NFL Player News

He’ll miss at least the first four weeks of the season, but that’s no surprise. The latest expectations we had from Kyle Shanahan on Aiyuk’s return were “around Week 6" — it’s certainly possible that Aiyuk may be ready to practice when his forced stint on the PUP list is up based on that timeline. It’s also possible that Aiyuk misses more than just four weeks. We’re sure Shanahan will be asked about it often starting in Week 4. The 49ers also placed S Malik Mustapha on the PUP list.

Otton failed to practice on Monday or Tuesday. He managed a limited session today, but the doubtful tag makes it highly unlikely that he suits up versus Atlatna. Payne Durham will see an uptick in routes with Otton out, though there won’t be many targets for him to handle with Mike Evans expected to make his return.

The Bucs are getting healthy just in time for a playoff push. Wirfs practiced in full today and is good to go. Mike Evans appears to be on the right side of his questionable tag as well. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ offense have repeatedly flopped over the past month. If they are ever going to turn things around, tomorrow’s game against Atlanta would be the time to do it.

Evans was limited in practice throughout the week. Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters this morning that Evans “has shown everything he needed to show” to play in Week 15. It sounds like fantasy managers can plan on having him back in the fold this week. In his first game back, Evans should be treated as a high-variance WR3, though he could be back in the WR2 ranks as soon as Week 16.

Jacobs worked with Packers trainers on Wednesday, as he continues to work through the bone bruise he suffered in Week 11 against the Giants. We expect Jacobs to resume practicing tomorrow. He should handle his typical high-volume workload, but he faces the Broncos’ elite defense, potentially pushing him into the high-end RB2 tier.

Lamb was spotted at practice today. He suffered the brain injury on Thursday versus the Lions. Lamb was ruled out shortly after exiting the game and immediately entered the league’s protocol. It sounds like he is trending toward playing in Week 15, but there are certain benchmarks he has to clear before being given the green light. If he does sit, Ryan Flournoy, who went for 115 yards and a touchdown versus the Lions, would be the next man up in Dallas.

The Lions were without their top three tight ends last week. Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright were—and remain—on injured reserve while Zylstra missed the game with a knee issue. His return to practice today puts him on track to start for Detroit in Week 15. In a potential shootout with the Rams, Zylstra will be a touchdown-or-bust TE2.

In a stunning turn of events, St. Brown played on Thursday last week despite being held out of all three practices leading up to the game. He played a relatively normal role, catching six passes for 96 yards. Even a limited practice today is a good sign that his ankle issue is getting better. He will hold a spot at the back of the WR1 ranks for his Week 15 date with the Rams.

Pickett faces one of his former teams this weekend. The 27-year-old quarterback appeared in seven games for the Eagles during their Super Bowl-winning season last year, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt on 43 attempts from Week 1-Super Bowl LIX. Pickett is now working with far less talent-wise, and can only be viewed as a shaky QB2 if he indeed gets the start.

Chubb suffered the rib injury in Week 14 versus Kansas City and did not return to the game. A DNP today puts him on the wrong side of questionable to open the week. His absence would lock in Woody Marks for an elite role. Marks totaled 28 touches against the Chiefs and could push for similar usage against Arizona this week.

Marks was held out of last Wednesday’s practice with the ankle issue but returned on Thursday and was cleared from the injury report entirely before the weekend. He briefly left the Texans’ win over Kansas City late in the game, allowing Dare Ogunbowale to take over for a short touchdown plunge, but never received an official injury designation. Today’s DNP is likely maintenance for a workhorse running back. Marks ran 26 times on Sunday and is set up for another high-volume day versus Arizona.