Steichen: Still no timetable for Pierce’s return

Gardner was never expected to play this week after it was announced on Monday that he would be week-to-week with his calf injury. His absence could be a good sign for Vikings pass-catchers this week in what should be a plus matchup against a Colts defense that ranks 14th in fantasy points allowed to receivers this season. In addition to Gardner, the Colts also ruled out WR Anthony Gould (concussion).

Warren was a DNP throughout the week and has now been ruled out for this week’s game against the Vikings. This will be the second straight missed game for Warren, who first suffered the injury in last Friday’s practice. The Vikings have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season, meaning fantasy managers are best off avoiding Will Mallory and Mo Alie-Cox as streaming options this week.

Bowles said Egbuka remains in concussion protocol and initially said “I’d say he’s out [for Week 7], too,” before saying the second-year receiver would be listed as doubtful. Fantasy managers holding out hope that Egbuka will suit up for Sunday’s game against the Panthers should ensure their backup plan is in place, as players listed as doubtful seldom end up playing on game day. Assuming he’s out, Ted Hurst could be tasked with operating as the Bucs’ WR1. Hurst has caught 11-of-22 targets for 168 yards and one touchdown this season but wouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a WR3/FLEX play even with Baker Mayfield (thumb) back under center.

Mayfield was a full participant in practice all week and should be removed from the team’s final injury report when it’s released later in the day. Mayfield is expected to wear a protective glove on his throwing hand, which should prevent injury to the thumb he dislocated in Week 3, and will be on the QB2 radar in what is a must-win game for the 1-5 Buccaneers. Hopefully he can improve on a rough start to the season in which he threw for 615-2-2 in his first three games while completing 63.5 percent of his passes.

This makes three straight practices for Jackson, who continues to trend in the right direction ahead of Week 7’s game against the Bengals. Jackson was listed as a limited participant in each of the first two practices to start the week and should have a good chance of suiting up, even if he’s only listed as a limited participant. We will provide an update on his official status when the team announces it, but this is yet another encouraging sign for the two-time MVP.

LaFleur said Jacobs’ Week 7 status depends on how he gets through Friday’s practice. The 28-year-old back has looked “great” in practice this week, per an earlier quote from OC Adam Stenavich, and seems to be trending toward a return after a six-week stay on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. At this point, we would be surprised if Jacobs didn’t play this week against the Lions, but it’s too early to assume he will see his normal workload in his first game back. Even if he doesn’t get a full assortment of touches, we would still expect Jacobs to get enough work to justify starting him at RB2.

This will be the second game in a row that Montgomery has missed due to the groin injury he suffered in Week 5. Woody Marks, who totaled 17 touches in last week’s win over the Jaguars will again lead the Texans’ backfield. He has averaged 18.0 touches per game over the last two weeks and will be a volume-based RB2 with a chance at significant upside. Safeties Jalen Pitre (AC joint) and S Reed Blankenship (concussion) will also miss this week’s game against the Giants, putting the Texans down a handful of starters with one game left before their Week 8 bye.

Egbuka missed the first two practices of the week, but could have a shot at suiting up after appearing on the practice field Friday. Head coach Todd Bowles should give an update on Egbuka shortly after practice, so we’ll check back on his official status once we have word on his Week 7 availability. Whether or not he has a chance to play will largely depend on the team’s independent neurologists clearing him from the league’s concussion protocol.

Mitchell has been sidelined since injuring his finger in preparation for the Jets’ Week 3 game against the Lions. It was incredibly unfortunate time for Mitchell and his fantasy managers, as his injury came just days after he went for 6-63-0 on 12 targets against the Packers. Mitchell’s return could complicate things for Omar Cooper’s fantasy managers after Cooper broke out for 6-103-1 against the Patriots last week. The Jets rank 13th in the league in plays run from 11-personnel (209) through the first six weeks of the season, which means both Mitchell and Cooper should see plenty of snaps. That said, neither player should be viewed as anything more than a WR3/FLEX play until we see how the target distribution looks with both players active.