Here’s my inside look at some of today’s matchup from an inside perspective…
Jets-Dolphins
Jets: Veteran RB Tevin Coleman (concussion) was cleared to play and rookie Michael Carter (high ankle), as expected, was activated off IR on Saturday and is slated to play today.
Dolphins: Veteran RB Malcolm Brown (quadriceps) was surprisingly not activated off IR despite getting in some practice time this week and RBs Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin were both activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list this week, but only got one practice in (Friday). However, neither were added to the injury report with an illness, which is a positive sign in terms of their potential availability for the game. The team activated veteran RB Duke Johnson off the practice squad and he’s the 3rd RB on the 53-man roster for this game.
Rookie S Jevon Holland also came off the reserve/COVID-19 list late this week, but was added as questionable with an illness.
Panthers-Bills
Panthers: As noted in this space last week, one of the reasons why OC Joe Brady was fired was due to his inability to get veteran WR Robby Anderson the ball. And as you saw last week, that issue changed under interim OC Jeff Nixon. Anderson had a season-high in targets (12) and yards (87) against the visiting Falcons.
The team got bad news on Saturday when starting DT Derek Brown was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which could make their run defense more vulnerable.
Cowboys-Giants
Cowboys: Perhaps some good news for RB Saquon Barkley and the NYG running game; the Cowboys are down 2 DTs in their rotation as rookie Osa Odighizuwa and Trysten Hill were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list over the weekend. Odighizuwa had been starting and Hill, when healthy, was a top backup.
Giants: WR Kenny Golladay (rib) is off the injury report after being listed on it just last week with that injury, but veteran WR Sterling Shepard (calf-questionable) has a new injury and was added to the injury report after Friday’s practice.
Titans-Steelers
Steelers: WR Chase Claypool (toe) is off their injury report this week. He has dealt with his toe injury on and off for several weeks.
DT Isaiah Buggs (ankle) was downgraded from questionable to out on Saturday. Keep in mind he was playing because of the injuries to DTs Tyson Alualu (broken ankle) and Stephon Tuitt (knee), which will help to explain why the Steeler run defense has struggled this season.
Texans-Jaguars
Texans: Bad news for IDP owners who have him on their roster(s): DE Jonathan Greenard was placed on the reserve/COVID list on Saturday. The 2nd-year pro, who has become a breakout player, became a starter this season after only starting the season finale last year.
Rookie WR Nico Collins (thigh) and RB David Johnson (illness, thigh) are not listed on the injury report this week. Johnson was added to the reserve/COVID-19 list a few hours before last week’s game.
Jaguars: Interim HC/OC Darrell Bevell cleared up any issues with RB James Robinson’s (heel, knee) playing time.
Robinson, who has dealt with that lingering heel issue for several weeks, saw his role reduced after fumbling in consecutive games, will go back to his regular/full-time role.
“James Robinson is our starting running back and he will be played as such,” Bevell said when asked about Robinson’s role late this week.
Robinson does not carry an injury designation for the game after handling the majority of first-team snaps in Friday’s practice.
Bengals-Broncos
Broncos: Rookie RB Javonte Williams (knee-questionable) is expected to play, barring a setback before the game. He had no issues in Friday’s practice while being listed as limited. QB Teddy Bridgewater (tibia) is off the injury report after being listed on it for two weeks.
Falcons-49ers
49ers: RB Jeff Wilson (knee) and WR Deebo Samuel (groin) are off the injury report this week. Wilson has dealt with residual issues with his surgically repaired meniscus and Samuel dealt with his injury in Weeks 13 and 14.
Packers-Ravens
Packers: WR Davante Adams came out of their Week 13 bye with a hamstring injury and was limited in all 3 practices last week, but is not listed on the injury report this week. He was listed with an ankle injury prior to their bye.
The team still has optimism that LT David Bakhtiari (ACL) will be able to play before the end of the regular season and has started practicing in limited fashion. Starting RT Billy Turner (knee) is out this week, but veteran G/RT Dennis Kelly, who started a bunch of games for the Titans over the years, will fill in for him.
Saints-Buccaneers
Saints: Good news here is RB Alvin Kamara (MCL sprain) is off the injury report coming out of last week’s game.
Other Notes for Monday and Tuesday games:
Vikings (at Bears): While he has not practiced since he suffered his injury during the Week 13 game, WR Adam Thielen (ankle) is being listed as questionable for Monday night’s game. The team is keeping open the chance that he can contribute in this game despite not practicing for two weeks, but even if he surprisingly plays, there’s no way to know how many snaps he could handle.
The team cut starting CB Bashaud Breeland for violating team rules. The team already had issues in coverage at the position and now are likely to use CB Kris Boyd in his place. That’s good news if you have any of the Bear WRs or QB Justin Fields in this matchup.
Seahawks (at Rams): WR D.K. Metcalf (back, foot) got in a full practice Friday and would have done the same had they held a practice on Saturday, the team said, so he’s expected to be in the lineup on Tuesday. He has dealt with the foot injury for nearly 2.5 months (Week 4) and the back injury is new this week, which is why he didn’t practice on Thursday.
WFT (at Eagles): WR Terry McLaurin (concussion) got in his first full practice on Saturday and is trending toward getting cleared to play on Tuesday night, barring a setback.
Eagles (vs WFT): QB Jalen Hurts (ankle) and RBs Miles Sanders (ankle) and Jordan Howard (sprained knee) are expected to play Tuesday night, barring a setback before the game. The extra time is certainly a good thing for both RBs and particularly Hurts. The team did not practice on Saturday (held a walk-through), but all three players handled their normal roles during the very light workout. The injury that Hurts is dealing with is lingering from before their bye and 3rd-year Gardner Minshew would start if he has a setback before the game.
