The Roundup: Headline News for Week 7

We rarely see any major deals being made at the NFL’s trade deadline.  But with trades involving a wide receiver who led the league in receiving yards last year and a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback going down, as well as the announcement of quarterback changes in Minnesota and Washington, it has been a very interesting and busy week in football.  Let’s get right to the headlines and find out who’s in and who’s out…
 
Wide Receivers
 
Broncos trade Brandon Lloyd to Rams:  In getting Lloyd from Denver, the Rams gave up a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft that could become a fifth-round pick if he catches 30 passes this season for St. Louis.
 
Mike Sims-Walker returns to Jaguars:  Sims-Walker, who was released by the Rams earlier this week, was signed by the Jaguars on Wednesday who are in need of a deep receiver.
 
Andre Johnson is ruled out for this Sunday:  The hamstring injury he suffered in Week 4 will keep him out again this week against the Titans.
 
Julio Jones is listed as doubtful for this Sunday:  After missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury, he is expected to be inactive again this week against the Lions.
 
Running Backs
 
Jahvid Best is ruled out for this Sunday:  Due to the concussion he suffered in Week 6, he will sit out this week’s game against the Falcons, and the timetable for his return remains unclear.  Maurice Morris will start at tailback this Sunday.
 
Peyton Hillis is listed as questionable for this Sunday:  His hamstring injury has limited him in practice this week, and his status for this week’s game against the Seahawks remains uncertain.
Felix Jones is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a high ankle sprain.
 
NFL reduces Cedric Benson‘s suspension to one game:  Benson, who is on bye this week, will serve his one-game suspension next week and therefore will miss the Bengals’ game against the Seahawks in Week 8.
 
LeGarrette Blount is ruled out for this Sunday:  For the second straight week, his knee injury has held him out of practice, and he will be inactive again this week against the Bears.  The Bucs are targetting Week 9 for his return.  Earnest Graham will carry the load for Tampa Bay during Blount’s absence.
 
Tim Hightower is listed as probable for this Sunday:  He returned to a full practice on Wednesday from a shoulder injury and is expected to play this week against the Panthers.  However, his workload for Week 7 remains unclear.
 
Joseph Addai is listed as questionable for this week:  He returned to practice on Friday from a hamstring injury and will be a game-time decision for this Sunday night game against the Saints.
 
Quarterbacks
 
Carson Palmer is now a Raider:  Campbell suffered a broken collarbone injury in Week 6 and is likely to be sidelined for a minimum of 6 weeks.  With Campbell injured, the Raiders acquired Palmer in a trade with the Bengals on Tuesday.  However, in order to give Palmer more time to be ready, the Raiders will start Kyle Boller this Sunday against the Chiefs.
 
Sam Bradford is listed as questionable for this Sunday:  The high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 6 has limited him in practice this week, and he will be a game-time decision for this week’s game against the Cowboys.
 
Tarvaris Jackson is listed as doubtful for this Sunday:  He’s been limited in practice this week due to his pectoral injury and is expected to be inactive for this week’s game against the Browns.  Charlie Whitehurst will start if Jackson can’t play.
 
Vikings bench Donovan McNabb, Christian Ponder will start:  With the Viking at 1-5 and McNabb struggling, Coach Frazier announced on Tuesday that Ponder will be the team’s starting quarterback.
 
Rex Grossman is out and John Beck is in for Redskins:  Coach Shanahan announced on Wednesday that Beck will be the team’s starting quarterback.  Beck will make his first NFL start since 2007 this Sunday against the Panthers.
 
Tight Ends
 
Antonio Gates is listed as probable for this Sunday:  He returned to practice on Friday from a foot injury and is expected to be active this week against the Jets.
 
Chris Cooley is expected to be out indefinitely:  Coach Shanahan confirmed on Monday that Cooley would have surgery on his fractured left index finger on Wednesday.  While recovering from his finger surgery, Cooley will also seek additional medical opinions on his troublesome left knee.
 
Zach Miller (JAC) is done for the season:  Jaguars placed Miller on the season-ending injured reserve list on Tuesday as a result of his shoulder injury.
 
Kickers
 
Sebastian Janikowski may be out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury.
 
That about wraps it up for us this week. Make sure you don’t miss out on our free $1,000 Beat the Expert contest where you can go heads up against our top expert, Scott Pianowski from Yahoo. Or, see how you stack up against all our experts with our $500 Start/Sit Accuracy Challenge. Enjoy the games everybody and good luck!