Tag: Week 11

4 Chiefs players the Chargers must game-plan for in Week 11

The Chiefs are a talented team, but Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out who the Chargers must really hone in on.

The Chargers are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Chiefs are looking to get back on track after losing their last four of six games in Week 11 of the regular season.

With an enticing division battle set for Monday night, here are four Chiefs players that the Bolts have to game-plan for if they wish to come away with a victory.

QB Patrick Mahomes

It didn’t take long for Mahomes to establish himself as one of the best players in the league. After a season that resulted in winning the league’s most valuable player, he continues to take the league by storm. In eight games played, Mahomes has thrown for 2,628 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and only one interception.

The former Texas Tech product missed two games with a knee injury, but he quickly recovered and nearly put up a career-high game against the Titans, passing for 446 yards.

Mahomes can beat you in a multitude of ways, whether it be with his cannon of an arm or with his legs to evade the pocket. The Chargers will need to pressure him early and often, not only with defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but additional pass rushers off the edge to make him feel uncomfortable and to keep him off the field.

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Lions Wire Fantasy Football Weekly: Week 11 Preview

Lions Wire’s weekly examination of what happened in fantasy football last week and a look forward at what to watch in the upcoming week.

Fantasy football started off with a shocker on Sunday morning where headlines scrolled at the bottom of your television screen, “Matthew Stafford has been ruled Out“. He had played in 136 consecutive games, which was the longest active streak of any player at the quarterback position.

Stafford had been having an MVP type season and this came as a surprise as there were no indications throughout the week that he had any chance to miss this game. This had fantasy owners scrambling to fill their lineup prior to kickoff as Stafford has been one of the best values all year in 2019.

Before I jump into my Week 11 preview I wanted to highlight players like Amari Cooper, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes who once again put on a show this past week. The NFL always has some great highlights each week, so I thought I’d literally highlight some of the top plays from Week 10 to recap in this week’s Fantasy Football Weekly.

Toe Drag Swag for Amari Cooper (WR Cowboys), every week it feels like he pulls one of these off.

Throw it high and let it fly in the Windy City to Kenny Golladay (WR Lions).

This Cardinals combo connected three times on the day. This was number two for Christan Kirk (WR Cardinals) and Kyler Murray (QB Cardinals).

Oh Henry, Derrick Henry (RB Titans) is rumbling and stumbling for another long touchdown run. You don’t normally see humans this big and this fast anywhere on the planet.

Patrick Mahomes (QB Chiefs) with the jump pass to Mecole Hardman (WR Chiefs) and he’s off to the races.

Lamar Jackson (QB Ravens) doing things that only Jackson can do.

This is so good you have to see it twice plus the call from Kevin Harlan, the play-by-play announcer, is classic too.

Cowboys at Lions fantasy focus

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys travel to Detroit this week to take on the Lions. Prescott has been up and down this season. When he’s right, he puts up huge fantasy numbers. When he’s off, he can look pretty pedestrian at the quarterback position.

I see this being a big game for Ezekiel Elliott (RB Cowboys). He should get the ball early and often. He’s been very solid and consistent all year but is coming off a bad game on national television against the Minnesota Vikings. I project him at over 100 yards and at least one touchdown.

For the Lions, Stafford could miss another few games, which could mean the offense will have its struggles. Needless to say, they have no one established at running back that you can play in fantasy football and their weapons outside are a bit hampered by the quarterback switch as well. I’m expecting the defense to play better than most anticipate and for a couple of gadget plays to possibly come into play on offense or special teams.

Most everyone sees this as an easy road win for the Cowboys. I’d tend to agree with that due to the Lions injuries but something tells me this will be an odd game. Something very unexpected will occur. The Lions will rise up to play a much better game at home than expected. Fantasy owners and fans across the league might be surprised about how this one shakes out on Sunday.

Start/Sit

Start
Josh Allen (QB Bills)
Joe Mixon (RB Bengals)
Marquise Brown (WR Ravens)
Jared Cook (TE Saints)

Sit
Kirk Cousins (QB Vikings)
Sony Michel (RB Patriots)
Alshon Jeffery (WR Eagles)
Vance McDonald (TE Steelers)

Top-3 projected players by position

Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
Deshaun Watson, Texans

Running Backs
Christian McCaffrey, Panthers
Dalvin Cook, Vikings
Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys

Wide Receivers
Michael Thomas, Saints
Tyreek Hill, Chiefs
DeAndre Hopkins, Texans

Tight Ends
Travis Kelce, Chiefs
Hunter Henry, Chargers
Darren Waller, Raiders

Team Defenses
Vikings
49ers
Redskins

Waiver wire options

Nick Foles (QB Jaguars)
Sam Darnold (QB Jets)
Darius Guice (RB Redskins)
J.D. McKissic (RB Lions)
Josh Gordon (WR Seahawks)
Randall Cobb (WR Cowboys)
Dallas Goedert (TE Eagles)
Kyle Rudolph (TE Vikings)

Intriguing games and players in Week 11

Bye Weeks: Packers, Giants, Seahawks, and Titans

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, Thursday 8:20 PM, EST

  • PIT: James Washington (WR), Jaylen Samuels (RB)
    CLE: Richard Higgins (WR), Baker Mayfield (QB)

Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions, Sunday 1:00 PM, EST

  • DAL: Ezekiel Elliott (RB),  Jason Witten (TE)
    DET: Danny Amendola (WR), T.J. Hockenson (TE)

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday 1:00 PM, EST

  • HOU: Deshaun Watson (QB), Kenny Stills (WR)
    BAL: Mark Ingram (RB), Marquise Brown (WR)

New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday 4:25 PM, EST

  • NE: Julian Edelman (WR), Muhammed Sanu (WR)
    PHI: Miles Sanders (RB), Zach Ertz (TE)

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers, Monday 8:15 PM, EST

  • KC: Travis Kelce (TE), Damien Williams (QB)
    LAC: Hunter Henry (TE), Melvin Gordon (RB)

Now What

It’s that time of year where the weather will be a factor. Find a website where you can see all the weather across the league before setting your final lineup. I tend to prefer my kicker and wide receivers to have good weather and if possible in a dome. Avoid high winds when it comes to your quarterback. Wet weather often spells doom for your receivers. Snow can actually lead to some big plays for offensive players as they know where they are going and the defense doesn’t, so snowy conditions can actually benefit an offense at times depending on the severity.

Also, always look at matchups. The NFL is a matchup league and so is fantasy football. If you can play a running back that is going against one of the worst run defenses, do it. If you can play a tight end against a team that often struggles to contain that position, start that tight end. When you play good matchups it more often than not helps your fantasy team’s bottom line.

Chiefs release updated depth chart for Week 11

The latest depth chart reflecting all of the Kansas City Chiefs’ recent roster moves.

The Kansas City Chiefs released their depth chart for Week 11 of the 2019 regular season. This depth chart reflects some new changes to the roster that occurred following the Week 10 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Generally speaking, these depth charts give you an idea of where a player is in the pecking order. They’re considered unofficial because they’re assembled by the team’s PR staff and not the coaching staff. Some things may not accurately reflect what happens on game day because of that. However, the PR staff does have access to the teams’ closed practices and wouldn’t purposely mislead with the depth chart.

Let’s take a look at this depth chart and see what we can learn.

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Offense

Pos. First Second Third Fourth
QB Patrick Mahomes Matt Moore Chad Henne
RB Damien Williams LeSean McCoy Darwin Thompson Darrel Williams
FB Anthony Sherman
WR Tyreek Hill Demarcus Robinson Byron Pringle
WR Sammy Watkins Mecole Hardman
TE Travis Kelce Blake Bell Deon Yelder
LT Eric Fisher Cameron Erving
LG Andrew Wylie Stefen Wisniewski
C Austin Reiter Nick Allegretti
RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Stefen Wisniewski
RT Mitchell Schwartz Jackson Barton

Observations:

  • Offensive lineman Martinas Rankin has been sent to the injured reserve list. This depth chart reflects that move.
  • In a corresponding transaction, the Chiefs added rookie offensive tackle Jackson Barton from the Colts’ practice squad. He’ll fill the role of swing tackle in Kansas City.
  • Unlike his predecessor, Barton will not fill in at left guard on the depth chart. Instead, Stefen Wisniewski will take on double duty as the reserve at both guard positions.
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DFS PROS favorite plays: Week 11

Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 11 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 11 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

QUARTERBACKS

LAMAR JACKSON- $7700 DRAFTKINGS, $8800 FANDUEL

Lamar Jackson is averaging 28 DraftKings points per game and is coming off another dominating performance where he performed the spin move of the season. Now he has a matchup versus a Texan team who ranks 26th against opposing quarterbacks. The Texans are getting gashed by both the run and the pass which should lead to a big game for Jackson in Week 11. He will have the safest floor of the week and should provide a high ceiling as well.

DAK PRESCOTT- $6700 DRAFTKINGS, $8100 FANDUEL

The Cowboys need a win to stay in the playoff hunt and they will rely heavily on Dak Prescott for the rest of the season. Dak has averaged 24 DraftKings points per game and is coming off a 29 point performance versus a stingy Viking defense. I view this as a bounce-back spot for both the Cowboys and Dak. We can easily see a 30 point performance versus the suspect Detroit Lions defense. Detroit is ranked 29th against opposing quarterbacks and allowing 272 yards in the air per game. Where other quarterbacks will be dealing with harsh winter weather Dak will playing in a dome and he should find the warmth in your lineups as well in Week 11.

RUNNING BACKS

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY- $10500 DRAFTKINGS, $10500 FANDUEL

Christian McCaffrey is a stud and he should be locked into your lineups every week regardless of who he plays against.  He is having an MVP caliber season and is averaging 32 points per game. He gets a great matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons who have trouble covering pass-catching running backs. McCaffrey should feast and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 2 touchdown and 200 all-purpose yards out of him in Week 11.

JOSH JACOBS- $7000 DRAFTKINGS, $8000 FANDUEL

Josh Jacobs is highly involved in this Raider offense. As each week grows, he becomes more and more the focal point of this offense. Coming into Week 11 he is averaging 17 points per game and I think that goes up after this game versus Cincinnati. The Bengals are allowing 173 rushing yards per game and continue to get torched each week by opposing offenses. The Bengals have given up on the season and a big game is coming for Jacobs.

WIDE RECEIVERS

MICHAEL THOMAS- $9900 DRAFTKINGS, $9000 FANDUEL

The Saints shockingly lost to the Atlanta Falcons and knocked a bunch of people out of their survivor pools. Thomas didn’t disappoint and had another monster game. He is expensive but your paying for his consistency and upside in your cash lineups. He is averaging 114 receiving yards and 25 fantasy points per game. He is the equivalent of Christian McCaffrey at the wide receiver position and he is a lock in my cash and tournament lineups. The matchup provides a boost to an already great play in Thomas. Tampa Bay ranks 31st against wide receivers and should be a lock in your lineups.

JOHN BROWN- $6400 DRAFTKINGS, $5900 FANDUEL

Brown is quietly on pace for a 1200 yard receiving year. He is averaging 75 yards receiving and 14 fantasy points per game. He provides consistency and a nice value on both sites. The Buffalo Bills are coming off a tough loss to the Cleveland Browns and head to Miami for a must-win game.  I expect the Bills to pepper Brown early and often with targets to take advantage of the matchup versus the weak Miami secondary and you should do the same in your lineups.

TIGHT ENDS

MARK ANDREWS- $6100 DRAFTKINGS, $6900 FANDUEL

Mark Andrews bounced back in a big way with a 23 point performance in Week 10. He grabbed 6 receptions, totaling 53 yards and 2 touchdowns. This is the third time this season where Andrews has eclipsed a 20 point fantasy performance, and I see a fourth one coming. It looks like Andrews is finally healthy and Vegas has this game currently projected at 49 points. I wouldn’t be shocked if it reached 50 by game time and I still like the over. Like I said above, I like the Ravens offense in this matchup versus the Texans and I think pairing Jackson with Andrews is the right way to stack the Ravens.

GREG OLSEN- $3900 DRAFTKINGS, $5100 FANDUEL

Greg Olsen just keeps on ticking. The guy is a warrior and at 34 years old he is still putting up numbers at a high level. DraftKings and FanDuel haven’t raised his price in relation to his performance if you ask me and I will lock up some Olsen shares for value on both sites. He is averaging 10 fantasy points per game at a position where if you miss you might end up with 0-2 points and that could be the difference in you cashing your lineups. Pair that with the fact he draws a matchup against the Falcons who rank 24th against opposing tight ends and you have safe tight end play for Week 11.

DEFENSES

VIKINGS- $3400 DRAFTKINGS, $4700 FANDUEL

The Vikings are coming off a big win versus the Cowboys and should have an easy victory lined up against the Broncos at home. The Vikings defense is averaging 7 fantasy points per game and has scored double digits on three occasions this year. I think their defense will stifle the Broncos which lack any true offensive weapons. Denver is only projected to score 15 points in this one, so there should be a solid floor when taking the Vikings in both cash games and tournaments.

JETS- $3100 DRAFTKINGS, $4500 FANDUEL

Sometimes you need to take a shot and hope for the best. This is a calculated shot with the Jets coming off a win and playing against a rookie quarterback. Haskins is struggling and surrounded by a bad overall offense. The Jets come at a slight discount and will be low owned as well. If they find a way to score a defensive touchdown for the second week in a row this defense can set you apart in your tournaments.

Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.

Broncos injuries: Bryce Callahan held out of practice Wednesday

After practicing Tuesday, Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan (foot) was unable to practice Wednesday.

Denver Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan participated in practice Tuesday, which seemed like a good sign that he was making progress in his recovery from a foot injury. Unfortunately, the practice didn’t go well.

“Just OK, not great,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Wednesday when asked how the cornerback moved around in Tuesday’s practice. Callahan was held out of Wednesday’s practice but there’s a chance he might be able to practice Thursday.

Fangio didn’t rule out the possibility of Callahan being placed on injured reserve, which would end his season. Fangio also provided a positive update on wide receiver Tim Patrick (hand), who is expected to be activated from injured reserve to the 53-man roster this week.

“He looked good,” Fangio said. “I think he’ll be available to play this week.”

Denver’s complete injury report can be seen below. DNP = did not participate.

Player Injury Wed Thur Fri Status
CB Bryce Callahan Foot DNP
TE Jeff Heuerman Knee Limited
OT Ja’Wuan James Knee Limited
CB Duke Dawson Foot Full
RB Phillip Lindsay Wrist Full
DB Will Parks Hand Full
DE DeMarcus Walker Shoulder Full

The Minnesota Vikings’ complete injury report can be seen below.

Player Injury Wed Thur Fri Status
DT Linval Joseph Knee DNP
OG Josh Kline Concussion DNP
DT Shamar Stephen Knee DNP
WR Adam Thielen Hamstring DNP
CB Mackensie Alexander Groin Limited
DB Anthony Harris  Groin Limited
OL Brett Jones Knee Limited
DB Andrew Sendejo Groin Limited
CB Trae Waynes Ankle Limited
FB C.J. Ham Ankle Full
LB Eric Kendricks Hip Full
DE Ifeadi Odenigbo Shoulder Full
CB Xavier Rhodes Elbow Full
DT Armon Watts Elbow Full

Sunday’s game will air on CBS at 11:00 a.m. MT (view the TV map here).

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Week 11 NFL TV schedule and game maps

CBS has the Patriots-Eagles and the Texans-Ravens. Fox’s NFC matchups leave a bit to be desired.

This is a great week for CBS and a not-so-great week for Fox. The marquee game on Fox features the Cowboys, but with the Lions at less than full strength, it’s not exactly a must-see. Now CBS has two great games. The early game shown throughout most of the country will be the Texans and Ravens and the late game that CBS has this week is Patriots-Eagles. Let’s get to what game you’ll see. As usual, thanks to 506Sports.com for the maps.

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AFC Playoff race heading into Week 11

The Patriots, Ravens, and Texans are battling for byes while the AFC Wild Card race is getting exciting.

The AFC has two interesting playoff races that don’t have to do with the divisions — because the division races have pretty clear paths. The competition for a first-round bye currently has three teams with clear paths: New England, Baltimore, and Houston. The other interesting thing to look at is the race of the for the wild cards. Buffalo, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Oakland are all vying for two spots with the Titans, Chargers, and maybe the Browns looking frisky if they can run the table.

Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

AFC East

New England Patriots 8-1

This is the toughest stretch of the Patriots season. They should be hoping to go 3-1 over their next four games. A 2-2 record will put the top seed in the AFC at risk — especially if one of those losses is to Houston which is entirely possible. New England should be able to get right the last three games of the season. They should be hoping that the Dolphins game doesn’t matter.

Remaining Schedule: @Eagles, Cowboys, @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 6-3

The Bills looked like they could cruise to 11 wins this season. Now they could be in trouble. They will be underdogs against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots. If they lose all those games, the best they can finish is 9-7. They shouldn’t want to rely on tiebreakers to get them into the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Dolphins, Broncos, @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, episode 128: Cowboys Week 11 preview

Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, episode 128: Cowboys Week 11 preview, is now available to download and listen.

This week on the Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast the guys discuss the Matthew Stafford injury, last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears, if the season is lost or salvageable, review the latest news from Allen Park and preview the Lions Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

The DLB podcast is a weekly conversation with Lions Wire’s own Erik Schlitt and his co-host Joe Kania. This week they discuss:

You can follow the Detroit Lions Breakdown Podcast (@LionsBreakdown) and it’s hosts Schlitt (@Erikschlitt) and Kania (@JoeKania_DLB) on Twitter, with a Facebook page on the way.

The podcast is available to listen at the DetroitLionsBreakdown.com website and is available to download and subscribe to on multiple podcast platforms, including Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, among others.

Falcons Week 11 injury report: 5 players miss Wednesday’s practice

Tight end Austin Hooper and running back Devonta Freeman both left Sunday’s game early and were missing from Atlanta’s Wednesday practice.

The Falcons ended their six-game losing streak in Week 10, but lost two offensive starters in the process.

Tight end Austin Hooper and running back Devonta Freeman both left Sunday’s game early and were missing from Atlanta’s Wednesday practice.

Quarterback Matt Ryan was held out as well, along with two others. Check out the team’s complete Wednesday injury report below.

Player Injury Wed. Thur. Fri.
QB Matt Ryan Ankle DNP
RB Devonta Freeman Foot DNP
TE Austin Hooper Knee DNP
G Wes Schweitzer Head DNP
S Kemal Ishmael Head DNP
TE Luke Stocker Knee LP
DE John Cominsky Ankle LP
S Sharrod Neasman Hamstring LP
CB Desmond Trufant Toe LP
P Ryan Allen Ankle LP
DB Damontae Kazee Shoulder FP

Check back after Thursday’s practice for more Falcons injury updates.

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Lions Week 11 injury report: Stafford, 5 others unable to practice on Wednesday

The Detroit Lions open Week 11 with six players unable to practice on Wednesday, including five starters including Matthew Stafford.

The Detroit Lions (3-5-1) are preparing to host the Dallas Cowboys (5-4) in Week 11 and they opened the week with several key players injured. Six Lions’ players were unable to practice on Wednesday, including five starters.

Let’s take a closer look at which Lions’ players are injured, their current participation level, and what their early expectations for the week are.

Not Practicing Wednesday

QB Matthew Stafford (back, hip)
RB Ty Johnson (concussion)
RT Rick Wagner (concussion)
DL Da’Shawn Hand (ankle)
S Tracy Walker (knee)
DE Romeo Okwara (groin)

When coach Matt Patricia opened his morning press conference, he declared everyone on this list out — everyone except Stafford.

Any hopes that Stafford would return to today’s practice was quickly squashed when he showed up at practice with no pads or helmet. The timeline for Stafford return is very much up in the air and could linger.

Johnson and Wagner suffered concussions in last week’s game and are currently in the league’s protocol. Either would need to return to the field tomorrow if they want a chance to play this weekend.

Walker and Hand missed all of last week — practices and the game — and their continued absence is not a great sign for their status for the weekend.

Okwara was injured mid-week, listed as questionable heading into the game and was ruled out after pre-game warmups. He now opens the week unable to practice indicating there could be a regression in his healing process.

Limited

LB/S Miles Killebrew (concussion)
NT John Atkins (wrist)
P Sam Martin (abdomen)

After suffering a concussion last Thursday in practice, Killebrew was able to return to the field today, suggesting he has passed the first few stages of the league’s protocol. Brain injuries are often difficult to project and he still has hurdles to climb, but pending medical monitoring throughout the week, he could return to the field this weekend.

Atkins’ wrist is a new addition to the injury report, but limited participation is a positive sign. Additionally, last Sunday Atkins saw 35-percent of defensive snaps, well above his typical allotment, further pointing the arrow in a positive direction.

Martin is abdomen is still bothering him but it didn’t prevent him from playing last weekend. With no other punter signed to the roster this week, he appears on track to play against the Cowboys.

Full participants

DT Mike Daniels (foot)
DT A’Shawn Robinson (ankle, thumb)
DT Damon Harrison (groin)
WR Danny Amendola (hand)

With Daniels, Robinson and Harrison all injured, every rostered defensive tackle is dealing with some level of injury. The fact that all three are full participants is excellent news, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see Harrison get a rest day on Thursday, as has been the recent routine.

Amendola didn’t seem hampered by the hand injury last game and expectations are he will be good to go again this weekend in a matchup where he could be a major factor.

No longer listed on the injury report

CB Darius Slay (hamstring)
RG Graham Glasgow (back)
LG Joe Dahl (ankle)

All three started last week and played over 90-percent of snaps. This is a great sign for their future availability.

Injured Reserve

DT Kevin Strong (rib)
EDGE Austin Bryant (pectoral)

Strong was placed on IR on Tuesday, ending a very promising rookie season. Despite entering the league as an undrafted free agent, Strong made his mark in training camp, earning a spot on the 53-man roster and seeing the field between 20 and 45-percent of weekly defensive snaps. Expectations are he will take the remaining time this season to heal up and return healthy for next years offseason.

Bryant is now two weeks into his 21-day practice window and the Lions will have to make a decision on his status sometime within the next week. A decision could be made at any time, depending on his health and ability to get up to speed on defense.

Dallas Cowboys injury report

The Cowboys may lose their starting left guard Connor Williams to injury.