Week 9 inactives: Packers will have WR Valdes-Scantling, DL Lowry, CB King vs Chiefs

Three starters who were question marks this week get the nod.

Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is active for the Green Bay Packers for the first since Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers as he appears to have recovered from his hamstring injury. This should be a huge boost for quarterback Jordan Love, who is making his first start in his NFL career following the news that starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after he tested positive for the virus earlier this week.

Defensive lineman Dean Lowry (hamstring) and cornerback Kevin King (shoulder/back) are also going to play this week. Lowry was held out of practice at times this week, while King has been held out of games since his Week 5 injury against the Cincinnati Bengals. Both should give the team some more room for error on the defensive side of the ball. It’s worth noting that King was playing his best ball in some time against the Bengals the last time we saw him on the field.

Left tackle David Bakhtiari, who is on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from his 2020 ACL injury, has been eligible to return to the field, but still isn’t ready to go, based on the team’s hesitation to activate him at this point in this season.

Two of the Packers’ four inactives this week are their typical healthy scratches in safety Vernon Scott and pass-rusher La’Darius Hamilton, who has fallen down the depth chart since the signing of former Houston Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus. Defensive lineman Kingsley Keke (concussion) was assumed to be a player who would not play against Kansas City, but their fourth inactive, inside linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, is somewhat of a surprise. McDuffie has been a special teams contributor and with Jaylon Smith no longer on the roster, the team has quickly gone from going into games with six active inside linebackers to just four in a short amount of time. One of those four, Ty Summers, is essentially a special teams-only player based on his recent usage rate.

Kansas City’s inactives are mostly healthy scratches. The two players listed as questionable, doubtful, or out on their Friday injury report (OT Mike Remmers and DL Khalen Saunders) have both officially been held out.

Full Inactives List:

• #34 Vernon Scott, SAF
• #54, La’Darius Hamilton, OLB
• #58 Isaiah McDuffie, ILB
• #96 Kingsley Keke, DL (concussion)