NFL Player News

Powell was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to a shoulder injury.

Powell sustained the injury in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Packers but was able to return to the game. He turned two touches (one reception, one carry) into 12 yards and returned three punts for 34 yards. With Justin Jefferson (hamstring) still on injured reserve, Powell offers pass-catching depth behind Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn (chest) and T.J. Hockenson.

Osborn was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to a chest injury.

In the three games that Justin Jefferson (hamstring) has missed during his current stint on injured reserve, Osborn's snap share hasn't been affected at all on a weekly basis, and his output (17-194-0 receiving line on 21 targets) has experienced a slight uptick. Meanwhile, rookie first-round pick Jordan Addison has exploded for a 17-233-4 receiving line on 23 targets in the same span. If Osborn is able to put his current health concern behind him for Sunday's game in Atlanta, he likely will be working with rookie quarterback Jaren Hall after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles tear this past Sunday at Green Bay.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Nacua (knee) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

McVay told Greg Beacham of the Associated Press on Monday that Nacua had some swelling in his knee in the aftermath of the Rams' Week 8 loss at Dallas, which could result in the receiver facing some practice limitations this week. Indeed, that has come to pass Wednesday, but it's unclear if Nacua will remain limited Thursday and Friday. Regardless, Nacua's status for Sunday's game in Green Bay doesn't seem to be in peril.

Samuel (toe) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

Samuel made an early departure from this past Sunday's loss to the Eagles due to a toe injury. On Monday, head coach Ron Rivera described Samuel as dealing with soreness as a result, per Ben Standig of The Athletic. Samuel's lack of on-field work to kick off Week 9 prep isn't an encouraging sign for his upcoming availability, but his listing on the Commanders' next two injury reports may shed light into whether an absence is possible Sunday at New England.

Parker (concussion) isn't participating in Wednesday's practice, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Parker's absence for the Patriots' first Week 9 practice comes as little surprise after he entered the concussion protocol upon taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Miami's DeShon Elliott in this past Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Dolphins. Given that Parker previously missed game action during the 2019 and 2022 seasons due to concussions, he may face an uphill battle to clear the five-step protocol ahead of this weekend's game against the Commanders. If Parker ends up sitting out Week 9, the Patriots would likely turn to Demario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor as their top three receivers, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

Shenault (ankle) did not participate at practice Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Shenault sat out of Sunday's game versus Houston tending to his high ankle sprain, and he's still not ready for activity to begin Carolina's new week of practice. He'll probably need to practice in some capacity Thursday or Friday to have a chance to play in Week 9.

Robinson (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Robinson again is dealing with a cap on his reps, likely for maintenance reasons due to the torn ACL in his right knee that he sustained Week 11 of last season. He was able to handle a season-high 83 percent snap share this past Sunday against the Jets, but like his teammates not named Saquon Barkley (ankle), Robinson didn't produce much (no catches on one target, two carries for 17 yards) in a game in which the Giants produced just 194 yards of total offense. Robinson has two more opportunities this week to get back to full participation in practice before the team potentially hands him a designation for Sunday's contest in Las Vegas.

Hopkins (toe) was listed as a non-participant in practice Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Steelers.

Hopkins' inability to practice Wednesday after being listed as a limited participant Monday and Tuesday may leave his fantasy managers feeling uneasy, but without a day off between practice and Thursday's game, it's possible Tennessee was just providing extra rest for the veteran wide receiver. Hopkins has a history of suiting up despite little or no practice participation, and he showed no signs of being bothered by an injury in this past Sunday's three-touchdown performance against the Falcons. All three touchdowns came on the receiving end of passes from rookie quarterback Will Levis, who will make his second straight start Thursday in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill (ankle). The strong-armed Levis will likely continue looking for Hopkins deep downfield if the receiver is given the green light when Tennessee releases its inactive list roughly 90 minutes prior to Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Thomas was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to the illness that he played through Week 8 at Indianapolis, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

The Saints added Thomas to their Week 8 practice report Saturday, listing him questionable for this past Sunday's game. He eventually suited up, but his workload was scaled back somewhat (67 percent snap share) en route to four catches (on seven targets) for 68 yards. Thomas still has a pair of practices this week to get back to all on-field activity ahead of Sunday's contest against the Bears.

Reagor could find himself in a top-three role at receiver Week 9 against the Commanders if DeVante Parker isn't able to clear the NFL's concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's game, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

In the aftermath of Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Dolphins, Reagor has already moved up one spot on the depth chart with Kendrick Bourne (knee) having sustained a season-ending ACL tear. Parker also exited the Week 8 contest early, paving the way for Reagor to play a season-high 30 snaps on offense (59 percent share). Reagor failed to haul in either of his two targets, however, and though he could continue to take on a sizable snap share Week 9, he may not generate many looks from quarterback Mac Jones while operating mostly as a downfield decoy. Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster are better bets for target volume among the New England receivers while both typically work in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field.