bryant cannot go in Week 11 against the Dolphins, Justin Shorter will be the direct backup to Bowers, who will continue to eat targets.

Williams popped up on the practice report with a new foot injury, listed as a non-participant for Wednesday. He has 2.5 sacks starting eight games on the Seahawks’ defensive line this season. LB Boye Mafe (knee) was limited in practice as the Seahawks get out of the bye trying to get their defense healthy.

Fant begins the week not participating, a sign his groin injury still needs time to heal. Prior to the team’s Week 10 bye, head coach Mike Macdonald had said Fant would need some time before returning, indicating he will miss Week 11 and potentially more time. The Seahawks don’t have many fantasy-serious options at tight end without Fant, and his groin injury makes Fant expendable in shallower leagues.

Brown did not practice to begin the week after head coach Zac Taylor called him day-to-day on Monday. He participated in the Monday walkthrough, but is officially a non-participant for Wednesday after missing the last two games for the Bengals. LB Joe Bachie (hip), DT B.J. Hill (knee), and WR Charlie Jones (groin) were also non-participants on the Bengals’ Wednesday practice report.

Mack played through the groin issue last week but was barely on the field, logging four snaps on defense with no other stats to his name. He was listed as questionable for the contest after being held out of all three practice sessions. Mack will need to get in at least a limited session before we can count on him a anything other than an emergency option. The stud EDGE has 4.5 sacks and five TFLs this year.

This isn’t much of a surprise as Edwards is coming off his first game in over a month because of the ankle issue. He was activated from injured reserve over the weekend and ran 10 times for 55 yards. His practice reps will be limited this week as he and the Chargers prepare to take on the Bengals. Edwards will flirt with an RB3 ranking versus a soft Cincinnati run defense.

Jones left Week 10 with the rib issue and was listed as questionable to return. He eventually did so and head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters on Monday that he expects Jones to play this week. A limited practice on Wednesday keeps him on track to suit up. Jones has taken over the backfield in recent weeks with at least 17 carries in each of his past three games. Even if the Vikings give a few of his attempts to Cam Akers because of the rib issue, Jones has secured his spot in the RB2 ranks for Week 11.

Darnold’s play has been spiraling over the past month and the last thing he needs is an injury to his throwing hand. Though there’s been no indication that this is a serious issue, it’s now on the growing list of concerns surrounding Darnold’s performance. Facing a tough Titans defense this week, Darnold will fall into the QB2 ranks for Week 11.

The Dolphins signed LB Tyrel Dodson earlier this week, likely expecting to release Long afterward. Long remains a capable run defender but can be successfully picked on in coverage.

Jacobs was playing through an ankle issue before the bye. There’s no reason to believe his latest injury will force him to miss any playing time. Barring a setback, Jacobs will sit on the RB1/2 border for his upcoming game against a struggling Bears squad.