NFL Player News

Bateman (foot) is expected to play Thursday night against the Buccaneers, barring any pregame setbacks, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The same goes for TE Mark Andrews (knee) and RB Gus Edwards (knee), with the trio having been listed as questionable for the contest by the Ravens. Confirmation of the three player's Week 8 statuses is slated to arrive when inactives are posted ahead of Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Boyd is expected to line up at multiple spots in the Bengals' offensive formation in the games to come with top receiver Ja'Marr Chase (hip) likely to be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

In addition to absorbing some of Chase's vacated target volume while likely being featured more regularly in two-receiver sets alongside Tee Higgins, Boyd may notice some more diversity with the type of routes he runs with the Bengals' top wideout expected to miss more than a month. For the season, Boyd has taken 343 of his 396 snaps out of the slot, but the loss of Chase will likely force Boyd to work on the perimeter more frequently. While Chase's absence should bolster Boyd's target counts, downfield and scoring opportunities, the expected role change could hamper Boyd from an efficiency standpoint. Boyd has hauled in 76.3 percent of his targets on the season, but expect that rate to drop a bit while he faces more coverage from better cornerbacks and likely increases his average depth of target.

Morgan did not practice due to a hamstring injury Thursday, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Morgan popped up as a non-participant during practice last Thursday and Friday before missing his first game of the season in Sunday's win over the Falcons. While the severity of this issue is still unclear, the 26-year-old may be at risk of missing his second contest in a row this Monday against Cleveland. Morgan failed to haul in his lone target while playing 25 offensive snaps so far this season, though he could see increased usage with top wideout Ja'Marr Chase expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a hip injury.

Higgins is expected to step in as the Bengals' top target in the passing game with Ja'Marr Chase (hip) likely to be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Chase's expected absence creates a major void in the Cincinnati passing game, as he had been averaging a robust 10.6 targets per game through the first seven weeks of the season. Higgins (6.3 TPG), Tyler Boyd (5.4 TPG) and Hayden Hurst (5.6 TPG) had already seen a fair amount of looks in the passing attack as well, but all three players should see their respective fantasy outlooks improve while the Bengals aim to replace Chase's production. Even while Chase was healthy, Higgins already shaped up as a solid starting option in weekly lineups, and the 23-year-old now profiles as a must-start player in the short term.

Reynolds (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

This follows a DNP on Wednesday, so Reynolds is making some progress through the knee injury that's impacting him for a second week in a row. While he was able to play through the issue and earn 79 percent of the offensive snaps this past Sunday at Dallas, he was targeted just twice en route to one eight-yard catch. Friday's practice report will reveal whether or not Reynolds goes into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest against the Dolphins. With Amon-Ra St. Brown logging back-to-back limited sessions this week as he makes his way through the concussion protocol, there's a chance an active Reynolds is the Lions' No. 1 wide receiver Sunday.

Chase is reportedly dealing with a hip issue that is expected to sideline him 4-to-6 weeks, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

We'll await official confirmation from the Bengals, but assuming the timeline presented here is accurate, Chase could land on IR. In his looming absence, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are slated to lead the Bengals' wideout corps in the weeks ahead, with Mike Thomas likely to see added reps as well.

Brown (foot) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Brown has opened Week 8 prep with no activity for two days in a row, raising the prospect that he may be unavailable to the Cowboys offense Sunday against the Bears. Ultimately, his status may receive some clarity on Friday's injury report, and if he begins to trend to sitting out this weekend, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup would serve as the main wide receivers for quarterback Dak Prescott.

Davis (knee) didn't practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

With Davis now having missed back-to-back practices, his status for Sunday's game against the Patriots is unclear. If the wideout is sidelined or limited this weekend, Elijah Moore could see added pass-catching opportunities in his anticipated return to action following a one-game absence.

Bell was a limited participant in Thursday's practice due to an ankle injury, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

The rookie third-round pick out of Purdue will make his first career appearance on the injury report after he apparently hurt his ankle at some point during the Browns' 23-20 loss to the Ravens in Week 7. The fact that he wasn't withheld from Thursday's practice entirely suggests that Bell is on track to play Monday against the Bengals, but he'll likely have to put in a full practice Friday or Saturday to guarantee his availability for the Week 8 contest.

Watson (hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins (hamstring) also had a cap on his reps for a second consecutive session, while Allen Lazard relayed to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Thursday that he's unlikely to be active Sunday at Buffalo. If Watson and/or Watkins are able to suit up this weekend, they'll join rookie fourth-rounder Romeo Doubs as the primary options at the position for quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right thumb).