Tampa Bay Vipers at LA Wildcats injury report

The 1-3 LA Wildcats host the 1-3 Tampa Bay Vipers on Sunday night. That doesn’t sound like a clash of the titans but both teams have turned their seasons around to where they are at least watchable, as their offenses have played well the last two weeks.

The injury report is long for this game, with 21 total players listed. The Wildcats have the majority, as they will once again be without stud receiver Nelson Spruce who has yet to practice with a knee injury. Tre McBride and Jordan Smallwood have seen a boost with Spruce out.

Kicker Nick Novak is out and has been replaced by ex Raiders kicker Giorgio Tavecchio.

Linebacker Tre Williams is out. Williams hasn’t been a big factor, but has played plenty of snaps. Two defensive linemen, Shawn Oakman and Cedric Reed are questionable after getting in limited practices. Oakman missed last week and if he can play this week it would be a boost for the Wildcats defense.

Running back Martez Carter was able to see limited practices all week and is listed as questionable. He appears to be trending toward playing, but we can’t be sure of his workload. If he is truly a full go, he should get his chance to lead the backfield.

The Vipers get a nice boost with the likely return of tight end Nick Truesdell, their No. 1 pick in the XFL draft. He practiced all week and is listed as probable, so should be ready.

The defensive lineman Ricky Walker missed Week 3 and then only played five snaps before exiting in Week 4. He has played well when healthy, but is out for this game.

Running back De’Veon Smith is dealing with a foot injury and got limited practices in on Thursday and Friday and is listed as probable. It’s impossible to know the extent of his injury, but he should be able to go after being listed as probable.