NFL Player News

Johnson missed Wednesday's practice with a hip injury.

Johnson has been listed with hip and/or toe injuries for the past month without missing a single game. A return to practice Thursday, even in a limited capacity, would put him on track to play Sunday against the Browns. Another absence, on the other hand, might be cause for legitimate concern as the tries to go 17-for-17 in appearances in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

Burks was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a groin issue, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Burks practiced fully Tuesday, so his addition to the Titans' injury report Wednesday is noteworthy and could be indicative of an in-practice setback. Tennessee will release its final Week 18 injury report Thursday, at which point more clarity on Burks' status for Saturday's game against the Jaguars should arrive. If available for the showdown for the AFC South title, Burks will be catching passes once again from Joshua Dobbs, who will draw a second straight start after supplanting Malik Willis on the depth chart last week. In last week's loss to the Cowboys, Burks reeled in four of eight targets for 66 yards.

Lockett won't practice Wednesday due to a shin injury but said he will play in Sunday's game against the Rams, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Lockett returned from finger surgery to play in Sunday's 23-6 win over the Jets, but he picked up a shin bruise along the way and ultimately saw only two targets while playing less than 40 percent of Seattle's offensive snaps. He should have a bigger role Week 18 against the Rams even if he's not 100 percent, as the Seahawks need a win (plus a bit of help) to secure the final wild-card spot in the NFC. Lockett likely will try to practice Thursday or Friday to gauge his readiness for the regular-season finale.

Waddle was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a shoulder injury, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Waddle played through a shoulder injury in October without missing any games, and he'll likely do the same this weekend against the Jets as the Dolphins fight for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. Skylar Thompson took the first team-reps at quarterback during practice Wednesday with Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) unavailable and with Teddy Bridgewater limited due to a dislocated finger. Thompson looks to be trending toward the Week 18 start at this stage, which would likely be a more negative development to Waddle's fantasy prospects than if Bridgewater were to receive the start.

Cooper (hip/rest) was held out of practice Wednesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The addition of "rest" alongside Cooper's name on the injury report for a third straight week suggests the receiver is in little danger of missing Sunday's game against Pittsburgh. He played through the hip injury the past two weeks, putting up a 6-72-0 receiving line against the Saints and then a 3-105-2 line versus Washington.

Hardman was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to a pelvis injury.

The Chiefs activated Hardman from injured reserve earlier Wednesday after he hadn't played since Week 9 due to abdominal soreness, but given that he's still not practicing fully due to what's a related pelvis injury, the wideout's status for Saturday's game against the Raiders remains uncertain. Thursday's injury report will reveal whether Hardman approaches the contest with an injury designation or if he's cleared to play.

The Chiefs activated Hardman (abdomen) from injured reserve Wednesday.

Hardman, who last suited up Week 9, will bolster the Chiefs' pass-catching depth for Saturday's regular-season finale versus the Raiders and the team's upcoming playoff run. The team has yet to reveal its plans for Hardman in Week 18, given that he was a limited participant at practice Wednesday. When healthy enough to log a full allotment of snaps, Harman brings speed and experience to a wideout corps that also features JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney. Prior to missing time with an abdominal issue, Hardman caught 25 of his 34 targets for 297 yards and four touchdowns in eight games.

St. Brown and the Bears agreed Wednesday on a one-year contract extension, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Selected by Green Bay in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, St. Brown caught 21 passes for 328 yards as a rookie and now has a similar receiving line (20-320-1) four years later in his first season on the Bears. He had only 215 receiving yards total over the three years in between, but the Bears seem to have been pleased with his blocking in their run-heavy offense, as St. Brown has started each of the 15 games he's played while handling a 60 percent snap share. That said, he might just be a backup and special teams player next season if the Bears find a real receiving threat to pair with Darnell Mooney (ankle). St. Brown is expected to get his 16th start of the season this Sunday against the Vikings, catching passes from Nathan Peterman instead of Justin Fields (hip), who has been ruled out for the season finale.

Hopkins (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the 49ers, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

The 30-year-old wideout missed the first six games of the season due to a suspension and will wind up sitting out the final two with a knee injury. In between, he averaged 7.1 catches for 79.7 yards on 10.7 targets with three touchdowns in nine games, essentially providing his usual level of fantasy production until things fell apart Week 16, when third-string quarterback Trace McSorley completed only one of his 10 throws to Hopkins in what ended up being the wideout's final appearance of the season. Hopkins is signed through 2024, but he could be the subject of trade rumors this offseason with a non-guaranteed $19.45 million salary looming in 2023. Even if he stays in Arizona, there's plenty of uncertainty for his outlook with head coach Kliff Kingsbury a candidate to be fired and franchise signal-caller Kyler Murray (knee) recovering from a surgery that could put his availability for Week 1 of next season in doubt.

Hinton (hamstring) isn't practicing Wednesday, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Hinton returned from a two-game absence in Sunday's 27-24 loss to Kansas City, finishing without a catch on two targets while playing 33 of 70 offensive snaps as the Broncos' No. 3 receiver. It's unclear if he had a setback with the hamstring or if he's simply being rested Wednesday as the Broncos prepare for their season finale Sunday against the Chargers.