NFL Player News

Smith (foot) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Smith left Saturday's win over the Lions with an apparent foot injury, and he's since practiced in limited fashion Wednesday. If the second-year pro is eventually unable to gain medical clearance prior to Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, then DJ Moore would likely handle punt-returning duties, while both Laviska Shenault and Terrace Marshall would presumably be called upon to command expanded pass-catching roles this weekend.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel (knee/ankle) has a chance to return to practice Thursday, depending on how his on-field workout goes Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

On Monday, Shanahan told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that Samuel would make an effort to mix into drills this week, and now it may happen as early as Thursday. It's unclear if Samuel will have enough time to prove the health of his sprained left knee and ankle ahead of Sunday's game at Las Vegas, but his status bears watching in the coming days to get a sense of his potential to do so.

The Ravens designated Wallace (hamstring) to return from injured reserve Wednesday.

Wallace returned to practice Wednesday after spending the last four weeks on Baltimore's injured reserve due to a hamstring issue. The Ravens will now have 21 days to activate the second-year pro back to their active roster, though he's currently eligible to jump into the team's pass-catching rotation as soon as New Year's Day versus Pittsburgh.

Baker was signed to the Saints' practice squad Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Baker was most recently on the Eagles' practice squad, and has yet to play an NFL game this season. However, he spent part of 2021 in New Orleans, playing two games for the team. With Chris Olave dealing with a hamstring injury, and Jarvis Landry (ankle) on IR, the Saints are currently short-handed at receiver. Baker will work to make his way to the active roster before the current season comes to a close.

Hardman (abdomen) will continue to practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

When asked whether the wideout, who last suited up in Week 9, might come off injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Broncos, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid told coach McMullen that he "presumes" Hardman will "be [in] there." Assuming Hardman is available this weekend, he'll have a chance to reclaim a key role in a Kansas City wideout corps that also includes JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore.

Parker (concussion) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Parker, who has missed two straight games, now has two more chances to return to practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Dolphins. If, however, he remains out this weekend, Jakobi Meyers, Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor would be in line to lead the Patriots' wideout corps.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed Wednesday that Cephus (foot) won't be activated and will remain on injured reserve for the rest of the 2022 season, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

After being designated to return from IR on Dec. 7, Cephus' 21-day window will come to a close without the receiver regaining a spot on the 53-man roster. He appeared in four contests prior to landing on IR and will finish the 2022 campaign with two catches for 15 yards.

Melton was signed to the Packers' 53-man roster from the Seahawks' practice squad Tuesday.

Melton was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, and he was unable to break camp with Seattle's active roster. However, he did land a spot on the team's practice squad, where he has remained since Aug. 31. He'll now get a chance with the Packers and potentially play Sunday against the Vikings.

Campbell hauled in two of five targets for 19 yards during Monday's 20-3 loss to the Chargers.

Campbell finished second among the Colts wideouts in targets and offensive snaps behind Michael Pittman, but the former failed to make much of a fantasy impact. From Weeks 4 through 13, Campbell totaled 45 receptions on 60 targets for 450 yards and three touchdowns, but he's managed just four receptions on eight targets for 32 yards across the Colts' past two games following their Week 14 bye. The 2019 second-round pick figures to operate as the team's No. 2 wideout again in Week 17, but given his recent performances, he'll likely be a risky fantasy play even in deeper leagues.

Miller failed to bring in his only target over four snaps on offense during the Buccaneers' 19-16 win overtime win against the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Miller's minimal role was par for the course during the stretch run of the season, as the speedster has seen 15 snaps or fewer in the last six games while recording just three receptions for 32 yards in that span. With the Buccaneers' top four wide receivers available, Miller continues to project for sparse usage on offense over the remaining two games of the regular season.