NFL Player News

Pickens (hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

As he was a week ago, Pickens continues to operate with practice restrictions, giving him just one more chance this week to get back to full Friday, at which point the Cowboys may tag him with a designation for Sunday's game against the 49ers. He's looking to limit his absence to only one contest due to a hamstring injury.

Joseph (knee) did not travel to Munich with the Lions and is ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Patriots.

Joseph was a full participant in practice Thursday, but it appears the Lions are taking a cautious approach to his return. The 25-year-old has one more chance to return from the reserve/PUP list in Week 11 before he becomes ineligible for the remainder of the season.

McCarthy (hip pointer) is "good to go" and isn't expected to be limited for Thursday's game against the Commanders, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

McCarthy missed much of the third quarter of this past Sunday's win at Philadelphia due to a hip pointer but was able to return to action, completing 12 of 19 passes for 127 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions and rushing four times for 22 yards. Considering he ended Week 10 prep with back-to-back full practices, he seemingly was in the clear for Thursday's matchup, and Palmer's report indicates McCarthy will take on every rep, leaving Jameis Winston as the No. 2 QB, and on the sidelines Thursday.

Vaki (ankle) did not participate in practice Thursday.

Vaki missed practice for the second straight day due to an ankle injury that occurred in the Lions' Week 9 win over the Dolphins. The 25-year-old will likely need to practice in some capacity Friday for a chance to play in Week 10 against the Patriots in Germany. If Vaki is unavailable Sunday, Jacob Saylors will likely serve as the No. 2 back behind Jahmyr Gibbs against New England.

Wilson (concussion) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

Wilson was limited in a second consecutive practice Thursday, though he took a step in the right direction, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports that Wilson shed the red non-contact jersey at Thursday's practice. If Wilson can practice without limitations Friday, that would go a long way in his quest to clear concussion protocol in time to face the Bills on Sunday.

Cooper (ankle) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

Cooper officially goes down as a limited participant for a second consecutive practice, matching the participation level of Garrett Wilson (concussion). Since returning from an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve, Cooper has 19 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns in four games, even with a zero-catch Week 8 performance during that stretch.

Walker (ribs) was a limited participant in practice Thursday.

Walker opened the week as a non-participant in practice Wednesday due to a rib injury that he played through in Week 9. Practice participation in some form Friday could improve his chances of playing in Week 10. The 25-year-old has 21 tackles (nine solo), including 3.0 sacks, and one pass deflection in eight regular-season games.

Meyers (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Meyers has managed one injury or another throughout the season without missing any games. His return to practice Thursday after a Wednesday absence suggests this may just be another cause of maintenance/caution. If Meyers plays, he'll face a Tennessee defense that's allowing a league 40.7 PPR points per game to wide receivers.

Rodriguez (hand) was a limited practice participant Thursday, while Bhayshul Tuten (ankle/foot) didn't participate.

The catch is that Tuten didn't practice last week and ended up playing in a 33-10 win at Baltimore on Thursday night. Rodriguez played through his hand injury, so he should be able to take on an expanded workload this week if Tuten doesn't play.

Fant Donaldson (back) upgraded to full participation at Thursday's practice.

Fant was limited at Wednesday's practice, but the veteran TE faced no limitations Thursday, suggesting that he'll be good to go for Sunday's game against the Panthers. He has worked as the Saints' No. 2 option at the position behind Juwan Johnson.