NFL Player News

Thielen caught 11 of 13 targets for 107 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 42-24 loss to the Lions.

Thielen once again led the Panthers in all major receiving categories. With his one-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Thielen has now scored in three of his last four games. The veteran has also hauled in at least seven passes in each of those contests, topping 100 yards twice during that span. Although Carolina's offensive has struggled under rookie quarterback Bryce Young, Thielen has benefitted from being the top target, including in garbage-time situations like the second half Sunday.

Irwin took reps with the first-team offense during pregame warmups and is expected to serve as the Bengals' No. 3 wideout with Tee Higgins (rib) inactive for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Higgins' absence should open up plenty of extra snaps for Irwin, but he's still unlikely to rank as anything more than a tertiary target in the passing game behind the likes of wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd, tight end Irv Smith and running back Joe Mixon. Through the first four games of the season, Irwin has drawn just one target across 43 snaps on offense.

Robinson (concussion) returned to Sunday's contest at Miami, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

The entire Giants beat, including Salomone, reported that Robinson was ruled out due to a concussion in the fourth quarter, but the second-year wide receiver was cleared of a head injury not long afterward. Robinson will look to build upon his five catches (on six targets) for 18 yards and one carry for one yard in the waning moments of the game.

Robinson exited Sunday's game against the Dolphins with a concussion, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Prior to being forced out of the contest, Robinson caught five of his six targets for 18 yards and carried once for one yard. In his absence, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, Parris Campbell, Isaiah Hodgins and Sterling Shepard are the Giants' available Week 5 WR options.

Dell (concussion) has been ruled out for a return to Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Dell was presumably diagnosed with a brain injury after he exited the contest late in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion when he hit his head on the turf while reeling in a catch. He'll finish the game with three catches for 57 yards on four targets. The rookie receiver out of Houston will now look to clear the five-step concussion protocol ahead of the Texans' next game Oct. 15 versus the Saints.

Woods (ribs) returned to Sunday's game against the Falcons late in the third quarter after initially being listed as questionable to return, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Meanwhile, fellow receiver Tank Dell (concussion) has been ruled out for a return, leaving Woods and Nico Collins as the clear top two wideouts available for quarterback C.J. Stroud. Prior to his brief departure, Woods had caught two of six targets for 18 yards.

Smith-Schuster has been ruled out for a return to Sunday's game against the Saints due to a head injury. He recorded three catches for six yards on four targets prior to exiting the contest.

Smith-Schuster is the second Patriots receiver to be ruled out for the day due to a head injury, as the team announced coming out of halftime that rookie Demario Douglas wouldn't be able to return to the contest. In the case of Smith-Schuster, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald relays that the 26-year-old was quickly ruled out after he was examined in the blue medical tent on the Patriots' sideline. With Smith-Schuster and Douglas both sidelined for the rest of the afternoon, the Patriots are left with DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne at the position, though running back Ty Montgomery, tight end Mike Gesicki and special teamer Matthew Slater can probably fill in in a pinch, if needed.

Hardman (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Broncos.

Hardman will sit out for the first time this season after having garnered active status for the first four games. However, the Georgian product has yet to make an impact, catching his only target for a six-yard gain on 20 offensive snaps.

Woods suffered an injury to his ribs in the first half of Sunday's game against the Falcons and is questionable to return.

Woods corralled two of his six targets for 18 yards before leaving to get evaluated for the injury. With rookie Tank Dell (concussion) also deemed questionable to return, the Texans could be forced to rely more heavily on John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson to pick up snaps behind No. 1 wideout Nico Collins.

Douglas (head) has been ruled out for a return to the second half of Sunday's game against the Saints.

Douglas was removed from the game in the second quarter after sustaining a head injury, and though he's now been ruled out, the Patriots haven't confirmed that he suffered a concussion. Regardless, the rookie receiver's absence for the rest of the day won't help the Patriots' hopes of digging out a 21-0 halftime deficit. Douglas finishes the Week 5 contest with one catch for 24 yards on two targets.