NFL Player News

Jefferson was cut Monday after playing in the season opener Sunday.

Gonzalez has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since last week, missing the Patriots’ Week 4 win over the Bills. Also not practicing were Carlton Davis (neck) and Karon Prunty (hamstring). We’ll see if any of these corners can practice enough to play for Week 5, but Raiders WR Tre Tucker is headed for a good matchup against a banged up Patriots secondary this week.

This one is a surprise considering head coach Mike Vrabel said earlier Wednesday that Stevenson would not practice. Instead, the 28-year-old is listed as a limited participant on Wednesday’s official practice report. Stevenson seemingly tweaked his knee towards the end of Week 4 but he has a chance to play in Week 5 against the Raiders.

Bowers starts out the week limited, though he has played through his knee injury while getting limited practices the past couple weeks. Barring setbacks, Bowers should be cleared off the injury report Friday and will be a TE1 for Week 5 once again.

Nailor suffered a concussion against the Chiefs in Week 4 and starts out the week not practicing. This indicates he is on the wrong side of questionable for Week 5 against the Patriots. Fellow WR Cody White (ankle) was limited as well, though Dont’e Thornton (hamstring) returned to practice, giving the Raiders some reinforcement with Nailor still in concussion protocol.

Thornton has been on injured reserve since late August, practicing in full for the first time on Wednesday. He told Raiders media that he is “overly confident” in his hamstring and is “ready to play.” With Jack Bech on injured reserve, there is room for the 23-year-old speedster to earn targets if he plays in Week 5.

Okonwko returned to the lineup last week after missing a handful of games with the hamstring injury. His limited designation today is likely just maintenance. With Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs banged up, he should see more work in Week 5. Okonkwo is in the TE2 mix for Sunday’s game versus the Giants.

Mariota is dealing with an MCL sprain. He went down early in Week 4 and did not return. Luckily for the Commanders, Jayden Daniels appears ready to return to the lineup. Barring a setback, he will start in Week 5 against the Giants. Athan Kaliakmanis will serve as his backup.

A limited session to start the week is usually a non-issue, but JCM’s role was already suspect before getting banged up. He ran nine times in Week 4. Austin Ekeler, Kaytron Allen, and Craig Reynolds all combined for nine attempts. Rachaad White is also back at practice, giving the team another option beyond Bill. With health and workload concerns, JCM is barely an RB3 headed into Week 5.

White injured his shoulder in Week 3. He did not practice once last week before being ruled out on Friday. A limited practice today puts him on track to suit up in Week 5. With Austin Ekeler now on the roster, White’s role as the team’s top back on passing situations could be at risk. Fantasy managers will want to leave him on the bench for another week, even if he is cleared to play.

After missing Week 4 as a late addition to the injury report, it looks like McLaurin is set to miss his second game because of the hamstring issue. If healthy, Stefon Diggs will operate as Jayden Daniels’ No. 1 receiver. Diggs himself is now dealing with a hamstring injury, so there’s no guarantee he’s available either. Antonio Williams and Chig Okonkwo could see more work if both wideouts can’t play this week.