NFL Player News

Sanders (knee/ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game at the Jets, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Sanders wasn't able to practice during Week 5 prep due to knee and ankle injuries, but a questionable designation left the door open for him to be available to the Cowboys offense Sunday. The proceeding didn't come to pass, though, so Dallas will roll with rookie fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue and fullback Hunter Luepke as the backfield options behind starter Javonte Williams. Sanders' next chance to suit up is Sunday, Oct. 12 in Carolina.

Stanley (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Texans.

Stanley sustained an ankle injury during the Ravens' Week 4 loss to the Chiefs. He was a limited participant in the last two practices of the week, but the injury is severe enough for him to be sidelined for Sunday's contest. Joe Noteboom is the top candidate to start at left tackle in Stanley's absence.

Hill (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Saints.

Hill is making his first appearance since Week 13 of the 2024 campaign, when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. After the Saints designated him for return from the reserve/PUP list last Monday, he operated with a cap on his reps during Week 5 prep and then was activated from the PUP list Saturday. Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reported earlier Sunday that Hill is poised to take on his typical gadget role while serving as a tight end and reserve quarterback, meaning all of passes, runs and targets will be on the docket for the 35-year-old.

Bowers (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Colts.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Bowers is tending to a PCL injury and bone bruise to his knee, an issue he had been playing through since getting hurt during the Raiders' Week 1 win over the Patriots. His performance had been affected while he played at less than 100 percent over the last few weeks, with Bowers being limited to fewer than 50 receiving yards in each of the subsequent three contests. Though he opened Week 5 prep as a limited participant, Bowers ended up sitting out sessions Thursday and Friday with the hope that the added rest would put him in a better spot physically heading into game day. Ultimately, Bowers didn't heal enough for the Raiders to feel comfortable making him active Sunday, so the second-year tight end will end up missing the first game of his career. With Michael Mayer (concussion) also inactive, the Raiders will be left with Ian Thomas, Carter Runyon and practice-squad call-up Albert Okwuegbunam as their available options at tight end for Week 5. Schefter adds that the Raiders are viewing Bowers as week-to-week, and the team will re-evaluate him within the next few days before determining whether he'll be available for next Sunday's game against the Titans.

Wentz returned to Sunday's game against the Browns for the third quarter after having exited with a left shoulder injury in the second quarter.

Wentz will thus look to help the Vikings overcome a 10-7 halftime deficit, with Max Brosmer on hand should the veteran signal-caller suffer any setbacks with his (non-throwing) shoulder.

Irving (foot/shoulder), who has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, is likely to remain sidelined for the Buccaneers' Week 6 contest versus the 49ers on Oct. 12, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

In the aftermath of the Buccaneers' Week 4 loss to the Eagles, Irving was diagnosed with a left foot sprain, which confined him to a walking boot and kept him from practicing Wednesday through Friday before Tampa Bay confirmed he wouldn't play this weekend. In addition, Irving was listed on the Buccaneers' official injury report with a shoulder issue, which Schefter relays is a subluxation that is considered the worse of the running back's two health concerns. The Buccaneers will likely wait and see what, if any, practice activity Irving is able to take part in during the upcoming week before deciding on his status for the matchup with the 49ers, but fantasy managers should brace for a two-game absence for the second-year tailback. While Irving is out, Rachaad White is expected to see the majority of the carries out of the Tampa Bay backfield in addition to serving as the team's top pass-catching back, though reserves Sean Tucker and Josh Williams are also expected to see expanded profiles in the ground attack.

Wentz was forced out of Sunday's game against the Browns with a left shoulder injury in the second quarter.

Prior to his exit from the contest, Wentz completed seven of his 12 passing attempts for 73 yards and carried twice for 12 yards. Next up for the Vikings' QB reps is Max Brosmer.

Sanders (coach's decision), who is inactive as the Browns' emergency third quarterback for Sunday's game against the Vikings in London, is expected to play at some point during his rookie season once the coaching staff deems him ready, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Though Cleveland has elected to bench Joe Flacco after he led the team to a 1-3 start through the first four weeks of the season, Flacco will suit up as the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Sanders while the Browns turn to rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel to make his first NFL start. Gabriel had been serving as Flacco's top backup in each of the previous four contests, and the 24-year-old has already made a strong impression on the coaching staff in practices and in two spot appearances late in blowouts due to his ability to get the ball out quickly and process the defense. That being said, the 5-foot-11 Gabriel's lack of ideal size and physical tools could work against him in his development as an NFL-level starter, so if he's unable to find much success in his first few extended appearances, the Browns could eventually turn the offense over to Sanders. Rapoport notes that because the Browns designed their Week 5 game plan with Gabriel's aptitude as a runner in mind, Cleveland was reluctant to appoint Sanders to the No. 2 role right away as part of a game plan that wouldn't be tailored to his strengths. Ideally, if and when the Browns decide to have Sanders play, he'll get a full week of practice with the first-team offense in advance and will have a game plan built specifically for his skill set.

Hill (knee) remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants, but he's expected to be available for the contest in his typical gadget role, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reports.

Hill's availability won't be confirmed until the Saints release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but the team's decision to activate him from the reserve/PUP list Saturday had already suggested that he was on track to make his 2025 debut this weekend. Duncan notes that the Saints plan to list Hill as their top backup quarterback behind starting Spencer Rattler, likely indicating that rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough will be inactive as the team's emergency third quarterback. Though the Saints may want to ease Hill into the mix with a light workload coming off the torn ACL he sustained last December, the 35-year-old projects to see some carries Sunday and potentially even some looks in the passing game when he lines up as a tight end.

The Lions downgraded Decker (shoulder) from questionable to doubtful for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Decker was unable to practice at any point this week, and though the Lions initially held out some hope that he might be able to play through the shoulder injury Sunday, the team is now leaning toward holding him out. The Lions are likely to turn to 2024 fourth-round pick Giovanni Manu to make his first career start at left tackle in Decker's stead.