NFL Player News

Mahomes is dealing with an illness but won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Broncos.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Mahomes is battling the flu. Given that Mahomes didn't appear on the Chiefs' Week 8 injury report, he most likely picked up the illness at some point after Friday's practice, though Rapoport notes that the signal-caller is feeling better Sunday than he did Saturday. The Chiefs didn't sign another quarterback to the 53-man roster or elevate one from the practice squad, so Mahomes remains on track to start the Week 8 contest while Blaine Gabbert fills his usual backup role. Fantasy managers in season-long leagues can still probably feel comfortable including Mahomes in lineups even if he's less than 100 percent healthy, but the two-time league MVP may be less appealing of an option in DFS contests.

Hill (chest) is active for Sunday's game in Indianapolis, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

After a week in which he donned a non-contact jersey on the practice field, Hill will attempt to play through the chest injury that's impacting him at the moment as expected, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. With the Saints' top tight end Juwan Johnson (calf) back in action for the first time since Week 3, Hill may be relegated to the snap share (13-to-41 percent) that he earned in the first three games of the campaign, when he turned 16 carries into 91 yards, hauled in two of four targets for eight yards and completed his only pass for eight yards.

Lawrence (knee) is active Week 8 against the Steelers.

Lawrence entered the week officially listed as questionable after logging limited practice sessions each day, but the expectation leading up to Sunday was that he'd once again suit up. Although his knee issue is said to have improved, Lawrence will once again play while sporting a protective brace. He was productive in Week 7 on Thursday Night Football despite not playing at 100 percent, completing 69 percent of his passes and throwing for a touchdown in the win over New Orleans. This week, he'll face a Pittsburgh defense that is allowing the eighth-fewest passing yards per game (192.2).

Levis is expected to be the Titans' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Falcons and take most of the snaps behind center, despite head coach Mike Vrabel having not named a Week 8 starter while noting that both Levis and Malik Willis will play in the absence of Ryan Tannehill (ankle), Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

After suffering a right high-ankle sprain in the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Ravens, Tannehill didn't practice in any fashion coming out of the team's Week 7 bye and could be in danger of missing two straight games, given that the Titans are set to travel to Pittsburgh for a Thursday night game Week 9. Rapoport initially reported Wednesday that the Titans had been preparing for Levis to start Week 8 in anticipation of Tannehill not being available, and it appears little has changed on that front during the team's week of practice, even though Vrabel hasn't confirmed Tennessee's plans at quarterback. While Willis' superior rushing ability could prompt the Titans to hand him a few packages or even have him lead the offense for multiple drives, Levis looks like he'll get the bulk of the snaps Sunday in what will be his NFL debut. The rookie second-round pick out of Kentucky doesn't make for an inspiring fantasy option this week, given the prospect of him losing snaps to Willis along with the run-heavy tendencies of the Tennessee offense.

Lawrence, who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers, is on track to start but will wear a protective brace on his sprained left knee, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

According to Palmer, Lawrence feels better than he did Week 7, when he faced the Saints in a Thursday night game just four days after spraining the knee late in a 37-20 win over the Colts on Oct. 15. Despite playing through the knee injury, Lawrence completed 20 of 29 attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown while notably setting season highs in carries (eight) and rushing yards (59) in the Jaguars' 31-24 win over New Orleans. Even with a longer turnaround to recover from the knee injury, Lawrence wasn't able to upgrade from limited to full practice participation this week, but his production against the Saints should offer encouragement about his chances of continuing to perform for fantasy managers in Pittsburgh. Lawrence will then have more ample time to rest his knee when the Jaguars go on bye Week 9.

Hill (chest) is expected to suit up for Sunday's game against the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Hill is officially listed as questionable coming off a week of practicing in a non-contact jersey, but he's expected to take the field in Indianapolis. His status will be made official when New Orleans releases its inactive list roughly 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Hill has drawn 12 targets over the last two weeks, but his involvement in the passing game is likely to decline with fellow tight end Juwan Johnson making his return Sunday from a four-game absence.

Watson (shoulder) is considered week-to-week, but he is expected to avoid being placed on injured reserve, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Watson has already been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the 49ers, but Schefter suggests he won't miss more than two weeks with the shoulder issue. That said, there have been a wide range of reports regarding Watson's status in what has been an ever-changing situation. PJ Walker will start in place of Watson in Sunday's game at Seattle.

Darnold will remain in a backup role for Week 8 after Brock Purdy cleared the five-step concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's game against the Bengals, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Wednesday that Purdy entered the protocol in the aftermath of Monday's loss to the Vikings, which seemingly put Darnold in line to draw the Week 8 start against Cincinnati. However, Purdy ended up clearing all five steps of the protocol quicker than anticipated and no longer carries an injury designation into Sunday. As a result, Darnold will stick in his usual No. 2 role in Week 8.

The Giants elevated DeVito from the practice squad Saturday.

It's the third straight week DeVito has been called up, with Daniel Jones (neck) ruled out for Week 8. DeVito will serve as the backup to Tyrod Taylor in Sunday's contest against the Jets.

Jones (neck), who has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets, could be cleared to return to game action as soon as the Giants' Week 10 matchup with the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter's report differs slightly from one earlier Saturday from Dianna Russini of The Athletic, who relayed that Jones could make a return from the serious neck injury he suffered Week 5 as soon as the Giants' Week 9 game against Las Vegas. According to Schefter, Jones still hasn't been cleared for contact while his neck injury has resulted in him experiencing weakness in his left (non-throwing) arm, though the quarterback's ability to practice on a limited basis over the last two weeks suggests the Giants aren't considering shutting him down for the season. Head coach Brian Daboll will likely shed more insight into Jones' situation next week, after Daboll had previously preferred not to answer questions regarding the signal-caller's status when asked about the matter Friday. In the immediate future, Tyrod Taylor will make his third straight start this Sunday in place of Jones.