NFL Player News

A former third-round pick, Long spent four years in LA before leaving in free agency last offseason. He signed with the Raiders as a free agent but was released mid-season. Long then had brief stays with the Panthers and Packers. Long will need to carve out a role on special teams in New York to lock up a roster spot.

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.

Glenn said Hall will be limited in Friday’s practice and that the team will “see how that goes” to close out the week. Hall has missed the last three games with his quad injury but the fact he is closing out the week with two-straight limited practices suggests he’ll be a true game-time decision entering Sunday. If he’s unable to play, Braelon Allen would again serve as the primary back in the Jets’ backfield and would be a fringe RB1/RB2 in what is shaping up to be a plus matchup against the lowly Dolphins.