NFL Player News

With the Rams not planning to play key starters in their preseason finale, per Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, Kupp is in line to sit out Saturday's game against the Bengals.

It's no surprise that the Rams are inclined to play it safe with their top wideout (among others) in the team's exhibition finale. Once the regular season kicks off, Kupp -- who is slated to start alongside Allen Robinson -- is in line to log plenty of passing targets from QB Matthew Stafford (elbow), on the heels of an all-world 2021 campaign in which he racked up a 145/1,947/16 stat line in 17 games.

Watson (knee) could be available for Week 1 against the Vikings, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

The rookie second-round pick was activated off the PUP list earlier in August, but he never ended up playing in any preseason contests. As a result, it's unclear if Watson will be available when the Packers battle the Vikings on Sept. 11. Expect more information regarding the rookie's status to become clearer when the team releases its first official injury/practice reports. Watson still figures to sit below Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb and maybe even Romeo Doubs on the depth chart to begin the year.

London (knee) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason contest, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

London didn't practice all week, so it's hardly a surprise to see the prized rookie not playing in an exhibition contest. The No. 8 overall selection in the 2022 Draft will have 15 days in order to get right ahead of the Falcons' Sept. 11 Week 1 opener against the Jaguars.

Anderson (quad/hip) is expected to return to practice next week, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The veteran wide receiver was held out of every preseason game, but Anderson did periodically practice throughout the course of training camp, so the dual minor injuries don't appear to be too much of an issue. Expect more information regarding Anderson's status to emerge closer to the Panthers' Week 1 contest Sept. 11 against the Browns.

Kirk is not in line to play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Falcons, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

The same applies to fellow WRs Marvin Jones and Zay Jones as well as QB Trevor Lawrence, RBs Travis Etienne and James Robinson (Achilles) and TE Evan Engram. Kirk's focus will thus shift to preparing for the Jaguars' Week 1 contest against the Commanders, a game in which he'll make his regular season debut for Jacksonville after signing a four-year, $72 million contract with the team this offseason to serve as Lawrence's top wideout target.

Cephus will make his preseason debut Sunday against the Steelers, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cephus suffered an undisclosed leg injury during the first week of training camp and didn't return to practice until this past week. While Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond have secured the No. 3 and 4 roles, respectively, at receiver in his absence, Cephus could make a case for the No. 5 role if he can outperform the likes of Tom Kennedy and Trinity Benson on Sunday. However, regardless of how things shake out, the looming return of Jameson Williams (knee) figures to push all of these guys down the depth chart by season's end.

Thornton underwent surgery this past Monday to repair a fractured clavicle, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Thornton's recovery period should be in the 6-to-8 week range, which sets the stage for the 2022 second-rounder to miss time out of the gate this season. Once he returns to action, the speedy rookie will look to carve out a role in a New England wideout corps that also currently includes DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.

Mooney may play the entire first half along with the Bears' starters in Saturday's preseason finale against the Browns, Alyssa Barbieri of USA Today reports.

Mooney was on the field for one drive last week, but coach Matt Eberflus expects to play his starters for the entire first half against Cleveland. Mooney appears to be the unquestioned top option in the Chicago passing attack for Justin Fields going into this season.

Pringle (quadriceps) missed Thursday's practice and may not play Saturday against the Browns, Alyssa Barbieri of USA Today reports.

Pringle suffered a quadriceps injury Aug. 6 and has yet to return to practice, making it unlikely he plays in the preseason finale. If he sits, he'll have two weeks to heal up to have a chance to play in Week 1.

Jones (undisclosed) missed practice Thursday and may not take the field Saturday against the Browns, Alyssa Barbieri of USA Today reports.

The Bears are expected to play their starters in the first half, though with Jones missing the last practice before the game, he seems to be trending toward not suiting up.