NFL Player News

Garoppolo remains on crutches but is closing in on the pool stage of his rehab from a torn ACL in his left knee, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Recoveries from ACL tears have a vast range of timetables, but the only thing that Garoppolo is certain of is when he'll be able to get off crutches. He's approximately two weeks from reaching that point as he aims to follow in the footsteps of DeShaun Watson this year and be available for the 2019 regular-season opener. While Garoppolo enters the early stages of rehab, the 49ers will continue to put the ball in C.J. Beathard's hands.

Coach Sean McDermott said Allen (elbow) is week-to-week but "moving in the right direction," Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.com reports.

Allen is working throw his recovery from a right elbow sprain, which has sidelined him for one game and will keep him on the inactive list Monday against the Patriots. In his stead, Derek Anderson (back/calf) will start for a second consecutive game, assuming he gets past his own injuries. The Bills don't have a reprieve until a Week 11 bye, so the preceding could be the team's reality for a few more contests.

Watson completed 16 of 20 passes for 239 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in the Texans' 42-23 win over the Dolphins on Thursday. He also rushed once for 14 yards.

Watson started slowly and then just kept coming once he got rolling, amassing all five of his scores from the second quarter onward. The second-year signal caller hit Jordan Thomas for a 13-yard touchdown to snap a 7-7 tie early in the period, and he connected with the rookie again coming out of halftime from two yards away. A trio of subsequent second-half touchdown throws to Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins (twice) finished off Watson's spectacular night, giving him multiple scoring passes for the first time since Week 4 and equaling his single-game high in that category. While his overall production has taken a dip after four consecutive 300-yard passing performances between Weeks 2 and 5, Watson naturally remains an elite play in all formats heading into a Week 9 showdown against the Broncos.

Allen (elbow) isn't participating in practice Thursday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

The Bills already ruled Allen out for their Week 8 game against the Patriots three days ago, so it's not expected he'll practice Thursday through Saturday while he nurses a sprained throwing elbow. Derek Anderson will earn a second straight start Monday in Allen's stead, despite an ugly showing in his team debut in the 37-5 loss to Indianapolis in Week 7.

Carr (arm) wasn't listed on the Raiders' first injury report of the week ahead of Sunday's game against Indianapolis, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

A bye week gave Carr plenty of time to recover from a minor injury to his left arm. He's now getting acclimated to an Oakland offense without top receiver Amari Cooper, who was traded to Dallas on Monday. Carr's top remaining targets are Jared Cook, Jordy Nelson, Martavis Bryant, Jalen Richard and Seth Roberts (concussion).

Rodgers (knee) practiced fully Wednesday, Michael Cohen of The Athletic reports.

After rehabbing his left knee Tuesday, Rodgers participated in the Packers' padded session Wednesday. Additionally, he was seen with a smaller brace than the one he wore most gamedays since hurting the knee in the season opener, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. With his health not in question to kick off Week 8 preparations, Rodgers will turn his focus to Sunday's matchup with the Rams, who have allowed 278 passing yards per game and nine touchdowns to quarterbacks in four games without cornerback star cornerback Aqib Talib (ankle).

Rodgers (knee) participated in Wednesday's padded practice, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

As the Packers emerged from their bye week, Rodgers upheld his standard of rehabbing his left knee Tuesday, with an expectation that he would practice Wednesday, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rodgers proceeded to do just that, and was even donning a smaller knee brace than normal, per Silverstein. While his level of participation Wednesday is unknown, Rodgers seems to be as healthy as he's been since injuring the knee in the season opener.

Walker was released from the Colts' practice squad Tuesday, according to the Colts' official site.

Walker has had three separate stints on the Colts' practice squad, including participation in the team's offseason program and training camp this summer before being waived during final cuts. If the Colts decide to promote other practice squad members to the active roster, there's a good chance Walker could find himself back in Indianapolis.

Rodgers (knee) said he's hopeful to practice in pads Wednesday, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The Packers reconvened for practice Tuesday following their bye week, with Rodgers opening the week with the rehab group while he continues to nurse an MCL sprain in his left knee. Despite his lack of activity with the main group, Rodgers' health seems to be improving, as he said he didn't require an MRI during the break in the Packers' schedule and noted that he's hopeful he'll soon ditch the brace he required in the team's Week 6 win over the 49ers, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. It's still worth tracking how the Packers list Rodgers' practice participation Wednesday through Friday, but there doesn't seem to be any concern about him carrying an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Rams.

Rodgers wasn't seen on the field during the early portion of Tuesday's practice, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Coming off a bye week, the Packers were practicing in full pads Tuesday, so it's expected that Wednesday's session will be more of a walk-through session. Green Bay isn't required to release its initial practice report for Week 8 before Wednesday, so it won't be known until that time whether Rodgers' lingering left knee injury renders him a limited or non-participant. Even if Rodgers' practice involvement remains spotty throughout the next few days, there's little doubt that he'll be ready to play Sunday against the Rams, especially with the benefit of 12 days of rest in between games.