NFL Player News

Johnson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Washington, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Johnson played through an ankle injury the past two weeks but is now listed with hamstring and rib injuries as well. He was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday before returning to limited participation at the end of the week, which gives the impression he's truly questionable ahead of a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday. An absence would leave more playing time for WR Jonathan Mingo while boosting the target-share projections for nearly every other piece of Carolina's offense, including WRs Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker and TE Ja'Tavion Sanders.

Pittman (back) was present but not participating in Friday's practice, according to Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star.

Pittman practiced fully Thursday, so it's possible that his non-participation Friday is rest-related rather than indicative of a setback. The Colts' upcoming injury report thus is slated to reveal the Week 7 game statuses of Pittman and fellow WRs Josh Downs (toe) and Alec Pierce (shoulder).

Pierce (shoulder) is participating in Friday's practice, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Pierce was added to the injury report as a non-participant Thursday due to a shoulder issue. To see Pierce back on the practice field Friday is encouraging as to his chances of suiting up Sunday versus the Dolphins. Friday's official practice report will reveal whether or not Pierce carries an injury designation approaching Week 7 action.

When asked Friday if he anticipates Cooper playing Sunday against the Titans, coach Sean McDermott said, "We'll see, I mean, I would think so, but I wanna see, and I wanna visit with the coaches again," Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

The Bills added Cooper in a trade with the Browns on Tuesday, so the wideout has had limited time to familiarize himself with the team's offense. There's a chance that McDermott will confirm Cooper's playing status ahead of Week 7 action, but if that doesn't happen, Buffalo's inactive list for the team's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff will reveal the final outcome on that front.

Johnson (ankle) is preparing to practice Friday morning, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

He'll likely be a limited participant after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday, but this nonetheless confirms Johnson is making a bid to play Sunday at Washington. He played through the same ankle injury the last two weeks, including this past Sunday when he had a 6-78-1 line on 10 targets in a 38-20 loss to the Falcons.

Baker (illness) is not participating in practice Friday, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.

Baker joined teammates for the trip to London, but it looks like an illness could impact his availability for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Of course, given that the rookie fourth-round pick has been a healthy scratch in New England's last three games, he may not be in line to suit up versus Jacksonville even if healthy.

Means secured three of five targets for 37 yards in the Saints' 33-10 loss to the Broncos on Thursday night.

Means found himself in an expanded role with Chris Olave (concussion), Rashid Shaheed (knee) and Taysom Hill (ribs) all sidelined, and he finished tied for second in receptions and fourth in receiving yards. The rookie fifth-round pick went without a catch for the first four games of his career, but he's now generated an 8-82-1 line on 13 targets over the last pair of contests. Means could be in for extra opportunity again in a Week 8 road matchup against the Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 27 with Shaheed now ruled out for the season.

Tipton secured six of nine targets for 45 yards and returned one kickoff for 21 yards in the Saints' 33-10 loss to the Broncos on Thursday night.

The undrafted rookie from Yale unsurprisingly saw a significantly extended role with Chris Olave (concussion), Rashid Shaheed (knee) and Taysom Hill (ribs) all out for New Orleans. Tipton came into the night with a 6-40 line on 11 targets over his first five games, so his numbers Thursday essentially matched what he'd accomplished as a pro to date. The solid performance could be a sign of what's to come for Tipton the rest of the season, as Shaheed has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

Sutton did not draw a target during the Broncos' 33-10 win over the Saints on Thursday night.

The Broncos' No. 1 wideout was shockingly uninvolved in a game during which his team enjoyed a solid amount of offensive success, although Sutton did draw a target late in the first quarter that didn't end up in the box score due to the Saints' defensive holding penalty on the play. Given he'd drawn an impressive 47 targets from Bo Nix over the first six games, Thursday can safely be chalked up as an outlier for Sutton, who'll be well-positioned for a bounce-back performance during a Week 8 home matchup against the Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 27.

Vele secured one of three targets for 20 yards in the Broncos' 33-10 win over the Saints on Thursday night.

The rookie made an impact with his one catch, although his final line was underwhelming in comparison to his performance against the Chargers just four days prior. Vele had posted a 4-78 line on six targets in that contest, but in fairness, Bo Nix was required to do less in the passing game Thursday night than he did versus Los Angeles. Vele's production will likely remain difficult to trust week to week, but he'll draw a good matchup against the Panthers in a Week 8 home clash on Sunday, Oct. 27.