Shane Vereen, Vincent Jackson Injury Updates

New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen missed practice on Friday with an illness, and his status was immediately put into question by the sudden absence. However, he was still expected to play today against the Chicago Bears, and that expectation only increased this morning to the point where Vereen, who was listed as questionable, became fully expected to play. Today’s game against the Bears will be an emotional one for him, as he will face off against rookie safety and brother Brock Vereen, who stated before the draft that he would relish the chance to hit Shane in pads for the first time if/when the two face off in the NFL.

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As expected, Shane Vereen is officially active for today’s game, and he could have a big day, especially as a pass-catcher. The Bears are still vulnerable against the run, but, of course, Vereen really hurts defenses in the passing game with his explosiveness.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson has received plenty of interest from teams looking to trade for a top wide receiver, including the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Jackson was listed questionable on the injury report with a rib injury, but he practiced on Thursday and Friday and was always expected to play today against the Minnesota Vikings. He is indeed inactive and will have Mike Glennon throwing the ball to him (as was fully expected), so he could have a big day.