NFL Player News

Shaheed (toe/foot) is not practicing Friday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Shaheed is dealing with a new toe/foot injury, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. After missing the Saints' preseason opener last week due to a hamstring issue, Shaheed's status now looks uncertain for Sunday's exhibition contest against San Francisco. On a positive note for New Orleans, A.T. Perry (ankle) returned as a limited participant Friday.

Thornton was on the field for nine snaps on offense in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.

Thornton didn't see any targets in his limited action versus Philadelphia, but he did line up with the starting offense for the second straight exhibition contest. He has a chance to parlay his speed into a role in a Patriots' wideout corps that could be without Kendrick Bourne (knee) early on, competing for snaps with DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor.

Osborn logged 13 snaps on offense in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.

Osborn didn't see any targets versus Philadelphia, but he was in the starting lineup for a second straight preseason contest. With JuJu Smith-Schuster released and Kendrick Bourne (knee) a candidate to miss the start of the season, Osborn is on track for the Week 1 start in a WR corps that also includes promising second-year player DeMario Douglas, rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker and returnees Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor. Osborn could merit attention in deeper fantasy formats, but he's never been a big-time target earner and may now be stuck in a cautious, run-first offense.

Baker caught one of his four targets for 12 yards in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.

Baker, who recorded 24 snaps in the contest, only hauled in one of his targets, but the 2024 fourth-rounder did manage to get his hands on a couple of other throws, including a diving attempt on a deep ball from QB Drake Maye in the second quarter. Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, Baker has demonstrated boom-or-bust tendencies this summer, but the UCF product does have a chance to grow into a role in the Patriots' pass-catching corps as a rookie, provided he can gain more consistency to pair with his play-making potential.

Polk caught two of his three targets for six yards in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.

Polk had modest stats across 26 snaps, but he displayed some run-after-the-catch ability while shedding a pair of would-be tacklers on a six-yard completion from QB Drake Maye in the second quarter. The rookie second-round pick is a candidate to secure a key role, but whether that translates to initial fantasy relevance hinges on both his early-season workload and how heavily the team leans on the run amidst its transition at quarterback.

Bourne (knee) remains on the active/PUP list ahead of the Patriots' Aug. 25 preseason finale, Jacob Rousseau and Bill Kochof the Providence Journal report.

It remains to be seen when Bourne -- who is bouncing back from a torn right ACL that he suffered last October -- will be able to resume practicing, but as Week 1 approaches, it becomes increasingly plausible that the veteran wideout could start the coming campaign on the PUP list. With the Patriots guided by a new coaching staff and transitioning at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, we suspect that the team will err on the side of caution with Bourne out of the gate this season. If he does end up out or limited early on, added opportunities would be available for some combination of DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutteand Jalen Reagor.

The Rams plan to rest Kupp and other key players for Saturday's preseason game against the Chargers, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

The Rams held nearly half their roster out of the preseason opener against Dallas, including a lot of their more highly regarded backups, and coach Sean McVay said the list of rested players could be even longer for the team's second exhibition. Kupp has been healthy throughout spring practices and training camp, unlike last year when he had to rehab from a major ankle injury and then dealt with a hamstring pull for much of the summer and September.

Douglas caught one of two targets for one yard in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.

It was nice to see Douglas suit up Thursday after he missed the preseason opener against the Panthers due to a hand injury. The second-year slot receiver accounted for one of Jacoby Brissett's three completions in the first quarter. Regardless of whether Brissett or rookie third overall pick Drake Maye starts under center in the regular season, Douglas figures to be one of the Patriots' top pass catchers after posting 561 receiving yards as a rookie in 2023. New England's preseason finale will be Aug. 25 against the Commanders.

Smith didn't play in Thursday's 14-13 preseason win over the Patriots.

Smith has yet to appear in the 2024 preseason, which is also the case for Philadelphia's other key skill players. After signing a three-year, $75 million extension in April, Smith will look to build on a strong first three NFL regular seasons in which he averaged 1,059 receiving yards and 6.3 TDs per year. If Smith plays in the preseason finale against the Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 24, it likely won't be for more than a few drives.

Brown didn't play in Thursday's 14-13 preseason win over the Patriots.

Brown was joined by QB Jalen Hurts, fellow WR DeVonta Smith and RB Saquon Barkley on the sidelines as Philadelphia's top skill-position players got the night off, as was also the case in the preseason opener. Regardless of whether Brown suits up in the preseason finale against the Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 24, he's poised to maintain a key role come the regular season after racking up 2,952 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns across his previous two regular seasons with the Eagles.