NFL

Saunders has been dealing with a back injury and the Saints will determine his status “early in the day” ahead of their Week 7 Thursday Night matchup against the Broncos. He has played in three games for the Saints this season, most notably intercepting Patrick Mahomes in the end zone and returning it for 37 yards in Week 5. Saunders is a rotational tackle the Saints will lose for stuffing the Broncos run game if he cannot play.

The possible return of Nick Chubb (knee) in Week 7 against the Bengals could prompt Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski to call a more balanced or run-first offense, Oyefusi said. The team’s shift to the run may have already begun: The Browns in Week 6 against the Eagles were 6 percent below their expected drop back rate. Oyefusi reports that Browns players “said after the game that running the ball, specifically the under-center zone runs that Stefanski has had success with, was a point of emphasis during preparation for Philadelphia.” A run-first approach would help hide struggling QB Deshaun Watson and hide the team’s new deficiencies among its pass catchers after dealing Amari Cooper to Buffalo. Chubb is probably weeks away from seeing a full workload, however.

The Raiders had multiple lineman listed on the injury report Wednesday, starting with Miller, who was listed as a non-participant due to knee and shoulder injuries. OT Thayer Munford (knee/ankle) was a full participant while OG Dylan Parham (foot) was a non-participant.

White has been sidelined with a groin injury for two weeks and returned to practice last Friday. He starts out the week limited and could be in line to return Week 7 against the Rams. White would return to a backfield led by Alexander Mattison, though there are not a ton of fantasy points to go around there. White would be in the RB3 mix if he plays this week.

Meyers remains out due to an ankle injury after not playing in Week 6. With Davante Adams now a Jet, the Raiders’ wide receiver group is paper thin. If Meyers cannot go in Week 7, Brock Bowers has upside as a top-three fantasy tight end while Tre Tucker, DJ Turner, and Tyreik McAllister will fill in at the wideout spot.

Crosby starts out another week as a non-participant in practice. He began last week the same way, and this is likely another maintenance day. Expect Crosby to play Week 7 against the Rams barring any setbacks. Meanwhile, LB Tommy Eichenberg (quad), LB Kana’i Mauga (knee), DT John Jenkins (illness), and CB Jack Jones (illness) did not practice among the defense.

Whittington has taken on a larger role since Cooper Kupp (ankle) went down in Week 2, most recently totaling seven catches for 89 yards in Week 5. The Rams’ Week 6 bye gave him time to recover after he exited Week 5 with a shoulder injury. He begins the week limited and practice later in the week will paint a better picture of his game status Week 7 against the Raiders. Whittington has been a good FLEX play with Kupp out, but if Kupp returns, Whittington’s will relegate to fantasy benches.

Kupp returned to practice, doing individual drills on Wednesday. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 and the team has been non-committal on Kupp’s return status after the Rams’ Week 6 bye. A limited practice designation is an encouraging start, though a full practice participation later in the week would be the best indicator for him playing Week 7 against the Raiders.

Cashman is the Vikings’ leading tackler, signing a three-year deal with the team in the offseason. The 28-year-old will miss Week 7 against the Lions while he deals with a turf toe injury and could miss extended time beyond that. Kamu Grugier-Hill is next man up for Brian Flores’ defense.

Maye’s listing as a Full Participant in Wednesday’s practice despite the knee issue now looks very different. His ability to practice in full initially suggested that this was potentially a known issue that the Patriots were proactively managing. With the news of an MRI, new questions relating to the injury’s time and mechanism must now be answered. We will report back with updates as soon as possible.