NFL Player News

Reed (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Reed injured his ankle this past Sunday against the Cardinals on a punt return that ultimately was negated by offsetting penalties. Overall, he managed a season-low 53 percent snap share, but he still hauled in all six of his targets for 28 yards and one touchdown. All of Reed, Christian Watson (ankle) and Dontayvion Wicks (shoulder) were limited to kick off Week 7 prep, so the situation bears watching to see if any of the trio are in danger of being inhibited or sidelined Sunday versus the Texans.

Metchie didn't draw a target while playing 25 of the Texans' 66 snaps on offense in Sunday's 41-21 win over the Patriots.

Though he was active for the third straight game and saw his highest snap share of the season with Nico Collins (hamstring) on injured reserve and with Robert Woods (foot) inactive for the contest, Metchie didn't see any involvement in the passing attack. If Woods is cleared to play Week 7 against the Packers, Metchie would likely drop to fifth in the pecking order at receiver behind Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, Xavier Hutchinson and Woods.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Shaheed (knee) is slated to undergo surgery to address a meniscus injury and may be placed on injured reserve, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Shaheed thus will join Chris Olave (concussion) as out for Week 7 action, and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the former's procedure will determine if he misses multiple weeks or even the rest of the campaign. With their top two wide receivers sidelined for at least Thursday's contest, the Saints will turn to Mason Tipton, Cedrick Wilson (ankle) and Bub Means at the position, while Equanimeous St. Brown, Kevin Austin, Dante Pettis and Jermaine Jackson are candidates to be elevated from the practice squad.

The Chargers plan to open Chark's (hip) 21-day practice window Wednesday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Chark landed on injured reserve in advance of Week 1, but the wideout is now inching closer to a return to action. Whether he'll be activated for Monday's game against the Cardinals likely depends on the extent of his practice activity this week, but whenever he returns to the lineup, Chark will have an opportunity to claim a role in a Chargers wideout corps currently led by Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Olave (concussion) won't play in Thursday's game against the Broncos, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

In the wake of suffering a concussion this past Sunday versus the Buccaneers, Olave wasn't able to practice this week, indicating he's made little-to-no progress through the protocol for head injuries. With Olave and Rashid Shaheed's (knee) sidelined for Week 7, the Saints will be particularly shorthanded at wide receiver Thursday. Mason Tipton, Cedrick Wilson (ankle) and Bub Means are the options on the active roster, while Equanimeous St. Brown, Kevin Austin, Dante Pettis and Jermaine Jackson are candidates to be elevated from the practice squad.

Johnson (ankle) did not practice Wednesday.

Johnson has managed to play through his ankle injury in consecutive games, though he was limited in practice leading up to Carolina's loss to the Falcons in Week 6. The veteran wideout led the Panthers in receiving versus Atlanta, securing six of 10 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown while playing 89 percent of offensive snaps. Panthers head coach Dave Canales told Steve Reed of the Associated Press that Johnson is expected to practice Thursday, so the 28-year-old's availability for this Sunday's game in Washington doesn't appear to be in much peril.

Meyers (ankle) is expected to return to practice Wednesday, with Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce noting that he's hopeful the wide receiver can play Sunday against the Rams, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.

Meyers managed just one limited practice last week (Friday) and was downgraded from questionable to doubtful before being inactive ahead of the Raiders' eventual loss to the Steelers. He appears to have a good chance to return for Week 7, and after the Raiders traded Davante Adams to the Jets on Tuesday, Meyers is now locked in as the team's clear No. 1 wideout.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that he hasn't decided if Cooper will play Sunday against the Titans, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Cooper is at the team facility Wednesday, one day after the Bills traded a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-rounder in exchange for the wideout and a 2025 sixth-round pick. He should be ready to contribute by Sunday, but it might be in a smaller role than what Cooper will eventually handle as the new No. 1 receiver in Buffalo.

Downs (toe) isn't practicing Wednesday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Downs played through the injury Sunday against the Titans, catching seven of his team-high nine targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in a 20-17 victory. He missed the first two practices of last week but then returned as a full participant Friday and ended up handling his normal workload (80 percent snap share, 79 percent route share) after being listed as questionable on the final injury report. With no reports of a setback, Downs seemingly has a good chance to play again this Sunday against the Dolphins, although his volume projection takes a hit with Anthony Richardson (oblique) expected to step back in as the starting quarterback while Joe Flacco returns to the bench.

Wicks (shoulder) took part in Wednesday's practice, Bill Huber of SI.com reports.

After departing this past Sunday's win against the Cardinals due to a shoulder injury, Wicks initially was deemed week-to-week, per Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports. Having said that, Wicks' ability to participate in at least individual drills to begin Week 7 prep may put him closer to day-to-day. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported that Wicks was wearing a brace on his upper arm Wednesday, so his ability to play Sunday against the Texans could come down to pain tolerance.