The Roundup: Headline News for Week 8

The pure joy my brother and I felt after his team pulled off the luckiest and the most improbable win of this season on Monday night unfortunately didn’t last long, as we found out the very next day that one of his precious running backs was lost for the season with a torn ACL he suffered during last Sunday’s game.  Indeed, Week 7 created so many injury situations all around the league. We’ll get you caught up with this quick summary of all the most important news from the week.
 
Before we get to the headlines, though, I’d like to remind everyone to get your Start/Sit Challenge picks in for this week. We’re giving out prizes to the top 50 entries and you’ll also be able to see exactly where you rank among the 70+ experts we track. It only takes 2 minutes to answer our 10 “Who would you start?” questions (unless you agonize over them like I do). Now onto the news…
 
Wide Receivers:
 
Andre Johnson will miss his fourth straight game this Sunday against the Jaguars:  He’s been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Week 5, and although he returned to practice and made some progress this week, he’s still not at full speed yet and will sit out another week.
 
Percy Harvin is listed as questionable but expected to play this week:  He returned to a limited practice on Thursday with a rib injury, and despite the questionable tag, he is likely to be in the lineup for this Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
 
Malcom Floyd is listed as questionable for this week:  The hip injury he suffered during last week’s game against the Jets has limited him in practice this week, and it looks like he is headed toward a game-time decision for Monday night’s game against the Chiefs.
 
Hines Ward is listed as questionable but highly unlikely to play this Sunday:  His ankle injury has held him out of practice all this week, and he is expected to miss this week’s game against the Patriots.
 
Santana Moss is expected to miss 5-7 weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday.
 
Running Backs:
 
Marshawn Lynch is expected to be active for this Sunday: He returned to a full practice on Thursday after suffering a back injury in Week 7 and is likely to be in the starting lineup for this week’s game against the Bengals.
 
Mark Ingram has been ruled out for this Sunday: The heel injury he suffered during last week’s game against the Colts has held him out of practice this week, and he will be sidelined for this week’s game against the Rams.
 
Daniel Thomas is listed as questionable but expected to be active for this week:  He returned to a limited practice on Thursday with a hamstring injury, and despite the questionable tag, he will likely play this Sunday against the Giants.
 
Mike Tolbert will most likely miss this Monday night’s game against the Chiefs with a hamstring injury.
 
Peyton Hillis is listed as questionable for this week:  After suffering a setback during Wednesday’s practice, his availability for this Sunday’s game against the 49ers remains in doubt.
 
Joseph Addai is listed as questionable for this week:  He returned to a full practice on Friday, and will most likely be a game-time decision for this Sunday’s game against the Titans.
 
Jahvid Best will be sidelined for the second straight week with a concussion:  He’s been ruled out for this Sunday’s game against the Broncos and will be held out through the Lions’ Week 9 bye.
 
Beanie Wells is listed as questionable for this Sunday:  He returned to a limited practice on Thursday with a knee injury and will be a game-time decision for this week’s game against the Ravens.
 
Cedric Benson will serve his one-game suspension this week and therefore miss this Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.
 
Tim Hightower is out for the rest of this season with a torn left ACL he suffered during last week’s game against the Panthers.
 
Earnest Graham is done for the season with a torn Achilles tendon:  The Bucs placed him on the injured reserve list on Tuesday.
 
Willis McGahee has been ruled out for this Sunday: His hand injury has held him out of practice all this week, and he will be inactive for this week’s game against the Lions.
 
Quarterbacks:
 
Matthew Stafford is listed as questionable but expected to play this Sunday:  The ankle injury he suffered in last week’s game against the Falcons has limited him in practice this week, but he is likely to start this week against the Broncos.
 
Sam Bradford has been ruled out for this week:  He’s been held out of practice all this week due to an ankle injury and will sit out this Sunday’s game against the Saints.
 
Matt Moore is listed as probable for this Sunday:  Despite nursing a bruised rib injury, he returned to a full practice on Wednesday and is expected to start this week’s game against the Giants.
 
Tarvaris Jackson is listed as questionable but likely to start this Sunday against the Bengals:  His pectoral injury has limited him in practice this week, but despite the questionable tag, he is expected to play this week.
 
Tight Ends:
 
Chris Cooley is out for the season with a combination of injuries:  The Redskins placed him on the injured reserve list on Tuesday as a result of a broken finger and complications from a knee injury he suffered previously.
 
Benjamin Watson is listed as questionable for this week:  He returned to practice on Friday after suffering a concussion during last week’s game, but his status for this Sunday’s game against the 49ers remains uncertain.
 
Todd Heap is listed as questionable for this Sunday:  He was limited in practice this week due to his hamstring injury and will be a game-time decision for this week’s game against the Ravens.
 
That does it for us this week.  Enjoy the games everybody and good luck!
 
 
Photo Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5