NFL Player News

Knowles (undisclosed) was spotted on the sidelines of Monday's camp session, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Knowles, an undrafted second-year wide receiver out of Kansas State, had been dealing with an undisclosed injury over the past week. It seems as if he could be nearing a return to the field, and once he does, Knowles is expected to compete for a depth spot in Minnesota's wide receiver corps.

Ford-Wheaton (shoulder) was spotted participating in Wednesday's camp session, Vincent Carchietta of The Clayton News-Daily reports.

Ford-Wheaton missed time earlier in the offseason with a shoulder issue, but it now appears that he's moved past the injury. With Ford-Wheaton back at full health, he's expected to compete for a depth role in the Giants' wide receiver room.

Palmer has been a regular presence on the first-team offense at training camp, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Palmer, Ladd McConkey and DJ Chark reportedly are dominating the wideout reps on the starting offense, leaving Quentin Johnston and others to work with the backups. Palmer averaged a career-high 58.1 receiving yards per game last season, including 70.6 yards per game from Week 3 onward, but a knee injury and concussion led to seven absences. After some hints of limited participation in the offseason program, Palmer seems to be back at 100 percent for training camp and is regularly catching passes from quarterback Justin Herbert. There's opportunity for the 2021 third-round pick to enjoy a fourth-year breakout, although he's probably looking at reduced team passing volume relative to prior years now that head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman are running the show in Los Angeles.

McConkey, Joshua Palmer and DJ Chark have been the main receivers for the first-team offense during Chargers training camp, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Popper notes that McConkey has "flashed" throughout spring and summer practices and looks particularly good while working from the slot. He isn't necessarily a slot-only prospect given his timed 4.39-second 40-yard dash speed, but it makes sense that McConkey would get more snaps inside if he's mostly on the field at the same time as the 6-foot-3 Chark and the 6-foot-1 Palmer. The ideal scenario for rookie-year fantasy value would feature McConkey taking most of his 11 personnel snaps from the slot while also getting steady playing time in two-wide formations. In any case, it's a good sign that the 34th overall pick has been thrown right in with the first-team offense rather than being forced to work his way up the depth chart.

Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said Monday that Doubs has "super strong hands" and is "pretty tremendous" at running routes, Zach Kruse of USA Today reports.

Doubs hype is reaching a crescendo in the second week of training camp, with a slew of Packers beat writers reporting that the wideout has been one of the team's standout performers. Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander poured fuel on the fire Tuesday when he said Doubs is his second-favorite receiver in the league (after former teammate Davante Adams) and acknowledged that the 24-year-old often wins their one-on-one battles in practice, per Paul Bretl of 105.5 ESPN La Crosse. Quarterback Jordan Love has also expressed confidence this summer in Doubs, who had 234 yards in two playoff games this past January after finishing the regular season with 674 receiving yards. The enthusiasm is encouraging, but Doubs will still face stout target and snap competition from fellow young wideouts Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks.

Bateman (undisclosed) returned to practice Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

An unspecified issue caused Bateman to exit Monday's practice early, but his return to the field Wednesday aligns with head coach John Harbaugh's previous assertion that the wideout wasn't dealing with anything major. As the 2024 campaign approaches, Bateman has a chance to see an uptick in production in his fourth year while working as one of Lamar Jackson's top targets alongside 2023 first-round wideout Zay Flowers and star tight end Mark Andrews.

Baker and fellow rookie Ja'Lynn Polk have made their mark through the Patriots' first six training camp practices, according to Evan Lazar of the team's official site.

With Kendrick Bourne recovering from a knee injury that could limit him early on this season and DeVante Parker no longer in the mix, targets are up for grabs in New England's wide receiver corps this coming season. Baker -- whom the team took in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft -- has made some highlight-reel plays in camp, and the UCF product has a chance to contribute as a rookie if he can parlay his big-play potential into a steady role early on. Such an outcome appears plausible, with slotting in a wideout corps that will continue to feature DeMario Douglas and also includes K.J. Osborn, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Reagor and Tyquan Thornton still to be determined.

Polk and fellow rookie and Javon Baker have been "as advertised" through six training camp practices, according to Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site.

Lazar notes that Polk -- whom the Patriots took in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft -- has been featured out of the gate with other regulars in the team's offense as a reliable underneath target. With Kendrick Bourne recovering from a knee injury that could limit him early on this season, Polk would appear to have a path toward becoming an immediate contributor in New England's passing game as a rookie. Whether that translates to fantasy relevance right away hinges on what sort of volume the Washington product sees in an offensive attack that could lean heavily on the run. As the season progresses Polk could emerge as key a pass catcher for whichever quarterback ( Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye) is behind center.

Valdes-Scantling's first-team reps have dwindled amidst a slow start to training camp, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Chase Claypool's absence due to a toe injury might have seemed like an opportunity for Valdes-Scantling to get more reps and deep targets, but Buscaglia notes that the former Packers and Chiefs wideout has mostly been working with backups and not making any noise. Valdes-Scantling could end up on the roster bubble, even though he'll be guaranteed $2.25 million for 2024.

Toney left Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

The 2021 first-round pick has a lengthy history of lower-body injuries, which is part of why he's probably competing for return work more so than a regular role on offense at this stage of his career. The Chiefs might still have something in mind for Toney off the bench, but he's unlikely to get enough snaps for mainstream fantasy value even if the injury turns out be minor and he returns to practice fairly soon.