New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (ankle, hamstring) practiced again on Thursday and is close to returning to the lineup for the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 1. Emmanuel Sanders said he will definitely play in Week 9 against the Buccaneers after being activated from the COVID-19 list this week. Thomas, the overall WR1 in 2019, will have a tough

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (toe) returned to practice on Thursday after being limited by a foot injury that he described as minor on Wednesday. Kamara will play in Week 9 against the division-rival Buccaneers. He is currently second in the league in overall fantasy points at his position, only trailing Dalvin Cook. The do-it-all back ran the ball 12 times for a

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (shoulder) downplayed his presence on the Week 9 injury report on Wednesday, but he remained limited in practice on Thursday. Brees was working on the side with no pads on during the early portion of practice open to the media. It’s rare for the veteran to be limited this late in the week, and it’s unclear if it will

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said that running back Christian McCaffrey (ankle) looked “fresh and fast” at practice on Thursday. McCaffrey returned to practice in full pads on Wednesday after being on Injured Reserve since Week 2, and Rhule said that if the Panthers played on Thursday, the star running back would be able to play. Barring a setback, the No. 1 overall fantasy

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard (core) will not be activated from Injured Reserve to play on Thursday night against the 49ers. Lazard has been working his way back, but the Week 9 game was too quick of a turnaround following his core muscle surgery. The 24-year-old resumed practicing last week and is nearing a return, but it won’t be on Thursday night against

The Green Bay Packers are hopeful that running back Aaron Jones (calf) will play on Thursday night against the 49ers, although it might be a limited role for Jones, according to sources. Jones will test his leg in pre-game warmups and if he is 100 percent with no chance of re-injury, he will be active. The 25-year-old is questionable after missing the last two games,

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor is the last man standing amidst the 49ers receiving corps as the team heads into their Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers. The team will be without Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Kendrick Bourne (COVID) and Brandon Aiyuk (COVID) in the game. They also won’t have star tight end George Kittle (foot). Taylor saw five targets in Week

San Francisco 49ers tight end Ross Dwelley will be one of the team’s few experienced pass-catchers available in their Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers. Dwelley caught his first touchdown pass of the year in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks, but he has just six catches on nine targets over the season. Jordan Reed (knee) was activated from Injured Reserve prior to

Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps has tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, according to a source. There have been no other positive tests from Wednesday’s round of testing. The Eagles will now enter intensive COVID-19 protocols during their bye week. The good news is that Epps and any of his potential high-risk close contacts will have extra time to pass through the COVID-19 protocols and

Houston Texans running back David Johnson has posted middling rushing stats over his last two games. However, a matchup with the Jaguars could be just what Johnson needs to get back on track. The veteran back has already rushed for 96 yards- his best mark this season- against Jacksonville’s underperforming defense and has seen at least 18 touches in each of his last four contests.

Tennessee Titans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (knee) didn’t practice on Wednesday, and his status for Week 9 against the Bears is very much in question. If Clowney doesn’t play this Sunday, it’s also possible he’ll miss Week 10 with the team having a quick turnaround against the Colts next Thursday. The 27-year-old oft-injured pass-rusher continues to be disruptive in the backfield, but he has yet

The San Francisco 49ers plan to activate tight end Jordan Reed (knee) off Injured Reserve so that he can play against the Packers on Thursday night, according to a source. Reed went down with a knee sprain in Week 3 and has been on IR ever since. He did catch seven of eight targets for 50 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2 against the

The New York Jets plan on starting quarterback Sam Darnold (shoulder) on Monday night against the division-rival Patriots, despite the fact that Darnold didn’t practice on Thursday after aggravating his shoulder in the Week 8 loss to the Chiefs. “I think it’s going to take a lot for him to stay out of this game,” coach Adam Gase said. Darnold was held out on Thursday

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been red-hot in his last several games. Watson has thrown for at least 300 yards and two scores in each of his last four games with a matchup against the Jaguars on tap for Week 9. Jacksonville has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers and has already surrendered 359 yards and three touchdowns to Watson

Houston Texans linebackers Whitney Mercilus and Dylan Cole have been placed on the COVID-19 list. The move comes after news that the Texans closed their facility due to a positive test from linebacker Jacob Martin, who is considered a close contact of both Mercilus and Cole. Mercilus has 14 tackles and three sacks in seven games this year, though the Texans Defense has struggled mightily.

Carolina Panthers rookie defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (ankle) has been designated to return from Injured Reserve. Gross-Matos has been out the last three games with a high-ankle sprain, and he now has a 21-day window to practice before he must be activated to the 53-man roster. The second-round pick out of Penn State played in four games before going on IR, recording four solo tackles,

Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia said he won’t comment on whether quarterback Matthew Stafford has a chance to play in Week 9 against the division-rival Vikings. Stafford was put on the COVID-19 list on Wednesday after he came into contact with someone on Monday that tested positive for COVID-19. He’s been isolating and his entire family has all been testing negative. If Stafford’s tests

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox has been activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. Knox returned to practice after having not played since the Week 5 loss to the Titans. In his four games played this year, Knox has six catches on 12 targets for 93 yards. While the 24-year-old is worth rostering in deeper leagues for tight end depth, he shouldn’t be considered

Detroit Lions backup quarterback Chase Daniel would get the nod in Week 9 against the Vikings if Matthew Stafford is ruled out after being placed on the COVID-19 list as a high-risk close contact of a non-team member on Wednesday. The Vikings have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year, but Daniel would still be a mostly unappealing low-end QB2

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said he will take the full week to determine whether quarterback Cooper Rush or signal-caller Garrett Gilbert will start under center in Week 9 against the Steelers. The Cowboys plan on making their decision on Saturday. Although Rush is on the practice squad, he knows the offense better than Gilbert, who has been with the team for only three