NFL Player News

Penix (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at New England, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

WR Drake London (hip), WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring), TE Kyle Pitts (ankle) and LT Jake Matthews (ankle) also avoided game designations on the final injury report, bringing Atlanta's offense back to near-full strength ahead of a challenging matchup. Kirk Cousins' poor performance in Penix's stead last week likely answers questions about Penix being benched for performance reasons anytime soon.

Swift (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Swift played through the same groin injury and remained productive the past few weeks, but he's now set to miss at least one game after not practicing at all during Week 9 prep. Bears coach Ben Johnson discussed Swift's nagging groin injury earlier Friday, telling reporters that the Bears are "just doing our due diligence" and "want to make sure we have [Swift] in a good spot for the whole season," per Adam Jahns of AllCHGO.com. In any case, Kyle Monangai will be Chicago's lead back Sunday, likely taking on a large workload against one of the worst defenses in the league.

Dowdle is expected to start Sunday's game at Green Bay and take a majority of carries, with Chuba Hubbard still part of the offense in a lesser role, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The writing was on the wall Monday when Panthers coach Dave Canales told reporters, "We cannot ignore the fact that [Dowdle] has been exceptional." Canales also mentioned how much Hubbard has meant to the organization, which is perhaps a hint that Dowdle won't have strong job security even if he does take on much larger workloads in the short term. Dowdle and Hubbard largely alternated drives the past two weeks, with neither providing much fantasy production even though Dowdle's per-touch efficiency remained strong. Maintaining that efficiency Week 9 will be difficult, to say the least, as the Panthers are dealing with a slew of offensive line injuries while facing a top defense on the road.

Johnson (calf) was activated from the injured reserve list Friday.

The second-year pro from Ole Miss is now set to make his 2025 debut in Sunday's matchup against the Bears after missing the Bengals' first eight games this season due to an ankle injury sustained in late August. Now fully healthy, Johnson is expected to play a depth role on Cincinnati's defensive line as the season progresses.

Shaheed (hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at the Rams, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Shaheed didn't rejoin last week's 23-3 loss to Tampa Bay after exiting in the fourth quarter, but that doesn't mean much given that the Saints were down by 20. He managed limited practice participation Wednesday through Friday this week, with coach Kellen Moore telling reporters Friday that Shaheed, RB Alvin Kamara (ankle) and CB Alontae Taylor (shoulder) are all trending in the right direction. It is possible trade rumors could impact Shaheed's availability or usage, but there was no hint of anything like that from Moore during his media availability Friday.

The Bengals signed Clifford from the practice squad Friday.

With Joe Flacco (shoulder) questionable to face the Bears on Sunday, Clifford will provide insurance behind Jake Browning. Clifford has yet to attempt an NFL pass during the regular season.

After being traded from the Titans to the Rams on Tuesday, McCreary is available for Sunday's matchup against the Saints, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

McCreary was an integral part of Tennessee's secondary prior to being traded Tuesday, logging 33 total tackles and two passes defended, including one interception, over eight appearances. Now that he's in line to make his Rams debut in Week 9, he's expected to operate as one of the team's top slot cornerbacks.

Brissett took most of the first-team snaps during the media-access portion of practice Friday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

The implication is that Brissett is preparing for a third straight start in place of Kyler Murray (foot), although gamesmanship by coach Jonathan Gannon can't be ruled out at this point. Whatever the case, it's a tough situation for fantasy managers with the Cardinals facing the Cowboys on Monday Night Football this week. Gannon said Thursday that he was preparing Murray to start, while reports from Thursday's practice suggested Murray mostly worked with backups (the same thing was reported Friday).

Williams (shoulder) is listed as doubtful ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Saints, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday and Thursday, but it now appears that his shoulder injury will keep him on the sidelines in Week 9. Williams has appeared in six games for the Rams this season, recording 14 total tackles and seven passes defended. If he's out Sunday as expected, Josh Wallace will likely operate as one of Los Angeles' top outside corners.

Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed Friday that Nacua will return for Sunday's game against the Saints, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Nacua was injured Week 6 and will end up missing just one game with the help of a Week 8 bye. The Rams listed him as a limited practice participant Wednesday, before an upgrade to full participation Thursday answered lingering doubts about Nacua's Week 9 availability.