Colts Thursday Injury Report: Four key players return to practice

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It's Star Wars day, and that means that I'll be heading to the theater in just a little bit for the 7:00 showing, but while that's a huge event, the Colts also have a huge game coming up this weekend (see what I did there?).  The Colts will play the Texans for the AFC South lead with just two weeks remaining, a crucial game for both the playoff hopes of both teams.

Because of that, the Colts' injury situation is even more important than normal, and while today's injury report doesn't look as bad as it did a day ago, there are still quite a few key players who are included.  Let's take a look at today's practice report, followed by some comments.

Did Not Practice:

Colt Anderson, S (ankle)

D'Qwell Jackson, ILB (quad)

Donte Moncrief, WR (toe)

D'Joun Smith, CB (knee)

Limited Participant:

Anthony Castonzo, T (knee)

Vontae Davis, CB (knee)

Jack Doyle, TE (toe)

Jerrell Freeman, ILB (hamstring/ribs)

Matt Hasselbeck, QB (back/ribs)

Andrew Luck, QB (abdomen/kidney)

Hugh Thornton, G (elbow)

Greg Toler, CB (knee/hamstring)

Erik Walden, OLB (foot)

Colt Anderson and Donte Moncrief missed practice for the second straight day, while D'Qwell Jackson and D'Joun Smith, who were both limited yesterday, didn't practice today.  The key names in the mix there are Moncrief and Jackson, both of whom are key contributors to the team.  We don't know their status for the game yet, but it would be big if they could play.

Some other notable players returned to practice today after missing yesterday: Vontae Davis, Greg Toler, Jerrell Freeman, and Matt Hasselbeck.  All are projected to start on Sunday if they are healthy enough.  The real significant news among that group is that Hasselbeck returned to practice, as he missed on Wednesday with a rib injury.  With Andrew Luck now officially out for this Sunday's game despite returning to practice, it is crucial that Hasselbeck be available. Hasselbeck told reporters today that, on Monday, he didn't think he was going to be able to play, but that he was able to practice today.  He said that heavy breathing remains an issue, however, so it doesn't seem like any certainty that just because he practiced today he will play Sunday.  If he can't go, it would be Charlie Whitehurst getting the start.