NFL Player News

Ridley caught both of his targets for 38 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-7 win over the Falcons.

Ridley took advantage of busted coverage to haul in a 30-yard touchdown during the first quarter. Despite scoring against his old team, Ridley otherwise was largely shadowed by top Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, contributing toward a third straight game with three or fewer catches and 40 or fewer receiving yards. He'll strive to improve his volume in Week 5, when the Bills travel to London to face the Jags.

Skowronek (Achilles) is active for Sunday's game in Indianapolis, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Prior to this contest, Skowronek was contained to just one limited practice Friday due to an Achilles injury. Still, he'll gut it out Week 4 while operating as a depth wide receiver for the Rams behind Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Van Jefferson. Through three outings, Skowronek has gathered in two of four targets for 13 yards.

Scott could see an increased role in the Bears' offense with Chase Claypool (coach's decision) inactive Sunday against the Broncos, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Scott has been involved as a peripheral member of Chicago's receiving corps three games into his professional career, playing in around 20 percent of the team's offensive snaps. With Claypool inactive, Scott could see more time on the field in three-receiver sets, though Fishbain also mentioned the possibility the team could opt for more two-tight end sets, which would push Robert Tonyan onto the field over Scott.

Olszewski (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Texans.

Olszewski was in concussion protocols at the start of the week, but he was able to clear the league's five-step process Thursday. It's not clear if the team is just choosing to go with the safe route here regarding the Bemidji State product's health or just prefers to have someone else active. Calvin Austin will likely handle kick return duties in Olszewski's absence.

Fitzpatrick is active for Sunday's matchup against the Texans, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Fitzpatrick is active for the first time this season. He was signed off the practice squad after Diontae Johnson suffered a hamstring injury, but Fitzpatrick officially cracked the 53-man roster Sunday with Gunner Olszewski (coach's decision/concussion) inactive. Fitzpatrick has caught five of eight targets for 49 yards and a touchdown across five career appearances and will serve as a depth wideout versus Houston.

Mingo (concussion) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Vikings, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

According to Gantt, Mingo has cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, but because he was only a limited participant in practice this week, the Panthers won't have him suit up Sunday. The rookie wideout should be back in action for the Panthers' Week 5 matchup at Detroit, but his absence Sunday should open up the No. 3 receiver spot for Terrace Marshall.

Claypool (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

It was reported earlier Sunday that Claypool could lose his spot on the game-day roster, as he has both struggled to produce early this season and voiced his displeasure with his role. As a result, he'll be inactive for the first time in 2023 after playing at least 75 percent of offensive snaps in the first three games. Tyler Scott is a logical candidate to see an increased role in Claypool's absence, though Equanimeous St. Brown and Trent Taylor could also step into larger roles.

Washington suffered a right knee injury in Sunday's game against the Falcons and is questionable to return, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Washington, a rookie sixth-round pick out of Penn State, was active Sunday for the first time in his NFL career because the Jaguars are without two receivers in Zay Jones (knee) and Jamal Agnew (quad). The 21-year-old didn't draw a target and returned one punt for five yards before exiting with the injury. Christian Kirk is expected to handle punt-return duties if Washington is unable to check back into the contest.

St. Brown is expected to be active for the first time this season in Sunday's game against the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Meanwhile, No. 3 wideout Chase Claypool will be a healthy inactive Sunday after getting off to a poor start to the season in addition to intimating to reporters earlier this week that he's been frustrated with how he's been used through the Bears' first three games. Despite logging more than 50 percent of the snaps on offense in 12 of his 16 appearances with the Bears in 2022, St. Brown mustered an underwhelming 21-323-1 receiving line on 38 targets. While he likely won't provide an upgrade over Claypool from a pass-catching perspective, the big-bodied St. Brown is a willing and capable blocker and reportedly turned in a strong week of practice, according to Rapoport. It's unclear if the Bears plan on having St. Brown serve as a one-for-one replacement for Claypool, or if rookie Tyler Scott will also get the chance to see reps as a third receiver behind DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney.

Claypool is expected to be a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

It's been a precipitous fall down the depth chart for Claypool, whom the Bears acquired from the Steelers last November for the No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. After struggling to produce for the Bears following his acquisition last season, Claypool hasn't fared much better through the first three games of the current campaign. Despite playing more than 75 percent of the snaps on offensive in each of those contests, Claypool has compiled a 4-51-1 receiving line on 14 targets. His demotion comes after he intimated to reporters earlier this week that he didn't believe he had been a put in the best position to succeed, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. Equanimeous St. Brown is expected to be active for the first time all season while Claypool is on the sideline, though it's unclear whether St. Brown or rookie Tyler Scott will end up serving as the Bears' No. 3 wideout behind DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney.