November 2010 4for4 Player News Articles

Shaun Hill broke the index finger on his throwing hand in the first half of last week’s loss to the Patriots and could miss the remainder of the season, a person familiar with the situation said.

Drew Stanton took first-team reps in practice today and is expected to make his second career start Sunday against the Bears.

Hill played through the injury in the second half against the Patriots but was held out of practice today, with tape on his finger. He was not available for comment in the locker room, and Lions coach Jim Schwartz would not divulge details of Hill’s injury nor his status for Sunday’s game against the Bears.

”This is an extra day for us … and with the Bears not practicing today, it doesn’t make any sense for us to talk about ourselves and who practiced and who didn’t,” Schwartz said.

The 49ers will be without their top running back for the remainder of the regular season. And coach Mike Singletary said he does not want veteran Brian Westbrook to get overworked as the 49ers look for ways to compensate for Gore's absence.

"We just have to be careful about how we use him (Westbrook) and how much exposure we allow him to see," Singletary said. "And I think it'll be a good mixture between Brian Westbrook and (Anthony) Dixon."

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said tight end Owen Daniels has a 50/50 chance of playing Thursday against the Eagles but "definitely" will be back next week.

Daniels has been sidelined with a lingering hamstring injury.

Derek Anderson will remain the Cardinals' starting quarterback because he gives the team its best chance to win, coach Ken Whisenhunt said Tuesday morning.

Whisenhunt said he's sticking with Anderson because Anderson has been working hard and has improved over the past few weeks. "That's really what you look for," Whisenhunt said.

When asked if he had much choice, given that the backups are rookies Max Hall and John Skelton, Whisenhunt said: "Well, that's part of the decision process. That's what you have.

Lions RB Jahvid Best (toe) did not participate in Lions practice on Tuesday.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is "optimistic" that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (sprained foot) will be active in Week 13 against the Ravens.

Chargers tight end Antonio Gates’ right foot felt better than anticipated after he played Sunday for the first time since Oct. 31.

Turner said he didn’t think knee injuries that kept linebacker Stephen Cooper and defensive end Luis Castillo from parts of Sunday’s game would keep them out against the Raiders.

Receiver Malcom Floyd’s reps were limited against the Colts and Turner said Floyd did not suffer a setback.

Turner said tailback Ryan Mathews has “a chance” to play this week after missing the past two weeks due to a high ankle sprain.

Big-play receiver Mike X Williams, who missed the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to Kansas City on Sunday, is uncertain to return to the field this week.

A left foot strain has former Southern California standout sidelined, and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he doesn’t know when Williams will return.

“Today they looked at him and there wasn’t a lot of improvement, so we’ve got to wait and see …,” Carroll told reporters during his regular Monday press conference. “We’ll have to go day-to-day, and we’ll rest him until he’s ready to run fast, until he can really go. We’re not going to push him back on this thing until we get it resolved.”

Patriots practice, QB Tom Brady (foot) is not present, which is no surprise.

Although the Dallas Cowboys are remaining optimistic by listing him as day-to-day, running back Marion Barber will likely be out for Sunday's game against Indianapolis Colts with a calf strain, a source said.

Barber suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of the Thanksgiving Day loss to the New Orleans Saints. The injury has improved considerably over the weekend, so the Cowboys are going to take a wait-and-see approach with Barber. Barber did not practice with the team Monday.

"We'll see how he'll he responds as we go," interim coach Jason Garrett said.

If Barber is not ready, it will mean an increased role for third back Tashard Choice and leading rusher Felix Jones.

If Dmitri Nance cannot play Sunday against San Francisco at Lambeau Field, there is a good chance rookie sixth-round draft pick James Starks will be activated for the first time. Starks missed his senior season at Buffalo with a shoulder injury and hasn't played a down of live football in two years.

What, if anything, Starks can give the Packers is a mystery. It's highly unlikely he'd get many carries against the 49ers and he certainly won't be in the game to pick up blitzing linebackers on pass plays.

"I like his competitiveness," Philbin said. "He's a big-bodied guy who's got some quickness. Looks like he's got some natural hands. Not sure, with the live bullets, the pass protection . . . that's something you're not totally sure about."

Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams spoke with reporters Monday for the first time since being placed on injured reserve on Nov. 17. Williams, the Panthers' all-time rushing leader, was reluctant to discuss his impending free agency. But after giving an update on his foot, he said he hopes to remain with the team that drafted him out of Memphis in the first round in 2006.

"I love being a Carolina Panther. I don't want to go anywhere," Williams said. "It's not my decision, though."

Williams said the uncertainty surrounding the Panthers' coaching staff and the NFL's labor situation made it difficult to predict where - or if - he'll be playing in 2011.

"I have no idea what's going to happen. I don't even know if there's going to be football next year," he said in the locker room. "I just know I'm preparing myself to play football if it's even possible for us to play. I'm trying to put myself in the best situation, to get my foot right."

An MRI of Vikings Adrian Peterson's ailing ankle has revealed only a normal sprain.

Lost in the result Sunday was the fact Bills WR Stevie Johnson was targeted a team-high 15 times by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Don't expect that to change Sunday when the Bills visit the Minnesota Vikings.

"I think the best way to get somebody's spirits up is to continue to give them a chance to make plays. I have 100 percent confidence in him. I think everybody else on this team has 100 percent confidence in him," Fitzpatrick said. "It's happened to all of us. I've thrown plenty of bad interceptions at the end of the game and didn't make plays that I thought I should have. So, it happens to all of us. You just have to move on. It's part of the game and you just have to know that everybody has your back in the locker room."

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson suffered a sprained right ankle in the second quarter of the Vikings' 17-13 victory at Washington on Sunday, and Monday interim coach Leslie Frazier took a wait-and-see approach over the situation. Peterson had a magnetic resonance imaging exam, the results of which were not available when Frazier addressed the media.

"We are still going through the process and trying to determine the severity of it," Frazier said. "We will probably learn a little more on Wednesday ... and just see what he can or can't do."

QB Kerry Collins, who has been sidelined the past two weeks with a calf injury, could be back under center for the Titans in Week 13.

According to an NFL source, Chargers WR Vincent Jackson injured his groin in practice at the end of last week possibly from overuse. The team never listed him on the injury report.

In pregame, he strained his right calf as a result of overcompensating for the groin injury. He thought he could play through it and started the game. But he quickly realized he couldn’t play with it and the Chargers sat him for the night. He underwent an MRI Monday morning and is expected to be out at least two weeks.

Legedu Naanee was the most productive Chargers receiver in a game the Chargers didn't need to pass. Naanee caught 3 passes on 5 targets for 38 yards. Malcom Floyd is still bothered by the hamstring and caught no balls. Seyi Ajirotutu filled in with 1 catch while Patrick Crayton is out indefinitely after undergoing wrist surgery.

PK Kris Brown, cut last week by Chargers, is working out for Jets today. You're officially on notice, Nick Folk.

Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski's right (throwing) shoulder is separated. His 2010 season is over.

Fantasy GMs should lean on Jason Campbell if a starting QB is needed.

49ers RB Frank Gore's season is over after the running back suffered a hip injury in Monday's 27-6 win over the Cardinals.

Devastating blow to many fantasy GMs this late in the season. Brian Westbrook looks to be the #2 running back and is the #1 waiver add this week. Westbrook had 23 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco's 27-6 win over the Cardinals. Anthony Dixon may see most of the goal line work and is also worth a waiver add given Westbrook's injury history.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is ready to resume light throwing, he said today, putting him on about the same timetable to return from a right shoulder injury as he followed earlier this year.

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“Hopefully, I might try and do a little bit of light throwing this week and see how it feels,” Stafford said during his regular appearance on the “Mitch Albom Show” on WJR-AM (760).

Stafford has not played since separating his throwing shoulder just over three weeks ago, in the fourth quarter of a Nov. 7 loss to the Jets.

He missed five games and six weeks with a similar injury earlier this year and played catch in front of reporters for the first time 3 1/2 weeks after that injury.

Stafford said it’s tough to compare how he feels now with when he hurt his shoulder in September.

“I think I’ll know more, probably, by the end of this week, early next week — just kind of see how it reacts to throwing and all that kind of stuff,” he said.

Colts' Polian said RB Joseph Addai and S Bob Sanders will probably still need more time before returning to the lineup.

The Bills did get some good injury news Monday, as head coach Chan Gailey expects rookie running back C.J. Spiller and defensive end Spencer Johnson to return this week from their respective hamstring injuries.

X-rays negative on TE Zach Miller's leg but he has nasty contusion - questionable for Sunday

Chargers Norv Turner says TE Antonio Gates feels better than expected today. Would appear to be good news.

Chargers WR Vincent Jackson likely out this week. MRI confirms strain.

High-level team source tells me that conflict between Eagles coach Andy Reid and receiver DeSean Jackson is "all squared away."

The Giants had no option really, with all of their injuries. They couldn’t run their regular, explosive, wide-open offense missing their top two receivers and the regular left side of their offensive line.

But even with a scaled-back version of their playbook and formations, Tom Coughlin knew “full well that we gave ourselves plenty of offense to win with.” They were heavier than usual with the run, more basic with their formations.

And that’s the way it’s going to be until the cavalry returns.

“It wasn’t a change of the offense,” Eli Manning said today on a conference call with the media. “It was really just getting down to stuff that we really knew. We probably didn’t do as much three-wide receiver stuff as we might do in a normal game if everyone was healthy. We probably just stayed in our base personnel a little bit more than normal (and used) the guys in there who’ve been here a couple of years, who know the offense. That seemed to work.”

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Monday he is unsure who will start at running back in the next game against the New York Giants, adding that he won't know until Wednesday whether Ryan Torain's hamstring injury has healed enough for him to play.

"We'll get a better feel for that on Wednesday," Shanahan said about the unsettled situation at running back. "Until they actually go full-speed, it's too early to tell" whether Torain can be ready.

With first-string tailback Clinton Portis out for the year and Torain sidelined for a third consecutive game, the Redskins gained just 29 yards on 13 rushing attempts in their 17-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. That total is tied for the team's second-worst since 1994.

Starting running back Keiland Williams had just five yards on three carries, and his backup, James Davis, had 11 yards on six rushes in his first game for the Redskins.

Shanahan said the small number of rushing attempts was due primarily to the fact that the Redskins fell behind 17-7 and ran just 21 plays in the second half. "When you only have [21] plays in the second half, good things aren't going to happen," he said.

Shanahan said Davis ran more plays in part because the team was evaluating him.

Rams TE Mike Hoomawananui does have a high ankle sprain, out 4-6 weeks

Amid much speculation about the timing of an injury in his first game back, Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson's calf strain on Sunday may actually have been precipitated by him trying to be a team player.

According to a source, who did not want to be quoted because he was not authorized to divulge injury information, Jackson tweaked his left calf in practice Friday and then injured the other calf Sunday, likely by overcompensating for the original injury while trying to play.

Another source, who also did not want to be quoted because the team does not generally release specific injury information, said he didn't know of any "tweak" on Friday but that Jackson was sore and "he did more than he should have" in the lead-up to his first game.

Jackson started Sunday at Indianapolis but limped off the field prior to the game’s third play. He was declared out for the rest of the game short while later.

DeAngelo Williams said keeping RB coach Jim Skipper would be a factor in his offseason decision-making.

After another season of not making the playoffs, it's hard to imagine that Skipper, the rest of the Panther coaching staff, and now maybe Williams will be around.

Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson will not be suspended for his part in Sunday’s fight with Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, a Houston television station reported Monday.

However, Johnson will be fined by the NFL, according to FOX 26 in Houston.

Cortland Finnegan
MORE ON THE BRAWL
• VIDEO: Watch the fight.
• Pictures: See the blow by blow

Had Johnson been suspended for Thursday’s game against the host Philadelphia Eagles, the Texans would have been forced to push up the role of fourth-year wide receiver Jacoby Jones , who dropped to No. 4 on the depth chart. The Titans' No. 3 receiver, David Anderson, did not play against Tennessee because of a hamstring injury.

Johnson is good to plug in your lineup this week, as he is every week. He could see a lot of Asante Samuel this Thursday night, on the NFL Network ironically. Samuel may not even be 100% after missing Sunday's game against the Bears.

Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski is having an MRI today and fears bad news, a source familiar with the situation said Monday.

Gradkowski has been battling a shoulder problem since Week 3 against Arizona, ultimately going down with a third degree separation just before halftime of a 35-27 win over San Diego on Oct. 10. He missed the next five games, returning to start and play ineffecitvely in a 33-17 loss to Miami.

Following the game, Gradkowski left the field carrying his right arm awkwardly after being hit on the Raiders final play from scrimmage.

Andy Reid and DeSean Jackson are expected to meet sometime Monday afternoon to patch things up after the Eagles head coach scolded the wide receiver following a bitter 31-26 loss to the Bears on Sunday, a team source said.

Reid called out Jackson not for his two-catches-for-26-yards performance, but for the divaesque receiver's behavior before, during and after the game, according to multiple team sources. The coach thought that Jackson was "goofing off" and wasn't "mentally prepared" before the game, one Eagles starter said.

When an angry Reid admonished his team, with what one veteran said was the worst tirade he had seen out of the coach, Jackson became the target. Reid didn't think the receiver was paying proper attention and the two had a brief exchange, according to multiple Eagles sources.

RB James Starks may be called upon to be active this week. "He better be (ready)," Packers HC McCarthy said.

Starks has been talked about in the Discuss Your Team forum this year a few times as a possible sleeper, and it looks like those who took a waiver on him may start to see him pay off. However, he looks to be a risk until he can establish himself.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said the wrap on QB Peyton Manning's throwing elbow was due to an abrasion he suffered from hitting the ground.

Packers HC McCarthy said WR Greg Jennings had a foot strain and could miss some practice time this week.

Tony Romo has made an appearance at practice today. Throwing "pat and go." Marion Barber is a no show and will most likely be out two weeks.

Dolphins say Brandon Marshall is "making good progress ... really is day to day thing ..."

The more Jacoby Ford does, the more damning it is for Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Telling moment - Gradkowski has Heyward-Bey in single coverage on his left, with the safety drifting cheating toward the middle. He sees this, drops back, and lets fly a deep pass down the right sideline toward Marcel Reece. It is intercepted by Yeremiah Bell. Gradkowski said he was giving Reece a chance, given what he’s shown as a playmaker. He never considered Heyward-Bey even after he saw the coverage.

Reece is an intriguing but undrafted wide receiver turned tight end turned fullback. Heyward-Bey is the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 draft and the alleged deep threat of the future.

The coaching staff is starting to reduce Heyward-Bey’s time on the field. He had far fewer snaps than normal and when asked if Heyward-Bey was still nursing a sore hamstring, Cable said it was simply a factor of the wide receiver rotation.

Not sure if another Raiders receiver is capable of making the 44-yard touchdown grab from Gradkowski, smoothly hauling it in while turning to his left and stradding the sideline for the score. He later repeated his magic act of taking an interception away from a defender with his 52-yard reception to set up a field goal.

Darren McFadden has fallen and he can’t get up.

In the last two games, McFadden, who has looked every bit the No. 4 overall pick in 2008, has 16 yards on 18 carries. Yes, there are issues with the offensive line. Privately, the coaching staff is concerned that he’s not running as he did before.

Right tackle Langston Walker seemed to think opposing teams are simply taking him (and other Raiders running backs) away.

“If teams are smart, if they have good defensive coordinators, they are going to load up against the run when they play us,” Walker said.

Just when Michael Hoomanawanui was getting into a pass-catching groove, the rookie tight end suffered more injury problems. He didn't make it out of the first half Sunday because of rib and ankle problems.

"The concern is the ankle," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "We'll know more after an MRI. At first we thought it was a fibula that he broke, but it wasn't that. It may fall in that high ankle sprain area, which is not good."

Hoomanawanui caught his second touchdown pass in as many weeks, this time on a 36-yard screen from Sam Bradford. He has 13 catches for 146 yards this season, sharing the team lead in TD catches (three) with Danny Amendola.

The Seattle Seahawks hoped Mike Williams could play Sunday. The 6-foot-5 receiver missed practice all week with a strained left foot, but coach Pete Carroll thought the rest could allow him to play against the Chiefs.

But Williams did not pass his test with trainers during his pregame workout and missed his first game of the season, taking his team-leading 52 catches for 654 yards and a touchdown to the sideline with him.

“He was good enough to run, but not good enough to play,” Carroll said. “He couldn’t help us out.”

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck held out hope that Williams would be ready after a conversation with him Saturday evening.

“I saw him Saturday night walking around the hotel, I really thought there was a real chance,” Hasselbeck said. “I kind of expected – I probably shouldn’t have let my mind go there – but I expect him a little bit. I saw him go out there for the warm-up. But, that’s a good lesson. You really have to focus on what you can control, and not get caught up in the other stuff.”

Johnson had just 2 yards on three carries in the first half, and managed a career-low 5 yards in the game.

It seemed like every time Johnson got his hands on the football, a Texan was waiting for him.

"We just have to watch film and see what happened,'' Johnson said. "We weren't able to run the ball at all so I'm not sure."

Later on Twitter, Johnson posted: "I pray I don't have another game like today even tho it was out of my hands."

Collins could be back
Quarterback Kerry Collins (calf) worked out on the field prior to kickoff and moved well enough to convince coaches and trainers he could backup rookie Rusty Smith.

Collins hasn't practiced since suffering the injury on Nov. 14. Chris Simms was the No. 3 quarterback.

Fisher said Collins would be "day to day" this week leading up to Sunday's game against the Jaguars at LP Field.

The return of Collins should help Johnson next week against the Jags, but this offense is struggling pretty bad. When you don't have a threat of a passing game, it doesn't bode well for Johnson owners.

'I should have some good news these next coming days. Time to get to work!' - Tweet from Asante Samuel minutes after the Eagles lost to the Bears.

Good news for Asante Samuel means good news for the Eagles, for defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, and, especially, for the Eagles' defensive backs.

Samuel watched the Eagles' 31-26 loss from his home. A sprained left medial collateral ligament suffered a week earlier sidelined him. Samuel said he hurt his knee returning his second interception of that game, which gave him a league-high seven picks and almost assuredly set him toward a fourth straight Pro Bowl.

Samuel might have played last night, but it seemed wiser, surely, to let him miss the game against the Bears and rest his knee for a full 10 days. He then could play Thursday against the Texans and their superior passing attack. He then could get 9 more days of rest before heading to Dallas.

The Eagles defense didn't look so great against the Bears last week so the presence of Samuel should help things out this Thursday night against the Texans. Houston could be without stud WR Andre Johnson as well, making the Birds defense an attractive play as we head down the stretch.

A sprained ankle knocked Vikings running back Adrian Peterson out of Sunday’s win over the Redskins, opening the door for rookie Toby Gerhart to see the first extended action of his career. Still, we’re told that Peterson is expected to be available when the Vikings hosting the Bills on Sunday.

That said, Peterson is still slated for an MRI on Monday. He said after the game that the pain was “unbearable“.

Stay tuned for more. Though Gerhart did fairly well in his debut, gaining 76 yards on 22 carries and scoring his first NFL touchdown, the Vikings need Peterson if they hope to piece together their first two-game winning streak of the 2010 season.

If you're a Peterson owner, it would probably be a good idea to pick up Gerhart to back yourself up.

The Carolina Panthers had a season-high rushing day, and probably re-established the natural order of their depth chart in Sunday's 24-23 loss to Cleveland.

Mike Goodson started after recording back-to-back 100-yard games in the injury absence of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but it was Stewart who posted the big numbers, the kind that will likely earn him his job back.

Stewart finished with a season-high 98 yards on 12 carries, and Goodson added 55 yards on 14 attempts and scored his first career touchdown. The 151 team rushing yards were the highest of the season by 24 yards, even though it's below last year's per-game average (156.1).

The Panthers have only topped 100 rushing yards as a team in six games all season, and they're averaging 101.4 per game. Getting Stewart back after he missed two weeks with a concussion was a key in a game played near the line of scrimmage, as his physical style was evident on a number of inside-out runs.

"It was good to have Jonathan back out there," Panthers coach John Fox said. "He had a couple of heavy runs and moved behind the pads pretty well. It was good to have that one-two punch out there."

Fox acknowledged he didn't think it was right to take the job away from Goodson, saying: "It's been his ball for the last couple weeks, and I didn't think it was time to take it away from him."

Goodson had a TD but Stewart made the most, yardage-wise, of his carries. He made for a great pick up last week and if he's still out there it's time to get him before it's too late. He's got a great matchup in week 15 of your fantasy playoffs against a terrible Arizona rushing defense. However, in week 16 he'll face the Steelers.

Donald Lee figured he was at the point in his career where he didn’t have to worry about his position on the depth chart.

That all changed this week for the Green Bay Packers’ veteran tight end.

He was a healthy inactive for Sunday’s game at Atlanta, something that caught him by surprise.

“I think either last Monday or Wednesday I heard that some guys are going to have to compete to be (active) for this game, but I didn’t think in a million years it would be me,” Lee said. “That’s just the way it is. Sometimes things work out different from what you hope for.”

Instead of using Lee, the Packers activated tight end Spencer Havner for the first time since they re-signed him on Nov. 12. Havner played on special teams before he dropped out of the game because of a pulled hamstring.

Havner said he wasn’t expecting to play much, if at all, on offense. Coach Mike McCarthy used rookie Andrew Quarless and first-year pro Tom Crabtree as the tight ends on offense. Quarless had three catches for 35 yards, but Crabtree didn’t have a ball thrown his way.

We feel for Steve Johnson. He has toiled in obscurity in Buffalo this year, quietly going about his business, making catches and scoring touchdowns. But both the "quietly" part and the "catching touchdowns" part came to a halt Sunday when Johnson dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass in OT in what later became a 16-13 Steelers victory.

Of course, we all know whose fault that was. It's God's fault, and all of Twitter-dom knows it now, too.

"I praise you 24/7!!! And this how you do me!!!," Johnson - at least we think it was him - tweeted. "You expect me to learn from this???How??? I'll never forget this!! Ever!! Thx Tho."

Two things we must point out to Steve: God has been a Steelers fan for quite some time now (See: six Super Bowl victories) and, well, you don't want to poke the bear, if you know what we mean.

Last week Johnson had three TD grabs in a win over Cincy and we didn't hear a peep out of him. Now all of a sudden the Big Fella is to blame for the Big Drop. Memo to Stevie: Remove your tweet, claim you misquoted yourself and promise never to do it again.

We'll see how God factors in our WR 4for4.com rankings for Johnson this week...

Ahmad Bradshaw
Ahmad Bradshaw had nine rushes for 49 yards and led the Giants with four receptions that picked up 34 yards. Bradshaw’s biggest gain of the day was a 27-yard run on a counter play that set up a field goal.

More importantly, he didn’t fumble.

Bradshaw, who has dealt with lower-leg issues dating back to last season, limped off the field after his final carry of the day. It was a 3-yard rush with 1:25 to play after the Giants had gotten the ball back following Jacksonville’s final drive. It was an unnecessary play, given the Jaguars had only one timeout remaining.

STEVE SMITH
WR Steve Smith, who suffered a partially torn pectoral muscle in practice earlier this month and has missed the past three games, originally hoped to return for next Sunday’s game against the Redskins. But Smith admitted after Sunday’s game he won’t suit up.

“Unless a miracle happens,” he said.

Smith said there’s “still some weakness” in parts of the muscle. His new targeted return date is Dec. 12 against the Vikings in Minnesota.

The much-awaited return of Vincent Jackson to the Chargers offense finally happened. Two plays later, it was over. Done.

Jackson, who sat out the first seven games of the season due to a contract dispute and the last three while serving a suspension, started Sunday night’s contest against the Indianapolis Colts and was on the sideline for good by the time the Chargers took their third snap. A “calf injury” was cited as the reason for his unavailability.

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Jackson obviously wanted nothing to do with anyone asking him what happened, referring all questions to a Chargers training staff that by team policy is not allowed to talk to the media. Asked to express whatever disappointment he felt at being sidelined by injury so soon after such a long delay to the start of his season, Jackson simply looked into his locker.

“No,” he finally said. “Thank you.”

“Unfortunately, it’s what happens when you haven’t been going,” said head coach Norv Turner. “His calf, he’s got a strain in it, and he was pretty sore. Hopefully, it’s not a long-term deal and we can get him back.”

The cost of winning another ballgame came at another price for the Steelers in what has become a year of injuries.

One of them was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who stayed in the game despite an injury to his right foot that will undergo more tests at home. Coach Mike Tomlin called it a foot sprain immediately after the game.

"My foot was in the ground and someone was driving me backwards and my foot couldn't get out of the ground, so my knee just got bent sideways," Roethlisberger said.

Also, don't think news is going to be good about Zach Miller's right leg. He was hurting after getting hit high and low on interception ret.

DeSean Jackson sat there with headphones covering his ears and his hands covering his face. And he didn’t move.

Brent Celek came over and spoke to him in hushed tones for at least five minutes and then LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick both stopped by and talked to Jackson as well.

And still he sat there in his locker, occasionally nodding his head.

Nearly all his teammates had showered and dressed after the Eagles’ 31-26 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field Sunday, but Jackson just sat in his locker wrapped in a towel, occasionally looking up but for the most part with his head down in his lap and his hands over his face.

CSN's Derrick Gunn reported after the game that head coach Andy Reid called out a number of players, of which Jackson was one, in the Eagles' locker room, telling them they have to do a better job of being in the right positions to make plays.

Receiver Jeremy Maclin sat next to him for the first 10 minutes, seemingly just to keep an eye out for his teammate.

The issue apparently dealt with Jackson loafing during pregame warmups and then showing a lack of interest in going over the middle during the game. He's also dropped two TDs in two weeks. Reid never calls out players to the media and the fact this got out speaks volumes for how angry Reid seems to be. On DeSean's side, he's had two concussions within a year and his contract pays him less than teammate Jeremy Maclin, who signed as a first round pick.

All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson injured his right ankle during the first half of the Minnesota Vikings' 17-13 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday and didn't return.

Peterson said his ankle "got rolled up" when he was tackled on a 1-yard carry late in the second quarter. Neither Peterson nor Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier would speculate on the running back's prospects for next week's game against the Buffalo Bills.

"We'll know a little more about Adrian tomorrow," Frazier said, "after they do whatever examinations they have to."

The Vikings initially said Peterson was probable to return to the game, then downgraded him to questionable. He had his ankle taped, then stood on the sideline testing it, stepping gingerly at times and attempting short sprints.

"It started to throb a little bit," Peterson said. "I was trying to keep it loose, jogging, but it really didn't help out."

Tempers boiled over midway through the fourth quarter, and Texans WR Andre Johnson and Titans CB Cortland Finnegan were ejected. After exchanging words — and shoves — on the previous play, the two got into it at the line of scrimmage when Finnegan jammed his hands into Johnson’s face mask.

It escalated from there.

Johnson then grabbed Finnegan’s face mask and ripped off his helmet. Finnegan then got Johnson’s helmet off as well, but went down to the turf. That’s when Johnson connected on two haymakers, then one uppercut. Finnegan clapped his hands as the two were broken up, apparently thinking only Johnson would be ejected.

No question Johnson got the best of Finnegan in this one. He probably should, as the tale of the tape shows a big size advantage for Johnson (listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds) versus the smaller Finnegan (5-10, 188).

Personnel fouls for unnecessary roughness were called on both players, and fines likely are coming, too. Johnson had to be restrained by several team personnel as he was pushed away, then was escorted off the field by a police officer for an early shower. Finnegan jogged off the field, at one point waving to the Houston crowd.

This was about the best fight you'll see this side of the NHL. We wouldn't be surprised to see Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnegan issued one game suspensions. For what it's worth, HC Gary Kubiak awarded Johnson the game ball.

Colts Inactives
Joseph Addai RB
Gary Brackett MLB
Austin Collie WR
Brody Eldridge TE
Bob Sanders SS
Clint Session OLB
Jaimie Thomas G
Justin Tryon CB

Mike Hart returns to game action for the Colts. It remains to be seen what his role will be coming off of the injury, but significant touches would impact Donald Brown negatively.

Chargers Inactives
Patrick Crayton WR
Steve Gregory SS
Travis Johnson DE
Ryan Mathews RB
Darrell Stuckey DB
Cam Thomas DT
Louis Vasquez G
Kris Wilson TE

Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee and Antonio Gates are active for the Chargers. It remains to be seen how effective they will be coming off of injuries. Gates looked good in warmups.

Seahawks Inactives
WR Mike Williams (foot)
DT Colin Cole (ankle)
OG Chester Pitts (ankle)
RB Michael Robinson (hamstring)
DE Clifton Geathers
OT Will Robinson
DT Amon Gordon
3rd QB: J.P. Losman

Chiefs Inactives
CB Brandon Flowers
WR Dexter McCluster
DB Donald Washington
RB Tim Castille
FS Jon McGraw
LB Charlie Anderson
LB Justin Cole
DT Anthony Toribio

Bucs Inactives
Will Barker T
Rudy Carpenter QB
Derek Hardman OT
Erik Lorig FB
Elbert Mack DB
Kyle Moore DE
Frank Okam DT
Preston Parker WR

Ravens Inactives
Chris Chester G
Ed Dickson TE
Lamar Divens DT
Dannell Ellerbe ILB
Brandon McKinney DE
Marcus Smith WR
Fabian Washington CB
Tom Zbikowski FS

Broncos Inactives
Stanley Daniels G
Andre' Goodman CB
Laurence Maroney RB
Darcel McBath S
Eric Olsen G
Brady Quinn QB
Demaryius Thomas WR
David Veikune DE

Rams Inactives
Quincy Butler DB
Jermelle Cudjo DT
Kevin Dockery CB
John Greco G
Mike Karney FB
Michael Lewis SS
Derek Schouman TE
Eugene Sims DE

Bears Inactives
Kahlil Bell RB
Desmond Clark TE
Caleb Hanie QB
Joshua Moore DB
Craig Steltz DB
Barry Turner DE
Edwin Williams G
Corey Wootton DE

Eagles Inactives
Chad Hall WR
Austin Howard T
Brandon Hughes CB
Mike Kafka QB
Garrett Mills TE
Juqua Parker DE
Asante Samuel CB

Raiders Inactives
Michael Bennett RB
Kyle Boller QB
Chris Johnson CB
Daniel Loper G
Nick Miller WR
Jarvis Moss LB
Chaz Schilens WR
Jeremy Ware DB

Dolphins Inactives
Ikaika Alama-Francis DE
Ryan Baker DE
Eric Ghiaciuc C
Reshad Jones FS
Matt Kopa T
Brandon Marshall WR
Patrick Ramsey QB
Mickey Shuler TE

We are hearing that DE John Abraham is very likely to play against the Packers today.

If Michael Vick stays healthy and out of trouble, keeps playing well, and the Eagles keep winning - and the NFL and players' union agree to a new collective bargaining agreement that includes, as expected, a franchise tag, the Eagles will franchise Vick. It likely will be their best option to keep a player who has exceeded even their most optimistic expectations with his stellar play this season.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano wouldn't announce which quarterback he plans to start today against the Raiders (he's deciding between Chad Henne and Tyler Thigpen), because the coach feels the secrecy gives his team "a competitive advantage."

He's got nothing on Raiders coach Tom Cable.

Earlier this week, Cable said Jason Campbell was the starting quarterback and "there is no issue there." But he had Bruce Gradkowski taking most of the first-team snaps in practice all week, and Gradkowski will start today against Miami, league sources have verified.

The Seahawks are short-handed on the defensive line, and that is bad news against the Chiefs’ physical offensive line and No. 1-ranked ground game. The Chiefs have also only turned over the ball seven times this season and are on pace to break their own NFL record of 12 set in 1982. The Seahawks will look to spread out the Kansas City defense. Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck has consecutive 300-yard passing games, but he will be minus big threat, WR Mike Williams (strained foot), today. Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe has caught a TD pass in a team-record six consecutive games.

The Dolphins want to be more balanced on offense and maybe that’s why coach Tony Sparano is leaning toward starting QB Chad Henne while also using more of the Wildcat offense. If the Dolphins keep losing, Sparano could be in trouble with owner Steven Ross. Miami has won four straight in Oakland, but the Raiders are trying to win their fourth straight home game, something they last did in the 2002 season. It looks like Tom Cable is benching QB Jason Campbell again in favor of Bruce Gradkowski, believing he is better equipped to handle the Miami pass rush. Oakland averages 152 rushing yards a game.

The Jaguars are averaging 26 points per game on the road. That won't happen if they don't help their offensive tackles stave off the Giants’ front four (17 sacks in five home games). RB Maurice Jones-Drew seeks his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game, but the Giants are allowing only 89 rushing yards per game this season.

Giants RB Brandon Jacobs has five TDs in his past seven games and starts in place of fumble-prone Ahmad Bradshaw. Jacobs will get the majority of the work, considering Eli Manning is short on quality receivers. He will be focusing on Mario Manningham and TE Kevin Boss.

Buffalo’s passing game has improved under QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has set career marks with 1,961 yards passing and 18 touchdowns this season. He has thrown a touchdown in 15 of his 18 games with the Bills. Still, is he really the future for the team at the position with a quality class of rookies entering the league next season?

Steelers WR Mike Wallace averages 22.1 yards per catch on the road. He and Ben Roethlisberger have connected on six touchdowns of 40 yards or more in the last two seasons. Pittsburgh RB Rashard Mendenhall doesn’t have a 100-yard rushing game in eight weeks, but he could get well against the NFL’s worst run defense.

With Kerry Collins hurting and Vince Young on IR, the Texans will face rookie QB Rusty Smith and that is great news for their awful pass defense, one that is allowing 301 yards passing per game. The Texans will be allowed to focus on stopping RB Chris Johnson, who averaged 174 rushing yards on 7.7 yards per carry in two meetings last season. If Johnson gets going, it might help Smith connect with receivers Nate Washington and Randy Moss.

Baltimore doesn’t want QB Joe Flacco forced into attacking CBs Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber (eight combined interceptions). The Ravens, despite the influx of new receivers, still don’t seem to have an offensive identity with Ray Rice their main running threat. The Bucs give up 136.5 yards per game on the ground, although rookie S Cody Grimm is getting better weekly while largely playing in the box. The Bucs are 0-3 against teams currently with winning records.

The Ravens once-impenetrable run defense is allowing 4.2 yards per carry and look for the Bucs to give RB LeGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams plenty of early cracks at the front seven. Freeman doesn’t want the Ravens to be able to line up constantly in blitz formations. Freeman hasn’t thrown an interception in five of his past six games, but no one is better at baiting quarterbacks young and old into mistakes than Ravens FS Ed Reed, who has four picks in his last four games.

There has been much debate in Chicago about allowing Devin Hester to focus on his return game and making Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett to be the starting receivers. “The No. 1 receiver is overrated,” Angelo said. “We’re a receiver-by-committee and that’s a good thing because anybody on any given game could be the guy. So we’ve done a good job of getting all the guys integrated into the offense.” The share-the-wealth, spread-the-ball-around philosophy is working fairly well for the Bears, with five players having between 27 and 38 receptions. But Knox, not Hester, is the team’s best deep threat. He has 672 receiving yards this season, more than twice as many as any other Bear. That alone makes him the clear-cut top dog. Knox's 18.2 yards per catch ranks eighth in the NFL among players with 20 or more receptions. Knox is on pace to finish with 1,075 yards, which would make him the first Bear to crack the barrier since Marty Booker.

The improved play of Chicago’s offensive line has helped the running game and also reduced pressure on Jay Cutler. Chicago has won three straight and in all three of those wins, the Bears ran the ball for more than 100 yards — plus Cutler was sacked just five times after going down 19 times in his previous three games. After calling only 30 runs in the previous two games, offensive coordinator Mike Martz called at least 30 runs in each of the last three games. “I think the offensive line is coming together,” Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "Obviously that’s critical.”

The Bears have the NFL’s top scoring defense — allowing 14.6 points per game — while they butt heads with the NFL's No. 2-ranked offense. The Giants did an excellent job of preventing Vick from rolling or escaping to his left, where he is far more dangerous. He has two of the best young receivers in football, led by DeSean Jackson, who had eight catches for 107 yards and one TD vs. the Bears last season. Jackson has seven catches of 40-plus yards this season. Jeremy Maclin has 35 catches in the last six games, including nine for 120 yards in last week’s win over the Giants. The Bears’ secondary plays a lot of Cover-2 and tries to keep the ball in front of them, but Chicago will be at a speed disadvantage the longer Vick extends the action.

Carolina’s ground game has improved enough with Mike Goodson’s consecutive 100-yard games. He’ll start again with Jonathan Stewart, also back from a concussion, in a reserve role.

Vikings QB Brett Favre has lobbied for and seems to have gotten a pared-down playbook. He has an NFL-high 17 interceptions, but a second week with WR Sidney Rice back, plus a healthy Percy Harvin, should help attack a Washington secondary minus injured safety LaRon Landry. Favre does need a strong game from Adrian Peterson, whose offensive line is minus physical guard Anthony Herrera.

The Falcons are averaging 31.5 points over their past four games and you can bet they will use their no-huddle offense in this game. Ryan hasn’t been sacked in three of his past four games while the Packers are very aggressive and enter with 29 sacks. So look for the Falcons to be conservative and feature plenty of RB Michael Turner on first and second downs.

Against the Bears today, the Eagles will be minus their great cornerback Asante Samuel, who leads the league with seven interceptions. He has a sprained medial collateral ligament and has to be upset because Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been known to force passes into coverage.

Last week against the Giants, the Eagles stuffed New York’s running game and also created five turnovers. Their play helped secure the win and put the Eagles in first place in the NFC East. The defense will start two rookies today — free safety Nate Allen, a starter since Week 1, and first-round pick Brandon Graham, who goes for injured left defensive end Juqua Parker.

It appears Chad Henne will get a second chance to make a favorable impression as the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.

Miami head coach Tony Sparano is leaning toward starting Henne against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Henne, who is recovering from a left knee injury he suffered on Nov. 14 in the 29-17 win over Tennessee, has been medically cleared to play.

Henne, who was demoted and replaced by Chad Pennington for the Tennessee game, will likely start his 22nd NFL game unless he suffers a medical setback before Sunday's 4 p.m. kickoff, or Sparano's confidence in the offensive line's ability to protect him diminishes.

Henne, who has an 11-10 career record as a starter, has completed 63.9 percent of his passes this season, throwing for 2,140 yards with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions. This week he practiced on a limited basis because of his knee injury, which involves an unstable knee cap.

Starting in place of injured strong safety LaRon Landry, veteran Washington safety Reed Doughty played every snap on defense in the 19-16 victory in overtime against the Tennessee Titans in week 11.

And because of injuries during the game, Doughty also played every snap on special teams. The Redskins know they can rely on the dependable Doughty, who will be in the opening lineup again Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings at FedEx Field.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said both cornerback Greg Toler (foot) and defensive end Calais Campbell (ankle) will be game-day decisions to play Monday against the 49ers, and they were among six players listed as questionable for the game.

The others: WR Steve Breaston (knee), RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (hamstring), LB Clark Haggans (groin) and NT Dan Williams (toe).

DT Darnell Dockett (shoulder), WR Early Doucet (head), CB Michael Adams (ribs), LB Reggie Walker (hamstrring) and S Kerry Rhodes (hand/back) are all probable.

For the 49ers, kicker Joe Nedney (knee) is doubtful, as is cornerback William James, who apparently suffered a concussion at practice. Safety Dashon Goldson (ankle) is questionable. Tackle Joe Staley (fibula) is out.

The Washington Redskins have signed wide receiver Terrence Austin and waived veteran wide receiver Joey Galloway.

It might be the end of the line for Galloway, who has been a useful fantasy player at times during his career.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall (hamstring) has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game vs. the Oakland Raiders.

Davone Bess and Brian Hartline will get more targets as a result of Marshall's absence. Both are dicey WR3 plays in standard leagues, while Bess can be started in PPR leagues.

The Oakland Raiders plan to start Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback Sunday vs. the Miami Dolphins.

Just because the Raiders are starting Gradkowski doesn't mean fantasy owners should.

By the time the Cincinnati Bengals host New Orleans on Dec. 5, it is quite possible that they could have a new kicker.

After Aaron Pettrey went one for two in Thursday night’s 26-10 loss to the Jets, coach Marvin Lewis said on Friday that they will look over all their options.

Pettrey, who was signed on Nov. 16 after a knee injury ended Mike Nugent’s season, was wide left from 27 yards before making one from 28 early in the fourth quarter.

In two games, Pettrey is two of four on field goals.

Two veteran options out there right now as far as replacements are Kris Brown and Jeff Reed.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel has been downgraded to questionable for week 12 with a calf injury. Nick Eason and Ziggy Hood figure to start at end for the 8-3 Steelers as they travel to Orchard Park, New York to battle the Buffalo Bills.

Interim Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier has hinted that some subtle changes could be in store for the Vikings offense, which desperately needs a spark with a league-worst minus-14 turnover differential and the 18th NFL ranking in total offense.

But it's too late in the game to overhaul the West Coast offense. So, what will the changes be?

Most of the Vikings are mum on this issue, but tight end Visanthe Shiancoe shed a little light on the subject Friday.

"I think people are detailing their assignments a lot," Shiancoe said. "That's what Frazier wanted to stress, detailing assignments, things of that nature."

Quarterback Brett Favre hinted on Wednesday that he'd like to see the Vikings reduce the number of plays in the gameplan. That would give the Vikings time to develop their West Coast plays to perfection.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have announced tackle Eugene Monroe (concussion) will be out for Sunday’s game at New Meadowlands Stadium against the Giants.

Tight end Marcedes Lewis will probably have fewer chances to run routes as he will have to stay in more to help keep quarterback David Garrard upright. Jacksonville quarterbacks have been sacked 27 times this season. The Giants have 27 sacks.

The offense suffers when Lewis can’t get out.

Lewis has been especially effective as the lone tight end in three-wide formations this year.

With that personnel on the field, Lewis has 24 receptions on 36 targets with 265 yards and four touchdowns as opposed to 11 receptions, 180 yards and four TDs in all other sets. In three wide, as defenses account for the Jaguars’ additional speed, Lewis has operated well underneath, with 21 of his 23 catches coming on throws of 14 yards or less.

The loss of Monroe suggests the Jaguars won’t be able to spread the field as much as they might like against New York’s rush.

While Lewis should remain a reliable fantasy tight end, additional blocking will cut into his production.

The Buffalo Bills have placed linebacker Shawne Merriman on injured reserve.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith was arrested Saturday morning in Lafayette, Louisiana, according to Cpl. Paul Mouton with the Lafayette Police Department.

He was booked on charges of simple battery and domestic abuse.

Mouton indicated Smith and his spouse got into a dispute just after 2 a.m., while leaving a night club in the 300 block of Jefferson Street.

Smith was released on a $1,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

If ever a game plan called for a busy workload for St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson, it would seem to be Sunday's contest at Denver. Only the lowly Buffalo Bills have yielded more yards on the ground than the Broncos.

Denver has been particularly vulnerable recently: In three of its last four games, it's been gashed by a 100-plus-yard rusher. On Monday night, San Diego journeyman Mike Tolbert rambled for a career-high 111 yards in a 35-14 Chargers victory that dropped the Broncos to 3-7.

If that weren't reason enough, there also is this: Jackson is itching for action after getting just 11 carries in last Sunday's 34-17 loss to Atlanta.

"I shouldn't feel this fresh," Jackson said. "I think over the years, we've seen that I play better as the game goes on."

Since taking over for Marshall Faulk in 2005 as the club's marquee back, Jackson has had 11 or fewer carries in a game only five times. The Rams dropped all five, by a combined score of 134-59.

Jackson hasn't had a gigantic game this season, but he's usually been steady and is poised for a nice day tomorrow in Denver.

The NFL has fined the Denver Broncos and Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels for illegally taping a practice. Both the team and McDaniels were fined $50,000. The team reported the violation to the NFL.

It’s a question that’s been asked countless times by Cowboys fans this season: What will it take for Tashard Choice to get a chance to crack the running back rotation?

The answer is apparently an injury that sidelines Felix Jones or Marion Barber.

Choice’s chance could be coming next weekend in Indianapolis. Barber will benefit from a few extra days of rest, but the left calf strain he suffered late in Thursday’s loss to the Saints will likely cause him to miss one or two games.

Most third-string running backs don't have the pedigree of Choice. He's proven and fantasy owners should pick him up if Barber is going to miss time.

Washington Redskins running back James Davis could be the player who benefits most from the absence of Clinton Portis, who was placed on injured reserve this week. Though rookie Keiland Williams is expected to handle the bulk of the load in the Redskins' running game this Sunday, coaches also expect to take a close look at Davis, who was activated from the practice squad earlier this week.

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said Portis hasn't yet had his surgery to repair an abdominal tear. He said Portis will have it at some point next week.

Given the merry-go-round nature of a Mike Shanahan backfield, Davis is worth adding if you have spare roster space.

With wide receiver Demaryius Thomas ruled out with an ankle injury, cornerback Perrish Cox and fellow receiver Eddie Royal will likely handle kickoff returns Sunday for the Denver Broncos.

The Philadelphia Eagles have ruled cornerback Asante Samuel out for tomorrow's game against the Chicago Bears. He is not making the trip to Chicago.

This helps the entire Bears offense.

New York Giants tackle Shawn Andrews is expected to be released from the hospital. His back is all but certain to keep him out of tomorrow's game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In an echo of the New England Patriots' "Spygate" scandal, the NFL is investigating whether a Denver Broncos employee videotaped a San Francisco 49ers walk-through at London's Wembley Stadium four weeks ago.

Broncos chief operating officer Joe Ellis confirmed Friday that Steve Scarnecchia, the team's director of video operations, is on a "personal leave of absence" while team and league officials investigate the matter, but he declined to comment further. Scarnecchia did not travel with the team to San Diego last weekend and has not been at the team's Dove Valley complex this week.

The Broncos are actively working with the NFL on the investigation, according to team sources. Reached at his home Friday, Scarnecchia declined to comment. League spokesman Greg Aiello also declined to comment. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels could not reached for comment Friday afternoon.

McDaniels and Scarnecchia both previously worked for the Patriots, Scarnecchia between 2001 and 2005 and McDaniels between 2001 and 2009 before being hired by the Broncos. In 2007, the Patriots were found to have videotaped New York Jets coaches sending in signals during a game between the two teams, which is against league rules.

Following a league investigation, commissioner Roger Goodell stripped the Patriots of their first-round pick in the 2008 draft. He also fined the Patriots $250,000 and fined Patriots coach Bill Belichick $500,000.

McDaniels hired Scarnecchia to run the Broncos' video operations shortly after he accepted the job in January 2009.

The Cleveland Browns could be getting their ultimate utility player back.

Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini said he's optimistic Josh Cribbs will play Sunday after missing Week 11 because of dislocated toes on his right foot. Mangini said he's planning to let Cribbs, who did not practice all week and is listed as questionable on the team's injury report, return kickoffs and punts, then include him more in the offense if he's feeling well.

''It probably won't be the same volume [of plays] that he'd normally get, but we'll try to target some things for him,'' Mangini said. ''Now if it's going well and he feels good and there's no setbacks, it may increase as the game goes on. But at first, I'd like to get him to the game, have a real plan for what he's gonna do in the game, hopefully make sure we get that and then as the game is unfolding, [if] it feels good, potentially we could increase it.''

Owners in return yardage leagues should continue to monitor the status of Cribbs.

Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell might not be concerned about being benched this weekend against the Dolphins because he already knows he won’t be starting.

Bruce Gradkowski took most if not all of the first-team reps this week, typically a sign that the quarterback who took the reps will be starting the game.

Campbell isn’t named on the injury report, so it’s not as if Gradkowski got the snaps because Campbell isn’t healthy.

That said, the Raiders have said nothing about a switch to Gradkowski. On Friday, coach Tom Cable addressed the situation from the perspective of Campbell getting the start and then being yanked for Gradkowski.

"We talk about a lot of things all the time [and] he is OK with where we’re going and what we’re doing," Cable said of Campbell. "He understands it’s the job. It comes with it."

Both Campbell and Gradkowski are weak fantasy plays given that Miami allows fewer than 200 passing yards per game.

Chiefs TE Tony Moeaki (concussion questionable) took full practice reps Friday. Moeaki looks ready to return to game action for the Chiefs but is a risky fantasy play in his first week back.

Dolphins QB Chad Henne (knee questionable) took limited practice reps Friday. Henne still has a brace on his knee, but reportedly has been taking his share of the reps along with QB Tyler Thigpen. Henne's injury is proving much less serious than initially feared. The Dolphins are expected to announce a quarterback shortly before kickoff and Henne appears to be the early favorite. Neither is a fantasy option with Brandon Marshall missing from an already struggling offense.

Vikings QB Brett Favre (right shoulder, foot, ankle probable) took full reps Friday and is probable for week 12. Brett Favre battled a flue bug this week, but will suit up Sunday. Favre is no longer fantasy relevant, but it will be interesting to see how Favre uses Sidney Rice in the WR's second game back.

Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen (concussion probable) took full reps Friday and will start against the Browns in week 12. Clausen is clearly the Panthers best QB option at this point but is nothing to get excited about.

Browns QB Colt McCoy (ankle doubtful) did not practice Friday Friday. McCoy is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Browns HC Eric Mangini has named Jake Delhomme the starter this week against his former team the Panthers. Jake is not a fantasy option.

Texans QB Matt Schaub (knee Probable) took full practice reps Friday and is Probable for week 12. Schaub has a nice matchup with the Titans but only 9 TDs in his last 8 games.

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck (left wrist Probable) took full practice reps Friday and is Probable for week 12.

Redskins QB Donovan McNabb (hamstring Probable) took full practice reps Friday and is Probable for week 12.

Redskins RB Ryan Torain (hamstring out) has been ruled out for week 12. Keiland Williams will get the start and the bulk of the workload. James Davis has been called up from the practice squad and will back up Williams.

Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart (concussion probable) took full reps again Friday and is set to return to the field this week. Mike Goodson has been great for the Panthers in Stewart's absence racking up back to back 100 yard games, but we do expect Stewart to be given significant work once healthy. Goodson looks to be the better fantasy option this week, but both come with considerable risk until we see how the workload shakes out.

Panthers RB Tyrell Sutton (ankle Doubtful) did not practice Friday and is Doubtful for week 12.

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew (abdomen questionable) was limited in practice Friday and is questionable for week 12. Jones is expected to play against the New York Giants, but owners will need to check the inactives to be safe. Jones faces a tough matchup with the Giants defense and could lose touches to Rashad Jennings if he is indeed hampered by the abdomen.

Chargers RB Ryan Mathews (ankle doubtful) continues to miss practice Friday. It will be the Michael Tolbert show again Sunday, with a great matchup against another poor run defense in the Colts. Tolbert rushed 25 times for 111 yards and a TD Monday, while adding 42 yards on two receptions.

Colts RB Mike Hart (ankle questionable) did not practice Friday after taking full reps Thursday. Joseph Addai (neck doubtful) missed practice Friday after taking limited reps Thursday. Neither RB appears likely to play. Donald Brown will continue as the Colts lead back with Javarris James (knee questionable) continuing to be active in the short yardage and passing games.

Bills RB C.J. Spiller (hamstring questionable) took limited reps Friday and is questionable for week 12. HC Chan Gailey gives Spiller an "outside chance, not great" at playing Sunday. Fred Jackson would be a slightly better play if Spiller can't go, but neither should be considered against the league's best run defense in the Steelers.

Eagles RB LeSean McCoy (shoulder Probable) took full practice reps Friday and is Probable for week 12.

Cardinals RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (hamstring) was limited at practice Friday.

Chargers WR Malcom Floyd (hamstring questionable) returned to limited practice Friday. Floyd aggravated the hamstring after returning to game action last week and had missed practice earlier this week. It's unknown if Floyd will be able to go this week as Vincent Jackson makes his return to the lineup. Floyd looks to be less than 100% even if he suits up. WR Legedu Naanee (hamstring probable) took full reps Friday and is expected to be available but isn't a recommended fantasy play with an unknown role in his first game back. Patrick Crayton (wrist out) is out indefinitely after undergoing wrist surgery.

Seahawks WR Mike X Williams (foot questionable) did not practice Friday and is questionable for Sunday. Williams was in a walking boot Friday but will be a game-time decision for Sunday. Williams will work out before the game to see if he can go. We don't expect him to suit up. Ben Obomanu will start for the Hawks, with Deon Butler and Brandon Stokley (calf probable) heavily involved. Golden Tate (ankle probable) has returned to full practice this week and could make his return from injury, but doesn't figure to be heavily involved. The Seahawks WRs will be facing a depleted Chiefs secondary with CB Brandon Flowers doubtful.

Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall (hamstring doubtful) did not practice Friday and is doubtful for Sunday. Marshall went down with an obviously painful hamstring injury in last week's shutout loss to the Bears. Marshall will not play this week against the Raiders and beat writers are even speculating that Marshall could be lost for multiple weeks. Brian Hartline and Devone Bess will start for the Dolphins but their fantasy upside is limited until we see a serviceable game out of a Dolphins QB.

Vikings WRs Sidney Rice (hip questionable) and Bernard Berrian (groin questionable) returned to limited practice Friday after getting Thanksgiving Day off to rest. Rice returned to the lineup last week and played nearly a full compliment of snaps, catching 3 balls on 10 targets for 56 yards. Assuming Rice plays, he is a solid start in a favorable matchup with the Redskins. Berrian had little fantasy value before the return of Rice. He now has none.

Jaguars WR Mike Sims-Walker (ankle questionable) took limited reps Friday and is questionable for a Sunday matchup with the Giants. Sims-Walker isn't an advisable play even if he goes. Expect Mike Thomas to continue to be the best Jaguars WR, but his upside is limited on the road against a tough Giants defense.

Packers WR Donald Driver (quadricep probable) took full practice reps Friday and is probable for Sunday. Driver will play this week barring a setback but simply doesn't have much upside working as the Packers possession receiver. James Jones is equally involved, but is a much better fantasy play due to his ability to stretch the field.

Redskins WR Santana Moss (knee questionable) took limited reps Friday and is questionable for Sunday. HC Mike Shanahan called Moss a game-time decision and said Moss sat out Thursday with a sore knee, but it felt better Friday. If we had to guess, we think Moss will play Sunday. The Redskins are notoriously liberal with their use of the questionable tag. However, owners will need to check the inactives Sunday morning and know that the knee could limit Santana's production this weekend.

Texans WR Andre Johnson (ankle probable) took full practice reps again Friday. HC Gary Kubiak says Johnson has been looking like "his old self" in practice, indicating Johnson is as close to 100% as he'll get. Start him with confidence against a Titans defense allowing 336 passing yards per game over their last 4.

Falcons WR Roddy White (knee probable) took full practice reps Friday and is good to go for week 12. Start White with confidence despite a tough matchup with the Packers.

Cardinals WRs Steve Breaston (knee) & Early Doucet (head) were limited at practice Friday. Breaston is expected to play Monday Night while Doucet is dealing with a concussion.

Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (hamstring probable) took full practice reps Friday. HC Tom Cable indicated that DHB will return to the starting lineup this weekend against the Dolphins. Heyward-Bey isn't a fantasy option, and what little value Jacoby Ford had is gone.

Colts WR Reggie Wayne (knee questionable) returned to full practice Friday and is questionable for Sunday Night against the Chargers. Expect Wayne to be a good fantasy start in what looks to be a shootout with the Chargers, but there is a bit of risk with an official status not available until Sunday Night.

Colts WR Austin Collie (concussion Out) was limited at practice Friday but is Out for week 12. Blair White will serve as the Colts WR3 and is a borderline fantasy option.

Giants WRs Hakeem Nicks (lower leg out) & Steve Smith (pectoral out) continue to miss practice and have been ruled out for week 12. Derek Hagan is expected to start along side Mario Manningham with Duke Calhoun, Mark Clayton & Devin Thomas also in the mix. Manningham is the only player worth trusting in a great matchup with the Jaguars.

Rams WR Danario Alexander (knee Questionable) was limited at practice Friday and is Questionable for week 12. Denario feels close to 100%, but is no lock for playing time behind Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson & Laurent Robinson (toe probable).

Panthers WR Brandon LaFell (concussion probable) took full practice reps again Friday and looks poised to return to game action Sunday. LaFell will take targets from David Gettis. Neither should be considered a fantasy option.

Browns WR Josh Cribbs (foot questionable) missed practice again Friday. Cribbs is recovering from four dislocated toes. Don't expect him to be a difference maker this week against the Panthers even if he plays.

Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas (ankle Out) did not practice Friday and is Out for week 12. Thomas is expected to be out for multiple weeks, clearing the way for Eddie Royal to see more time as the Broncos WR3.

Chiefs WR Dexter McCluster (ankle Questionable) took full practice reps again Friday and is Questionable for week 12. With a full week of full practice, McCluster appears ready to return to the lineup Sunday.

Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha (ankle probable) practiced fully Friday for the first time this week and is expected to start against the Dolphins.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates (toe, foot questionable) missed practice Friday after taking limited reps Thursday and is listed as questionable. Gates was in the training room Friday and said he was in tremendous pain after testing the feet in Thursday's practice. Gates looks unlikely to return to action this week. Randy McMichael (hamstring probable) did get in limited reps Friday but isn't a recommended fantasy option at less than 100%.

Raiders TE Zach Miller (foot questionable) took limited practice Friday and is listed as questionable. Miller is expected to play Sunday and is reportedly feeling better than he did last week when Miller recorded only 2 catches for 9 yards. HC Tom Cable indicated that Miller is 90% and doing very well. We'd like to see a respectable game out of him before we move him back into lineups.

Buccaneers TE Kellen Winslow (knee Probable) took full practice reps Friday and is Probable for week 12.

Browns TE Ben Watson (ankle questionable) was limited in practice Friday and is questionable for Sunday. Watson could suit up against the Panthers but can't be trusted at less than 100%. Evan Moore has some sleeper upside if, and only if Watson is inactive.

Texans TE Owen Daniels (hamstring out) has been ruled out for week 12. Daniels has missed three straight weeks with the injury, and Joel Dreessen has filled in nicely. Dreessen is an option again this week against a weak Titans pass defense.

Titans K Rob Bironas (right groin Probable) did not practice Friday but is Probable for week 12.

Seahawks Mike X Williams is officially listed as 'questionable' for Week 12. The Seahawks' top wideout was still in a walking boot as of Friday.

Vikings Sidney Rice (hip) and Bernard Berrian (groin) are officially listed as 'questionable' for Week 12.

Jimmy Clausen will start at quarterback Sunday at Cleveland.

The situation behind Clausen is much less certain.

After Clausen completed a week of practice Friday with no setbacks from his concussion, Panthers coach John Fox said the rookie would start against the Browns.

“I think he had an outstanding week of preparation,” Fox said. “My understanding is we had no side effects and we anticipate he’ll be good to go on Sunday.”

Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said he expects injured offensive linemen Casey Rabach and Artis Hicks to play Sunday against Minnesota, but he called wide receiver Santana Moss a game-time decision.

Shanahan said Moss sat out Thursday's practice because his knee was sore. The coach said Moss's knee felt better at Friday's practice, but he still wouldn't know until Sunday whether Moss could play against the Vikings.

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew is questionable on the injury report with an abdomen strain, but he should be ok to go Sunday

Jaguars Mike Sims-Walker (ankle) was limited in practice today and 'questionable' for Week 12.

REPORT: Dimitri Nance is now the Packers' No. 2 running back. "I look forward to going forward with (Nance) and Brandon (Jackson). I think that is a good 1-2 punch," said coach Mike McCarthy.

Texans TE Owen Daniels is officially out for Week 12.

Joel Dreesen will get the start.

Dolphins left tackle Jake Long's shoulder is improving.

Long said the rest he’s gotten since Thursday night’s game has helped his troublesome left shoulder heal. He’s practicing with a harness on it, and hasn’t had his participating limited this week, which is a step in the right direction heading into Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders.

“Every single day I’m working hard and getting a lot of treatment and getting back out there,” said Long , the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft.

Long intends to finish the season with a serious left shoulder injury that will likely require a surgical procedure. He had the worst performance of his three-year career in last week’s 16-0 loss to the Chicago Bears, giving up three sacks to Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers.

Dolphins Brandon Marshall and Clifton Geathers are not at today's practice. Marshall's absence isn't a surprise.

Marshall is not expected to play.

Browns Jake Delhomme will start at QB. Mangini just made it official.

Encouraging news from Colts practice report Thursday. RB Mike Hart (ankle) practiced full for first time since suffering injury. RB Joseph Addai (shoulder) limited on Thursday.

Rookie running back C.J. Spiller was able to practice Thursday, improving his chances of playing Sunday. He sat out Wednesday with a sore hamstring that sidelined him the last game.

Gailey said Spiller was limited, but called his participation "encouraging."

"It felt good to get back out there and just start playing football again," Spiller said. "I managed to get that rehab in and sitting on the sideline, but we're taking it day by day. It's slow progress. We're right on schedule though. The main thing is just have to make sure we're 100 percent, and I could tell we're on pace to be 100 percent."

Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow (knee) returned to practice and participated fully.

Cardinals Beanie Chris Wells " "If I got [carries] on a consistent basis then the sky is the limit ... I can be one of the elite backs in this league."

Chargers head coach Norv Turner pretty much ruled out RB Ryan Mathews.

San Diego Chargers star tight end Antonio Gates(notes) was in pain as he tried to practice in a limited role Thursday.

Gates has missed the last two games because of a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. He said Wednesday that he wanted to practice in the days leading up to Sunday night’s game at Indianapolis to gauge his progress.

Thursday was his chance, as he participated in individual drills and a select number of team plays.

“I wanted to see how I would respond to defenders being in the way and making unexpected cuts in the flow of a route,” Gates said. “Everything has been controlled to this point. I didn’t finish, but I’m incredibly sore.”

Jets Inactives
Kellen Clemens QB
Marquice Cole CB
Jerricho Cotchery WR
Jeff Cumberland TE
Marcus Dixon DE
Matt Kroul DT
Dwight Lowery CB
Jamaal Westerman LB

Bengals Inactives
Kirk Chambers T
Brandon Ghee DB
Johnathan Joseph CB
Dan LeFevour QB
Rico Murray CB
Antwan Odom DE
Reggie Stephens C
Roy L. Williams SS

Cowboys Inactives
Phil Costa G
Sean Lissemore DT
Kevin Ogletree WR
Jermey Parnell OT
Tony Romo QB
Jimmy Saddler-McQueen DT
Brandon Williams LB
Sam Young T

Saints Inactives
Ladell Betts RB
Charles Brown T
Sean Canfield QB
Junior Galette DE
Matt Giordano DB
Darren Sharper FS
Jeremy Shockey TE
Pierre Thomas RB

Reggie Bush returns to action against the Cowboys.

At a time when it’s becoming increasingly obvious that Titans owner Bud Adams will be required to choose come 2011 between quarterback Vince Young and coach Jeff Fisher, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that the octogenarian is skewing Young.

Charley Casserly of CBS reports that the Titans expect Adams to pay Young a $4.25 million roster bonus due on the 10th day of the 2011 league year. If so, it means that Young will be on the team next year.

And it means that Fisher probably won’t be coaching it.

RB Mike Goodson's play leaves Carolina (1-9) with big short-term and long-term decisions as it rebuilds.

The first is that Jonathan Stewart, who has been held to 208 yards on 69 carries, practiced again Thursday and expected to play Sunday at Cleveland after missing two games. Head coach John Fox hasn't said who will start.

And DeAngelo Williams, who was held to 361 yards on 87 carries before being lost for the season to a foot injury, is an impending free agent.

A few more big games by Goodson to close the season could permanently change Carolina's backfield.

"Hopefully," Goodson said, "I'm surprising some people."

With rumors that they won't bring DeAngelo Williams back, Stewart should be in their plans for the future, but Goodson is doing a lot to change their mind. This could another dreaded split situation, when they continue to take a look at Goodson as well as Stewart. For now, it's worth owning both until we see how the team handles the carries.

Panthers coach John Fox says QB Jimmy Clausen passed another cognitive test Wednesday, still not saying definitively he'll start Sun, but looking that way.

Redskins Mike Shanahan says RB Keiland Williams will start Sunday, and James Davis serves as backup. Ryan Torain definitely out.

It's not a great matchup against the Vikings, but now that Clinton Portis is on IR, Williams becomes worth owning along with Torain if you have the roster room.

Tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Patrick Crayton will likely catch passes again this season. But the dark cloud hanging over the Chargers’ current belief that they’re set to make a late-season run is the possibility the two playmakers will not be able to contribute.

Crayton submitted to surgery Wednesday on the left wrist he dislocated two days prior. The hope is he could play late in the season, perhaps as early as the middle of next month.

Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a hip injury against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Cowboys have been cautious with him because of the short week leading up to today's game against the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Jones practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, but is expected to play against the Saints.

To our subscribers, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day with lots of fun, family, friends and, of course, fantasy football - from the entire 4for4.com staff...

Saints running back Reggie Bush widely was expected to play on Sunday against the Seahawks. On Saturday, he first heard that Bush may not make his return in Week 11. By Sunday, it became official.

Four days later, we’re told that Bush will play against the Cowboys (4:00 p.m. ET, FOX).

Lions Inactives
TE Tony Scheffler
DE Willie Young
DE Lawrence Jackson
T Jason Fox
G Donald Thomas
QB Mathew Stafford
K Jason Hanson

Jahvid Best is active, but expected to play a lesser role with Maurice Morris receiving a heavier workload.

RB Fred Taylor is active for the Patriots

Patriots Inactives
DL Brandon Deaderick
T Mark LeVoir
OL Rich Ohrnberger
G Stephen Neal
WR Taylor Price
DT Myron Pryor
CB Jonathan Wilhite
DL Mike Wright

RB Fred Taylor is active for the first time since week 3. His role remains to be seen.

The season is coming full circle for the Browns. It could be ending the way it started at quarterback — with Jake Delhomme No. 1, Seneca Wallace No. 2, and Colt McCoy inactive.

McCoy is out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain of his lower left leg, coach Eric Mangini confirmed. Whether or not the impressive rookie will play again this year is simply a guess.

There are seven weeks left in the season. That’s how long it has taken Delhomme to get back on the field after the second of his two high ankle sprains. Wallace also is in his seventh week since suffering the same injury. He said Wednesday that he’s still not 100 percent.

When Delhomme came back prematurely four weeks into his original high ankle sprain, he hobbled noticeably and aggravated the injury. “I’m optimistic that it will be quicker than (four or five weeks),“ Mangini said. “I’m optimistic this week, but just (having) been through quite a few of them here recently, I temper all my optimism.“

Browns QB Colt McCoy (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. McCoy is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Browns HC Eric Mangini has named Jake Delhomme the starter this week against his former team the Panthers. Jake is not a fantasy option.

Patriots QB Tom Brady (foot questionable) did not practice Wednesday and is questionable for Thursday. Brady is fully expected to play in a good Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Lions.

Bengals QB Carson Palmer (foot probable) is probable for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Jets.

Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen (concussion) returned to full practice Wednesday. HC John Fox has indicated that Clausen will be the starter when healthy. Still, this is a fantasy situation to avoid and the Browns are still our top ranked defense for week 12.

Dolphins QB Chad Henne (knee) took limited reps Wednesday. Henne still has a brace on his knee, but reportedly was taking his share of the reps along with QB Tyler Thigpen. Henne's injury is proving much less serious than initially feared. He could return this week but wont be a fantasy option regardless. The Dolphins are expected to announce a quarterback shortly before kickoff.

Vikings QB Brett Favre (right shoulder, foot, ankle) took limited reps Wednesday. Brett Favre is now battling a flu bug. He'll be fine for a Sunday tilt with the Redskins.

Texans QB Matt Schaub (knee) took full practice reps Wednesday and is expected to start in a favorable matchup with the Titans.

Redskins QB Donovan McNabb (hamstring) took full practice reps Wednesday.

Redskins RB Clinton Portis (groin out) has been placed on season ending IR. Keiland Williams will get the start this week with Ryan Torain looking doubtful. James Davis has been called up from the practice squad and will back up Williams.

Saints RB Reggie Bush (leg questionable) took limited reps Wednesday and is questionable for Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys. Pierre Thomas (ankle out) & Ladell Betts (neck, head out) have been ruled out, leaving Chris Ivory (shoulder, knee probable) & Julius Jones to fill in if Bush isn't active. Expect another game-time decision for Bush.

Cowboys RB Felix Jones (hip questionable) took limited reps Wednesday and is questionable for Thanksgiving day. Jones left last week's game against the Lions with the hip, but returned in the 2nd half. Expect a game-time decision on Jones. Tashard Choice will see more touches if Jones is inactive, but fantasy owners should look elsewhere if at all possible.

Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart (concussion) returned to full practice Wednesday. It's good news that he's been cleared for practice, and great news that he put in a full practice. When Stewart returns to the lineup, Mike Goodson will likely return to a 3rd down role.

Lions RB Jahvid Best (toe probable) took limited practice reps Wednesday and is probable for Thanksgiving Day. Earlier in the week HC Jim Schwartz made it sound as if Best was unlikely to play Thursday, but Best put in two days of limited work and will suit up. How much he will play is anybodies guess, as last week Best received only 3 carries to 10 for Maurice Morris. A similar distribution is likely for Thursday.

Bills RB C.J. Spiller (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Spiller did some working out on the side. HC Chan Gailey gives Spiller an "outside chance, not great" at playing Sunday. Fred Jackson would be a slightly better play if Spiller can't go, but neither should be considered against the league's best run defense in the Steelers.

Chargers RB Ryan Mathews (ankle) continues to miss practice. It could be the Michael Tolbert show again Sunday, with a great matchup against another poor run defense in the Colts. Tolbert rushed 25 times for 111 yards and a TD Monday, while adding 42 yards on two receptions.

Eagles RB LeSean McCoy (shoulder) took full practice reps Wednesday.

Patriots RB Fred Taylor (toe questionable) took limited reps again Wednesday and is questionable for Thanksgiving Day. Taylor hasn't played since week 3 and has lost the starting job to BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Don't expect him to play this week.

Texans WR Andre Johnson (ankle) returned to full practice Wednesday. HC Gary Kubiak indicated Johnson would get Wednesdays off for the rest of the season, so Johnson must be feeling 100%. Start him with confidence against a Titans defense allowing 336 passing yards per game over their last 4.

Vikings WR Sidney Rice (hip) took full practice reps Wednesday. Rice returned to the lineup last week and played nearly a full compliment of snaps, catching 3 balls on 10 targets for 56 yards. Rice is a solid start in a favorable matchup with the Redskins.

Giants WRs Hakeem Nicks (lower leg) & Steve Smith (pectoral) continue to miss practice. Smith is out for at least another week, while Nicks will be out at least three weeks. Derek Hagan will start along side Mario Manningham with Duke Calhoun, Mark Clayton & Devin Thomas also in the mix. Manningham is the only player worth trusting in a great matchup with the Jaguars.

Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall (hamstring) missed practice Wednesday. Marshall went down with an obviously painful hamstring injury in last week's shutout loss to the Bears. Beat writers are speculating that Marshall could be lost for multiple weeks. He sounds like he will almost certainly be out this week against the Raiders.

Falcons WR Roddy White (knee) did not practice Wednesday. Consider this a routine day off for the fantasy stud.

Jaguars WR Mike Sims-Walker (ankle) missed practice Wednesday. Sims-Walker is dealing with a high ankle sprain and is unlikely to suit up this week. Mike Thomas will be the Jaguars #1 wideout again this week.

Chargers WR Legedu Naanee (hamstring) took practice reps Wednesday, while Malcom Floyd (hamstring) missed practice after aggravating the injury last week. Naanee appears to have a good shot at playing, while the setback for Floyd is a concern. Floyd could be simply getting some rest coming off of the Monday Night game. We'll know more on Friday. In other news, Vincent Jackson comes in as a top 10 wide receiver this week in a Sunday matchup with the Colts.

Seahawks WR Mike X Williams (foot) did not practice Wednesday. Williams is still sporting a protective boot and could miss this week against the Chiefs. Ben Obomanu will continue to start and could be the Seahawks #1 WR. Deon Butler would move into the starting lineup if Williams can't go. Golden Tate (ankle) returned to practice Wednesday and could also get back on the field.

Packers WR Donald Driver (quadricep) took limited reps Wednesday. Driver hasn't been the same receiver since sustaining the quad injury, but he did return to the field last week, catching 4 balls on 7 targets. James Jones remains the better fantasy option with Driver less than 100%.

Redskins WR Santana Moss (hamstring) took limited reps Wednesday. Moss suffered the hamstring injury in Sunday's game, but played through it. Look for him to return to full practice later in the week and be listed as questionable by a Redskins team with an affinity for the Q tag.

Chiefs WR Dexter McCluster (ankle) returned to full practice Wednesday. Great news for the Chiefs. McCluster looks ready to return to game action this week against the Seahawks.

Vikings WR Bernard Berrian (groin) took limited reps Wednesday. Berrian had little fantasy value before the return of Sidney Rice. He now has none.

Rams WR Danario Alexander (knee) was limited in practice Wednesday. Alexander pronounced himself ready to return to game action this week. Unfortunately for Alexander, he now finds himself behind Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson & Laurent Robinson on the depth chart.

Rams WR Laurent Robinson (toe) took full practice reps Wednesday.

Panthers WR Brandon LaFell (concussion) returned to full practice Wednesday. Once LaFell returns to the lineup he will challenge David Gettis for the starting gig. Neither should be considered a fantasy option.

Browns WR Josh Cribbs (foot) missed practice again Wednesday. Cribbs is recovering from four dislocated toes. Don't expect him to be a difference maker this week against the Panthers.

Jets WR Jerricho Cotchery (groin out) has been ruled out for week 12. Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards will continue to reap the benefits. Start them with confidence against a depleted Bengals defense.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates (foot) continues to miss practice. Gates will be a game-time decision, but we wouldn't be counting on his return. Owners obviously need to have a backup plan, especially with another late kickoff, this week on Sunday Night against the Colts.

Texans TE Owen Daniels (hamstring) missed practice again Wednesday. Daniels has missed three straight weeks with the injury, and Joel Dreessen has filled in nicely. Dreessen is an option again this week against a weak Titans pass defense.

Browns TE Ben Watson (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. Watson has been an inconsistent fantasy performer of late. We'll check to see if he can return to practice later in the week, but is a risky play either way, even against a Panthers team allowing the 3rd most fantasy points to TEs. If Watson can't go, Evan Moore would become an interesting fantasy play.

Saints TE Jeremy Shockey (ribs questionable) took limited reps Wednesday and is Questionable for Thanksgiving Day. You shouldn't be starting Shockey even if he returns. Jimmy Graham offers the most upside out of the Saints TEs, but none are good fantasy options with a crowd at the position.

Bucs TE Kellen Winslow (knee) did not practice Wednesday. Expect Winslow to return later in the week.

Raiders TE Zach Miller (foot) took limited reps Wednesday. Miller's production has slowed significantly since being hampered by the injury. Owners need to temper expectations until Miller shows he is healthy enough to produce on the field.

Chiefs TE Tony Moeaki (concussion) returned to limited practice Wednesday. This is a good sign for Moeaki getting back on the field this week. Owners should take a wait and see approach.

Lions TE Tony Scheffler (rib doubtful) did not practice Wednesday and is doubtful for Thanksgiving Day. Brandon Pettigrew has already been seeing a ton of targets, and the absence of Scheffler only improves his fantasy stock. Pettigrew is our #2 TE this week.

Lions K Jason Hanson (right knee out) did not practice Wednesday and has been ruled out for Thursday. Hanson indicated that the injury could keep him out next week as well. Dave Rayner will continue to kick in place of Hanson.

Titans K Rob Bironas (right groin) did not practice Wednesday.

Bills coach Chan Gailey said "Outside chance - not great" when asked about whether running back C.J. Spiller and defensive tackle Spencer Johnson would play Sunday vs. Pittsburgh.

Both players are nursing sore hamstrings. Johnson worked out on a bicycle and did some running on the sideline during practice Wednesday, held at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Spiller did some working out on the side then went back to the fieldhouse.

Raiders WR Chaz Schilens has re-injured his foot coming back from knee injury -- which he hurt overcompensating for original foot injury.

New England Patriots

Questionable
QB Tom Brady (right shoulder, foot), T Mark LeVoir (elbow), G Steve Neal (shoulder), S Jarrad Page (calf), DT Myron Pryor (back), RB Fred Taylor (toe), CB Jonathan Wilhite (hip), DE Mike Wright (neck, concussion)

Detroit Lions

Out
K Jason Hanson (right knee), DE Lawrence Jackson (concussion), QB Matthew Stafford (right shoulder)

Doubtful
TE Tony Scheffler (rib)

Questionable
DE Cliff Avril (quadricep), LB Isaiah Ekejiuba (knee), C Dylan Gandy (calf), DT Corey Williams (shoulder)

Probable
RB Jahvid Best (toe), QB Shaun Hill (quadricep), LB DeAndre Levy (groin), DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (knee)

New Orleans Saints

Out
RB Ladell Betts (neck, head), RB Pierre Thomas (ankle)

Questionable
RB Reggie Bush (fibula), S Malcolm Jenkins (neck), S Darren Sharper (hamstring), TE Jeremy Shockey (rib)

Probable
T Jermon Bushrod (knee), DT Sedrick Ellis (quadricep), DE Junior Galette (shoulder), C Jonathan Goodwin (back), DT Tony Hargrove (knee), RB Chris Ivory (shoulder, knee), CB Patrick Robinson (ankle), S Usama Young (calf)

Dallas Cowboys

Out
DE Sean Lissemore (ankle), QB Tony Romo (left shoulder)

Questionable
RB Felix Jones (hip)

Probable
LB Bradie James (knee), CB Terence Newman (ankle)

Cincinnati Bengals

Out
DE Antwan Odom (wrist), S Roy Williams (head)

Questionable
CB Brandon Ghee (groin), CB Johnathan Joseph (ankle), CB Rico Murray (ankle)

Probable
QB Carson Palmer (foot), T Dennis Roland (knee)

New York Jets

Out
WR Jerricho Cotchery (groin), CB Dwight Lowery (concussion)

Questionable
CB Marquice Cole (hamstring), CB Drew Coleman (groin), T Damien Woody (knee)

Probable
DE Shaun Ellis (knee), LB David Harris (calf), S James Ihedigbo (neck), C Nick Mangold (shoulder), LB Calvin Pace (foot), DT Sione Pouha (ankle), CB Darrelle Revis (hamstring), QB Mark Sanchez (calf), G Matt Slauson (knee), WR Brad Smith (back)

Patriots Tom Brady is questionable for Thursday after missing practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tyler Thigpen said Sparano met w/ him & Chad Henne after practice Monday and told both to prepare as starters. The coach plans to decide later in week.

Still no sign of Brandon Marshall out here at Miami Dolphins practice. He’ll show up on the injury report today, and it will be interesting to see how the Dolphins choose to classify him.

I don’t expect them to declare him out for Sunday’s game at Oakland. That’s just not how they roll. But no one should be surprised if Marshall misses not just this game but others down the road.

That’s how severely he appeared to injure his right hamstring making that spin move on Lance Briggs late in the first half against the Bears.

Saints running back Reggie Bush, whose reappearance on the field since cracking his fibula against San Francisco in week two, was listed as limited and questionable for Thursday's game. Bush said he feels good but declined to make any predictions on whether he would play against the Cowboys. He felt ready to play against the Seahawks last Sunday, he said, and was scratched.

The Giants have been awarded Devin Thomas off waivers. The former second-round selection had been waived by the Panthers on Tuesday.

Jets WR Jerricho Cotchery (groin) has been officially ruled out for Thursday night.

Panthers wide receiver Brandon LaFell was back in practice on Wednesday. He left Week 10's game with a concussion.

Texans tight end Owen Daniels remains day to day with his hamstring injury. He did not participate in practice on Wednesday.

Vikings Brett Favre said he is dealing with the flu during Wednesday's press conference. He still fully expects to play on Sunday against the Redskins.

Bills coach Chan Gailey indicated that the Bills are likely to stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter in 2011. "Guys earn it," said Gailey. "(Fitzpatrick) has earned it. He's played extremely well."

Panthers Jonathan Stewart returned to practice on Wednesday after missing the past two weeks with a concussion. He could work his way into the starting role ahead of Mike Goodson by Sunday.

Jaguars Jack Del Rio is holding out hope that Mike Sims-Walker (ankle) can practice on Thursday.

Giants HC Tom Coughlin said RB Brandon Jacobs will start Sunday ahead of Ahmad Bradshaw.

The starting job doesn't necessarily mean Jacobs will get more work than Bradshaw, but it's clear that Bradshaw's fumbling problems have cost him the starting job, at least for now. Jacobs will get a bump at Bradshaw's expense in the rankings, but Bradshaw will likely still be the better fantasy play.

Jacobs has been running well though, and is worth adding if available. It could be that the Giants want to go to a more power running attack after the losses of Steve Smith and then Hakeem Nicks.

Just confirmed that Clinton Portis has been put on season-ending injured reserve.

Keiland Williams wont have to battle with Portis for work. His only roadblocks to a heavy workload are Ryan Torain (still injured) and newly promoted from practice squad James Davis.

Jets WRs Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards are both scheduled to become free agents after this season, and the local media is already wondering if the Jets can bring back both receivers. "Obviously, they're both very important pieces to us, both priorities," general manager Mike Tannenbaum. "We want to keep as many players as we can, but a lot of questions have to be answered. We need to know what the rules are."

Lions Jason Hanson (knee) won't play in Week 12 and could be out even longer. "It's frustrating," Hanson said. "I know how to play with pain and work through stuff, but there's the kind of pain where, you know, I just can't kick a ball like I am supposed to."

Patriots Stephen Gostkowski (quad) expects to be fine for 2011. He underwent right quad surgery last week. "Depending on how it goes, it seems to be something that won't have repercussions in the future if I do a good job of recovering," Gostkowski said.

Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels was asked Tuesday if he would start rookie Tim Tebow at quarterback if the Broncos were mathematically eliminated from the postseason race, McDaniels responded: "I don't know. Not willing to go there. That's not the case right now, so we'll think about that when that happens."

Asked if he would consider putting Tebow in some end-of-game situations more in the coming weeks to get him experience, McDaniels offered a maybe.

"We haven't had too many situations like that, but there's a lot that could go into it," McDaniels said. "I think each game is different. I think we've had the one game against Kansas City where you felt like there was a situation there, but there are some other things that played into that.

"We're not adverse to doing that, we just haven't had many opportunities to do that this year."

The Panthers hope rookie Jimmy Clausen is cleared after the concussion he suffered against Tampa Bay, and the fact that they didn't add a quarterback to the 53-man roster is a decent indication they expect him to return.

Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis hopes he can play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings after the latest MRI on his ailing groin showed no new damage.

"Hopefully, the swelling [will] go down," Portis said yesterday on his weekly radio show on 106.7 The Fan. "The MRI didn't reveal anything new, so that was a great thing. That was great news. Right now, [I'm] dealing with swelling, and hopefully that [will] go down."

Chargers head coach Norv Turner is optimistic about Malcom Floyd (hamstring) being available in Week 12. The wideout tweaked his hamstring on Monday night against the Broncos. "I would think he would be ready." Floyd may not practice until Friday.

Floyd could be a nice, sneaky play given that Vincent Jackson is back in the fold.

Lions Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (knee) and defensive tackle Corey Williams (shoulder) are expected to play on Thanksgiving despite missing practice time.

Titans WR Kenny Britt (hamstring) will not be active in Week 12 against the Texans, but could return as early as Week 13.

Former Denver Broncos first-round draft pick Jarvis Moss has joined the Oakland Raiders.

Moss posted an announcement on his official Twitter account.

"So it’s official!" Moss wrote. "I’m an Oakland Raider! God is good thank him!"

The former University of Florida standout was unproductive with the Broncos.

He had no sacks over the past two years.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie has been ruled out for Sunday night’s home game against San Diego after he encountered symptoms related to a concussion sustained Nov. 7, the team advised in a release Tuesday.

Collie’s second-quarter exit from Sunday’s game at New England was not a recurrence, the team said, but the second-year pro will sit out the next game as a precautionary measure.

Look for Blair White to fill the void for Austin Collie.

An earlier report on Tuesday said Titans quarterback Vince Young was told to leave, but a source confirmed that that was incorrect. The source also indicated that Young has not been banned from the facility, but was told that he “wasn't needed for a team meeting” that was scheduled to take place Monday.

It is not known when Young would return to Baptist Sports Park, but once he has surgery on his torn flexor tendon in his right thumb, it is expected to take about six weeks of recovery time.

Vincent Jackson has finally been added back to the Chargers' 53-man roster. He will be active on Sunday against the Colts, and most likely in the starting lineup.

There is no reason not to start Vincent Jackson in week 12.

Titans quarterback Vince Young isn’t welcome at Baptist Sports Park, at least not for the time being.

Young showed up at the team’s facility on Monday and was asked to leave by a team official, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Young expressed frustration and was visibly upset, according to sources, but he eventually left without incident. Indications are Young showed up at the facility for team meetings and was told he wouldn't be needed.

And the rift continues to grow...... Just a hunch but either Jeff Fisher or Vince Young will not be with the Titans in 2011.

Chargers Norv Turner "not optimistic" about Ryan Mathews playing at Indy but said he could return to practice late in week and possibly play.

Saints Report: Full participation in Tuesday's practice: CB Patrick Robinson (ankle), T Jermon Bushrod (knee), DE Junior Galette (shoulder) and RB Chris Ivory (shoulder).

Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas (ankle) has already been ruled out for Week 12.

QB Chris Simms worked out for the Titans on Tuesday.

Saints RB Reggie Bush (leg) was moving around well at practice on Tuesday, according to head coach Sean Payton.

The Giants have signed free agent wide receiver Michael Clayton.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates (toe, foot) is still a total question mark as the Chargers head to Indy.

Colts Running back Joseph Addai and linebacker Gary Brackett stopped in the Colts locker room Monday. Neither could offer a timetable on their return from injuries that have kept Addai (neck) out for four games and Brackett (toe) out for two.

"Day by day," Addai said.

"Day by day," Brackett echoed.

Cowboys RB Felix Jones (hip) will spend more time with trainers than on the practice field Tuesday.

Jets WR Jerricho Cotchery(groin) was a light-participant in Tuesday morning's Jets' practice.

Lions RBJahvid Best (toes) did participate in practice on Tuesday, but he's not 100% by any means.

Lions tight end, Tony Scheffler (ribs) is a big 'if' for Thursday's afternoon contest with New England.

The MRI on Redskins RB Clinton Portis's ever-sore groin came back with nothing.

Packers WR Donald Driver (quad) didn't have any issues with his quad injury in Week 11.

The Bengals have placed defensive tackle Tank Johnson (knee) on injured reserve.

Tony Romo threw for the first time Sunday. He had X-rays on his fractured left clavicle on Monday. But nothing has changed on when he might return.

It is routine for additional X-rays just to see how the fracture is healing, according to a source. It is not an indication that Romo might return sooner than expected.

The bone still needs to heal fully, and thus, the Cowboys don't expect Romo back before the Christmas Day matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. And the Cowboys still could decide it is not worth the risk for Romo to return this season, healthy or not, if they are out of the playoff race by then.

PALMER SITS OUT: The Bengals practiced Monday but quarterback Carson Palmer was held out due to a foot injury.

Chargers WR Patrick Crayton dislocated his wrist Monday night. He'll undergo an MRI today to determine whether he'll play again this year.

Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey said that he has no indication of whether or not waiver pickup Shawne Merriman will play at all for the team this season.

When Gailey was initially asked whether or not Merriman would be practicing this week, he quickly responded.

"Don't see that. I don't see that this week."

After asked the question, 'Do you expect Merriman to play at all this season?' Gailey said, "I don't know, that's a good question. I think that would be something that I would have to address each and every week to see where he is and see what the doctors say and see what's going to happen with that. I don't know that yet."

"Well I'm not [confident]. There's got to be something to give me confidence and nobody has said 'Ok, you can expect him in two weeks.' Nobody has said that yet.'

Colt McCoy's status for Sunday's Browns game against Carolina is uncertain because of a sprained left ankle, perhaps opening the door for Jake Delhomme to start against his former team, the Panthers.

Delhomme, acquired as a free agent in the off-season, started the opener at Tampa Bay and suffered a high-ankle sprain while being dragged down as he threw an interception. Mangini on Monday said Delhomme is "back to 100 percent, or as close to 100 percent as anyone is."

With starting receiver Steve Smith out into December due to a pectoral injury and fellow starting receiver Hakeem Nicks reportedly out for three weeks with a foot injury, the receiver-needy Giants may be getting ready to write a check for $150,000.

A league source tells us that the Giants will be bringing in former NFL and current UFL receiver Michael Clayton for a workout.

The timing isn’t clear. The memo recently sent by the NFL to all teams contemplates that no tryouts will occur until after Friday’s UFL championship game. Clayton played for the Nighthawks, who did not qualify for the title game.

Former Eagles WR Kevin Curtis is also in the mix for a try out.

The Miami Dolphins returned to the practice field Monday morning, but they were without the services of three key starters, at least during the portion of practice open to the media.

Leading receiver Brandon Marshall, coming off a hamstring injury that knocked him out for the second half of the Bears loss on Thursday, was not at practice during the open portion. Marshall told WQAM's Michael Irvin on Friday that he would do everything in his power to get back to the field as soon as possible, but it's unclear if Marshall will be able to play against his old AFC West foes at Oakland on Sunday.

Broncos Inactives
Robert Ayers OLB
Stanley Daniels G
Andre' Goodman CB
Laurence Maroney RB
Eric Olsen G
Brady Quinn QB
Cassius Vaughn DB
David Veikune DE

Chargers Inactives
Kris Brown K
Antonio Gates TE
Steve Gregory SS
Travis Johnson DE
Ryan Mathews RB
Legedu Naanee WR
Darrell Stuckey DB
Kris Wilson TE

Randy McMichael will start in place of Antonio Gates.

Tight end Antonio Gates is a no-go for tonight's game against the Denver Broncos.

Gates, who'd played 94 straight games before the pre-bye contest at Houston two weeks ago, didn't even feel comfortable enough to test his injured foot in warm-ups.

The Chargers signed tight end Kory Sperry off the practice squad earlier Monday.

Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said Vince Young needs season-ending surgery on his throwing hand and that the Titans are placing the quarterback on injured reserve within the next couple days.

Young saw a hand specialist Monday, and Fisher said team doctors recommended the surgery to repair Young's torn flexor tendon in his right thumb. Young suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Sunday's 19-16 overtime loss to Washington.

Fisher also said he didn't know - and didn't sound as though he cared - if Young will get an outside opinion.

"He may want to get a second opinion. He may want to get two dozen opinions. Our doctor said for his position, it needs to be fixed," Fisher said.

Rusty Smith will start until Kerry Collins comes back in 1-2 more weeks. The team also signed Chris Simms.

Decision almost made on Chargers TE Antonio Gates. Barring major shift, he will not play. He's Gates, though, so don't rule it out.

WR Mike Williams suffered an injury to the bottom of his foot in the second half of Sunday's game, and his status is day-to-day. He was in a plastic protective boot after the game.

"He did something very unusual to his foot," coach Pete Carroll said. "It might not be as serious as we originally thought, but we're going to have to wait and see how he responds."

Williams appeared to suffer a leg injury in the first quarter after his 68-yard reception, but that was an issue of cramping in his hamstring. The injury that knocked him out of the game was entirely different.

"He was running down the field and felt something pop," Carroll said. "It's very unusual. They know exactly what it is. I can't explain it to you, and they've never seen it before. So it's an unusual thing that he's got. Something in the bottom of his foot."

Initial reports said the injury could be very serious but Carroll gave reason to be optimistic at least for now.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher says QB Kerry Collins could be out one more week, maybe two more.

With Vince Young now on IR, the team will sign Chris Simms to back up Rusty Smith.

By the way, when WR Steve Smith eventually returns, he said, "I’ll definitely be limited for the rest of this season, I’m sure."

Rookie running back C.J. Spiller and defensive end Spencer Johnson will be re-evaluated later this week after missing Sunday's game. Gailey said both have a chance to play against the Steelers.

"We'll have to wait and see. It's getting closer, there's a chance for [Spiller] to play this week, both he and Spencer. Both we're going to err on the side of caution on both of those. There's a lot of games left," the coach said.

Updating an earlier item:

X-rays on Tony Romo's broken left collarbone show that it's still fractured, and the Cowboys starting quarterback remains at least three weeks away from returning, a source told ESPNDallas.com on Monday.

Romo underwent X-rays Monday morning to see how the injury to his non-throwing arm is healing.

Romo was injured on Oct. 25 in a loss to the New York Giants at Cowboys Stadium when he took a shot on his shoulder by blitzing linebacker Michael Boley.

Romo has been out about four weeks and doctors have told him it takes six to eight weeks for the collarbone to show any real healing. Romo isn't wearing a sling on a regular basis and he made some throws before Sunday's game vs. the Detroit Lions.

The Cowboys are hopeful Romo can return at some point in December, but until then Jon Kitna, 2-2 since replacing Romo, is the starter. Kitna has won his last two ballgames with an efficient brand of football. Against the Lions, Kitna threw for just 147 yards but had three touchdown passes and a quarterback rating of 129.7. The previous week, Kitna attempted just 22 passes but threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns in a road victory over the Giants.

The Giants are now without both of their starting wide receivers with the Hakeem Nicks injury. Fourth-year pro Steve Smith is still dealing with a partially torn pectoral muscle.

Backup WR Mario Manningham will continue to start until Smith is able to return to the lineup. WR Derek Hagan, who signed with the team last Tuesday, will likely start opposite Manningham. Undrafted rookie Duke Calhoun will temporarily handle the No. 3 role.

The team has worked out nine receivers this season. Veteran WR Kevin Curtis worked out for the team last week.

Hagan already has a TD pass to his credit, catching one last week against the Eagles. Hagan could put up decent enough WR3 numbers if you're scrambling for WR help this week.

Hakeem Nicks will be out of action for three weeks as he is being treated for Compartment Syndrome in his lower right leg, the Giants announced today. Nicks suffered the injury in Sunday night's loss to Philadelphia.

Nicks is at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York this afternoon undergoing a fasciotomy to treat the injury, according to the Giants. Compartment Syndrome is swelling in the lower leg which compresses nerves and blood vessels and can lead to muscle and nerve damage if not treated immediately.

The loss of Nicks would be the second big blow to Eli Manning's reservoir of targets. Steve Smith is out, likely until early next month, with a partially torn pectoral muscle.

This is a huge blow for the Giants, Eli Manning and fantasy owners. Nicks is a player we really liked in the pre-season, and he didn't disappoint, racking up 900 yards and 9 TDs through the first 10 games of the season. The injury comes just as the Giants were heading in to back-to-back favorable matchups with Jacksonville and Washington.

If you've got the roster space, hold on to Nicks as he could return for the final two or three games of the season. However, if you really need the space, cutting Nicks would be understandable. Three weeks could easily become four and then we're dangerously close to the end of the fantasy season. The Giants face Philadelphia and Green Bay in weeks 15 and 16, which are tough matchups even if Nicks plays.

Steve Smith will be out at least one more week, which means Mario Manningham will be the Giants #1 with Derek Hagan and Duke Calhoun filling out the depth chart. Nicks going down isn't overly helpful for Manningham as defenses will now be able to focus on him, with no real threat from Hagan or Calhoun. This is looking like a fantasy situation to avoid moving forward, outside of those already owning Manningham.

Jets Darelle Revis says he will cover Terrell Owens and Antonio Cromartie will be on Chad Ochocinco Thursday.

The Giants' receiving corps is about to be further depleted.

Hakeem Nicks will be out of action with a lower leg injury, according to two people with knowledge of the health of the Giants' leading receiver. The people requested anonymity because all injury reports are to be officially announced by Giants coach Tom Coughlin.

The exact nature of the injury and the timetable for Nicks' recovery are unclear, but Coughlin is set to speak with reporters this afternoon.

Nicks has had a few ankle injuries this season, but nothing so severe that it has knocked him out of action.

The reports on just how long are sketchy right now, but three weeks seems to be a pretty common. Mario Manningham was already worth picking up but he now becomes the Giants WR1 is both Nicks and Steve Smith are out next week. Derek Hagan, who caught a TD last week, and Duke Calhoun, who made his first catch last week, are next in line.

Now that Brad Childress has been fired as coach of the Vikings some will expect that interim coach Leslie Frazier will end the NFL's longest starting streak and bench Brett Favre.

We have one response to that: Don't count on it.

Frazier might have been promoted but we have feeling that won't give him the power to sit Favre and quite frankly from everything we've heard he likely has no interest in replacing Favre with Tarvaris Jackson.

As the relationship between Favre and Childress grew more strained, it was Frazier who served as a sounding board for a frustrated Favre. Frazier became one of Favre's main allies last month when Childress considered benching the quarterback against New England because of fractures in his ankle and heel.

If nothing else, remember that owner Zygi Wilf is paying Favre $1 million per game this season and likely wouldn't be too thrilled to have that investment serving as a spectator on Sundays.

Brian St. Pierre said shoulder sore. Asked if there was practice today, whether he could go, he replied: "Probably not."

49ers coach Mike Singletary says QB Troy Smith will start next Monday night against Cardinals.

Browns haven't said it, but QB Colt McCoy could have dread high ankle sprain. Definitely was in pain after game.

No sign of WR Jerricho Cotchery (groin), who didn't play Sunday. Going to be hard to play Thursday with 2nd-degree tear.

In a move that could be as much about Kris Wilson's bad back as Antonio Gates' bad foot, the Chargers have signed tight end Kory Sperry off the practice squad in advance of tonight's game against the Denver Broncos.

Gates is questionable for tonight, though indications are that he will try to play. Wilson was limited Thursday and Friday and did not practice Saturday. He is also listed as questionable.

The Chargers released rookie outside linebacker Brandon Lang to make room for Sperry.

Philadelphia Eagles CB Ellis Hobbs won’t return this season after suffering his second neck injury in last two seasons, a league source confirmed Monday. Hobbs is expected to go on injured reserve in the near future.

CB Dimitri Patterson, who has played well, will continue to start in place of Hobbs. Patterson is in the last year of a three-year deal.

John Fox not sure if RB Jonathan Stewart will be back this week. He wouldn't say if Mike Goodson remains the starter should Stewart return.

All Goodson has done is rush for over 100 yards in back-to-back games. Stewart is still worth a pickup now that DeAngelo Williams is on IR. The Panthers have some good matchups down the stretch, including Seattle in Week 13 and then Arizona in most likely a playoff Week 15.

Never in his six-year career had Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown played in an NFL game when he ran the ball only three times.

Before two weeks ago, Ricky Williams could also have said the same about his 10-year career.

Yet during Miami's loss to the Bears on Thursday, that's exactly what happened to both of them. Brown and Williams each contributed three runs for 11 combined yards.

"In the last two games, our runners have 33 carries for 90 yards,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "That isn't good enough.''

Far from it. During a season when the running game's production has been less than anticipated, this downward trend reached a new and extreme low. Adding to the unfathomable number of carries Thursday, the Dolphins were also down to a third-string quarterback who lost his star wide receiver to a hamstring injury before halftime. If ever it seemed the load would be on the shoulders of the backs, this was it.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said today "No new news" on WR Austin Collie (concussion), who left Sunday's game in 2nd quarter after hard hit.

Marshawn Lynch had lost four fumbles in his NFL career before Sunday's game. He lost two in the third quarter alone and didn't return to the game after the second one. Leon Washington replaced Lynch on the next series, and Justin Forsett finished out the game.

"I didn't want Marshawn to go back out there," Carroll said. "The game, I didn't think he could be the factor in it, and I didn't want to put him in the situation where the ball might get out again. I love him and he's a great football player for us, and those are mistakes that happen some times. He's got to find his way to not let it happen, and he knows that."

Though it was little more than a symbolic change, Bucs rookie RB LeGarrette Blount started his first game after entering last week's game on the second play behind starter Cadillac Williams.

But Blount didn't do the job alone. He credited the combination of him and Williams with keeping the defense off-balance, allowing the Bucs to rush for 162 yards. In recent games, Blount was used primarily in running situations, with Williams seeing many of his snaps in passing situations because of his pass-protection skills.

The Minnesota Vikings fired Brad Childress on Monday, cutting ties with a head coach who had come under increasing fire from his players -- and his boss -- for everything from their horrid start to his 1-2 playoff record and his abrupt decisions.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

After reflecting on the messy events during and after Sunday's loss to the Washington Redskins, quarterback Vince Young said his biggest issue with Jeff Fisher is that the Tennessee coach lacked the confidence in him to return to the game when Young thought he could have played with his thumb injury.

"It was very frustrating," Young said in a Sunday night telephone conversation.

Young's comments followed an emotional day in which he was booed, injured his thumb, threw his shoulder pads into the stands, reportedly verbally sparred with Fisher in the locker room -- saying he was walking out on the coach, not the team -- and stormed out of LP Field without talking to the media.

Fisher said afterward Sunday that Young had lost his hold on the Titans' starting quarterback position.

Sidney Rice didn't exactly ease back into things Sunday in his 2010 debut after recovering from hip surgery.

Expected to play limited snaps against the Green Bay Packers, Rice instead was on the field more than any other Vikings wide receiver in a 31-3 loss at Mall of America Field.

Rice unofficially played 48 of the team's 57 offensive snaps because Bernard Berrian left the game in the first quarter after his groin injury flared up.

"Felt great," Rice said. "I wasn't expecting to get that many plays, but Bernard went down. I ended up playing the whole game, and I didn't have any problems."

After Sunday's 19-16 victory in overtime against Tennessee, running back Clinton Portis acknowledged he was not fully recovered from the severe groin injury that sidelined him for five games.

Portis started in his return to the lineup at LP Field, but aggravated the injury early in the game and could miss the remainder of the season. "Is it possible? Anything is possible, bro, but who knows?" Portis said. "Gonna get an MRI [Monday] and we'll see. I'm hoping it'll be fine."

The nine-year veteran is in the final guaranteed season of his contract. Portis has a base salary of almost $7.2 million, and he could have relaxed for the rest of the season and collected his money.

Instead, he worked hard in rehab and probably came back before he should have "just to try to do my part, bro, you know?" Portis said. "Just to try to give us a spark and help. Just wanted to do what I can to help my teammates."

Ryan Torain was inactive last week after not playing the week before against Philly. Keiland Williams appears to be the main option these days in Washington.

Still, it seemed to take a while, as it has at times earlier this season, for the Chiefs to lean on Charles as often as Jones. It was Charles who, until a meaningless carry late in the first half, averaged 6 1/2 yards per rush. And it was also Charles who, despite that success, had only three carries in the first half.

Charles said in the locker room afterward that he was in a hurry and couldn’t speak to reporters.

Coach Todd Haley wouldn’t say why it took so long to get Charles involved in the rush offense Sunday, indicating that the team’s game plan included more of an emphasis on Charles in the passing game. He had two catches for 33 yards, including a 25-yarder that set up a touchdown.

“The key thing is, when you have a position of strength,” Haley said, “is letting them all contribute or enabling them all to contribute so you’re not wasting a resource.

“Jamaal helped us real early in the pass game, and then he made some big runs. Thomas made some big runs, one real big one coming out of the gate, when we were trying to set the mindset of how we were going to do things.”

It's frustrating for owners to see what could be if Charles got more work. Even on 12 carries and a couple of catches, Charles is putting up solid points.

The last time running back Dimitri Nance had a carry, he was about four days into his Packer career, the result of being plucked off Atlanta's practice squad following Ryan Grant's season-ending injury.

That was Sept. 19 against Buffalo.

On Sunday, Nance led the team in rushing with 37 yards on 12 carries, his first a third-and-1 conversion in the first quarter.

"We've been talking about me in short yardage the past three weeks now, so I knew I would be short yardage," Nance said. "The situation came up and they threw me in there and I did a pretty good job, got the first down."

Rusty Smith, a sixth-round pick from Florida Atlantic, completed 3-of-9 passes for 62 yards with one interception after replacing Vince Young in the third quarter. He had a 52-yard completion to Nate Washington.

Smith's 36-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss was nullified by a pass-interference call against Moss.

"I was sprinting down the field because I was so pumped," Smith said of the pass to Moss. "My heart was racing after that play."

Smith targeted Moss on several throws. Young threw only one ball toward Moss even though Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said: "Randy was open early in the game."

Said Smith: "It's not so much that I was looking for him. It's just that the coverages dictated for him to be open."

Smith did target Moss noticeably more when he got in there, and why not? When you're a third string QB it can make you look good when you throw to your best WR. Smith will get the start this week with Young in the doghouse and Collins not ready. Moss owners can only hope Smith is looking for him in what is a matchup against one of the statistically-worst secondaries in the league.

WR Mike X Williams sustained a sprained foot Pete Carroll said

Jerry Jones hopes that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will play again this season, and the owner/general manager's optimism grew after a pregame throwing session Sunday.

Jones said that Romo threw Sunday for the first time since breaking his left collarbone in the Oct. 25 loss to the New York Giants. The injury is expected to sideline Romo at least another three weeks, according to a source.

Team sources told ESPN Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen earlier Sunday that Romo was due for X-rays either Sunday or Monday, but Jones said after the game that X-rays weren't necessary at this point.

Backup quarterback Jon Kitna has had back-to-back outstanding performances during the 3-7 Cowboys' two-game winning streak, but Jones said Kitna's success would not affect the decision about Romo's return.

"When I think of Tony, I think of it more as when he's ready, that type of thing, more than I think about how well Kitna's played," Jones said.

Jones believes there is value in finishing a season with a "good taste" in the Cowboys' mouth, which is why Romo could play in December even if Dallas is officially eliminated from playoff contention.

At first thought, it's hard to believe the Cowboys would want Romo to come back at all this year, especially if they are eliminated. But after a second thought...

There's a good reason to keep Romo around in an IR spot based on this story. If you're headed for a deep playoff run, he faces Washington and Arizona in weeks 15 and 16.

Sunday's loss didn't hurt Jimmy Clausen as much as the previous week's defeat at Tampa Bay – physically, anyway.

Clausen was on the sideline for Carolina's 37-13 loss to Baltimore – a week after the Carolina Panthers' rookie quarterback sustained a concussion on the final play against the Buccaneers.

Clausen developed headaches after the game that worsened during the Panthers' trip home from Florida. He has not yet been cleared to play and said he is scheduled to meet with the doctor again Tuesday or Wednesday.

"I'm feeling a lot better than I did last week," Clausen said in the locker room. "I'm just trying to keep resting as much as I can to hopefully get back to play next week."

Wide receiver Derrick Mason uncharacteristically dropped a pass.

"I let the ball get behind me and instead of catching the ball the way I should, I had to turn them the other way and I kind of lost track of it," said Mason, who shrugged off catching the 900th pass of his career. "I'm just trying to adjust my hands to certain passes and trying to do my best to catch the ball. That's a catch that with eight fingers, nine fingers, 10 fingers, I have to make. That's the way it is."

Mason is playing with a surgically-repaired right pinkie finger that's broken in two places.

Kerry Collins would love to be able to step in and bail the Titans out of their quarterback crisis.

Right now, however, he’s still in no position to do so.

Collins is still recovering from a calf injury he suffered against Miami on November 14. He’s expected to miss a few more weeks at a time when the team is handing the job over to rookie Rusty Smith.

Vince Young is out not only because of a thumb injury that may require surgery, but because he had a confrontation with Coach Jeff Fisher after Sunday’s loss to the Redskins. His season – and career – could be over in Tennessee.

“I’ll do everything I can,’’ Collins said of his availability. “We’ll see. I’ve mad a lot of progress up to this point and hopefully I’ll continue to make progress. I’m doing everything I can to get back out there.’’

Collins worked on the sideline with Smith on Sunday when he relieved Young in the third quarter, relaying information from the press box in conversations with quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains.

Smith is expected to start on Sunday at Houston.

Smith at least gets to face one of the more porous secondaries in the league in the Texans, but it's still not a great idea to rush out, pick him up and throw him in your lineup.

Tight end Zach Miller had a rough day after missing the Raiders' previous game. He finished with two catches for 9 yards, on seven balls thrown his way. He said his injured arch felt fine at first but started to hurt in the second half.

49ers TE Vernon Davis left with an ankle injury but said afterward it wasn't serious.

Lions tight end Tony Scheffler injured his ribs in the first half making a 9-yard reception that gave the Lions a first down. He did not return to the game.

The Lions have been coy about the health of running back Jahvid Best's feet for the last six weeks. Sunday, their actions spoke louder than any words.

Best, ailing from turf toe injuries on both feet, was unable to play anywhere near his capabilities against the Cowboys. He did not start and his playing time was limited.

There was no burst of speed. He was unable to make quick cuts. It was painful to watch. There was a run in the second half where he had room around left end. A healthy Best would have made a big gain. Sunday, though, he was unable to get to the edge.

Maurice Morris (10 carries for 31 yards) and fullback Jerome Felton (four for 14) carried most of the load. The Lions amassed 75 yards rushing.

Now it appears Best is a long shot to be ready to play Thursday.

If Best can't go, Maurice Morris will probably get a bulk of the carries like last week with Kevin Smith now on IR. It's a matchup to stay away from as New England comes to town and most likely plans on not keeping this game close.

WR Early Doucet (concussion symptoms), will be evaluated this week.

Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who missed Sunday's game with a groin injury, doesn't know if he will be ready for Thursday night's game against the Bengals.

"I am progressing a little bit every day," said Cotchery, who has 29 catches for 315 yards and two touchdowns this season. "I don't know yet, it's too early to say if I can go Thursday, but I am making progress."

Cotchery said he has been running at full speed. The next test for him will be to try and make the sharp cuts he needs to shake off defenders.

Shonn Greene said it was miscommunication with quarterback Mark Sanchez that caused his costly fourth-quarter fumble Sunday. The second-year running back said he did not hear Sanchez changing the play from a toss to a handoff on second-and-5 from the Texans' 41-yard line.

"I didn't get the call so, it was kind of an off play. I am running something different. Mark is running something kind of different, so when I went to get the ball, it wasn't a clean ball exchange," Greene said. "By that time guys had got into the backfield and got to me and I was trying to break a tackle and I should've went down and it came out."

On the next play, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub hit Joel Dreessen on a 43-yard touchdown to cut the Jets' 13-point lead to 23-17.

Greene did not get in the game again.

He was also benched in the season opener after he fumbled twice. Greene had three fumbles, all lost, as a rookie last season.

This comes at a terrible for time for Greene owners and the Jets. The team wanted to take the work load off aging back LaDainian Tomlinson by giving Greene more carries. But if Greene keeps losing the ball, he's not going to see the field. We'll see how this affects the work load going forward, but the Jets don't seem to have much of a choice if they want to ease up on LT's carries. Greene had to work his way up to splitting carries because of fumbles in the preseason and in the Jets first game.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin made it clear that this late in the season he can’t just start benching people because they’re making mistakes on the field. But he does have room to make an exception at running back, where Ahmad Bradshaw lost another fumble - - his fifth of the season - - and nearly lost another one before Coughlin saved him with a replay challenge.

Would Coughlin consider making a change there?

“You’ve got to be able to hang on to the football,” Coughlin said when asked about that possibility. “He certainly has earned the right to be out there. He had some outstanding games and played very well for us and will continue to work at this. But he’s obviously a guy that is very much a part of our offensive team.”

In other words, no. At least not yet. But Bradshaw - - who seemed extremely broken up about the game and his fumbles in the post-game locker room - - admitted he’s worried that Coughlin might eventually lose faith in him.

“Of course,” Bradshaw said. “Then again, all I can do is keep playing and try to make plays when I can.”

In fairness to Bradshaw, the one time he actually fumbled, he did have two hands on the ball as it was poked loose.

Although the two quarterbacks in this game combined to throw for 748 yards, it was Ivory's punishing runs that set the tone in the first half of the Saints' 34-19 victory over Seattle.

"I thought he was a freaking stud out there," Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll said of the rookie tailback who finished with 23 carries for 99 yards despite being temporarily sidelined by a nagging shoulder injury. "He kept making plays and getting out, particularly in the first quarter. I was really impressed with him. He was the difference ...

Ivory said he had to get the padding around his shoulder adjusted when he left the game. But he said he doesn't expect the shoulder injury to be a problem.

The long-awaited return of New Orleans Saints tailback Reggie Bush was delayed for at least one more game when the team decided to scratch him from the lineup before New Orleans' 34-19 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday at the Superdome.

Bush worked out for coaches and trainers before the game, as planned. And he said he felt good. But ultimately the team decided to wait until he was closer to 100 percent before activating him.

Coach Sean Payton and Bush said they're hoping he'll be ready for Thursday's Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas.

Austin Collie's return from a concussion lasted less than a half. The Indianapolis Colts receiver started Sunday's game at New England, but didn't play beyond the second quarter after being involved in physical plays on multiple occasions.

Shortly after the game, Colts coach Jim Caldwell wouldn't classify Collie's setback as another concussion. But he said Collie -- who was taken off on a stretcher during the first half of a Nov. 7 loss at Philadelphia -- was removed from the game for "precautionary reasons."

Collie returned to practice on Wednesday. He was targeted for and caught Peyton Manning's first three passes, including a 28-yard reception on a deep seam post route. He finished with five catches for 60 yards

"He's going through something, obviously, through the course of this game that you can't simulate in practice," Caldwell said. "So they wanted to be cautious with him and I will find out the details later."

Caldwell said he wasn't certain whether Collie took any direct hits to the head, but acknowledged that it was a possibility.

"There were a couple plays, not just one," Caldwell said. "I mean, early on, he got hit pretty good a couple times."

Collie's replacement, Blair White, caught two TD passes and finished with five catches for 42 yards.

Eagles Inactives
Jorrick Calvin DB
Chad Hall WR
Austin Howard T
Mike Kafka QB
Trevard Lindley DB
Garrett Mills TE
Daniel Te'o-Nesheim DE
Reggie Wells G

Giants Inactives
David Diehl T
Alex Hall DE
Madison Hedgecock FB
Linval Joseph DT
Shaun O'Hara C
Darius Reynaud WR
Steve Smith WR
Gerris Wilkinson OLB

Washington running back Clinton Portis, who re-injured the groin that kept him out of the past five games, was among seven Redskins who were been hurt in Sunday's game against Tennessee.

Portis started and had five carries for 32 yards. But he got hurt and wasn't seen on the sideline.

Santana Moss limped off the field on the Redskins' first drive of the second half with a hamstring injury.

New York Jets right tackle Damien Woody left Sunday's 30-27 win over the Texans late in the first quarter with a right knee injury. He didn't return and said after the game that he suffered a sprained right MCL, but would likely undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the exact extent of the injury.

Raiders HC Tom Cable gave Jason Campbell a vote of confidence, saying during his postgame news conference he will remain the starter over Bruce Gradkowski against the Dolphins next week.

Twice during his postgame news conference, Brett Favre said he planned to "go home" and "re-evaluate."

What will he re-evaluate? Favre wasn't clear. But he did not directly answer a reporter who asked if he was committed to playing the rest of the season.

"I would never have expected to be in this situation," Favre said. "Mathematically I think there is still some hope. I hate to use Jim Mora's comments about playoffs. I can't even think about that. I know there is still a slim chance, but come on. We've got to play a lot better than we played today and last week.

"I came back for a Super Bowl, you're right. Also [there is] a chance that that doesn't happen, probably a better chance that we don't. And there's a way better chance that you won't play as well as last year. ... But this is a little surprising. Again, I'm just going to go home and ... I don't want to say 'think' about this game. Just re-evaluate tomorrow."

Titans quarterback Vince Young could be done as the team's quarterback -- at least for this season.

An injured thumb that could require surgery might provide the medical reason for him not to play again in 2010. His behavior during -- and especially after the team's 19-16 overtime loss to Washington Sunday -- could be the real reason.

Fisher said there would be a quarterback change -- regardless of the reason -- with rookie Rusty Smith taking over because of a leg injury to veteran Kerry Collins. Smith replaced Young for most of the second half and overtime against the Redskins after Young tore a tendon in his right (throwing) thumb.

After not playing for most of the second half and overtime -- Young threw the ball on the sideline and took snaps from under center and in the shotgun formation and behaved as if he wanted to return to action -- Young removed his shoulder pads and jersey while leaving the field after the final whistle.

Coach Jeff Fisher said Young, a captain, threw this jersey and shoulder pads into the stands on his way to the locker room. Witnesses verified that police or stadium personnel had to retrieve Young's gear from the stands.

Roughly five minutes after the game ended, Young walked briskly from the locker room to the players' parking lot, dressed in street clothes. I followed Young, who I've interviewed several times and have a good relationship with. From less than two or three feet away, I called to him four times. He kept walking until he turned into a loading dock that led to the parking lot.

Teammate Michael Griffin, who played with Young at the University of Texas, came out of the locker room in gym shorts and chased Young down in the loading dock. They spoke briefly before the veteran safety came back toward the locker room, looking disgusted, as if saying, "Well, I tried."

Rusty Smith is not a fantasy option, but assuming Kerry Collins can return to action, the Titans have an extremely favorable pass schedule the rest of the way.

Colts Inactives
Joseph Addai RB
Gary Brackett MLB
Mike Hart RB
Ricardo Mathews DE
Bob Sanders SS
Clint Session OLB
Jaimie Thomas G
Justin Tryon CB

Patriots Inactives
Mark LeVoir T
Stephen Neal G
Rich Ohrnberger G
Jarrad Page DB
Taylor Price WR
Myron Pryor DT
Fred Taylor RB
Jonathan Wilhite CB

Falcons Inactives
John Abraham DE
Spencer Adkins LB
Dominique Franks DB
Mike Johnson G
Gartrell Johnson RB
Trey Lewis DT
Garrett Reynolds T
John Parker Wilson QB

49ers Inactives
Alex Boone T
Tramaine Brock DB
David Carr QB
Thaddeus Gibson LB
William James DB
Keaton Kristick LB
Joe Nedney K
Joe Staley OT

Bucs Inactives
Will Barker T
Quincy Black OLB
Rudy Carpenter QB I
Derek Hardman OT
Erik Lorig FB
Kyle Moore DE
Preston Parker WR
Ryan Sims DE

Rams Inactives
Danario Alexander WR
Quincy Butler DB
James Butler SS
Kevin Dockery CB
John Greco G
Derek Schouman TE
Darell Scott DT
Eugene Sims DE

Seahawks Inactives
Colin Cole DT
Mike Gibson G
J.P. Losman QB
Ruvell Martin WR
Anthony McCoy TE
Michael Robinson RB
Golden Tate WR
E.J. Wilson DE

Saints Inactives
Charles Brown T
Reggie Bush RB
Jo-Lonn Dunbar OLB
Malcolm Jenkins FS
Patrick Robinson CB
Darren Sharper FS
Jeremy Shockey TE
Pierre Thomas RB

Julius Jones is expected to draw the start for the Saints.

Broncos WR Eddie Royal is questionable after returning to limited reps Saturday.

Darren McFadden leads the league's No. 2 rushing offense while the Steelers, who are minus two starting defensive linemen, allow only 63.2 rushing yards per game. The Raiders are getting healthy on offense and TE Zach Miller (foot) is expected to play, however, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey will be a game-time decision.

The Bills finally got into the win column last week. They will use the same approach they used last week, which is running Fred Jackson as much as possible. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn’t have the arm strength to scare the Bengals’ two fine cornerbacks, Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. The Bengals should be minus defenders Tank Johnson and Frostee Rucker, but WR Chad Ochocinco and RB Cedric Benson will play.

The Jets hope to move 5-0 all-time against the Texans, who will have a limited quarterback in Matt Schaub. Schaub spent one whole day hospitalized in order to treat severe bursitis in his right knee. If he gets knocked out, Dan Orlovsky will go for Houston. RB Arian Foster (920 yards rushing) was in Los Angeles on Friday due the death of his grandmother, but he is expected to start.

A big reason why the Falcons are only three-point favorites is because St. Louis has won four straight at home, where its scoring defense is tops in the NFL. With all the new talk about a potential downtown stadium in Los Angeles, St. Louis fans should remember that the city's lease runs out with the Rams in 2014. The two teams that could be the most attractive to Los Angeles developers are the Rams and Chargers because both teams have franchise quarterbacks. The Rams are always looking for receiver help, but will pass on ex-Eagles receiver Kevin Curtis, who has been trying out for teams after coming back from testicular cancer.

After a meeting of the team captains and coach Raheem Morris, the Bucs decided that rookie Mike Williams should be allowed to start despite his arrest on a DUI charge. Apparently, there are questions regarding his DUI — he wasn’t actually over Florida’s legal limit — and he also voluntarily agreed to urine test, believing he would pass. Morris and the players have decided to accept the rookie’s version of events until proven otherwise.

The forecast predicts a chance of heavy rain, which could turn Candlestick Park into a mud bowl, and probably tip the scales to the 49ers considering Frank Gore knows how to and where to run on such a soggy field. The Bucs have allowed a 100-yard rusher in virtually every game this season.

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck is playing with two broken bones in his left wrist, one near his pinkie finger and the other closer to his thumb. The trainers taped him during halftime of last week’s win in Arizona and he was given an oral painkiller. He will wear a more elaborate brace for this game and a glove on his left hand. He will probably take a similar painkiller.

Look for Seattle to try and establish the run with Marshawn Lynch now that their best run blocker, rookie offensive tackle Russell Okung, is back in the lineup. The Seahawks had their best two-game stretch of the season running the ball with No. 1 pick Okung on the field, rushing for a total of 111 yards at Chicago and 144 yards at home the next week against Arizona. The Saints are also getting back cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter. The only downside is that safeties Darren Sharper and Malcolm Jenkins could be out, meaning Usuma Young will start at free safety.

The Saints are saying it will be a game-time decision, but it’s looking like RB Reggie Bush will miss an eighth straight game and also an opportunity to play against his former USC coach Pete Carroll. Defensively, the Seahawks likely will try to pressure Saints quarterback Drew Brees into some mistakes. Brees has 18 TD passes on the season, but he also has thrown 12 picks. But Brees has been more consistent in his last two games and Seattle is allowing 272.2 yards a game, while the Saints are fifth in passing with 276.2 yards per game. Saints TE Jeremy Shockey is also out, but New Orleans has two decent backups at the position.

The Dallas offense must block the Lions’ defensive tackle duo of Corey Williams and rookie Ndamukong Suh in order to run and keep Jon Kitna standing. If they can do that, Dallas should be able to throw plenty of corner routes and run wide with Felix Jones and Marion Barber. Kitna is coming off his best throwing game since replacing an injured Tony Romo, who may be back in mid-December.

Look for the Cowboys to come after Lions QB Shaun Hill, knowing he’s reluctant to run because of a broken left forearm. Also, Lions rookie RB Jahvid Best simply hasn’t been that quick since suffering a turf toe injury. There’s a chance Cowboys CB Terence Newman won’t play, meaning Mike Jenkins and rookie Bryan McCann, who had the 101-yard INT return against the Giants, will have to do the job against Lions WR Calvin Johnson. The Cowboys played a lot more zone defense with Paul Pasqualoni running the defense after Wade Phillips’ firing and figure to continue that approach until a consistent pass rush emerges.

The Redskins plan to start RB Clinton Portis and need to run consistently in order to keep the Titans’ constant pass rush off Donovan McNabb. If Portis can’t sustain it, rookie free agent Keiland Williams, who leads the Redskins with five touchdowns, will replace him.

Washington’s best defensive player, safety LaRon Landry, didn’t even make the trip because of an Achilles strain, which should be great news for Titans QB Vince Young. It means that a slower Reed Doughty will start. Also, Phillip Buchanon will start for injured RCB Carlos Rogers, the team’s best cover cornerback.

There has been a lot of talk that CB Charles Woodson isn’t the same great cover cornerback that he was last season when he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. But any talk of him switching to safety won’t happen until next season.

The Vikings’ wild card is how effective WR Sidney Rice (hip surgery) will be in his first action of the season. Rice was Brett Favre’s go-to receiver last season, and he is anxious to play. How long Rice lasts could go a long way toward deciding the outcome of this game. With the defensive line healthier, the Packers feel good about stopping the run, but they also will be inclined to keep attacking Favre to prevent him from getting into a passing rhythm. Clay Mathews leads the NFL with 10.5 sacks, and he can come from any alignment. After nine games this season, the Packers are the No. 1-rated scoring defense, having allowed just 143 points.