NFL Player News

McMillan (knee) is listed as inactive Sunday at Cincinnati, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

A knee issue has been impacting McMillan since early August, and while he appeared to look like his normal self early in the week, he was limited on all three Week 1 injury reports before the Buccaneers listed him as doubtful for Sunday's game. Now that McMillan officially is unavailable, he'll focus on getting healthy for a Week 2 matchup with the Browns on Sunday, Sept. 20. Rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst and Tez Johnson will be the reserve wide receivers for Tampa Bay behind starters Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin in the season opener.

Sanders (knee) is inactive for Week 1 against the Texans.

Sanders missed practice Thursday, sandwiched by a pair of limited sessions both Wednesday and Friday. It ultimately wasn't enough for the second-year player and potential starter to get clearance, leaving the likes of Landon Jackson and DeWayne Carter in line for more rotational snaps.

Rush (back) is listed as active against the Steelers on Sunday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Rush was reportedly dealing with back spasms Saturday, but the injury will not prevent the veteran quarterback from starting in Sunday's regular-season opener. With both Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) and Michael Penix (knee) ruled out, Rush will be the Falcons' starter while undrafted rookie Jack Strand serves as the backup.

Odunze (calf) is active for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Despite being a limited participant throughout Week 1 prep while managing the calf injury that first cropped up Sept. 3, Odunze has received the green light to play in the Bears' season opener. Odunze should handle his usual starting role, and the Bears haven't provided any indication that he'll have his snaps limited as a result of the injury.

Johnson (hamstring) is inactive Week 1 against the Texans.

Johnson was able to log only a single limited practice this week, and the 28-year-old back entered Sunday with a "questionable" tag. He'll ultimately sit against Houston, leaving a few more backfield snaps to starter James Cook and backup Ray Davis. Johnson and the Bills have a short week ahead, as they're set to take on the Lions in a Week 2 matchup Thursday night. If Johnson does end up suiting up then, he'll likely return to his role as a passing down specialist and special-teamer, similar to his last few seasons in Buffalo.

Garrett is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the coming days and is expected to be placed on injured reserve, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.

Garrett dealt with swelling in the knee for much of training camp and was held out of the Rams' first official practice of Week 1, but he eventually received the green light to play in Thursday's season opener versus the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. However, the star edge rusher was unusually quiet in the Rams' 27-7 loss, recording no tackles or quarterback pressures over his 40 snaps. The lingering knee issue was likely a factor in his lack of productivity, and he'll now get sent in for a procedure to address the injury. The Rams are optimistic that Garrett will be ready to play when first eligible Week 6 against the Cardinals after spending the requisite four games on IR.

Jacobs (personal) remains on the Commissioner's Exempt List, but the NFL may count time on the list as time served if it eventually issues a suspension to the running back, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Jacobs made an appearance in court Thursday and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property in a case stemming from a May domestic violence incident. There still are some moving parts related to the case, so it's unclear when exactly the NFL may issue a suspension, but Jacobs will continue to miss practices and games as long as he's on the Commissioner's Exempt List.

Pierce (heel) is expected to play a decent amount of snaps Sunday against the Ravens, though it isn't expected to be his usual full allotment, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

Despite being limited in all three Week 1 practices, Pierce wasn't given a designation for Sunday's contest, clearing him to return after first recovering from offseason ankle surgery and then tending to a heel injury this week. If he indeed can't handle his normal workload, he'd be a risky play, perhaps needing one of his noted splash plays to reap rewards in the season opener. Josh Downs, Keenan Allen and Ashton Dulin are the top healthy Colts wide receivers if Pierce cedes snaps to the rest of the position.

The Raiders believe Bowers (knee) has a chance to return to action Week 2 at the Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 20, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bowers underwent a meniscus trim this past Tuesday that will sideline him for the season opener, but Schefter added that "there's a realistic chance" the standout tight end will sit out only Week 1 and then be active next weekend. He likely will need to mix into drills for multiple practices in a row to give Las Vegas' medical staff confidence that he'll be able to handle game action. In any case, Bowers will hand off most of the TE reps to Michael Mayer this Sunday.

Nabers' (knee) status for Sunday's game against the Cowboys remains "murky at best," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Nabers was able to practice without limitations during Week 1 prep, but he took a 'questionable' tag into the weekend after a week in which both he and head coach John Harbaugh were non-committal about the wide receiver's potential to play Sunday. Nabers himself told Evan Barnes of Newsday on Thursday that he had to weigh the long-term implications when he eventually returns from the torn ACL and meniscus that he suffered in his right knee Week 4 of last season. The Giants play on Sunday Night Football in Week 1, so if Nabers is listed as inactive, fantasy managers won't have many options to turn to for scoring purposes between SNF and MNF. New York brought two WRs (Braxton Berrios and Dalen Cambre) off its practice squad Saturday to join Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney and Odell Beckham, likely with a potential absence from Nabers in mind.