NFL

Over the next three weeks, the Rams face the Cardinals, go on bye and then face the Packers. While his potential return ahead of the fantasy football playoffs is helpful, we still have a long way to go before he returns, and even then, his status for Week 13 is still uncertain. Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell and CJ Daniels appear to be in line for 11 personnel duties at this time.

The Rams are running out of return from IR designations. Putting Nacua on injured reserve would prevent another player from coming back later in the season, so he will simply take up a 53-man roster spot while he recovers. McVay made it clear that Nacua will still be out for a while. Nacua is expected to return at some point this year, though whether or not the Rams are still in the playoff hunt once he’s healthy could factor into the timeline.

The 49ers are smartly allowing Evans to fully recover from his Achilles tendinitis rather than allowing him to try to play through it. On Sunday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Evans was “questionable at best” for Week 10 against the Cowboys. He should probably be considered doubtful to play at this time.

With Jacoby Brissett in Baltimore and Gardner Minshew out because of a UCL injury, the Cardinals are already down to their third-string quarterback. It was almost a given that Beck would start at some point this year, though we imagine head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t think it would be this soon. Beck played well in his lone preseason appearance, throwing for 188 yards and a score. While he’s not much of a streaming option this week, he should be good enough to keep Trey McBride at the top of the TE1 ranks, especially with Michael Wilson done for the year.

Samuel now has a chance to play in Week 10 against the Cowboys’ fantasy-friendly defense. The 49ers could play things cautiously and give him more time off, but an early-week return is usually a good sign. With much of the 49ers’ pass-catching corps still banged up, Samuel could return to a WR3/flex-worthy workload right away. He should be added wherever he is available.

Macdonald also said that Nelson is “back” with the team this week. It’s unclear whether he means Nelson has simply returned to the facility to participate in team meetings, or if he actually has a chance to practice, though we assume Nelson will not practice until after the Seahawks’ Week 11 bye. Nelson underwent a procedure to remove cartilage fragments from his knee last week. If he indeed returns in Week 12, the surgery will have only cost him two games. Stay tuned.

Wilson suffered a fracture in his neck on the fourth play of Week 9. He somehow finished the game but was placed on season-ending injured reserve after testing revealed the full extent of the injury. The good news is that this doesn’t sound like it will change the outlook of his career. He will be back next season as the Cardinals’ top wideout unless they make a big splash at his position in the offseason.

Lock was a limited practice participant through Week 9 practices before starting on game day. We expect that to be the case again this week. Fellow backup QB Jalen Milroe will take some first-team reps to help preserve Lock for the Seahawks’ Week 10 game against the Raiders. Given the injuries, Lock is likely just a mid-to-low QB2 despite the soft matchup.

This is unfortunate, but it likely benefits Germie Bernard in the short term. Pittman told reporters that he had hoped to return following the Steelers’ Week 9 bye. The team will likely choose to ramp him up for at least one week once they open his 21-day practice window. Doing so tomorrow or Friday seems unlikely.

The Steelers’ talented interior defender reportedly has a chance to play in Week 10 against the Bengals. Harmon suffered his foot injury early in Week 4 against the Browns. This season, has totaled 12 tackles, one TFL, 1.5 NFL sacks and a forced fumble. Getting him back will be a plus for the Steelers’ defense.