NFL Player News

Gray (shoulder) was a full participant at the 49ers' practice Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Gray was designated to return from injured reserve last week and his full participation to open the week seems to suggest that he's nearing an activation by San Francisco. If activated, the 24-year-old will provide the team with some added depth behind the likes of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk at wide receiver heading into the postseason.

The 49ers designated McCloud (ribs) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

McCloud was a full participant in his return to practice Wednesday, his first since landing on injured reserve Dec. 9. The 49ers will have a full 21-day window to evaluate the wide receiver/return specialist before deciding whether to add him to the 53-man roster or keep him on IR for the rest of the season, but McCloud could be activated ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams if he shows well in practice this week.

Toney was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to hip and ankle injuries.

Toney didn't practice last week and has missed two straight games due to a hip strain, but he's now apparently dealing with an additional injury as the Chiefs begin Week 18 prep. On a positive note, Toney still managed to take the field Wednesday in some capacity, which marks a step forward in his recovery and suggests that he could put an end to his two-game absence Sunday versus the Chargers. That said, with the Chiefs locked in as the AFC's No. 3 seed in the playoffs, the team has no incentive to play the wideout in the regular-season finale if they're not convinced he's 100 percent healthy.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that Toure (knee), who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, will "be down for a while," Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Toure was spotted using crutches Wednesday. He would technically be eligible to return to action for the Super Bowl in the event Green Bay advances to the title game Feb. 11, but in all likelihood, his next chance to suit up will come next season.

Nailor (concussion) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's injury report.

Nailor has missed all of the Vikings' last three games, and he's apparently still in concussion protocol to start Week 18 prep. He'll likely have to practice Thursday or Friday to have any chance to suit up in Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Lions.

Wicks (chest) was a limited participant at Wednesday's walkthrough.

Wicks took on his first recorded on-field reps since enduring a chest injury Week 16 at Carolina that sidelined him for this past Sunday's win over Minnesota. Fellow banged-up wide receivers Christian Watson (hamstring) and Jayden Reed (chest) also had caps on their reps to begin Week 18 prep, so the trio will be monitored closely as the weekend approaches to see if any of them may be unavailable Sunday against the Bears.

Boutte (illness) doesn't appear Wednesday on the Patriots' initial Week 18 injury report.

Boutte sat out Sunday's loss to the Bills, but the rookie wide receiver appears to have recovered and should be good to go for the Patriots' season finale against the Jets this weekend. The LSU product hasn't found much success in his first NFL campaign, suiting up just four times while recording two catches for 19 yards on seven targets.

Sutton (concussion) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Sutton didn't practice at all last week before being ruled out ahead of Broncos' Week 17 win over the Chargers. The wideout's return to a limited session Wednesday has him trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's season finale against the Raiders, but with Denver eliminated from playoff contention, the team has little incentive to play Sutton this weekend if there's any doubt about his status as game day approaches.

Reed (chest) was a limited participant in Wednesday's walkthrough.

Reed made an early exit from this past Sunday's win at Minnesota due to a chest injury, but not before putting up six catches (on eight targets) for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Following the game, he had X-rays in his ribs, which returned negative. Reed confirmed as much Wednesday, telling Matt Schneidman of The Athletic that he feels "pretty good." Still, the overly cautious Packers likely will continue to place practice restrictions on Reed as the week goes on with an aim toward having him as a healthy as possible for Sunday's game against the Bears.

Watson (hamstring) was a limited participant at Wednesday's walkthrough.

In his first on-field work since suffering a strained right hamstring Week 13 against the Chiefs, Watson predictably operated with a cap on his reps. Speaking of the Packers' No. 1 wide receiver, head coach Matt LaFleur told Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Watson is coming off a good week and will need to make appreciable progress this time around to put himself in a position to return to action this weekend versus the Bears. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Watson himself was more optimistic, saying, "it's looking a lot like I'm going to be able to play some football this Sunday." Ultimately, Watson has two more practice sessions to prove his health before the team potentially makes a ruling on his upcoming availability as soon as Friday.