November 2011 4for4 Player News Articles

Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman (right shoulder) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Freeman landed on his shoulder against the Titans and did not throw in practice today. We're assuming he'll play, but it's something to monitor.

Rams QB Sam Bradford (ankle) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Bradford is expected to play against the 49ers this week.

Bears QB Jay Cutler (right thumb) was ruled out for Week 13. Caleb Hanie will get another start.

Redskins QB Rex Grossman (left shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday.

Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb (toe) practiced fully Wednesday. He is expected to start against the Cowboys this week.

Browns QB Colt McCoy (right elbow) practiced fully Wednesday.

Bengals RB Cedric Benson (foot) did not practice Wednesday. No one seems too concerned about Benson's availability, though his owners should pick up Bernard Scott just in case.

Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) did not practice Wednesday. Bradshaw is not expected to play against the Packers. Brandon Jacobs and Danny Ware will continue to split the work.

Browns RB Peyton Hillis (hamstring) practiced fully Wednesday, while Montario Hardesty (calf) did not practice. It looks like Hillis will get the lion's share of the touches for the time being.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden (foot) did not practice Wednesday. The feeling is that McFadden will sit another week and attempt to make his return in Week 14. Taiwan Jones (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Marcel Reece will continue to play second fiddle to Michael Bush with McFadden sidelined.

Falcons RB Michael Turner (groin) did not practice Wednesday. This not Turner's first groin injury in his career, so it's something to keep an eye on.

Broncos RB Willis McGahee (illness) did not practice Wednesday. McGahee should be fine for the Vikings in Week 13.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. Peterson is not expected to play in Week 13. Toby Gerhart will get the start against an improving Broncos defense.

Lions RB Kevin Smith (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. Smith stretched and did a little work on the side with the training staff. The good news is that if he had a high ankle sprain (as was initially reported), he'd just be staying off of it. At this point, we're expecting Maurice Morris to get the start against the Saints, but Smith could return if his ankle responds to treatment.

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday. This is probably a case of the Cardinals managing the pain in Wells's knee.

Jets RB Shonn Greene (rib) practiced fully Wednesday.

Packers RB James Starks (knee, ankle) practiced fully Wednesday. Starks is on track to start against a Giants defense that has struggled against the run this season.

Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson (knee) practiced fully Wednesday.

Cowboys WR Miles Austin (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Jerry Jones may have jumped the gun when he said that he thought Austin would play this week. Given the way Laurent Robinson is producing, there's no need to rush Austin back. Robinson remains a good play regardless of Austin's status due to the matchup (ARI) and the fact that Austin is not likely to see starter's snaps in his first game back.

Giants WR Mario Manningham (knee) did not practice Wednesday. Manningham traveled to New Orleans last week so we have to assume he was reasonably close to returning. Pencil him into your lineup given his great matchup with the Packers, but keep an eye on his progress this week. Victor Cruz (hip) took limited practice reps Wednesday. He should be good to go for the Packers this week. Hakeem Nicks (ribs, concussion) did not practice Wednesday. Nicks has passed his concussion tests, so he should be fine on that front. He took a couple of hard shots against the Saints, so the ribs are also a concern. We'll keep an eye on this.

Texans WR Andre Johnson (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Johnson is expected to play against the Falcons.

Lions WR Calvin Johnson (ankle) practiced fully Wednesday.

Falcons WR Julio Jones (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. There was no indication that Jones re-injured his hamstring in Week 12, so it's possible he's just getting the day off.

Raiders WR Denarius Moore (foot) did not practice Wednesday. Moore attended practice in helmet and pads but apparently did not do any work. We'll monitor his activity throughout the week, but at the very least it appears is that he's ramping up his participation. Jacoby Ford (foot) did not practice Wednesday.

Bengals WR Jerome Simpson (knee) did not practice Wednesday. Simpson finished the game against the Browns, so he's probably just getting a day off. The Steelers are a bad matchup, so Simpson isn't a good option this week.

Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco (hamstring) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Patriots WR Taylor Price (hamstring) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Bills WR Naaman Roosevelt (shoulder) took limited practice reps Wednesday. He has been passed on the depth chart by Brad Smith.

Broncos WR Eddie Royal (toe) did not practice Wednesday.

Redskins WR Donte' Stallworth (foot) practiced fully Wednesday.

Colts TE Dallas Clark (fibula) was ruled out for Week 13.

Buccaneers TE Kellen Winslow (not injury related) did not practice Wednesday. Winslow usually rests on Wednesdays.

Titans TE Jared Cook (concussion) took limited practice reps Wednesday. He's expected to play in Week 13.

Texans TEs Owen Daniels (knee) and Joel Dreessen (neck) practiced fully Wednesday.

Broncos TE Daniel Fells (hand) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez (not injury related) did not practice Wednesday. Gonzo is just getting his usual day of rest.

Cardinals TE Todd Heap (hamstring) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Cardinals TE Rob Housler (groin) practiced fully Wednesday.

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (quadricep) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring) practiced fully Wednesday.

Dolphins K Dan Carpenter (right groin) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski (left hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Janikowski had no issues kicking six field goals in Week 12, so he's probably just getting some rest.

Bills K Rian Lindell (shoulder) took limited practice reps Wednesday. It sounds like Lindell is getting closer to returning.

Philadelphia Eagles

OUT
T King Dunlap (concussion), LB Moise Fokou (ankle), WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, shoulder), CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (ankle), QB Michael Vick (ribs)

QUESTIONABLE
CB Nnamdi Asomugha (knee), RB LeSean McCoy (toe)

PROBABLE
DT Cullen Jenkins (thumb)

Seattle Seahawks

OUT
CB Byron Maxwell (illness)

QUESTIONABLE
LB David Hawthorne (knee), CB Richard Sherman (calf)

PROBABLE 
DT Alan Branch (ankle), QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral)

The Jaguars waived Jason Hill.

It's surprising that the Jaguars would waive one of their starting WRs, but the takeaway here is that Cecil Shorts will see increased opportunity with Hill's departure. Still, he's not a fantasy option with Blaine Gabbert throwing the ball.

WR Sidney Rice will go on IR, ending his season, Pete Carroll said. #seahawks

This is a tough break for Rice owners, though he hasn't exactly been lighting it up this season. Look for Ben Obomanu to take his spot in the starting lineup, but Doug Baldwin should be the main beneficiary with Rice out. He caught 13 passes for 220 yards and a TD with Rice out against the Falcons and Giants before laying a goose egg against the Browns. He has also posted 50+ receiving yards in four of his past five games.

La Canfora on Twitter: Eagles rule Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin out for Thursday Night Football.

With Maclin out, look for Riley Cooper to get another start. He's a sneaky WR3/flex play against a mediocre Seattle secondary.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin did not practice Wednesday, possibly forcing him to miss his fourth straight game because of a hamstring injury.

After the Thanksgiving Day win against the Miami Dolphins, Austin expressed hope he would be able to return Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, which is what Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones reiterated on his KRLD-FM radio show Tuesday.

Because Austin has had two different hamstring strains, the Cowboys would want to remain cautious with him and make sure he is 100 percent with three of their five remaining games coming against NFC East opponents.

Given the way Laurent Robinson has played, they can afford to take a slow approach. Robinson has 38 catches for 554 yards with a team-leading seven touchdowns, including at least one in his last five games.

As the piece states, there's no reason for the Cowboys to rush Austin back with the way Robinson is playing. With the Cardinals porous pass defense on tap, Robinson would be a terrific start if Austin can't go. Even if he's back, Robinson would be a WR2/WR3 given his recent production and the struggles of the Arizona secondary.

Eagles RB LeSean McCoy was a limited participant at Eagles practice for a second consecutive day because of a toe sprain.

“He’s got some swelling in the toe, but it’s not turf toe,” said Andy Reid.

Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin were unable to practice again Tuesday, although Vick did throw on the side. All signs point to Vince Young getting his third consecutive start.

“He’s making progress every day,” said Reid of Vick, “he just right now can’t torque — put the heavy torque on the ball without feeling some pain there.”

Jones: "Eddie Royal was wearing a boot yesterday. Upon rewatching the game, looks like he may have been hurt mid-2Q, on an out-of-bounds pass."

Falcons OC Mike Mularky on Julio Jones in Week 12: "He’s doing good. He obviously didn’t get many chances. There was that deep ball. There were other opportunities there for him to get the ball, but Matt just . . . we were emphasizing ‘take what the defense is giving you’ and that’s been important. Matt did that. But there were opportunities there for Julio. Julio really helped block in the run game. He helped with some of the coverages by getting other guys open. He plays at a high level for us. He’ll have his numbers and his day. That was a day where his production was more in the run game."

There's no reason other than injury for Felix Jones to not get a single carry, as was the case in the Thanksgiving win.

"Felix will continue to get himself acclimated back into the offense," coach Jason Garrett said, "and be a big-impact type player for us like he's been in the past."

Running back James Starks went into the Lions game with a knee and ankle injury, and was pulled after the first series of the third quarter. HC Mike McCarthy said he was being careful with Starks, but the second-year back did suffer another ankle injury before being pulled.

Starks said he wants to practice this week, but doesn’t know what he availability will be.

“I’m doing good,” Starks said. “I think it helped a lot to get a couple days off. Get to rest a little bit, do some treatment and come back healthy.”

Starks downplayed the latest injury.

“It’s nothing horrible,” “Obviously, the knee was more of a concern because I was bent up and things like that and it felt weird a certain ways, but that went away fast.

“Nothing’s really a big deal.”

After the game, Starks said he was healthy while McCarthy admitted that Starks injured his ankle. He had a few extra days to rest, but we'll want to see Starks at practice before trusting him in our flex. If Starks can't go, Ryan Grant would be a sneaky start against his old team (NYG).

Bills HC Chan Gailey offered the following critique of C.J. Spiller after watching film: "I thought that C.J. did OK. It was his first time in there. He made some plays on third down and he made some plays late in the game running the football. He saw things a lot better late in the game than he did early in the game. We blocked a little better late in the game than we did early in the game. I'm anxious to see how he does this week here with the football. One thing that really was improved was his pass protection. He did a much better job of taking on a couple guys and chipping at a couple guys and he secured the ball the whole day. Those were the two big things in the offseason that he needed to improve on and he did better at that."

The Buffalo Bills have waited -- and waited -- for Brad Smith to provide a return on investment since making him one of their marquee free agent additions in the offseason.

In his homecoming Sunday against the New York Jets, Smith had his biggest impact of the season, finishing with four catches for a team-leading 77 yards and a touchdown.

With the season-ending injury to Donald Jones, Smith will have a new role the rest of the season: that as the No. 2 receiver. Gailey said this week there was "no question" Smith had shown him enough to stay in that role.

"For him to be able to practice all [last] week and really get a chance to understand the game plan and run those routes in practice, and for me and him to get on the same page, that was big for us," quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. "It's the first time he's gone into a game knowing he was going to get extensive time at receiver and that was a positive for us. As you saw, he's a playmaker. He's a guy that, being a quarterback, he's very quarterback-friendly. He's smart. He understands defenses and how to get open. That'll help us in the long run."

Smith is filling Donald Jones's role on the outside, while David Nelson will stay in the slot. We're expecting the Bills to throw the ball more with Fred Jackson out for the season, so Smith is worth a look in deep leagues.

In the good news Lions Dept: Matthew Stafford does not have gloves or a splint on his fractured right index finger.

Colts HC Jim Caldwell says Dan Orlovsky will take the starting job from Curtis Painter at QB this week.

Seahawks Pete Carroll says WR Sidney Rice is unlikely to play because of a concussion, saying the short week "basically rules him out."

Vikings have placed Husain Abdullah, Tyrell Johnson, Cullen Loeffler and Michael Jenkins on injured reserve.

Struggling Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman needed five stitches in his right thumb following a gun mishap at a local firing range on Oct. 31.

The club acknowledged the mishap on Tuesday after questions by the Tampa Tribune. Previously, the Bucs had only confirmed that Freeman had sprained his right thumb in the late stages of a 24-18 loss against Chicago at London on Oct. 23. Freeman wore a wrap on his injured thumb during the overseas flight when the Bucs returned to Tampa the next day, said team spokesman Jonathan Grella.

On Tuesday, Grella confirmed Freeman also suffered a small cut on the outside of his right thumb Oct. 31 due to an unexpected recoil while firing a gun at a range in Tampa.

Grella said Freeman received five cosmetic stitches Halloween evening at the Bucs facility. Freeman and GM Mark Dominik met the next day at Bucs headquarters to discuss the incident.

The stitches were removed a week later, according to the Bucs.

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is going to be "out a while" with his ankle injury.

The Houston Texans are signing former Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme as their new backup, according to his agent, Rick Smith.

Delhomme will back up rookie quarterback T.J. Yates with Kellen Clemens operating as the third-stringer.

Delhomme led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance, falling to the New England Patriots.

Browns Colt McCoy now has an elbow injury to go along with his sore shoulder.

McCoy came down hard on his right elbow after an eight-yard scramble on the fourth play of the game and had it wrapped afterward in the locker room. But Shurmur said he thinks McCoy will be okay.

"He'll work this week. He'll be at practice," Shurmur said. "We'll just see Wednesday how he feels. I think it's a bruise soreness."

Shurmur reiterated that McCoy was trying to throw the ball away on his second-half interception but got hit and the ball remained in play.

"A couple of throws got away from him, but he battled," said Shurmur.

It looks like a third consecutive start for Vince Young at quarterback for the Eagles when they travel to Seattle on Thursday night.

Michael Vick will not practice today, although he will throw on the side and is making progress, coach Andy Reid said today.

Vick "can't put heavy torque on the ball without feeling some pain," Reid said, adding that Vick won't practice until that issue is resolved.

"We'll take it day-by-day," Reid said.

Young will continue to take snaps with the first team.

Green Bay - For the longest time, Donald Driver didn't even want to talk about it. He couldn't even consider it. Absolutely consumed with winning a Super Bowl, he would shake his head at anyone broaching the topic of his post-football life.

But lately he's been thinking about it a lot.

In his 13th season, 36 years old, with that cherished ring, he's watching his numbers recede as these younger receivers fly on the field. His role has changed. And with the tiny crinkles around the eyes and the sore joints every morning, Driver can't help but sense an aging transition and wonder where it will take him next.

"I come to work happy. But sometimes I think, why am I still doing this?" Driver said. "I've got eight, nine years on all of these receivers. I won a Super Bowl. I have Pro Bowls. What am I trying to prove? Nothing. I don't have anything to prove.

Eagles Andy Reid: Nnamdi limited, LeSean McCoy limited with sprained toe, Jeremy Maclin and Michael Vick will not practice.

Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid: DeSean Jackson starts this week.

The Houston Texans are working out retired quarterback Jake Delhomme and veteran Jeff Garcia on Tuesday following the season-ending injury to Matt Leinart.

Delhomme is deciding whether the Houston opportunity is tempting enough to come back to the NFL, the source said. The source said the Texans intend to sign one of the two quarterbacks after Tuesday's workout.

Garcia worked out for the team following starter Matt Schaub's season-ending foot injury last week but Houston decided to sign Kellen Clemens instead.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he anticipates Miles Austin will play Sunday after missing three games with a strained right hamstring, although Jones added that the team would exercise caution with their No. 1 receiver.

"I do, yes," Jones said during his Tuesday appearance on KRLD-FM when asked if he expected Austin to play against the Arizona Cardinals. "But I don't know. I saw him yesterday and he was moving around real well. [Austin] said he could go Sunday, but we'll see how this week goes along.

"We don't want to push that, because we've got a lot of football ahead of us. By the same token, we could use him. We've missed him."

Lee Evans was active for a second consecutive game in last week’s 16-6 win over the 49ers, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Evans will get more work in two-receiver sets alongside Anquan Boldin or Torrey Smith.

That has nothing to do with how Boldin and Smith have performed, though. Boldin leads the Ravens with 48 catches for 747 yards and three touchdowns and Smith has caught 31 passes for 613 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. Harbaugh said Evans will see more playing time so he can keep Boldin and Smith fresh.

“Lee’s a guy that we want to work in more and more,” Harbaugh said Monday. “We like playing both the tight ends, too, so there’s a mix of guys that we’ve got to work in there, but that’s a good problem to have.”

The Kansas City Chiefs have cut offensive tackle Jared Gaither in the wake of a false start penalty against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to a league source.

Gaither signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs prior to this season.

After visiting the Oakland Raiders earlier in free agency, former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Jared Gaither wound up with their AFC West rival: the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Detroit Lions have been informed by league office that Ndamukong Suh has been suspended by Commissioner two games without pay.

Jack Del Rio has been fired as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars, who are 3-8 heading into a Monday night game with the San Diego Chargers, plan to announce the move at noon Tuesday.

Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is the leading candidate to take over the team on an interim basis.

This move was long overdue.

Did not participate: WR Sidney Rice (concussion)

Saints Inactives
Adrian Arrington WR
Mike Higgins TE
Chris Ivory RB
Turk McBride DE
Johnny Patrick DB
Will Robinson OT
Jonathan Vilma MLB

Chris Ivory is inactive. Expect Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles to all be involved in the Saints run game.

Giants Inactives
Will Beatty OT
Michael Boley OLB
Ahmad Bradshaw RB
James Brewer T
Jimmy Kennedy DT
Mario Manningham WR
Derrick Martin DB

With Mario Manningham out, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz become even better plays. This just goes to show not to trust a player's take on weather he will play or not. Manningham was adement throughout the week that he would be good to go come Monday night.

Steelers Troy Polamalu is fine and will play vs. Bengals. He was clear and lucid by halftime but kept out because of league rules.

Mike Shanahan on RB Roy Helu: "He's our starter, for sure."

We've heard a lot from Mike Shanahan this season about who his starter is going to be. Generally when it comes to game time, Shanahan's word doesn't bear much weight. Helu would be a solid RB2 if he does indeed start and get the majority of the workload. It remains to be seen if that will be the case. In general, we try to stay away from Redskins RBs, but if you're hurting for starts, he's worth an add.

Texans QB Matt Leinart has a fracture, will need surgery, likely in next week. He's very disappointed.

No Micheal Vick at walkthrough.

It seems like a long shot that Michael Vick will play this week with the Birds taking on Seattle on Thursday night. Vince Young will likely make a decent fantasy starter again, coming off a very nice fantasy effort against New England.

Browns coach Pat Shurmur on drops by WR Greg Little:

Aren't a result of technique problem. It's focus and concentration. I don't look for it to be a trend.

Raiders WR Jacoby Ford (foot) not very optimistic about playing Sunday against Miami Dolphins. Intends to resume practicing Thursday.

49ers WR Bralon Edwards says he's been playing with a sprained ac joint (right shoulder).

Vikings Adrian Peterson making progress. Will know more later in week on his ankle.

Dareen McFadden conducting lite workout on practice field with a few teammates. Appears to be mostly walking.

RB Beanie Wells is sore and has "a little swelling" with knee but should be OK, Whiz said. Wait to see what he can do Wednesday at practice.

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu left Sunday night's 13-9 win over Kansas City after his head banged into the knee of offensive tackle Steve Maneri.

The team said Polamalu had a "blow to the head" and did not return.

Polamalu, who had been dealing with some sore ribs, looked a bit wobbly as he got up. He was helped to the sideline by trainers and did not return on the Steelers' next defensive series.

Polamalu, Pittsburgh's defensive leader, was a bit wobbly when he stood up and Tomlin said after the game that he was experiencing "concussion-like symptoms."

Houston radio reporting Dolphins will release Sage Rosenfels after he passes physical and Texans will pursue ... True.

Dallas WR Miles Austin is not out here and will not participate in walk through.

Vikings RB Toby Gerhart looks too slow to ever be a full-time back, or even a good short-yardage back for the Vikings. The Vikings need to either make Percy Harvin the backup runner, or draft one.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb's injured right foot was too sore for him to play Sunday, and he was inactive for the fourth consecutive game.

There was some hope that Kolb would play after he practiced on a limited basis this week.

"If you think about standing on the sideline for three quarters and all of a sudden you have to go in, it's tough to get that thing warmed up and ready to go, especially when you're playing on turf," Whisenhunt said. "I anticipate it won't be an issue this week."

After missing the previous four games due to injury, receiver Santana Moss admitted to some pregame jitters Sunday.

“Once I got out there and got a couple hits here and there and caught a couple balls, it was like normal,” Moss said.

Making his return to the starting lineup, Moss had 29 yards on four catches in Sunday’s win at Seattle. He was targeted seven times, tied for the team lead with Jabar Gaffney and Roy Helu.

Moss broke a bone in his hand Oct. 23 at Carolina and didn’t return to practice until last week. He said his hand caused no problems Sunday.

Kansas City Star beat writer Kent Babb said:

Kyle Orton should be the starter next week at Chicago, barring a setback. Tyler Palko has proved that he cannot be counted on to protect the ball or make smart throws, and he’ll likely return to being the backup. Ricky Stanzi will likely resume his place as the third quarterback.

Roethlisberger had thrown for at least 200 yards in 17 consecutive regular-season games prior to Sunday night.

But he and coach Mike Tomlin said his broken right thumb had nothing to do with Roethlisberger coming up seven yards short of extending that streak to 18 games.

“I didn’t think it was a factor,” Tomlin said of Roethlisberger’s injured thumb. “In terms of his execution we didn’t have any discussions regarding it — he or myself, the medical staff. It was a non-issue.”

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson watched the end of the game from the bench, chatting at one point with Joselio Hanson, while the other starters remained in for the remainder of the game.

"It was the decision that was made," Jackson said. "As a player, I just have to live with it, it happened, and I have to keep coming to work, give my best effort and play hard. Come next week, I am going to make those plays.”

Jackson was the first player up the tunnel as the Eagles trudged off the field.

Jackson said he had a good relationship with Andy Reid. He said he did not know if the coaches were displeased with his play.

Many feel Jackson's issues stem from his lack of a contract. Considering the team has benched him twice now (the other time for missing a meeting leading up to the Arizona Cardinals game) during an important stretch of games, it's hard to imagine Jackson will get his contract with the Eagles. He had some targets again this week with Jeremy Maclin out, but unfortunately dropped at least two potential TDs. His ranking will probably continue to take a hit. The Eagles play this Thursday night at Seattle.

The Detroit Lions announced today they will place running Jahvid Best on season-ending injured reserve because of ongoing concussion problems. The move is not expected to become official until next week.

Running back Kevin Smith suffered a high ankle sprain against the Packers, and his availability for next week's game against the New Orleans Saints is in question

If Smith can't play against the Saints, Maurice Morris will start at running back, and the Lions likely will have to add another player at the position. Aaron Brown and DeShawn Wynn are among the running backs who’ve worked for the Lions already this year.

Matt Leinart: "I think there's probably a pretty strong possibility I won't be coming back this season."

T.J. Yates is next in line, with the Texans missing out on the Kyle Orton sweepstakes. Houston will continue to turn to its running game, but does have the luxury of WR Andre Johnson working his way back to form.

Coach Jack Del Rio benched rookie Blaine Gabbert in the fourth quarter, after six sacks and an interception. Luke McCown led the team to a late field goal, but his fourth-down pass with about a minute remaining fell incomplete.

Del Rio said Gabbert remains the team's starter.

"Offensively, we just are struggling to generate enough productivity to have any fun," Del Rio said. "It's tough to win in this league when you're not scoring. ... We are working hard at it, but we are just not making enough plays."

Chiefs Inactives
Brandon Bair DE
Ryan Lilja G
Jake O'Connell TE
Kyle Orton QB
Jerrell Powe NT
Donald Washington SS
Demorrio Williams LB

Steelers Inactives
Arnaz Battle WR
Dennis Dixon QB
Chris Hoke NT
Jamon Meredith OT
Stevenson Sylvester ILB
LaMarr Woodley OLB
Al Woods DT

WR Emmanuel Sanders returns to the lineup for the Steelers.

Raiders Inactives
Michael Bennett RB
Jason Campbell QB
Bruce Campbell G
Jacoby Ford WR
Taiwan Jones RB
Darren McFadden RB
Denarius Moore WR
Jarvis Moss DE

Darius Heyward-Bey is active, and could see more looks with Jacoby Ford & Denarius Moore out. However, we wouldn't put much faith in any of the Raiders pass-catchers. DHB was dealing with head and neck injuries last week.

Bears Inactives
Anthony Adams DT
Jay Cutler QB
Ricky Henry OG
Josh McCown QB
D.J. Moore DB
Andre Smith TE
Jabara Williams LB

Devin Hester is active for the Bears, but may not play much on offense.

Seahawks Inactives
Allen Barbre OT
Alan Branch DT
Deon Butler WR
Jarriel King OT
Byron Maxwell DB
Ron Parker DB
Josh Portis QB

Sidney Rice is active for the Seahawks.

Redskins Inactives
David Anderson WR
Kentwan Balmer DE
DJ Johnson DB
Niles Paul WR
Tyler Polumbus OT
Willie Smith OT
Markus White LB

WR Santana Moss makes his return to the lineup.

Chargers Inactives
Luis Castillo DE
Malcom Floyd WR
Marcus Gilchrist CB
Tyronne Green OG
Marcus McNeill T
Louis Vasquez OG
Bryan Walters WR

With Malcom Floyd out again, rookie Vincent Brown will get another start at WR.

Broncos Inactives
Quan Cosby WR
Derrick Harvey DE
Tony Hills OT
Quinn Johnson FB
Manny Ramirez OG
Julius Thomas TE

Eagles Inactives
King Dunlap OT
Brandon Graham DE
Phillip Hunt DE
Jeremy Maclin WR
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie DB
Julian Vandervelde G
Michael Vick QB

With Vick out, Vince Young will make his second straight start, as will WR Riley Cooper.

Patriots Inactives
Patrick Chung FS
Dan Connolly C
Dane Fletcher OLB
Ryan Mallett QB
Devin McCourty CB
Chad Ochocinco WR
Brandon Spikes OLB

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Legedu Naanee (Achilles tendinitis) made the trip to Indianapolis, but remains questionable to face the Colts.

Carolina Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey (ribs) was added to the injury report as probable. Shockey, who missed the Detroit game, was a full participant at practice all week and is expected to play.

Wide receiver Devin Hester didn’t play a single down on offense last week but did handle his share of returns on special teams for the Chicago Bears.

There is a chance Hester will be held out of the offensive package or limited again Sunday when the team plays at Oakland. He’s dealing with a painful shin injury and has also been hobbled recently by a sprained ankle. He’s got a couple of minor injuries going on and the Bears want to get him healthy soon but don’t want to miss his explosiveness in the return game.

"It's something that I've got to kind of deal with until I get better," Hester said. "It's just real sore. Other than that, it's kind of like a nagging injury."

He doesn’t believe he will be sidelined against the Raiders. Two weeks ago, Hester did not practice because of an ankle sprain and then played against the Detroit Lions and had an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown. He was held out of practices Thursday and Friday.

For the Bears, the trio of Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Roy Williams played well last week. So there isn’t a need to rush Hester back on offense where he hasn’t put up big numbers.

New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco will be out for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ochocinco popped up on the injury report with a hamstring injury on Friday and did not practice. He was listed as questionable.

It will be the first game Ochocinco will miss this season.

Ochocinco isn't on very many rosters, and it's doubtful the Patriots are going to miss him all that much.

Rookie New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett has been inactive for each of the Patriots’ 10 games, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick indicated the third-round pick from Arkansas is making progress.

He is "absolutely’" still doing extra work after practice, Belichick said. During training camp, Mallett often spent time working on his footwork, either tethered to bungee cords or using a rope ladder, following instruction from strength and conditioning coach Harold Nash.

Belichick recalled his first year with the Giants, which was also quarterback Phil Simms’s rookie year, and the respect he gained for Simms, particularly his accuracy, while Simms ran the scout team against the Giants’ defense.

Belichick was quick to clarify that he wasn’t comparing Mallett to Simms, but he did note that Mallett has "made some impressive throws in practice."

Mallett was one of the most talked-about prospects in this year’s draft. Many believed he had first-round talent coming out of Arkansas, but there were character concerns that caused him to slide. He has had no such issues with the Patriots.

As long as Tom Brady is around, Mallett won't have a role in New England, but if you are in a keeper league with a large roster, Mallett is worth keeping around. He could start for another team down the road much like Matt Cassel.

New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham (knee) did not practice again today and is listed as questionable for Monday night vs. New Orleans.

With the Giants playing on Monday night, owners need to seek other options. Manningham isn't worth waiting on.

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw has been ruled out for Monday's game in New Orleans.

Bradshaw wasn't expected to play, and Brandon Jacobs, who struggled in his last game, will carry the load for the Giants. Jacobs doesn't merit anything more than a flex play.

Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss will return to action Sunday for the first time since he broke his left hand. But although he is glad to take the field, Moss hasn’t allowed himself to become overly excited.

"It feels good, but me talking about it isn’t going to make it better or make it worse," said Moss, who has 23 catches for 301 yards and two touchdowns in six games. "I’m glad to be back going, I just want to go out and help turn this thing around."

Moss suffered the injury while trying to break his fall during the first half of Washington’s game against Carolina.

He had two pins inserted in his hand. They were removed last week, and Moss began catching balls soon after. The receiver said on Friday that he hasn’t had any trouble holding onto the ball, and hasn’t had to alter the way he catches.

The Redskins offense has struggled without Moss in the lineup. Coach Mike Shanahan said he expects the 11th-year pro to quickly regain his rhythm.

Moss can help fantasy owners down the stretch provided Rex Grossman can get him the ball.

Quarterback Kyle Orton, awarded to the Kansas City Chiefs this week after a waiver claim, joined his new team for Friday evening’s practice, but he might have joined the Chiefs too late to be active Sunday night against Pittsburgh.

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said Friday that Orton, whom Denver released earlier this week, might be the Chiefs’ third quarterback Sunday, behind starter Tyler Palko and rookie Ricky Stanzi. Other than this past Monday, when the Chiefs went with two quarterbacks, the team has kept the third quarterback inactive for each of its games.

"I wouldn’t rule out anything at this point, other than Tyler starting the game," Haley said. "We’ll just have to see."

Haley said much of Orton’s participation would be determined by how quickly the Chiefs can familiarize him with the team’s offense and its way of going about its business.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is getting a lot better, and it looks like he'll have a really good shot at starting in Seattle next Thursday.

The Minnesota Vikings have downgraded running back Adrian Peterson to out for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Toby Gerhart will replace Peterson, with Percy Harvin also lining up in the backfield more often. Gerhart could be used as a flex, while Harvin should be started, either as a flex or full-fledged WR.

No quarterback has been more irresponsible with the football this season than San Diego's Philip Rivers, who has made the types of throws he never did in the past.

Rivers already has thrown 17 interceptions - two more than he had in any of his five other NFL seasons as a starter - and the Chargers still have six games to play. It's no wonder the Chargers have lost five straight games for the first time since a nine-game losing streak spanning the 2002-03 seasons.

Rivers repeatedly says nothing is wrong, but numerous NFL executives and coaches around the league disagree. What has happened many times in the past is that a quarterback who struggles during the season will acknowledge afterward that he was hurt.

It wouldn't be stunning if the same happened with Rivers. Based on the opinion of people around the league, Rivers has to be playing hurt, no matter how much he denies it.

On the plus side, Rivers has thrown for over 3,000 yards and has 15 touchdown passes. And his numbers have been better over the past three weeks. However, owners in leagues where interceptions result in lost points can't be thrilled at the barrage of turnovers. Rivers still looks like a top-ten quarterback the rest of the way, but it wouldn't be out of the question to sit him if he's got a tough matchup.

Overall, the Baltimore Ravens reported no new injuries following Thursday night's victory over the San Francisco 49ers. But running back Ray Rice had his hand and thumb taped up after the game.

Rice has a lot of time to recover before Baltimore takes the field again, and if the team didn't officially classify it as an injury, it probably isn't anything to worry about.

No surprise here, but the Philadelphia Eagles have told quarterback Vince Young he's definitely starting Sunday vs. the New England Patriots.

Young is in the top fifteen of our rankings and isn't a bad option if you need help at quarterback.

Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson conceded it’s going to take awhile to get running back Darren McFadden up and running once he returns to the practice field.

"It’s hard to come back when you’ve been gone that long to just hit the ground running and expect him to be exactly what he was before he left," Jackson said. "We’ll have a plan to take care of that. We just want him back; that’s the most important thing. I want to get the player back out here at practice at some point in time."

Keeping in mind how McFadden played when less than 100 percent his first two seasons, it would be better to have him for three or four games full strength at the end of the regular season than have him at less than his explosive best for five or six.

It's frustrating right now, but fantasy general managers should remain patient with McFadden. He will have the potential to make a difference in the fantasy playoffs provided he gets healthy.

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd seems to either be making spectacular catches or sitting in the trainer’s room.

"Yeah," Floyd said Friday. "I haven’t been lucky. Some things are out of your control. It’s frustrating when you do think about it. My battle is now trying to get better."

It was a rare appearance in the locker room for Floyd, who on Sunday will miss his fourth straight game but still ranks second on the team with 401 yards on 19 receptions.

"I’m feeling a lot better," said Floyd, who also was limited by a groin strain in practice and a few games earlier this season. "Hopefully, I’ll be there next week."

Eagles QB Michael Vick (ribs, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 12. Vick is not expected to play, especially after Vince Young played pretty well against the Giants in Week 11.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (right thumb, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12.

Bears QB Jay Cutler (right thumb, out) has been ruled out for Week 12. Caleb Hanie will start against the Raiders.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton (right shoulder, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12. Dalton is expected to play against the Browns.

Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck (right elbow, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12.

Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12. Jackson is good to go for Week 12.

Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb (toe, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12. The Arizona beat writers expect Kolb to start, but he's not much of a fantasy option right now.

Browns QB Colt McCoy (right shoulder, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12.

Vikings QB Christian Ponder (knee, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez (neck, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson (ankle, doubtful) missed practice all week and is doubtful for Week 12. Peterson is "very, very doubtful" per Leslie Frazier so we're expecting Toby Gerhart to get the bulk of the touches for the Vikings.

Browns RB Peyton Hillis (hamstring, questionable) returned to take limited reps Friday after missing practice earlier in the week and is questionable for Week 12. HC Pat Shurmur says that Hillis is the starter if healthy and for his part Hillis says he's 100%. This is a situation to be avoided for now, but if Hillis is available on the waiver wire, he's worth a pickup. Montario Hardesty (calf, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12.

Colts RB Joseph Addai (hamstring, questionable) took full practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12. Beat writer Phillip B. Wilson speculates that Addai may play, but he doubts he'll get a heavy workload since he's still complaining about pain in his hamstring. Look for Donald Brown to see most of the touches for the Colts.

The Lions plan to place RB Jahvid Best (concussion) on injured reserve, ending his season. He can be cut in all redraft formats.

Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) missed practice again Friday. The Giants don't play until Monday night, so Bradshaw hasn't yet been ruled out.

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells (knee, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12. He's good to go for what appears to be a good matchup with the Rams, but St. Louis shut Wells down a few short weeks ago.

Jets RB Shonn Greene (rib, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12. He has a nice matchup with the Bills and should see a big workload. LaDainian Tomlinson (knee, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 12. Bilal Powell (illness, probable) took full practice reps Friday after missing practice earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12.

Chargers RB Ryan Mathews (knee, probable) returned to take full practice reps Friday after missing practice Thursday and is probable for Week 12. Mathews is now expected to play. Mike Tolbert returns to RB3/flex status.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden (foot, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 12. The NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora speculates that McFadden could return Week 14. Michael Bush is a RB1 with DMC sidelined.

Bills RB Fred Jackson (fibula, out) has been placed on injured reserve and is done for the season. C.J. Spiller gets first crack at replacing him.

Broncos RB Willis McGahee (hand, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12.

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Friday after taking full practice reps Thursday.

Raiders RB Taiwan Jones (hamstring, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 12.

Giants RB Danny Ware (concussion) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week .

Rams RB Carnell Williams (calf, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12.

Falcons WR Julio Jones (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12. It looks like Jones is good to go against the Vikings. There's always a risk of re-aggravation, but Jones is a high-upside start in Week 12.

Bengals WR A.J. Green (knee, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12. It looks like Green is good to go for the Browns, who are a bad matchup for opposing WRs.

Vikings WR Percy Harvin (ribs, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12. Harvin is expected to play, but keep an eye on his status on Sunday morning. The Vikings play at 1:00 PM ET.

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson (foot, probable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12. Jackson has a great matchup against the Patriots and may see a few extra targets with Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, shoulder, doubtful) likely sidelined.

Texans WR Andre Johnson (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12. Johnson owners should be elated that this day has finally arrived.

Bills WR Steve Johnson (shoulder, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12. He's ready for his visit to Revis Island. David Nelson (illness, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12.

Giants WR Mario Manningham (knee) missed practice again Friday. His status for Monday night's game against the Saints is up in the air. Owners who have a good Plan B should utilize it if Manningham's prognosis doesn't improve by Sunday morning.

Seahawks WR Sidney Rice (knee, probable) took full practice reps Friday after missing practice earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12. Rice is good to go for Week 12.

Redskins WR Santana Moss (hand, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12.

Patriots WR Deion Branch (hip, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 12. Branch likely suffered the injury this week and should be avoided against the Eagles.

Chargers WR Malcom Floyd (hip, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 12. Look for Vincent Brown to get another start.

Raiders WR Jacoby Ford (foot, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 12. Denarius Moore (foot, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 12. It doesn't look like Moore is a good bet to play this week. Even if he can go, he won't be 100%. Darrius Heyward-Bey (neck, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 12. DHB has been medically cleared so given the current state of the Raider WR corps, he could very well be active and get the start on Sunday. The Raiders play at 4:05 PM ET.

Patriots WR Wes Welker (knee, probable) took limited practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12. The probable tag means that Welker will almost certainly play in Week 12.

Rams WR Mark Clayton (knee) has been placed on IR and is out for the season.

Rams WR Danario Alexander (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12.

Bears WR Devin Hester (shin, probable) missed practice again Friday and is probable for Week 12.

Raiders WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Friday.

Panthers WR Legedu Naanee (ankle, questionable) missed practice again Friday and is questionable for Week 12.

Seahawks WR Ben Obomanu (knee, ankle, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12.

Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco (hamstring, questionable) missed practice Friday and is questionable for Week 12.

Redskins WR Niles Paul (toe, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 12.

Rams WR Austin Pettis (knee, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12.

Patriots WR Taylor Price (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12.

Bills WR Naaman Roosevelt (shoulder, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 12.

Steelers WR Emmanuel Sanders (knee, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12.

Redskins WR Donte' Stallworth (foot, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 12.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates (not injury related, probable) returned to take full practice reps Friday after missing practice Thursday and is probable for Week 12. Gates got a day of rest on Thursday and is expected to play.

Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez (not injury related, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12.

Colts TE Dallas Clark (fibula, out) has been ruled out for Week 12.

Texans TE Owen Daniels (knee, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12.

Broncos TE Daniel Fells (concussion, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 12.

Cardinals TE Todd Heap (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12.

Cardinals TE Rob Housler (groin, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 12.

Rams TE Lance Kendricks (head, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 12.

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (quadricep, doubtful) missed practice all week and is doubtful for Week 12.

Vikings TE Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring, questionable) returned to take limited reps Friday after missing practice earlier in the week and is questionable for Week 12.

Browns TE Ben Watson (elbow, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 12.

Buccaneers TE Kellen Winslow (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Friday.

Titans K Rob Bironas (back, probable) returned to take limited reps Friday after missing practice Thursday and is probable for Week 12.

Bills K Rian Lindell (shoulder, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 12. Dave Rayner continues to kick for the Bills.

Colts beat writer Phillip B. Wilson on RB Joseph Addai: "Because the Colts shipped RB Darren Evans back to practice squad means they at least think Addai could be an emergency third back. I don’t think they go into the game with just two healthy RBs. While Addai was a full go in practice all week, he has said the right hammy is still sore. The hunch is he dresses, but I tend to doubt a full workload, if much. Expected to play."

The reason Addai's status is important is how it impacts Donald Brown, who headed into the Colts' bye as the team's RB1. The matchup against the Panthers is terrific, so whoever gets the bulk of the touches has a chance to post a solid fantasy line. The Colts play at 1:00 PM ET.

The Detroit Lions announced today they will place running Jahvid Best on season-ending injured reserve because of ongoing concussion problems. The move is not expected to become official until next week.

"Definitely expect him to be back next year," [his agent] TonyFleming said. "Being put on IR is more precautionary because he’s continuing to see specialists, and he’s just being evaluated still. It seems to be in the best interests to sit him for the season, but there’s nothing long-term that’s been established."

Feel free to cut Best in redraft leagues. His value in keeper leagues is unclear, given his injury history and the emergence of Kevin Smith (or even Mikel Leshoure) as his possible replacement. If Best is completely healthy heading into next season, he'll likely be a mid-round (5th-8th) pick as part of a RBBC in Detroit.

Lions running back Kevin Smith reportedly suffered a high ankle sprain on Thursday, which is loosely known in football parlance as “the bad kind.” But the prognosis may not be all that negative, after all.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Smith has a mild sprain. He could be back next week, when the Lions face the Saints on Sunday Night Football.

Garafalo on Twitter: "WR Mario Manningham (knee) is out again today."

The Giants play on Monday night, but it's still troubling that Manningham hasn't practiced all week. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are looking like strong plays against the Saints. Fantasy owners with a reasonable Plan B may want to use it to avoid a possible goose egg on Monday night.

James Starks came back from a knee injury suffered four days earlier against Tampa Bay and ran four times for 19 yards. But Starks wasn't a part of the rotation in the fourth quarter.

"I wasn't hurt," Starks said. "I was fine. Three games in 10 days take a toll on your body, but our coaches do a good job of giving us proper rest.

"The injury happened three or four days ago, so the week was fast. I stayed in treatment. Of course, you're going to play with a little bit of pain. Everything is fine now. I got a little time to rest. I think I should be fine."

Asked if Starks had been hurt again, coach Mike McCarthy said, "You know, it's a. . . I think he just tweaked his ankle again."

So we have the head coach saying that Starks tweaked his ankle and the player saying he wasn't hurt. The Packers have 10 days until their Week 13 game against the Giants, so Starks has plenty of time to heal.

Cabot on Twitter: "RB Peyton Hillis (hamstring) participated in team drills, including running ball today. Was ruled out [for Week 12], but status can change."

Chargers HC Norv Turner doesn't say much on Ryan Mathews. "Hopefully he'll be alright. If he's not, Mike Tolbert and Curtis Brinkley will take the load."

We never like to hear head coaches use the word "hopeful" when describing a player's potential availability. We'll keep an eye on Mathews' practice participation on Friday, but he is looking iffy for Week 12. The Chargers play at 4:15 PM ET, so fantasy owners will likely have to make a decision about Mathews on Sunday morning with limited information. If he sits, Mike Tolbert becomes a solid RB2 start against the Broncos.

Kevin Smith's comeback of the year story was put on ice — literally. He spent the last three quarters with an ice pack taped to his right ankle.

"It wasn't that bad, it's just a matter of I couldn't cut," said Smith, who had rushed for 36 yards and caught three passes for 21 yards before the injury. "If I can't help, I can't play. That's the bottom line. I've got 10 days. In my mind, I'll be ready. We will see what happens."

He injured the ankle — a high ankle sprain according to the Fox Sports broadcast — flipping the ball to Calvin Johnson on a double-reverse.

"My X-ray came back negative, so that's a positive," Smith said. "That's just part of the game. I was just cutting back, and someone fell on it. It's disappointing. I felt like I had a good flow. It felt like we were doing good."

Maurice Morris is back on the fantasy radar, and should have RB3/flex value while Smith and Jahvid Best remain sidelined.

Vikings beat writer Tom Pelissero on Adrian Peterson's claim that he will play on Sunday: "If anyone can do it, it's Peterson. He's a tough dude. See: Buffalo last year. But high ankle sprain and ligament damage? Not buying it."

We're expecting Toby Gerhart to carry the load against the Falcons on Sunday with Percy Harvin getting a few extra touches in the running game.

With Antonio Brown playing so well, OC Bruce Arians and HC Mike Tomlin decided to start him along with Mike Wallace.

“On this team, there are a lot of great players who have an opportunity to put up big numbers and stats,” Roethlisberger said. “As Coach (Arians) touched on, for us to be a true Super Bowl contender, people have to put their own personal goals and Pro Bowl things and things like that on the back shelf for the betterment of the team. I think Hines has done that.”

Joseph Addai remains hopeful of playing Sunday against Carolina.

“My leg is feeling better,” he said after Thursday’s practice. “Before, it just felt like a big knot in [his right thigh]. Now it just feels a little sore. So we’re going to wait and see how I feel [today] and then decide what we’re going to do on Sunday.

“I want to play. I don’t care what our record is or anything like that. I just want to get back out there playing again. I love to play and I’d like to be out there. I’ll do whatever they [the Colts coaches] tell me to do.”

If Addai is inactive or is only an "emergency" option, Donald Brown will become a sneaky start against the Panthers' dreadful rush defense. Brown has out-touched Delone Carter 46 to 21 in the last three games.

Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden likely will miss at least a few more games while recovering from his foot injury, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

McFadden still is very limited and unable to do much. The source said playing this week is not feasible for McFadden, and in all likelihood, next week's game is not probable for his return, either.

McFadden went down Oct. 23 against the Kansas City Chiefs and has missed the Raiders' past three games.

The Raiders are not putting a timeline on the injury, but teammates don't expect to see him return until perhaps Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers.

McFadden did nothing this year to shake the injury-prone reputation that he earned in his first three seasons. He remains one of the league's most productive RBs when healthy, but owners who didn't draft his backup, Michael Bush, are in a tough spot right now. The good news is that DMC may be back for the fantasy playoffs.

Cowboys Inactives
David Arkin G
Miles Austin WR
Tony Fiammetta FB
Clifton Geathers DE
Mike Jenkins CB
Jon Kitna QB
Daniel Loper T

Felix Jones is active, but will play behind DeMarco Murray.

Dolphins Inactives
Ikaika Alama-Francis LB
Will Barker OT
Dan Carpenter K
John Jerry OG
Igor Olshansky DT
Steve Slaton RB
Will Yeatman TE

Adam Caplan: "Jimmy Johnson just said that #Lions RB Kevin Smith suffered a high ankle sprain. He said he talked to the trainer."

Well, so much for Smith shaping up as a RB1/RB2 over the final month of the season. Maurice Morris is back on the fantasy radar as a RB2/flex play.

Michael Vick is again sitting out practice Thursday, further indicating that Vince Young will get his second start as an Eagle Sunday against the Patriots.

There is mixed news on the Eagles wide receivers.

DeSean Jackson was back in a helmet at least for the start of practice, a sign that he is well enough to resume some running as he recovers from a bruised foot. Jeremy Maclin was watching, not participating in practice.

Maclin was limited in practice Wednesday and was still worried about his separated shoulder and hamstring strain.

This appears to be a setback for Maclin who was limited yesterday. He's looking very iffy for Week 12. Jackson did not practice yesterday, so today's participation is an upgrade. With Maclin possibly out, Riley Cooper is looking like a very sneaky start against a shaky Patriots pass defense.

Eagles beat writer Reuben Frank on Twitter: "Nnamdi Asomugha knee injury at practice. Has been carted off. More as soon as we know it."

Rams WR Mark Clayton placed on injured reserve.

Feel free to drop Clayton.

Lions Inactives
Jahvid Best RB
Don Carey DB
Leonard Davis G
Ryan Donahue P
Lawrence Jackson DE
Alphonso Smith DB
Drew Stanton QB

Kevin Smith will start at running back for the Lions.

Packers Inactives
Chad Clifton T
Ray Dominguez OT
Davon House DB
Jamari Lattimore LB
Vic So'oto LB
D.J. Williams TE
Frank Zombo LB

RB James Starks is active for the Packers. HC Mike McCarthy said earlier that if Starks played, he would be full-go. We have a tough time trusting either Starks or Ryan Grant.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (right thumb) took limited practice reps Wednesday. There is some concern about Big Ben's effectiveness with a sore thumb, but he's tough and the Steelers are likely to go heavy shotgun to protect his throwing hand.

Eagles QB Michael Vick (ribs) did not practice Wednesday. The feeling seems to be that Vick will not return for a great matchup with the Patriots in Week 12. Vince Young played pretty well and got the win in Week 11, so the Eagles may not feel the pressure to rush Vick back. Young would be a sneaky start in a great matchup.

Bears QB Jay Cutler (right thumb) was ruled out for Week 12. Caleb Hanie will get the start against the Raiders.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton (right shoulder) took limited practice reps Wednesday. The feeling seems to be that Dalton will be fine for Week 12.

Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck (right elbow) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Hasselbeck is expected to start against the Buccaneers.

Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb (toe) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic thinks that Kolb will play this week. This may actually hurt Larry Fitzgerald's stock, as he's been more productive with John Skelton under center.

Browns QB Colt McCoy (right shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday.

Vikings QB Christian Ponder (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Ponder is expected to start on Sunday.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez (neck) practiced fully Wednesday.

Bills RB Fred Jackson (fibula) has reportedly been placed on injured reserve, ending his season. It was originally reported that he had a calf injury, but it turns out that he has a fractured fibula. C.J. Spiller becomes the de facto starter in Buffalo, but he has a tough time running between the tackles so Johnny White will likely share the load.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden (foot) did not practice Wednesday. Beat writer Steve Corkran said on Twitter that he believes DMC will return for Week 13.

Broncos RB Willis McGahee (hand) practiced fully Wednesday. Interestingly, the Broncos' injury report doesn't even mention McGahee's hamstring, which was the problem last week. Consider McGahee a full go for Week 12.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. AP will be in a walking boot until at least Thursday and sounds very iffy for a matchup with the Falcons in Week 12. Expect Toby Gerhart to carry the load.

49ers RB Frank Gore (ankle) is probable. He appears to be healthy and ready for a normal workload.

Packers RB James Starks is questionable with both knee and ankle injuries. He will be a game-time decision. Ryan Grant will see more work if Starks is out or limited, but still isn't a great start. The good news is that fantasy owners will know first thing Thursday morning whether or not Starks is a go.

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday. His snaps were limited against the 49ers after playing a full game against the Eagles in Week 10. We're expecting Wells to tote the ball more frequently against the Rams, who have struggled against the run at times this season. The Rams DT is improving and it should be noted that St. Louis shut Wells down in an earlier meeting.

Colts RB Joseph Addai (hamstring) practiced fully Wednesday. The full practice indicates that Addai may be ready to make his return to the lineup. The Colts have a terrific matchup against the Panthers, so whoever runs the ball for Indy has a chance to make some noise.

Jets RB Shonn Greene (rib) practiced fully Wednesday. He is expected to get the start against a bad Bills rush defense.

Browns RB Montario Hardesty (calf) took limited practice reps Wednesday. HC Pat Shurmur said that if Hardesty can play, he'll start over Greg Ogbonnaya. It will be tough to trust either player in Week 12 if Hardesty is a go.

Browns RB Peyton Hillis (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. He's not expected back this week.

Lions RB Jahvid Best (head) is still out. Kevin Smith is expected to start with Maurice Morris filling in.

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew (not injury related) took limited practice reps Wednesday. This is the norm for MJD. He's just getting a day off.

Cowboys RB Felix Jones (ankle) is questionable for Sunday. He isn't expected to have a large role either way.

Jets RB Bilal Powell (illness) did not practice Wednesday.

Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson (knee) did not practice Wednesday. Look for Joe McKnight to back up Shonn Greene again.

Rams RB Carnell Williams (calf) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Raiders RB Taiwan Jones (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday.

Packers WR Greg Jennings (knee) took full practice Wednesday and appears to be 100%.

Cowboys WR Miles Austin (hamstring) remains out. Laurent Robinson will draw the start again.

Bengals WR A.J. Green (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday. The feeling is that Green will play in Week 12, but he has a bad matchup with a pretty stingy Browns secondary, so he's not a no-brainer start this week. His return puts a big dent in Jerome Simpson's value.

Vikings WR Percy Harvin (ribs) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Harvin is expected to have a big role with Adrian Peterson likely sidelined.

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson (foot) did not practice Wednesday. He has swelling in his foot, so he may not be 100% for a great matchup with the Patriots.

Texans WR Andre Johnson (hamstring) practiced fully Wednesday. It looks like Johnson's long-awaited return is finally here. That's good news for his owners and for Matt Leinart, who will get the start in Week 12.

Patriots WR Wes Welker (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday. This is the same ol' song and dance for Welker, who is fully expected to play against the Eagles on Sunday.

Bills WR Steve Johnson (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday. Johnson is not a good start this week given his recent production and a terrible matchup with the Jets.

Falcons WR Julio Jones (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Jones is reportedly eyeing a Thursday return to practice. Stay tuned. If he can play, he would be a risky start with a lot of upside against a shaky Vikings secondary.

Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, shoulder) took limited practice reps Wednesday. Maclin is dealing with a separated shoulder isn't fully healed, and that appears to be a bigger issue than the hamstring. Given the matchup, Maclin is looking like a risky WR2/WR3 this week.

Raiders WR Denarius Moore (foot) did not practice Wednesday. Moore was seen in a walking boot on his right foot and did miss a few snaps against the Vikings in Week 11. He's expected to play, but this is definitely something to keep an eye on. Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy would start if Moore can't go. Jacoby Ford (foot) did not practice Wednesday. Ford remains in a walking boot and is likely out for Week 12.

Redskins WR Santana Moss (hand) practiced fully Wednesday. Moss declared his hand ready to go and is a worthwhile pickup. His stock is higher with Rex Grossman under center.

Bills WR David Nelson (illness) did not practice Wednesday. Nelson was seen throwing up on the sidelines in Miami. With the Jets coming up this week, he's not a strong start. Naaman Roosevelt (shoulder) also didn't practice Wednesday.

Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (neck) did not practice Wednesday. DHB is not expected to return this week.

Rams WR Danario Alexander (hamstring) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Rams WR Mark Clayton (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Raiders WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (not injury related) did not practice Wednesday.

Rams WR Austin Pettis (knee) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Steelers WR Emmanuel Sanders (knee) practiced fully Wednesday. Sanders return may put a dent in Antonio Brown's stock, but it appears that Brown has worked his way solidly into WR2 status for the Steelers.

Redskins WR Donte' Stallworth (foot) practiced fully Wednesday.

Texans TE Owen Daniels (knee) practiced fully Wednesday.

Broncos TE Daniel Fells (concussion) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez (not injury related) did not practice Wednesday. No worries here, as Gonzo regularly rests on Wednesdays.

Cardinals TE Todd Heap (hamstring) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Cardinals TE Rob Housler (groin) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Rams TE Lance Kendricks (head) took limited practice reps Wednesday.

Vikings TEs Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring) and Kyle Rudolph (quadricep) did not practice Wednesday.

Browns TE Ben Watson (elbow) practiced fully Wednesday.

Buccaneers TE Kellen Winslow (not injury related) did not practice Wednesday. Winslow is just getting his usual Wednesday rest.

Dolphins K Dan Carpenter (right groin) is out again this week. Shayne Graham will handle kicking duties.

Bills K Rian Lindell (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday. Dave Rayner continues to kick for the Bills.

The Chiefs claimed former Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton on waivers today, according to an NFL source.

The Chiefs were not his first choice, and he may not report. If he does, it would certainly help the entire KC offense.

According to Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News, Fred Jackson has been put on IR. Season over. He has a fracture to fibula bone.

C.J. Spiller gets first crack to replace him, with Johnny White backing him up. The Jets aren't a good matchup for Spiller, but if he produces a decent fantasy line, he would be startable against the Titans in Week 13.

Redskins WR Santana Moss after practice today: "I feel like my hand is ready."

Moss wouldn't be a bad addition to a team in need of WR help. He wasn't exactly tearing it up before the injury, but had three 60+ yard games and two TDs in the first four weeks. Those games came with Rex Grossman at QB, and now that Grossman is back under center, Moss may be able to make some noise down the stretch.

Mark Sanchez knows his job is safe. His snaps in practice are another matter.

The Jets' quarterback was pulled for a few plays Monday and Tuesday, reduced to a spectator as 41-year-old Mark Brunell briefly ran the first-team offense. Sanchez wouldn't say it, but his short answers made it clear he wasn't pleased.

"That's the coach's decision," he said Tuesday.

It's a move the superstitious Rex Ryan has gone with before, resorting to a tactic that worked on the young quarterback last season. An irritated Sanchez played some of his best games after Ryan took away some snaps, and the Jets (5-5) are hoping for the same result.

"I don't think it really matters," Ryan said, "but for some reason, he got a little hot under the collar and gave that super-competitive fighting spirit that we know he has."

Sanchez sat for some snaps in practice late last season after a two-game losing streak – which the Jets are mired in now – and rebounded with crisp play and exceptional decision-making all the way to a second straight AFC title game. Sanchez later told GQ magazine that he was so angry at Ryan for saying he considered benching him that he "wanted to fight" his coach.

"If it takes me to do this and take a punch in the nose, I don't care," Ryan said Tuesday. "I'll take it, but we have to have it from him. He's the guy. He's my guy and we have to have it from him. Everybody has to play that way and I just love when (he's like that). When he's that way, we're extremely hard to beat."

Colts RB Joseph Addai (hamstring) will practice today.

Donald Brown was shaping up to be a sneaky start, but if Addai can practice without setbacks all week, that honor will go to him. The Panthers have given up the most Adjusted FP to RBs this season.

Raiders beat writer Steve Corkran, when asked if Darren McFadden would be ready for Week 13: "Yes, I do. Also helps that the weather will be warmer."

Bengals WR A.J. Green says he'll practice on Wednesday.

Great sign for Green owners. Stay tuned.

Cowboys HC Jason Garrett said that he still wants to get Felix Jones touches in games and will mix him in when he can, though DeMarco Murray will continue to receive the bulk of the workload. Garrett said the way he uses Jones in games is decided by a combination of his game plan going in and an in-game feel for the best time to call his number.

'It's probably a combination of both. Felix is a guy who we really like. He's been such a good football player for us over the last few years," Garrett said. "He's a dynamic player, a space player but also a guy who can run between the tackles. he can run and he can catch it and we want to get him some opportunities. at the same time, DeMarco has been playing very well, so we have a plan going in and certainly we adjust those plans as the game unfolds."

This is great news for Murray owners. Jones has proven he's not physically capable of staying healthy when given starter's touches and his best fit is as a third-down, change-of-pace back.

The Buffalo Bills' season took a major turn for the worse today with the news that star running back Fred Jackson may be out for the year with an injury to his lower right leg.

Bills coach Chan Gailey said Jackson is out for Sunday's key AFC East game against the New York Jets. And Gailey said Jackson might be done for the year.

"Fred's not good, and I know he'll miss this one," Gailey said. "Then we'll have to decide what happens from there."

Asked if there was a chance Jackson could be back before the end of the season, Gailey said: "I don't know about that. We'll have to wait and see."

Jackson could be placed on injured reserve due to the injury, which came late in the third quarter in Miami Sunday when the running back was hit hard from behind on his calf.

C.J. Spiller is the biggest beneficiary of this news, and his 5.5 ypc in 2011 is much better than his rookie season production (3.8 ypc). He's not a good start this week against the Jets, but has matchups with the Titans and Chargers in Weeks 13-14.

Browns HC Pat Shurmur says if RB Montario Hardesty (calf) can play, he'll start. Chris Ogbonnaya would play regardless.

This is a bit surprising considering that Hardesty is coming back from injury and Ogbonnaya has been pretty serviceable in his place. Once Hardesty returns, we're expecting a two-headed RBBC, which is unlikely to produce any consistent/predictable fantasy production.

Bills HC Chan Gailey just confirmed Fred Jackson is OUT this week.

C.J. Spiller will get the start against an improving Jets rush defense. Spiller is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, but it's tough to get excited about his prospects for Week 12 given the matchup and his history of disappointment. Still, he is in line to get 15-20 touches, so that's something.

Jeremy Maclin is expected to practice on Wednesday after participating in the Eagles' morning walkthrough. DeSean Jackson has swelling in his sprained foot and is likely to sit out.

The Eagles face the Patriots in Week 12, so this is definitely a situation to monitor. Both players are worthy starts if they can go. Steve Smith is Jackson's backup while Riley Cooper backs up Maclin.

The Washington Redskins released running back Tashard Choice two days after making his debut for them against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys.

The Redskins signed running back Evan Royster to their active roster from their practice squad and added running back Tristan Davis to the practice squad.

Filed to ESPN: Denver Broncos waived quarterback Kyle Orton today.

The Texans, Bears & Chiefs all desperately need QBs. Orton should be able to get a decent deal.

The Chicago Bears' search for a veteran quarterback to back up Caleb Hanie remains a fluid situation, but sources said Tuesday that former Arizona Cardinals third-round pick Josh McCown is a leading candidate.

An eight-year veteran, McCown is familiar with the system employed by offensive coordinator Mike Martz from playing for the coach in 2006 as a member of the Detroit Lions.

The Buffalo Bills promoted wide receiver Kamar Aiken to the active roster and signed veteran wide receiver Derek Hagan.

And they placed wide receiver Donald Jones and cornerback Terrence McGee on injured reserve, ending their seasons.

Aiken spent the first 11 weeks of the season on the Bills' practice squad after joining the Bills as an undrafted free agent in July. The 6-2, 213-pound Central Florida product totaled 121 catches for 1,924 yards and 17 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

Hagan entered the NFL as a third-round (82nd overall) draft pick of Miami in 2006. He has spent time on the rosters of Miami (2006-08), New York Giants (2008-10) and Oakland (2011). The 6-2, 215-pound Arizona State product has played in 65 games, making seven starts and recorded 96 catches for 1,083 yards and five touchdowns.

Packers James Starks and Greg Jennings were both limited in practice today. HC MikeMcCarthy: Jennings will play vs. the Lions. Less certain about Starks.

After Titan's running back Chris Johnson ran for 130 yards in Carolina, it appeared the Titans' running game was back on track but then on Sunday the Titans rushed for only 13 yards on 12 carries.

Coach Mike Munchak holds the Titans' offensive line responsible for the lack of production.

“As a group, for the limited time we had to run it, we didn't block well. We were very average and inconsistent and that's where you go when you do that for eight carries,” Munchak said. “I'm not going to give any excuses. We would have liked to have had more opportunities, and that's my fault. So if you only get 10 carries, you've got to do a much better job than we did with 10 carries. So that starts with the offensive line, and anytime you have this conversation, it starts with them. They know that, and we need to do better than that.”

“Obviously, we still had eight or nine other shots and everything was one or two yards. So again, I'm disappointed,” Munchak said. “We've got to find a way to make some runs. I thought we would run the ball better. I wish we had 30 carries, but we didn't. We didn't earn the right for 30 carries. You have to get more than one or two yards to get a chance to do it more often.”

Raiders Place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski said his injured left hamstring was a factor in having a 49-yard field goal attempt blocked and that he's still fighting a mental battle playing with the injury.

"I get treatment every day, it might bother me the whole year, I don't know," Janikowski said. "Hamstrings, they take awhile to heal."

Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck will take it easy the next few days with his injured throwing arm.

By the end of the week, however, the Titans believe their veteran quarterback will be back on the field practicing. Barring complications, they expect he will start Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers at LP Field.

“I think Matt is smart enough to know if he is comfortable in playing,” Coach Mike Munchak said Monday. “You know if you can help the team win, and if he feels there is anything in question, I think he’ll be smart enough to tell us.”

Lions RB Kevin Smith taking 1st team reps in skeleton drills.

Huge waiver wire addition for this week.

Jets tailback Shonn Greene did not practice Monday afternoon as he continued to recover from the rib injury that knocked him out of last Thursday’s loss to the Denver Broncos. He remained optimistic he would return to practice on Tuesday.

“I feel good,” Greene said. “I’ll have some extra padding. I’m not worried about it.”

Greene, the team’s leading rusher, had X-rays taken during the game in Denver, and said the results showed no structural damage. He insisted he would have been able to return to the game, but he was never reinserted by Rex Ryan as the Jets struggled to move the ball and finished the game with 83 rushing yards.

Ryan he expects Greene to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, but injuries have mounted in the backfield. Tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, mainly used as the third-down tailback, missed Thursday night’s game with a sprained MCL. Tomlinson was relegated to agility drills during practice on Monday but said he would play against the Bills.

Falcons WR Julio Jones: "I don't know if I'll be playing this weekend but I'm working everyday so keep praying for me."

Ryan Torain, the Redskins’ starter Sunday, is actually the team’s third-leading rusher in the past six games. The team’s top runner over that stretch is Roy Helu, but Coach Mike Shanahan seems reluctant to rush the rookie into a starring role.

“I like Helu. He’s doing some great things,” Shanahan said. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on him too early. He’s not ready for that. But he’s gaining experience, and I like what I see.”

Torain has started the Redskins’ past two games and three of the four since Tim Hightower went down with a season-ending knee injury. Torain’s rushing numbers from those four games: 40 yards on 24 carries. In Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, Torain had only four yards on five carries and spent most of the second half on the sideline. Torain has totaled 71 yards in the past six games, considerably less than Helu’s 122.

Despite splitting carries and playing largely on passing downs, Helu has led the Redskins in rushing in each of the past three games. On Sunday, he had 35 yards on eight carries. He ran for 41 yards each of the previous two weeks.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a bruised foot in Sunday night's 17-10 win over the Giants.

Coach Andy Reid said the injury doesn't appear to be serous.

"It's sore today," Reid said Monday. "But it's not a Lisfranc [sprain] or one of those things. It got stepped on. It's tender. He came in early this morning and got treatment, so we'll see how he does."

Giants HC Tom Coughlin didn’t sound like he’s counting on RB Ahmad Bradshaw for Monday’s game against the Saints, though he’s waiting to give a more definitive response once the players return to work on Thursday.

“We’ve waited for Ahmad, and rightfully so,” Coughlin said. “I don’t know they’re going to just give us the green light. When they do and say he can play and take a hit — he’s going to be sore for the rest of the season — and he’ll be able to come back and play the following week, we’ll take that into consideration.”

D.J. Ware suffered a concussion on Sunday, meaning the Giants only have two healthy RBs — Brandon Jacobs and Da’Rel Scott — on the active roster.

They have 2009 fourth-round pick Andre Brown on the practice squad.

Colts HC Jim Caldwell wasn't specific, either, about if tight end Dallas Clark could be ready to play after suffering a lower left leg injury two games ago.

"At this point he is recuperating," the coach said. "He is getting better, I can tell you that for sure, but whether or not we'll have him this week remains to be seen."

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said running back Joseph Addai's possible return after missing four of five games with a hamstring injury is "a possibility." But the coach had yet to speak to the Colts' third-leading rusher today. Players were to report for a team meeting by 2 p.m.

"Haven't seen him yet today but I'm sure they'll get their hands on him and we'll get an assessment a little later on," Caldwell said.

Chiefs Inactives
Brandon Bair DE
Anthony Becht TE
Keary Colbert WR
Glenn Dorsey DE
Steve Maneri T
Jon McGraw SS
Demorrio Williams LB

Patriots Inactives
Patrick Chung FS
Kevin Faulk RB
Dane Fletcher OLB
Ryan Mallett QB
Devin McCourty CB
Brandon Spikes OLB
Jeff Tarpinian OLB

With Faulk out, there will be more touches to go around to BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and Stevan Ridley.

Cowboys WR Miles Austin did not practice today.

Raiders HC Hue Jackson said RB Darren McFadden is not being hidden nor does he have an injury worse than has been reported (mid-foot sprain). He said he simply doesn’t want to put McFadden on the field unless he’s 100 percent.

Raiders RB Michael Bush has carried 30 times in each of the last two games, and with Taiwan Jones hobbled with a hamstring pull and Darren McFadden still in doubt, could be in line for 30 more. HC Hue Jackson said he thought Bush was not showing signs of strain under the work load. Bush has 599 yards rushing, just 15 yards behind McFadden for the team lead.

Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey is doing well, wearing a neck brace. Hue Jackson called it a “sympathy” brace and wouldn’t even rule out having the receiver face the Chicago Bears Sunday. He said he also wouldn’t be surprised if Heyward-Bey didn’t play.

Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has been placed on IR.

Giants HC Tom Coughlin still waiting for doctors to give Bradshaw the green light to play.

Redskins WR Santana Moss will try to catch balls in drill work. "If he feels okay, he's probably in good enough shape to play," per Mike Shanahan.

Packers WR Greg Jennings has a knee bruise. It is not considered serious and he should practice tomorrow.

Veteran wide receiver Lee Evans returned to play for the first time in seven games after being sidelined with a left ankle injury that has hampered him since the preseason. Evans saw limited playing time and didn't catch a pass while being targeted once on an errant deep pass from Flacco.

"It feels good," Evans said. "No setbacks. I'm still a work in progress, but health-wise at least I feel good being out there. It's definitely exciting to be back out there. I'm prepared to go back in for two plays or 50 plays."

49ers RB Frank Gore, who was limited during the week of practice with a right knee bruise, played about 2 1/2 quarters. Gore made it through the game healthy.

Jets HC Rex Ryan thinks both Shonn Greene and Ladainian Tomlinson will play vs. the Bills this week.

We will continue to monitor the situation. The matchup with the Bills is a nice one, but 2nd year back Joe McKnight looked very good this past week.

Raiders rookie RB Taiwan Jones suffered a hamstring injury Sunday.

Whether or not Lions RB Kevin Smith is the starter now with Jahvid Best (concussion) out remains to be seen. (Best did return to the game-day sideline for the first time Sunday, which is a hopeful sign.) But Smith, who still could fill a third-down role — or more — even if Best returns to form, finished Sunday's game with 16 carries for 140 yards and four catches for 61 yards, as well as the career-best three touchdowns.

Maurice Morris will still be in the mix. We hate to pour cold water on Kevin Smith, but the injury prone back did his damage against the worst rushing defense in the league. He's certainly worth an add, but we wont be expecting a huge game against the Packers on Thanksgiving.

Eagles HC Andy Reid: DeSean Jackson has a foot bruise.

Broncos TE Daniel Fells has passed post-concussion tests and is practicing today.

Texans HC Gary Kubiak: WR Andre Johnson practiced today and should be all systems go this weekend

Andre Johnson is a must start when he plays. He has now had seven weeks to rest up and should be 100%. Unfortunately, Matt Leinart will be throwing to him.

Cardinals HC Ken Whisenhunt said QB Kevin Kolb was not close to playing last week. He didn't have any updated information. As usual, the big test for Kolb will be on Wednesday, the first big practice today. Whisenhunt didn't sound optimistic that Kolb would play in St. Louis on Sunday. John Skelton will start again if Kolb can't play. Kolb has not yet been cleared for full practice.

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells playing time is being managed. That's why we're not seeing him in consecutive possessions much. Wells continues to be hampered by a knee problem, the nature of which has not been disclosed. The Cardinals change a lot formationally when Wells isn't in the game. With LaRod Stephens-Howling or Chester Taylor, they use more one-back sets.

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph suffered a quad contusion Sunday and TE Visanthe Shiancoe suffered a mild strain of his hamstring.

The Bills are taking it day by day with Fred Jackson and he won't practice Wednesday, so that means CJ Spiller moves back to running back.

CJ Spiller is worth a pickup with Jackson likely out this week. The Bills play the Jets.

Browns running back Peyton Hillis will miss his sixth consecutive game with a hamstring injury.

Running back James Starks has a sprained knee and a sore ankle, leaving his availability in doubt for the Green Bay Packers' game at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.

Starks hurt his knee late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory over Tampa Bay. The Packers did not practice Monday, but Starks likely would not have been able to go if they did. Packers coach Mike McCarthy says the injury isn't as bad as it appeared to be initially, and is holding out hope that Starks might be able to practice Tuesday.

Ryan Grant will be worth fantasy consideration as a deep RB2 or flex option as long as Starks is sidelined. He should receive the majority of the work, but still wont be a good bet for touchdowns.

Adrian Peterson's status for the next few weeks is in jeopardy. An MRI this morning revealed the Minnesota Vikings running back suffered a Grade 1 high ankle sprain with "a little bit of ligament damage" against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, coach Leslie Frazier said at his press conference today.

Peterson left the Raiders game late in the first quarter after getting his left foot stuck in the turf and turning over his ankle after Raiders safety Michael Huff attempted a tackle.

Peterson will wear a protective boot for the next few days and could begin light football activity as early as Friday, Frazier said.

"The good news is there's nothing more serious than that," Frazier said.

While Adrian Peterson will almost certainly miss this week, it sounds like a real possibility Peterson could only miss one game. Toby Gerhart will see a lot of work with Peterson out, but isn't nearly as talented.

Ben Roethlisberger didn't take a snap from center during practice on Monday, instead working out of the shotgun and pistol formations to avoid the risk of aggravating the injury. While he called the thumb painful, Roethlisberger insists he should be good to go on Sunday night when the Steelers play at Kansas City.

Michael Vick will start at quarterback as soon as he is ready to return from broken ribs, coach Andy Reid said.

Asked to confirm for the record that was his plan, Reid said, "Yes."

"Michael feels a little bit better with the ribs," Reid said. "We’ll just take that day by day. If he had to play today, he wouldn’t be able to play."

Vince Young had a decent fantasy day in a start for Vick, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw three picks, but most importantly got a big division win over the Giants. Vick will be the starter when healthy enough to do so, but VY should be a borderline QB1 start in the meantime.

Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub won't see a foot specialist until later this week to get another look at the right foot injury that could end his season.

Tests on Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s right elbow revealed no structural damage, according to sources.

Hasselbeck’s availability for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay will be determined by his arm strength and ability to grip the football during practice this week, but indications are he is expected to play.

Jake Locker relieved Hasselbeck to the tune of 140 yards and two touchdowns. Still, the Titans are not ready to play Locker if Hasselbeck is heathy enough to start.

The Boston Globe reported in Monday's edition, citing two league sources, that Tom Brady has suffered from a bone bruise to his right elbow since the Patriots' Oct. 16 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The Globe spoke to Mike Ludwikowski, a renowned athletic trainer at Susquehanna Health in Williamsport, Pa., who said Brady's injury is not serious and could heal completely before the end of the season.

Brady iced his elbow during the Cowboys' win and has worn a black band underneath the elbow since that game.

The injury is not considered serious, and Brady has thrown at least two touchdowns in each game since the reported injury occurred. Continue to start Brady as normal.

Jay Cutler will have surgery for a fractured thumb sustained in Sunday's win over the San Diego Chargers and will be "out for an extended period of time," Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith told reporters Monday.

The team has not announced a date for Cutler's surgery. Smith said the plan is for Cutler to have surgery "as soon as possible" with the expectation the quarterback will return before their season finale Jan. 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.

"Is it a season-ending injury? No," Smith said. "From what I’ve been told is we can expect him back before the end of the regular season."

Cutler suffered the injury during the fourth quarter when he was taken down by Chargers linebacker Donald Butler following an interception. Cutler remained in the game, however, and the team did not announce an injury.

Caleb Hanie will be asked to steer the Bears ship until Cutler can return. Hopefully the Bears will still be in the playoff hunt at that time. Hanie is a 3rd year player, undrafted out of Colorado State. He is said to posses "escapability." We'll get our first look at him this weekend in Oakland.

Giants Inactives
Michael Boley OLB
Ahmad Bradshaw RB
James Brewer T
Dwayne Hendricks DT
Henry Hynoski FB
Jerrel Jernigan WR
Mitch Petrus OG

Eagles Inactives
King Dunlap OT
Brandon Graham DE
Phillip Hunt DE
Jeremy Maclin WR
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie DB
Julian Vandervelde G
Michael Vick QB

Vince Young will start at QB for the Eagles.

Titans Inactives
Donnie Avery WR
Dave Ball DE
Zach Clayton DT
Chris Hawkins CB
Kevin Matthews C
Rusty Smith QB
Byron Stingily T

Falcons Inactives
WR Julio Jones
S William Moore
CB Darrin Walls
C Brett Romberg
LT Sam Baker
DT Carlton Powell
DE Cliff Matthews

Harry Douglas will get more looks with Julio Jones out.

Bears Inactives
Chauncey Davis DE
Nathan Enderle QB
Ricky Henry OG
D.J. Moore DB
Andre Smith TE
Matt Toeaina DT
Jabara Williams LB

Chargers Inactives
Luis Castillo DE
Malcom Floyd WR
Marcus Gilchrist CB
Tyronne Green OG
Marcus McNeill T
Shaun Phillips OLB
Louis Vasquez OG

WR Vincent Brown will get the start again with Malcom Floyd out.

Cardinals Inactives
D'Anthony Batiste T
Jeremy Bridges T
Rob Housler TE
Brandon Keith OT
Kevin Kolb QB
Joey Porter OLB
Kerry Rhodes FS
Stephen Williams WR

Beanie Wells is active for the Cardinals but the matchup is brutal.

Seahawks Inactives
Atari Bigby SS
Deon Butler WR
James Carpenter T
Anthony Hargrove DE
Jarriel King OT
Ron Parker DB
Josh Portis QB

WRs Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin are active for the Seahawks.

Rams Inactives
Danario Alexander WR
Justin Cole LB
Ben Leber OLB
Nate Ness DB
Darell Scott DT
Jason Smith OT
Cadillac Williams RB

49ers Inactives
Daniel Kilgore G
Moran Norris FB
Mike Person G
Brett Swain WR
Scott Tolzien QB
Madieu Williams FS
Ian Williams DT

Frank Gore is active and expected to start. Kendall Hunter will likely be heavily in the mix.

Two New England Patriots running backs are questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs - Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Both will probably suit up, making the New England backfield a cluttered mess. Green-Ellis could be a decent flex starter if he gets the most opportunities.

DeMarco Murray is expected to continue to serve as the primary tailback for the Dallas Cowboys, but will he be the starter this week against the Washington Redskins? That's a question yet to be answered.

Felix Jones, who was the team's lead ball carrier at the outset of the season, is expected to return to action after missing the last four games while recovering from a left-ankle sprain he suffered in the Cowboys' 20-16 loss at New England on Oct. 16.

While Jones was sidelined, Murray burst on the scene and revitalized the Cowboys' inconsistent ground attack. Now that he's back, the scope of Jones' role is expected to be reduced. But don't be surprised if he gets a start for old times' sake.

This might be something to worry about if the man coaching on the other side of the sideline ran the Cowboys. But unlike Mike Shanahan, Jason Garrett knows he has a good thing going with Murray and DeMarco will be the one compiling big numbers, not Jones.

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker is probable for Monday night's game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

While it was widely expected that Welker would play, it's good to get positive news regarding his status. Plan on having him in your lineup.

Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Jon Kitna didn't make the trip to Washington, leaving Stephen McGee as the backup to Tony Romo on Sunday.

Carolina Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey (ribs) isn't making the trip with the team to Detroit and will miss Sunday's game.

Shockey has no value by himself, but his absence helps Greg Olsen.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin are both officially out for tomorrow's game against the New York Giants.

Vince Young will start for Vick, but doesn't have a lot of upside. DeSean Jackson will be Young's main target. Maclin's absence means more looks for the likes of Jason Avant and Brent Celek, but Jackson is the best bet for production among Philadelphia's receivers.

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker was limited in practice on Friday, but Welker said he isn’t battling anything he can’t overcome.

This is the third consecutive week he has been on the injury report, with a different ailment each time (neck, rib, and knee).

"I feel all right,’" Welker said. "I think everybody goes through different things during the season and you have to manage them and get ready the best you can."

Welker will be in New England's lineup on Monday night, and he should be in your lineup as well.

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw stated on Thursday that he will try to play next week against the New Orleans Saints.

But before he takes the field, he's going to have to show Tom Coughlin a few things in practice.

"I know the position of the medical staff," Coughlin said. "They are not quite ready to turn him loose. When they do that, let’s hope that he can go out on the practice field for a limited amount of plays and the next day be able to come out and do the same thing. Then we will know that he can go into a game and play and hopefully come out of the game."

Coughlin then added that, after he proves his health, Bradshaw would most likely take fewer snaps in practice to stay fresh for Sundays.

Owners should continue to remain patient with Bradshaw.

Miami Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter is out for Sunday's game vs. the Buffalo Bills. Former Cincinnati Bengals kicker Shayne Graham will fill Carpenter's spot.

Carpenter was pretty low in our rankings. Fantasy owners needing a kicker should go with someone other than Graham.

Eagles QB Michael Vick (ribs, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 11. Vick has reportedly been ruled out, though the questionable tag disputes that. Vick may yet play, but look for Vince Young to get the start.

Rams QB Sam Bradford (ankle) was removed from the injury report Friday.

Chiefs QB Matt Cassel (right hand) has been ruled out for Week 11. Tyler Palko will get the start in a great matchup with a porous New England pass defense.

Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman (right thumb, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 11.

Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral, probable) took limited practice reps Friday and is probable for Week 11. He's still in pain when he throws, but he's expected to play this week.

Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb (toe, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 11. Look for John Skelton to get another start.

Vikings QB Christian Ponder (left hand, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 11.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (right finger, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 11.

49ers RB Frank Gore (knee, questionable) returned to limited practice reps Thursday after missing Wednesday practice and is questionable for Week 11. Gore says he missed Wednesday's practice just to get some rest and says he'll play this week.

Lions RB Jahvid Best (concussion, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 11. Best is "improving," per HC Jim Schwartz, but he hasn't yet been cleared for physical activity. Maurice Morris should get the lion's share of the touches in a great matchup with the Panthers.

Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 11. Bradshaw is out for Week 11, but feels that he'll be back for Week 12 against the Saints. Brandon Jacobs is a strong RB2 in a good matchup with a shaky Eagles rush defense.

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells (knee, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 11. He is expected to play in a terrible matchup with the 49ers' stout rush defense.

Bears RB Matt Forte (shoulder, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 11. Forte is good to go.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden (foot, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 11. Michael Bush will get another start.

Packers RB Ryan Grant (knee, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 11. He had a cut on his knee which shouldn't affect his availability for Week 11.

Patriots RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (toe) took limited practice reps again Friday. BJGE is expected to play.

Browns RB Montario Hardesty (calf, questionable) returned to take limited reps Friday after missing practice earlier in the week and is questionable for Week 11. It appears that Hardesty is a game-time decision after returning to a limited practice on Friday. He'll probably sit out another week.

Browns RB Peyton Hillis (hamstring, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 11.

Cowboys RB Felix Jones (ankle, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 11. If he does play, it will likely be in a backup capacity to DeMarco Murray.

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Friday after taking full practice reps Thursday.

Bengals RB Brian Leonard (knee, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 11.

Falcons RB Jason Snelling (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 11.

Rams RB Carnell Williams (calf, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 11.

Redskins RB Tashard Choice (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 11.

Patriots RB Kevin Faulk (knee) took limited practice reps again Friday. He's expected to play, but he's not a good fantasy option.

Bengals WR A.J. Green (knee, doubtful) missed practice all week and is doubtful for Week 11. The doubtful tag means that Green is very likely to sit out. Look for Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell to lead the Bengals in targets against the Ravens.

Bills WR Steve Johnson (shoulder, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 11. Johnson is no sure bet to play, but after two straight practices, he should be out there on Sunday.

Falcons WR Julio Jones (hamstring, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 11. Jones is not expected to play, but the questionable tag means that there's a chance. Even so, he's a high-risk start given his injury. Complicating matters, the Falcons kickoff at 4:15 PM ET, so Jones should be avoided this week if possible.

Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin (shoulder, hamstring, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 11. Maclin wasn't present at practice so at this point it seems very unlikely that he would play. Riley Cooper would get the start, but look for Steve Smith and Jason Avant to see increased targets in Maclin's absence.

Patriots WR Wes Welker (knee) took limited practice reps again Friday. Welker is expected to play on Monday night.

Giants WR Mario Manningham (knee, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 11.