NFL Player News

Murray (neck) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Rams, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Murray logged five tackles (three solo) prior to exiting Sunday's game, and he'll be evaluated by trainers to determine whether he can return. Antonio Johnson is in the game at safety alongside Andrew Wingard with Murray on the sidelines.

McCarthy (ankle) is inactive as the Vikings' emergency No. 3 quarterback for Sunday's game against the Eagles.

Following the Vikings' Week 6 bye, McCarthy was able to return to practice this week for the first time since suffering a right high-ankle sprain in a Sept. 14 loss to the Falcons. However, McCarthy practiced Wednesday through Friday only on a limited basis, prompting the Vikings to hold him out for another week while Carson Wentz starts and Max Brosmer serves as his top backup. The Vikings plan to hold off on a decision on a permanent starter at quarterback until McCarthy is 100 percent healthy, and at this stage, the second-year signal-caller may not be a realistic option for the club until Week 9 in Detroit on Nov. 2. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, McCarthy's ankle sprain was viewed as a six-week injury at the time he got hurt, and with a Thursday night game in Los Angeles versus the Chargers on tap following Sunday's game against Philadelphia, Minnesota doesn't have much incentive to rush the 22-year-old back into action on a short week.

Kinchens (toe) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Kinchens went to the sidelines to have his toe evaluated by trainers to determine whether he can return for the second half of Sunday's game. Jaylen McCollough would be in line to see more snaps at safety for as long as Kinchens is out of the game. Kinchens tallied five tackles (four solo) prior to his exit.

Evans (hamstring) is likely to play Monday night against the Lions, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

After logging a limited session Thursday and a 'DNP' on Friday, Evans was deemed a full practice participant Saturday before being officially listed as questionable for Monday's contest. While Evans is trending toward a return to action in Week 7, fellow WR Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) has "a real chance to play" versus Detroit, per Schefter, though his status is viewed as a game-time call. In any case, final confirmation of the duo's availability is set to arrive when Tampa Bay's inactives are posted ahead of Monday night's 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

Higgins could be in line for more playing time in Monday's game at Seattle with Christian Kirk (hamstring) ruled out for the contest, Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Higgins' playing time was already on the rise, with the rookie second-round pick logging a season-high 39 snaps (56 percent) in a Week 5 win over Baltimore before the Texans went on bye for Week 6. The added snaps versus the Ravens didn't lead to a touchdown, but Higgins notched season highs in targets (four), and catches (four) and matched his season high in yards (32). With Kirk unavailable, Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel could all see more involvement in the passing game behind No. 1 wideout Nico Collins.

Noel could be in line for more playing time in Monday's game at Seattle with Christian Kirk (hamstring) ruled out for the contest, Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Noel is coming off a promising showing in the Texans' win over the Ravens in Week 5 when he caught two of three targets and scored his first NFL touchdown. When Kirk is healthy, Noel has operated as the team's fifth wideout, but he'll move up a rung on the depth chart in Week 7. Houston is expected to deploy a game plan that focuses on running the ball Monday, but if the Seahawks second-ranked run defense (79.0 yards per game allowed) shuts down the ground game, then Noel and the receivers could take on a greater profile on offense.

Hutchinson will likely see more playing time Week 7 with Christian Kirk (hamstring) ruled out against the Seahawks on Monday, Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Hutchinson splashed in Week 5's victory over the Ravens, when he caught two touchdown passes -- the wide receiver's first two scores since being drafted in 2023. He and Jaylin Noel are the most likely beneficiaries of Kirk's absence, although it should be noted that Houston's gameplan is expected to have a run-heavy focus. Head coach DeMeco Ryans talked about leaning on the running backs earlier in the week. Even so, if the running attack is successful, that could benefit the passing game, and targets might accrue to Hutchinson and the rest of the group.

Purdy (toe) will be out for Sunday's game against the Falcons, but the 49ers are hopeful that the quarterback will return to the lineup for a Week 8 contest in Houston, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Purdy hasn't put in a full practice since aggravating a turf toe injury in a Week 4 loss to Jacksonville and will be sidelined Sunday for the third game in a row and for the fifth time in six games. He took a step forward this week by turning in three limited practices, and if he can increase his activity during the upcoming week, Purdy should be on a path to making a return to action. Mac Jones has been tending to knee and oblique injuries of his own but will be healthy enough to make another start in Purdy's stead Sunday.

Hunter (coach's decision) is a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London.

After being inactive for the Rams' season-opening win over the Texans, Hunter had suited up for each of Los Angeles' subsequent five games, but the rookie running back had been used exclusively on special teams. At least for one week, Hunter appears to have lost out on that meager role, as practice-squad call-up Ronnie Rivers will be active as depth behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum in addition to taking on Hunter's responsibilities on special teams.

Sample didn't draw a target or run a route while playing 39 of the Bengals' 76 offensive snaps in Thursday's 33-31 win over the Steelers.

Sample has always been deployed mainly as a blocker when he's taken the field, but the Bengals took that to an extreme in Week 7. Cincinnati didn't have Tanner Hudson (concussion) available as a depth option at tight end, which may have motivated the decision to scale back Sample's route running and use him exclusively as a blocker behind starter Noah Fant, who moved atop the depth chart due to Mike Gesicki (pectoral) hitting injured reserve.