Wednesday Media Updates

Friday Player Updates

***Kyle Rudolph (foot), Alexander Mattison (concussion), and Tre'Quan Smith (ankle) are all likely to be inactive.

Saturday Player Updates

***George Kittle continues to practice and reportedly looks healthy. Kyle Shanahan told reporters Kittle would play if he's cleared. It's unclear whether Kittle would see a full or reduced workload.

***Derek Carr fully practiced on Wednesday and will likely play on Saturday. The Raiders are comfortable clearing injured players and Carr has played through pain often in his career. Expect him to start.

***DeVante Parker "felt something in his hamstring" during pregame warmups on Sunday and was not cleared to play. Consecutive limited practices are reassuring but tightness could recur at any time.

***Ronald Jones II will not pass COVID protocols in time to travel with the Buccaneers to Detroit. His recovery from surgery fix a fractured finger is also complicating his return timetable.

***Chase Edmonds looked much healthier than the Cardinals hinted last week but is again missing practice with injury. Kenyan Drake did not look full strength during last week's game but is fully practicing and not listed on the injury report. Thursday's practice participation and media updates will hopefully be helpful.

***The Niners designated Jimmy Garoppolo to return to practice but C.J. Beathard is expected to start.

Sunday Player Updates

***Tyreek Hill missed practice with hamstring tightness. Andy Reid told reporters he thought Hill will be fine and the Chiefs will hold him out of practice to rest him as needed. Hill is currently expected to play.

***Christian McCaffrey is now a month into recovering from a quad strain. He's attempted to practice in each of the last two weeks and was shut down. He was not cleared to practice this week. He won't return this season.

***Julio Jones needs to return to practice soon to play. Still working with trainers after a platelet-rich plasma injection, Jones is said to be "a bit closer" than last week. That's likely not good enough to return this week but Jones pushes to play when able. If he's not practicing on Friday, he's unlikely to return this season.

***Aaron Jones was limited with a toe injury. He did not appear limited during last week's game and beat writers did not see any issues during the open portion of practice. It's likely Jones is seeing fewer practice reps with Jamaal Williams questionable at best with a quad injury. Unless there's a Thursday DNP or an indication this is a new injury from Wednesday's practice, expect Jones to be fully available.

***Doug Marrone told reporters James Robinson wants to play. Unfortunately, a Wednesday DNP after a high ankle sprain doesn't inspire the same confidence. A limited Thursday workout would be more reassuring. Prepare for Robinson to be inactive.

***A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin continue to nurse ankle sprains. Tennessee and Washington continue to limit their practice reps during the week. Both are expected to see their usual snap counts this week.

***Ezekiel Elliott feels he's on track to play but watch his practice participation carefully. He described feeling a "tug" in what was originally described as a bruise in his calf. If he's dealing with a strain/aggravation and plays, a muddled usage split with Tony Pollard is likely.

***Antonio Gibson was doing reduced-speed reps in team drills as Washington continues to work to fashion a shoe orthotic that will allow him enough comfort and support to play. It remains unclear whether he's close to playing or not.

***There is no news on Keenan Allen, who didn't practice after a significantly reduced snap count last Thursday. He's likely to try to play but clearance to practice would be more reassuring.

***Tyler Boyd faces a difficult path to clearance to travel with the team to Houston after a Monday night concussion. Expect him to be inactive.

***The Giants will allow Daniel Jones to play if he's sufficiently recovered to protect himself in the pocket. Still listed with both hamstring and ankle injuries, Jones will have a full week of practice to prove himself ready. I have him tentatively listed as likely to play. Thursday is a critical practice day for him.

***Alex Smith sounded very optimistic after a limited practice saying, "the arrow is pointing up" and he "absolutely plans on being out there."

Early week practice participation and playing expectations

The Wednesday and Thursday practice participation reports are our first chance to see which players each NFL team is limiting in practice after the previous week's games. Players limited in mid-week practice aren't necessarily in danger of missing that week's game. But they all need to be watched closely.

* = playing on Monday night
% = playing on Friday night
^ = playing on Saturday

Note: Asterisk denotes Monday night players who practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.