ESPN NFL

You can commence making your fall weekend plans at 8 p.m. ET Thursday.

The NFL has announced it will reveal the 2013 season slate at that time. We will have complete analysis of the schedule Thursday evening on the blog.

There are some intriguing matchups this year, including Denver quarterback Peyton Manning going back to Indianapolis for the first time after spending 14 years with the team, and new Kansas City coach Andy Reid going back to Philadelphia. The Eagles fired him in December after 14 seasons.

There has been speculation Denver will host Super Bowl champion Baltimore in the NFL season opener on Thursday, Sept. 5. There is also a chance the AFC West will be part of a Week 1 "Monday Night Football" doubleheader. Since the doubleheader began in 2006, the only year there hasn’t been an AFC West presence was in 2007.

In other AFC West notes:

• San Diego restricted free agent Danario Alexander is expected to participate in the team’s voluntary minicamp this week, according to U-T San Diego. He has not signed his restricted free-agent tender. Teams have until Friday to sign Alexander to a contract offer sheet.
• Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis continues to talk about his plan for the future model of his rebuilding team.
• The Raiders announced the signing of exclusive rights free agents Alex Parsons, Brandian Ross and Jeremy Stewart. All three moves were procedural.

OAKLAND -- Another day, another Denver starter out for Thursday night’s game.

The Broncos have inactivated standout guard Chris Kuper with an ankle injury. He was downgraded to questionable Thursday morning and he was ruled out after trying to work on his injury prior to the game. Manny Ramirez takes Kuper’s place.

Wednesday night, starting linebacker Wesley Woodyard was ruled out with an ankle injury. D.J. Williams and Danny Trevathan will play for him.

Receiver Brandon Stokley was healthy enough in pregame warm-ups to be activated. He missed last Sunday’s game with a hip and wrist woes.

For Oakland, there are a couple of mild surprises. Running back Jeremy Stewart and receiver Derek Hagan are inactive. Stewart ran well Sunday and Hagan has been one of Oakland’s most reliable receivers.

Stewart is down partly because starter Darren McFadden is back after missing the past four games with an ankle sprain. For the second time this season, second-year quarterback Terrelle Pryor is active. I wouldn’t be shocked to see some packages designed for him, perhaps in the red zone.

As expected, the Oakland Raiders will be without starting running back Darren McFadden and his backup, Mike Goodson, for the second straight game Sunday when they host New Orleans.

Both players were hurt in Week 9 and they didn’t play last week because of high ankle sprains. Fullback Marcel Reece will continue to be the top tailback and Taiwan Jones and Jeremy Stewart will be the backups with McFadden and Goodson out.

Defensive tackle Richard Seymour is out for the second straight game with a knee/hamstring problem.

Safety Tyvon Branch practiced on a limited basis Friday. He missed the first two days of practice this week with a neck injury. He is questionable and he will likely be a game-time decision. Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey missed his second straight day of practice with a hamstring injury and he is questionable. Rookie Rod Streater and veteran Derek Hagan will likely play a lot if Heyward-Bey can’t play.

Meanwhile, for Kansas City, receiver Jon Baldwin is out with a head/neck injury he suffered Monday night at Pittsburgh. Quarterback Brady Quinn is questionable with a concussion he suffered in Week 8. If he can’t play, Ricky Stanzi will be the backup quarterback. Center Ryan Lilja is questionable with a knee injury. There may be shuffling on the Chiefs offensive line with guard Jon Asamoah out with a thumb injury.

It appears Michael Huff will stay at cornerback for the rest the season now that Oakland Raiders cut Pat Lee and put Shawntae Spencer on the injured reserve.

The Raiders started the season with Ronald Bartell and Spencer as the starting cornerbacks. However, Bartell was injured in the first game of the season and Spencer was hurt in the second game. Huff was moved from safety to cornerback out of necessity.

Bartell returned from injured reserve Saturday. It appears Bartell and Huff will be the starters for the rest of the season. I think Huff’s future position will be predicated on where the Raiders upgrade in the offseason.

The decision to cut Lee is a bit strange with Spencer going on the injured reserve. Lee has started seven straight games. He is not a great starter, but I have a hard time thinking he doesn’t belong on the Oakland roster for depth reasons.

Meanwhile, Oakland added running back Jeremy Stewart from the practice squad Saturday. He should be active Sunday at Baltimore because running backs Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson are both out with high ankle sprains.

In other AFC West news:

As expected, Kansas City defensive end Glenn Dorsey is out for Monday night’s game at Pittsburgh. Tackle Branden Albert and (back) and center Ryan Lilja (neck) are questionable to play in the game.