NFL Player News

The last time we saw Claypool, he was trying out for the Bills. The former second-rounder did not make the team and was later revealed to have suffered a torn ligament in his toe. Claypool did not resurface with a team in 2025, but now has a chance to impress in the Packers minicamp in hopes of earning a training camp invite. At the peak of his powers, Claypool looked like a DK Metcalf clone. He totaled over 1600 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Steelers, and was traded to the Bears during the 2022 season after falling out of favor in Pittsburgh. He will turn 28 this summer and could serve as decent depth for the Packers if he makes the team, especially as a replacement option for the oft-injured Christian Watson.

Brown practiced in full on Friday. It is his first time doing so since returning from injured reserve last week. This is great news for his Week 7 outlook. The Bears field a beatable pass defense, setting up Brown for a bounce-back performance after last week’s disappointing showing.

Tucker should be back after missing Week 6’s loss to the Steelers. He doesn’t offer much fantasy value of his own, but he does occasionally plunder goal-line work from Bucky Irving. Expect him to be a thorn in Irving’s side again this week.

Mayfield going down as a full participant is a bit of a surprise given that it’s his first time practicing in any capacity since Week 3. Todd Bowles told reporters earlier this week that the team was preparing for Jalon Daniels to start. Now it looks like Mayfield may be the favorite to draw the start versus Carolina. This is ultimately a rather ambiguous situation, likely by Bowles’ design. Fantasy managers should have a backup plan in place if they are counting on either of the Bucs’ quarterbacks this week.

The Patriots will also be without their top-two backup CBs, Karon Prunty (hamstring) and Channing Canada (hamstring). The Patriots listed S Kevin Byard (chest), S Craig Woodson (shoulder) and LB Christian Elliss (chest) as questionable. This is good news for the Bears’ passing attack.

The Patriots will also be without RG Ben Brown (knee). The Bears’ defense is not an elite unit, but losing two starting guards is rough. Backups Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse will start instead. The Patriots listed RT Morgan Moses (foot) as questionable.

Egbuka finished the Bucs’ overtime loss to the Steelers, so his concussion symptoms likely arose in the hours or days after the game. He will now need to pass through the league’s concussion protocol to be cleared for Week 7. Players typically miss one game while in the protocol, and we don’t know the severity of his foot injury. Fantasy managers should prepare to be without him for at least a week. His absence would free up more looks for Chris Godwin and rookie Ted Hurst, both of whom would be in the WR4 mix if Egbuka can’t go.

This is great news. Jackson is one of the best guards in football. Bears LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) is doubtful, Jack Sanborn (concussion) has been ruled out, and CB Tyrique Stevenson (hip) is questionable.

Players missing time because of an illness this early in the weekend almost always get cleared to play by Sunday. We expect no difference from Irving. Coming off his third 20-touch game of the year, Irving remains a high-end RB2 for his Week 7 date with the Panthers.

Jackson was not spotted during the portion of practice open to the media but apparently participated in some capacity later in the session. We still wouldn’t be surprised if the team listed him as a DNP on their official injury report. Jackson was also spotted in street clothes after the practice and appeared to have a bit of a limp. Despite Minter’s comments, we fully expect Jackson to miss another week. Tyler Huntley will draw the start versus Cincinnati if Jackson is ruled out.

Monangai will miss his third game in a row this week. Exactly two weeks ago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Monangai’s turf toe injury would be an issue for 1-2 weeks. Technically, his statement remains accurate. This week’s Thursday Night Football game complicates things. If the Bears thought Monangai would miss four games, they likely would have put him on injured reserve, so he should, theoretically, be able to play in Week 8 against the Seahawks. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, and for those wondering, the Bears go on bye in Week 10. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson have been splitting touches with Monangai sidelined. We do not yet know if Johnson will be punished for last week’s fumble though.