NFL Player News

Samuel (hip) will play Sunday in Denver, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

Samuel was a limited practice participant throughout the week, with head coach Ron Rivera confirming Friday that the wide receiver will play through a minor injury Sunday. The 27-year-old missed most of his first season in Washington with injuries but then played all 17 games in 2022 and now finds himself in the final year of his three-year contract. He was Washington's No. 3 receiver in terms of playing time during a 20-16 win over Arizona in Week 1, though he finished with a team-high 54 receiving yards from five targets on a rough day for Sam Howell, Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. The possibility of Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain shadowing McLaurin on Sunday could perhaps help direct more touches toward Samuel and Dotson.

Chark (hamstring) is listed as a limited participant on Friday's estimated practice report.

The Panthers only held a walk-through Friday in preparation for Monday's matchup with the Saints. It remains to be seen if Chark can earn an upgrade Saturday, but even if not he should at least manage a 'questionable' designation for the second straight week (after not playing in Carolina's opener).

Cooks (knee) may end up as a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup with the Jets, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday that Cooks doesn't necessarily need to practice this week in order to avoid the inactive list ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Cooks didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and likely will be limited if he returns Friday.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said Friday that Meyers (concussion) is viewed as doubtful to play Sunday against the Bills, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Friday's injury report will confirm the wideout's official Week 2 injury designation, but at this stage, Meyers is trending toward missing Sunday's contest. With Meyers expected to be sidelined, the Raiders will turn to depth wideouts DeAndre Carter (knee), Kristian Wilkerson and Tre Tucker to pick up added snaps behind starters Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow.

Addison secured three of five targets for 72 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings' 34-28 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night.

The rookie was able to leverage his speed to score his second touchdown in as many career games, streaking downfield on a post for a 62-yard TD reception early in the third quarter to answer the Eagles' DeVonta Smith's 63-yard scoring grab less than two minutes prior. Addison has wasted no time flashing his big-play ability, already having leveraged seven catches into 133 yards through his first pair of contests. While Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson certainly represent formidable competition for targets, Addison looks set to command his fair share of Kirk Cousins' attention in Minnesota's pass-heavy offense due to his downfield prowess.

Brown secured four of six targets for 29 yards in the Eagles' 34-28 win over the Vikings on Thursday night.

Brown tied DeVonta Smith for second in receptions but was a distant runner-up to his fellow star wideout in receiving yardage. The big-bodied wideout's uninspiring line was partly the result of Jalen Hurts' modest 23 pass attempts and D'Andre Swift's standout 175-yard tally, however, and he'll remain a candidate for his first breakout of the season in a Week 3 road contest against the Buccaneers on Monday night, Sept. 25.

Smith secured four of five targets for 131 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 34-28 win over the Vikings on Thursday night.

The highlight of Smith's big night was a 63-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter that saw the fleet-footed receiver use pure speed to get open for a perfectly timed throw from Jalen Hurts. Smith's second catch of the game had also seemed to portend a prolific night, as he logged a 54-yard grab during Philadelphia's first drive. Smith has significantly outpaced fellow star receiver A.J. Brown through two games, as the former will take an 11-178-2 season line into a Week 3 Monday night road matchup against the Buccaneers on Sept. 25.

Jefferson brought in 11 of 13 targets for 159 yards in the Vikings' 34-28 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night. He also lost a fumble.

Jefferson finished with game-high reception, receiving yardage and target totals by a wide margin, putting together his second massive stat line in a span of four days. The Pro Bowl wideout wasn't on the receiving end of any of Kirk Cousins' four touchdown passes, however, although his final catch of the night, a 20-yard grab with 1:41 remaining, did get the ball down to the Eagles' five-yard line to set up a T.J. Hockenson scoring grab. Jefferson already has a 20-309 line through two games and now gets some extra down time before a Week 3 home matchup against the Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 24.

Watkins has been ruled out for the rest of Thursday's game against the Vikings due to a hamstring injury, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Watkins suffered the injury in the first half and has not returned to the game since. He was spotted briefly jogging on the sideline, but he apparently is not well enough to return. Positively for Watkins, the Eagles have 10 days off prior to their next game, so he may be able to return without any additional missed time. Olamide Zaccheaus is expected to take over duties in the slot for Philadelphia.

Watkins is questionable to return to Thursday's game against Minnesota due to a hamstring injury, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Watkins exited the game in the second quarter and was spotted running on the sideline to test the injury. Olamide Zaccheaus took over as the slot receiver and figures to take on a larger role if Watkins is sidelined for any significant amount of time.