NFL Player News

Lamb (back/foot) returned to practice Friday and is expected to play Sunday at Washington, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Lamb was a limited participant Wednesday before sitting out Thursday. It now seems his absence Thursday was a matter of maintenance rather than indicating a setback, but the Cowboys still may give the star wideout a game designation on their final injury report Friday afternoon.

Coker is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Kansas City after missing Friday's practice with a quadriceps injury.

An end-of-week addition to the injury report isn't good news, and Coker's role was already somewhat in flux due to the impending return of Adam Thielen (who is listed as questionable but expected to play). The undrafted rookie presumably has shown enough that the Panthers will want to keep playing him, even if that means moving him out of the slot and to the perimeter in an effort to accommodate Thielen. Unfortunately, we won't get to see the new plan if Coker ends up on the inactive list 90 minutes ahead of a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.

Thielen (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Kansas City, but Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Friday that the wide receiver will play, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Thielen's active status should be confirmed 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff. He never quite made it back to full practice participation, instead logging limited sessions each day this week. The exact nature of his role remains in question, as Jalen Coker (quadriceps) has done solid work from the slot in recent weeks but now is listed as questionable after missing Friday's practice. While the Panthers may be inclined to move Coker to the perimeter anyway to free up slot work for Thielen, it's fair to say Thielen's Week 12 volume projection improves if he's active and Coker isn't.

Smith (hamstring) isn't practicing Friday and appears in serious danger of missing Sunday's game at the Rams, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Smith hasn't practiced all week, and it remains to be seen if he's listed as questionable, doubtful or out on Philadelphia's final injury report. A 'questionable' designation would create a tricky situation for a lot of fantasy managers with the Eagles and Rams playing Sunday night.

Nabers missed the media-access portion of Friday's practice because of a groin injury, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Duggan notes that the same thing happened Week 7 when Nabers was coming back from a concussion -- he cleared the protocol but had a groin injury added midweek on the Giants' practice report. He then took 93 percent of snaps in a 28-3 loss to the Eagles, catching four of eight targets for 41 yards. Nabers had at least 10 targets and six catches in three subsequent games, but without any TDs and no more than 71 yards in any of the contests. He now has the added challenge of a QB change with Tommy DeVito replacing the recently cut Daniel Jones, although the bigger short-term concern for fantasy managers is Nabers' health, as his dominant volume makes him worth starting whenever he's active even if the efficiency outlook is poor. The team's official injury report Friday afternoon/evening should provide a hint as to whether Nabers is in any danger of missing Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

Jefferson secured both of his targets for 39 yards during Thursday's 24-19 loss to the Browns.

Jefferson aggravated a quad injury in the first half of Thursday's primetime matchup but returned after halftime. He recorded a 35-yard reception in the third quarter and finished the game with his second-highest yardage total of the season. However, the 2020 second-rounder had been held without a catch in each of his previous two games, highlighting his inconsistency during the 2024 campaign.

Moore brought in three of five targets for 21 yards in the Browns' 24-19 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.

Moore's fellow receiver Cedric Tillman exited Thursday's contest in the third quarter with what was ultimately diagnosed as a concussion, which may have helped lead to a couple of extra targets for Moore in the fourth quarter. One of those was intercepted by Donte Jackson at the Steelers' 22-yard line with 4:28 remaining, but Cleveland was able to eventually mount a game-winning touchdown drive on the next possession. Moore's overall numbers actually represented a downturn to varying degree compared to those he'd generated in Jameis Winston's first four games under center, but he could be in line for a larger role in a Week 13 road matchup against the Broncos on Monday night, Dec. 2 if there's better weather and/or Tillman is unavailable for that contest.

Austin brought in all three targets for 78 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 24-19 loss to the Browns on Thursday night.

Austin offered up some rare chunk plays in the snowstorm-like conditions that a significant portion of Thursday's game was played in, following up a 46-yard grab early in the second quarter with a 23-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. The second-year wideout's yardage total was his second highest of the season, surpassed only by his 95-yard tally in Week 3 against the Chargers. Austin's role in the offense will continue to fluctuate weekly, but his speed and Russell Wilson's touch on deep passes affords the fleet-footed receiver upside any time he's out on a route.

Pickens secured four of seven targets for 48 yards in the Steelers' 24-19 loss to the Browns on Thursday night.

Pickens set the pace for the Steelers in targets while sharing the team lead in receptions with Pat Freiermuth. The blizzard-like conditions certainly didn't help Pickens' cause and helped lead to his lowest yardage total since Week 5 against the Cowboys. Pickens did extend a streak of recording at least four catches to five games, and he'll draw a more favorable matchup on paper in a Week 13 road matchup against the Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Jeudy brought in all six targets for 85 yards in the Browns' 24-19 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.

Jeudy led the Browns in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the night, turning in a solid encore to the 6-142-1 line he'd generated four days earlier against the Saints. Jeudy's talent has been evident since the move to Jameis Winston at quarterback, as he's now recorded at least five catches and 73 yards in the last four games with the veteran signal-caller under center. Jeudy will now have extra time to ramp up for a game that's likely to evoke a bit of additional incentive, a Week 13 road matchup against his old Broncos squad on Monday night, Dec. 2.