NFL Player News

Coach Doug Pederson expects Lawrence (knee) to start Thursday night's game against the Saints, pending the QB's pregame workout, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per Schefter, Lawrence -- who officially is listed as questionable for the contest -- has noted improvement in what the report describes as a mild left knee sprain and thus is trending toward being available to start Thursday, barring any setbacks. Either way, official confirmation of Lawrence's Week 7 status will arrive once the Jaguars' inactives are released ahead of the team's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Amari Cooper believes that Watson (shoulder) is in line to practice Thursday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Though Cooper's comments Thursday offer some encouragement regarding the chances of Watson suiting up for Sunday's game against the Colts, it remains to be seen how the Browns will officially list the QB's participation level on the team's next injury report. It Watson indeed is able to get some work in Thursday, how his shoulder responds in the process would be important in determining which direction he's headed in advance of Week 7 action. If Watson is unavailable versus Indianapolis, PJ Walker would be in line for another start in his place.

The Jaguars will decide whether Lawrence (knee), who is officially listed as questionable, is able to suit up Thursday versus the Saints after he goes through a pre-game workout, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Lawrence was listed as a limited participant on the Jaguars' practice reports Tuesday and Wednesday due to a sprained left knee, and it sounds like word on his status may not come until Jacksonville's inactive list is posted 90 minutes prior to Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports that the team has expressed optimism about Lawrence's chances of suiting up, but fantasy managers will need to monitor the situation closely considering the short week. C.J. Beathard would be in line to start if Lawrence isn't able to go.

Walker will be in line to start Sunday against the Colts if quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder) isn't ready to play, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Watson was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, but Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski isn't yet willing to rule Watson out from plyaing this week. Walker filled in for Watson in last week's upset win over the 49ers, though the Cleveland defense and kicker Dustin Hopkins did a lot of the heavy lifting for the Browns. Walker completed 18 of 34 pass attempts for 192 yards with two interceptions.

Murray (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

In his first on-field work since tearing the ACL in his right knee Dec. 12 of last season, Murray unsurprisingly had a cap on his reps after the Cardinals designated him for return from injured reserve. The team will have a 21-day window in which to evaluate the quarterback and determine when he's healthy enough for game action. He's technically an option to come off the PUP list as soon as Sunday's contest at Seattle, but Arizona intends to ramp up his activity level slowly considering the severity of last year's injury, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. As long as Murray remains unavailable to play, the Cardinals will entrust the offense in signal-caller Joshua Dobbs.

Mayfield (hand) wasn't listed on the Buccaneers' first Week 7 injury report Wednesday.

Mayfield's left hand was bloodied this past Sunday when it became pinned between his chest and the helmet of a Lions defender. On Monday, head coach Todd Bowles told Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site that Mayfield was diagnosed with a contusion. When asked how his hand felt Wednesday, Mayfield himself told Brianna Dix of the team's official site that he's "golden." With no practice limitations placed on him to kick off Week 7 prep, Mayfield indeed is good to go ahead of Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Watson (shoulder) said Wednesday that he "can't put a timeline" on his return to game acdtion, ESPN.com's Jake Trotter reports.

Watson missed the past two games and was held out of practice Wednesday, but he said it's "up in the air" whether he'll be able to play Sunday at Indianapolis. He described himself as "day-to-day" and said he's dealing with a "microtear" in his rotator cuff, adding that he's still having difficulty throwing a football with strength. PJ Walker will be in line for another start if Watson can't play against the Colts this Sunday.

Lawrence (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Saints, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Lawrence, who was listed as a limited participant on the Jaguars' practice reports Tuesday and Wednesday, has a chance to play through his sprained left knee Thursday, though his status may not be clarified until Jacksonville posts its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the game's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. Per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, Lawrence said Tuesday that his left knee has been improving rapidly since he suffered the injury in Sunday's win over the Colts, leaving him optimistic that he'll be able to play in a short week. If Lawrence is unable to go Thursday, however, C.J. Beathard would be in line to start in his place. The Jaguars signed Nathan Rourke off their practice squad to provide them with a backup option behind Beathard if Lawrence needs to sit out Thursday.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said Garoppolo (back) won't practice Wednesday, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

McDaniels didn't offer any additional updates regarding the status of Garoppolo, who was taken to a local hospital for evaluation after exiting this past Sunday's 21-17 win over New England. Garoppolo will have two more chances to return to practice before the Raiders release their final Week 7 injury report for Sunday's game against the Bears. Veteran Brian Hoyer came on in relief of Garoppolo against the Patriots, but rookie Aidan O'Connell started against the Chargers when Garoppolo missed Week 4 while recovering from a concussion. Both signal-callers could thus be in contention to play Sunday if Garoppolo isn't available.

Watson (shoulder) won't practice Wednesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Per Trotter, head coach Kevin Stefanski noted that the Browns aren't yet ruling Watson out for Sunday's game against the Colts, but the quarterback's status is cloudy at this stage of the week. Stefanski told Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram that PJ Walker will be elevated from the practice squad to make another start this weekend if Watson is forced to miss a third consecutive game.