The 2020 NFL season ambles into Week 7, and it’s a tough time to be an interior lineman or receiver. The Cowboys’ Zack Martin has a concussion; the 49ers’ Trent Williams is having ankle issues; for Buffalo’s Cody Ford, it’s the knee; the Packers’ David Bakhtiari is facing a chest injury; and the Broncos’ Dalton Risner‘s shoulder is barking. Aside from strains, sprains and bruises, the Raiders had to contend with a COVID-19 case that put offensive tackle Trent Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list and sent the rest of the starting offensive line home for contact tracing.
Meanwhile, New Orleans still doesn’t know what’s going on with Michael Thomas, Atlanta’s Julio Jones is still nursing that nagging hamstring, the Chargers’ Keenan Allen‘s back is still tender, and an ankle injury will keep the Eagles’ Zach Ertz out for several weeks. Washington will be down two wide receivers Sunday. Yeah, that’s it.
How will Cody Ford‘s injury affect the rest of the Bills’ offensive line? Buffalo’s starting left guard exited Monday’s game with a knee injury, and coach Sean McDermott deemed Ford “week-to-week” during his news conference Tuesday. Brian Winters presumably will continue to start at right guard but Jon Feliciano could possibly return from injured reserve to take over for Ford at left guard. If neither Ford nor Feliciano can go, Ike Boettger is another option. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
The bye week comes at a good time for the Dolphins, who suffered a handful of injuries in Sunday’s blowout victory over the New York Jets, including DeVante Parker (groin), Kamu Gruiger-Hill (hand), Raekwon Davis (shoulder) and Andrew Van Ginkel (concussion). The significance isn’t clear at this point, but Parker and Davis are the main injuries to watch here. — Cameron Wolfe
Starting center David Andrews returned to practice Wednesday after having been placed on injured reserve Sept. 26 following surgery on his right thumb. If he returns to action this weekend, it has a significant trickle-down effect that aids the offensive line, with Joe Thuney sliding back to left guard. Starting right guard Shaq Mason (quadriceps/reserve COVID-19 list) also was back at the start of practice after missing the past two games. — Mike Reiss
Quarterback Sam Darnold (shoulder) took a big step toward a return, practicing for the first time since his Oct. 1 injury. If he can avoid any setbacks and discomfort, Darnold will start against the Bills. If not, it will be Joe Flacco. — Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
The bye week came at a good time for the Ravens, who might not have to play without Mark Ingram. The Pro Bowl running back left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and didn’t return. Ingram hasn’t missed a game because of injury since 2015, and the Ravens will need him for their Nov. 1 showdown with the Steelers. “He probably will be back for the Steelers game, but we’ll have to see,” coach John Harbaugh said. — Jamison Hensley
Bengals running back Joe Mixon‘s status is in question after he suffered a foot injury in the Week 6 loss to the Colts. Mixon finished the game but missed Wednesday’s practice. His outlook for the rest of the week is uncertain and the Bengals protected running back Jacques Patrick off the practice squad this week, a move that hedges their bets in case Mixon can’t go this week against the Browns. Fantasy owners should be looking to do the same thing if Mixon’s status doesn’t improve the rest of the week. — Ben Baby
Quarterback Baker Mayfield says he expects to get more practice snaps this week after being limited last week with a chest injury. Mayfield isn’t able to throw much in practice until Friday. — Jake Trotter
The Steelers know they’re going to be without linebacker Devin Bush this weekend and the rest of the season, but what is more uncertain is the availability of Mike Hilton. The nickelback injured his shoulder against the Browns and didn’t practice Wednesday. With a task like slowing the Titans’ Derrick Henry on the horizon, it’s all hands on deck for the Steelers’ defense — and the health of a versatile, blitz-happy defensive back such as Hilton is especially important. — Brooke Pryor
AFC SOUTH
Tight end Jordan Akins (concussion/ankle), who has not played since Week 4, did not practice on Wednesday. In Akins’ absence, tight end Darren Fells has stepped up, with six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown in Week 6. — Sarah Barshop
The bye week comes at a good time for the Colts because it will allow some of their injured players to get healthy. There’s a chance rookie wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (calf) and third-year defensive end Kemoko Turay (ankle) will be ready to return. But the most important player likely returning is linebacker Darius Leonard, who has missed the past two games with a groin injury. — Mike Wells
Linebacker Myles Jack has been the Jaguars’ best defensive player — and arguably best player overall — this season, but he’s dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered in the loss to the Bengals in Week 4. He aggravated it last weekend against Detroit and his status for Sunday is in question. Jack did not practice Wednesday and might be a game-time decision. Dakota Allen would take his place, but Allen is dealing with a foot injury, as well. But he did practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. — Mike DiRocco
Jonnu Smith was on the field during team stretch but went inside the building afterward. The tight end was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday. Smith tweaked the ankle early in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. Trainers taped his ankle and he did sprints on the sideline to test it out, but Smith did not return. — Turron Davenport
AFC WEST
On a day Broncos coach Vic Fangio called Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones “a monster inside … if he’s not the best inside rusher in the game, he’s [No.] 2 or [No. 3],” Fangio also watched his offense practice Wednesday without guard Dalton Risner (shoulder) on the field. Fangio said he still hopes Risner can play against Kansas City on Sunday, but will have to see if Risner can get back on the practice field this week. The Broncos already have faced some of the league’s more difficult defensive fronts and they have routinely attacked the middle of the offensive line. Austin Schlottmann finished out last weekend’s game in Risner’s spot and is expected to play if Risner isn’t available. — Jeff Legwold
The Chiefs practiced without defensive ends Taco Charlton (knee) and Alex Okafor (hamstring) on Wednesday, calling into question whether they can have much of a rotation on Sunday against the Broncos. Charlton in particular is important to the Chiefs because he plays as a situational pass-rusher. The Chiefs might have to play Chris Jones some at an outside position to provide relief to starters Frank Clark and Tanoh Kpassagnon. — Adam Teicher
Coming off their bye week, how about the Raiders’ starting offensive line? With right tackle Trent Brown going on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the other four starters — left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard Denzelle Good, center Rodney Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson — were sent home from the team facility on Wednesday for contact tracing, as was safety Johnathan Abram. The Raiders adjusted practice Wednesday and utilized the five other O-linemen on their 53-man roster: Brandon Parker, John Simpson, Andre James, Patrick Omameh and Sam Young. “What’s crazy is … whoever’s out there, that’s who’s out there,” quarterback Derek Carr said. “Nobody cares about this or that. They just see the win-loss and that’s all that matters in this business.” Oh, and Sunday’s opponent, the Buccaneers, have the second-most sacks in the NFL with 22. — Paul Gutierrez
Wide receiver Keenan Allen left the Week 5 Monday night game early with back spasms and didn’t return. Coach Anthony Lynn has insisted that Allen “will be just fine,” and on Wednesday he was scheduled to get some reps in practice. The Chargers sorely need Allen with injuries to Austin Ekeler (still out with a hip/knee injury), and Allen is rookie quarterback Justin Herbert‘s favorite target. Well, he and the 6-foot-4 Mike Williams. — Shelley Smith
NFC EAST
Guard Zack Martin‘s availability for Sunday is in question because of a concussion as the offensive line continues to be in a state of flux. Left tackle Brandon Knight underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is out so the Cowboys could look to use Cameron Erving and Terence Steele at tackle or move Martin to right tackle. He played there in the second half in Week 2 at Seattle but that would be a tough ask this week with little to no practice time if he plays. Washington’s strength is its defensive line and the Cowboys would not be in a good way without Martin, but they might not have any choice if he is not cleared to play. — Todd Archer
The Giants are hoping to have Sterling Shepard (turf toe) back Thursday night at Philadelphia. It might not be at full capacity, but they could use the wide receiver even in a limited role. That appears to be where this is headed. Shepard was on the practice field Monday for the first time in uniform. That officially opened his 21-day window to return from injured reserve. The Giants, however, hope it will be much sooner, beginning Thursday against the Eagles. They might have to wait until pregame warmups to make that official decision. — Jordan Raanan
The Eagles are getting wide receiver DeSean Jackson (hamstring) and tackle Lane Johnson (ankle) back for Thursday’s game against the New York Giants, which is timely given that two other key offensive pieces in tight end Zach Ertz (ankle) and running back Miles Sanders (knee) are unable to go. The question for Jackson and Johnson is: Can they stay on the field or will they continue to be in and out of the lineup?— Tim McManus
Defensive end Chase Young was limited in practice with a groin injury, but that was more out of caution. So the big question surrounds Washington’s wide receivers and the reality is that two of them, Isaiah Wright (shoulder) and Antonio Gandy-Golden (hamstring) won’t play Sunday against Dallas. However, Washington is hopeful Wright will return after the bye, but Gandy-Golden could be out a while. It’s been a lost year for the fourth-round pick because of injuries and his struggles to adjust to the NFL. — John Keim
NFC NORTH
The Bears are riding a wave of relatively good health. The only notable inactive in Week 6 — minus left guard James Daniels, who went on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle — was reserve safety Deon Bush, whom the team uses in certain dime packages. Without Bush, the Bears turned to seldom-used DeAndre Houston-Carson, who preserved Chicago’s victory Sunday with a late interception against Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. “As far as DeAndre, I’m really proud of him,” coach Matt Nagy said. “What a role player for us on this team.” It’s been that kind of season for the Bears. — Jeff Dickerson
Trey Flowers, Detroit’s top pass-rusher, didn’t practice Wednesday with a wrist injury — a new ailment that popped up for the first time. If Flowers is unable to play against Atlanta, that would be a major problem — he leads the Lions with two sacks and two forced fumbles. Detroit would need to lean on Romeo Okwara even more if Flowers can’t go. The Lions also could have issue at wide receiver, with Marvin Jones (knee) not practicing and Danny Amendola (foot) being limited. — Michael Rothstein
The Packers listed 13 players on their injury report –13! But the one they’ll miss the most if he can’t go is left tackle David Bakhtiari, who couldn’t finish Sunday’s loss to the Bucs after defensive end William Gholston landed on his upper body. The Packers say it’s a chest injury, and the All-Pro did not practice Wednesday. If he can’t go, they have options, although none of them ideal. Rick Wagner filled in to finish the game. Earlier this year they moved Elgton Jenkins from left guard to right tackle, so perhaps they’ll move him outside again. — Rob Demovsky
The Vikings will use their bye week to try to get healthy in a couple of areas, namely running back Dalvin Cook, who injured his groin in Week 5, and cornerback Mike Hughes, who sustained a neck injury Sunday against the Falcons. The timetable the Vikings were initially given for Danielle Hunter‘s neck injury would mean he could be ready to go after the bye. But at this point, and the way the season has gone thus far, it doesn’t seem likely the defensive end will be returning ahead of the Green Bay game in Week 8. — Courtney Cronin
NFC SOUTH
Wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. Jones played just 15 snaps in Week 4 and did not play in Week 5 with the same hamstring injury. He returned Sunday, catching eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns as Atlanta got its first victory of the season. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley was listed as limited in practice with an elbow injury. — Sarah Barshop
Wide receiver Curtis Samuel missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury and it showed up big time on third down. The Panthers had become one of the most efficient offenses on third down, and a big part of that was Samuel, who was tied for the league-lead with 11 third-down catches. They were a dismal 3-for-13 on third down against the Bears in a 23-16 loss. Samuel was limited on Wednesday, so he remains questionable for this week’s game against NFC South rival New Orleans. –– David Newton
Wide receiver Michael Thomas remains the Saints’ biggest question mark for the fifth consecutive game — though the reasons keep changing. He was listed as limited in Wednesday’s practice with both the ankle injury that has sidelined him since Week 1 and a new hamstring issue. Thomas looked like he was close to returning from the ankle injury in Week 5 before he was benched because of a team disciplinary issue. Then he had the bye in Week 6 to recover further. But it’s unclear how much of a concern the hamstring is since coach Sean Payton declined to give any injury updates. — Mike Triplett
The Bucs are in a lot better shape injury-wise this week compared to the last two weeks, with Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin not experiencing any setbacks when he returned to action coming off a hamstring strain last week. Another positive is Leonard Fournette returned to practice and was a full participant Wednesday after a game-time decision was made to hold him out due to an ankle injury last week. Coach Bruce Arians isn’t in a rush to put him back out there though. “It’s a long season,” Arians said. “His best interest is what I’m concerned about [and] our best interest. We’re going to need him, and he didn’t need to go out there at 85 to 90 [percent healthy], tweak it again and go down for another month.” — Jenna Laine
NFC WEST
Kylie Fitts‘ health this week will determine whether Dennis Gardeck will get more reps — reps that he’s already been turning into production. But a return by Fitts could mean that he may not see as much playing time because of Haason Reddick‘s recent play and Gardeck’s surprising play. — Josh Weinfuss
The Rams enter Week 7 with no serious injury concerns after they came out of their Week 6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers with nothing more than routine bumps and bruises, according to Rams coach Sean McVay. Barring any issues that arise during practices this week, the Rams will go into Monday Night Football against the Bears with a healthy active roster. — Lindsey Thiry
Left tackle Trent Williams is dealing with an ankle sprain and is expected to be questionable throughout the week, according to coach Kyle Shanahan. “Hopefully it will get better each day but it’s not there yet,” Shanahan said. The good news is Williams doesn’t have a high ankle sprain or any additional damage to the ankle, so he can be considered day-to-day but his status for Sunday against the New England Patriots remains up in the air. — Nick Wagoner
Jamal Adams returning for Sunday’s game at Arizona doesn’t seem nearly as certain as head coach Pete Carroll previously suggested. Carroll said last week the All-Pro safety would be back from his groin injury following the Seahawks’ bye, but he’s since backed off that comment. Adams, who’s missed the last two games, didn’t practice Wednesday. Carroll said Adams didn’t suffer a setback, so it’s not clear why the prospects of Adams’ return this week have changed. Ryan Neal has played well in Adams’ absence. — Brady Henderson