Mid-week updates from around the NFL

First and foremost: DO NOT OVERLOOK THE THURSDAY NIGHTER! Bears-49ers kick off the '09 Thursday night schedule, which runs through Week 16. Don't be the bonehead who neglects to set his roster in time.

Lots of rumors flying around today about teams interested in Larry Johnson's services, including the Pats, Seahawks and Texans. If you still have LJ sitting on your bench, it might not hurt to hold onto him for a day or two, just in case he goes somewhere interesting. I'm not exactly sure where he could end up that would pique my interest, but you just never know, you know?

A few players sat out Wednesday's practice (Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo, TO, Colston) but at this point, none of their ailments seems likely to keep them out of action this weekend.

Clinton Portis, however, is another story. You can safely assume he will miss at least a game due to the severe concussion he incurred last week. Ladell Betts will get the start against a rapidly fading Broncos defense, which has been torched by Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall in consecutive weeks.

No telling whether Brian Westbrook will be back or not, but he's not only dealing with the after-effects of his concussion, but his ankle has been bothering him again, too. Looks like time is quickly catching up to him. LeSean McCoy will likely be the workhorse again this weekend.

Hopes are high in Oakland that Darren McFadden will be back from his knee surgery and that Chaz Schillens will finally return from his preseason foot injury. Fantasy owners, however, should not pin their hopes on either player.

Bengals WR Chris Henry is gone for the year with a broken arm. Not a big loss for fantasy owners, though, who can be forgiven for wasting a draft pick on him after his stellar preseason. At least he's not back in jail.

Brady Quinn is expected to re-claim the reins of the Browns' offense this week from the comically ineffective Derek Anderson. Of course, we've watched this movie before, so move on...nothing to see here.