Dez Bryant
The Cowboys are leaving the door open for Dez Bryant to play on Sunday versus the Giants. Getty

With Week 7 kicking off on Thursday night, some teams with legitimate playoff aspirations may be without their top offensive weapons. The Dallas Cowboys, among the elite NFC teams entering the 2015 season, are still without quarterback Tony Romo, and have turned to veteran Matt Cassel. Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

But there are other key players who may suit up. Here are five players whose status in Week 7 is still unclear.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

The star wide out practiced on Thursday with his helmet and pads, but was running and cutting at full speed. After a foot injury in Week 1, Bryant was projected to return in November but is not listed as day-to-day. The Cowboys seem optimistic that he can play on Sunday against the Giants, but he won't be rushed back.

Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Tom Coughlin told reporters that Beckham Jr. will not practice Thursday due to a hamstring injury and also said the wide receiver will likely be on the same schedule as last week. The second-year wide receiver missed practice Wednesday and Thursday before playing on Monday night in a 27-7 loss to the Eagles. He is expected to play on Sunday.

Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers

Allen caught 14 passes for 157 yards on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, before leaving the game with a hip injury. He did not participate in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but is expected to play against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Reserve quarterback Landry Jones is expected to make his first career start on Sunday, though Roethlisberger was back on the field Wednesday taking snaps in a left knee brace. Roethlisberger has missed the past three games with an MCL sprain, and reportedly had strong showing in practice.

Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers

Despite not having a full week of practice and being listed as "questionable," Hyde is “good to go” on a short week, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport. Hyde has been dealing with a foot injury and was a limited participant on Wednesday. The foot has been an issue for weeks and 24-year-old running back appeared less than 100 percent as he gained just 55 yards on 21 carries in the Week-6 win over Baltimore.

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