Injury Report: Oakland Raiders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Injury report update of the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of their Week 8 matchup.
The halfway point of the NFL season is quickly approaching. After Week 8, many teams — including the Oakland Raiders — will have played half of their games. Injury reports tend to be quite lengthy by this point, or if not the injury report, the injured reserve lists will include plenty of names.
For the Raiders, that includes Lee Smith, Gabe Holmes, Ben Heeney, Neiron Ball, SaQwan Edwards and Mario Edwards Jr., who will be given the designation to return.
For Tampa, their IR includes Charles Sims and Vincent Jackson, and several non-notable names — Devante Boyd, George Johnson and Jacquies Smith.
Let’s take a look at the weekly injury reports of both teams, to see who might miss Week 8.
Oakland:
| NAME | POSITION | INJURY | WED. | THU. | FRI. | GAME STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vadal Alexander | G/T | Ankle | LP | LP | – | – |
| Andre Holmes | WR | Hip | LP | LP | – | – |
| Taiwan Jones | RB | Knee | DNP | LP | – | – |
| Stacy McGee | DT | Ankle | DNP | DNP | – | – |
| Brynden Trawick | S | Shoulder | LP | LP | – | – |
| Menelik Watson | T | Calf | LP | LP | – | – |
Vadal Alexander and Menelik Watson were both limited in practice. Vadal with an ankle injury, and Menelik with a calf injury. Austin Howard has a rough pair of games since returning from an injury of his own, so hopefully Menelik can get back out onto the field.
Andre Holmes is dealing with a hip injury and was limited in both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices. But with an insignificant role, this is hardly notable.
Similar things can be said for Taiwan Jones, who if he his healthy, could just end up being a scratch anyway. Jalen Richard has earned the kick return job, and Taiwan is buried behind Latavius Murray and both rookie backs on the depth chart.
Stacy McGee left the game in Jacksonville with an ankle injury and did not return. He is yet to participate in practice, so it’s a safe bet he’ll miss this one in Tampa as well.
The last player on the injury report, and in my opinion the most important one, is Brynden Trawick. Special Teams players are unsung heroes of the 53-man roster, and Trawick has been amongst the best in the league in his role. Hopefully he’ll be a go against the Bucs.
Tampa Bay:
| NAME | POSITION | INJURY | WED. | THU. | FRI. | GAME STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Ayers | DE | Ankle | LP | LP | – | – |
| Joe Hawley | C | Ankle | LP | LP | – | – |
| Doug Martin | RB | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | – | – |
| Gerald McCoy | DT | Calf | – | LP | – | – |
| Clinton McDonald | DT | Hamstring | LP | LP | – | – |
The Bucs injury report is short, but it includes a few notable names.
Robert Ayers hasn’t had that much of an impact in 2016 as he’s been limited to just two games, but he totaled 9.5 sacks in 2015 as a member of the New York Giants, so he certainly can impact games when healthy.
Doug Martin hasn’t played since Week 2, and it’s a tough break for a team when a player of his caliber is injured. Martin ran for over 1,400 yards in 2016.
Last but not least, Gerald McCoy missed one practice and was limited in another as he deals with a calf injury. McCoy may not be playing at the same level we’ve seen in past years, but he’s still having a strong season. If he misses the game, that will be a big help to the Raiders offense.
- PRACTICE STATUS
- DNP = Did not participate in practice
- LP = Limited Participation in Practice – Less than 100% of a player’s normal repetitions
- FP = Full Participation – 100% of a player’s normal repetitions
- (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available
- GAME STATUS
- Out = Player will not play
- Doubtful = Player is unlikely to play
- Questionable = Player is not certain to play
- (-) = Not Listed – No game status available