NFL Player News

Nacua suffered a knee injury during Thursday's practice and will be listed as limited on the Rams' second Week 9 injury report, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Nacua previously tended to a right knee injury that kept him out for the entire preseason, and he aggravated the issue Week 1, missing the next five games as a result. He was able to return to action last Thursday against the Vikings, and while his workload was capped at 41 of 72 offensive snaps (57 percent), he paced the Rams with seven catches (on nine targets) for 106 yards and added two carries for five yards. Per Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, the current concern is related to the old one, so Nacua's status bears watching as the team prepares for Sunday's road matchup with the Seahawks.

Metcalf (knee) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Metcalf has yet to practice since sustaining an MCL sprain in his left knee in a Week 7 win in Atlanta, despite optimism from coach Mike Macdonald on Wednesday that the wide receiver would take part one day later and be able to suit up this weekend, per Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle. As such, Metcalf has just one more chance to mix into drills Friday before the Seahawks potentially make a ruling on his status ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams. Last week, he went down as doubtful, so getting a questionable tag this week would mark a step in the right direction.

Johnston (ankle) practiced fully Thursday, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.

After missing two straight contests, Johnston is poised to return to action Sunday against the Browns. In the process, he'll bolster a Chargers wideout corps that also features Ladd McConkey, Joshua Palmer, and possibly DJ Chark (groin). Through five games thus far, Johnston has caught 14 of his 22 targets for 164 yards and three touchdowns, a pace that puts the 2023 first-rounder on the fantasy radar in deeper formats.

Chark (groin) practiced fully Thursday, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.

Chark had been limited since having his 21-day practice window opened, but his return to a full session Thursday suggests that he could come off IR and be available to face the Browns on Sunday. If that ends up being the case, the Chargers would be able to ease Chark back in, with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer also in the team's wideout mix ahead of Week 9 action.

Rice (shoulder) was listed as a DNP on Thursday's injury report.

Rice was limited in Wednesday's practice due to a shoulder injury, but he was unable to see the field Thursday. It's a trend in the wrong direction, but he'll have one more chance Friday to return to practice and give himself a chance to play against the Browns on Sunday.

McConkey (hip) practiced fully Thursday, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.

The same goes for Quentin Johnston (ankle), which sets the stage for the Chargers to have their top three wideouts (McConkey, Johnston and Joshua Palmer) available Sunday against the Browns. It also looks like DJ Chark (groin, IR) is trending toward returning to action this weekend, but in any case, McConkey should maintain steady enough volume going forward to yield weekly fantasy lineup utility.

Jones (groin) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Jones was able to practice in full Wednesday, but he was limited during Thursday's session, indicating that he may have picked up a groin injury during practice. The severity of the injury isn't clear, but Friday's practice report should provide clarity on his status heading into Sunday's game against the Raiders. Jones has served as the Bengals' primary return man this season, but if he's unable to play, Chase Brown and Trenton Irwin would be the top candidates to handle kickoff- and punt-return duties Sunday.

Boyd (shoulder) remained sidelined at practice Thursday.

While Boyd maintained his practice level from Wednesday, fellow wideout Calvin Ridley (shoulder) returned to a full practice Thursday. Boyd now has one more chance to practice as Sunday's game against the Patriots approaches, but if he's unavailable this weekend, the Titans would need to summon help from the practice squad to bolster their WR depth behind Calvin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Thornton (ankle) was limited at practice Thursday.

Thornton practiced fully Wednesday, so it's possible that he tweaked his ankle during Thursday's session. If Thornton is available Sunday against the Titans, he'd profile as a low-percentage fantasy option while working in a New England wideout corps that also includes DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and Ja'Lynn Polk (concussion).

Polk (concussion) practiced fully Thursday.

After being limited Wednesday, Polk upgraded to all activity a day later, which has the 2024 second-rounder trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's game against the Titans. If he's cleared for Week 9 action, Polk would profile as a hit-or-miss fantasy option in a New England wideout corps that features DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne.