NFL Player News

Samuel (hamstring) didn't participate in the early portion of Friday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

With Samuel absent from the initial stage of practice Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday's sessions, he's trending toward an absence Sunday against the Raiders, as is fellow WR Mike Evans (Achilles). Confirmation of the duo's status is set to arrive later Friday once the 49ers' final Week 9 injury report is posted.

Wicks (ankle) is listed as out for Sunday's game against the Giants.

After sitting out practice Friday, Wicks will miss a third straight game for Philadelphia. He'll now have the Week 10 bye to try and get right coming out of the break. The Eagles will continue to roll with Makai Lemon and Darius Cooper as theirs Nos. 1 and 2 receivers against New York this week.

Evans (Achilles) didn't participate in the portion of Friday's practice open to the media, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

With Evans now having been absent from the media-viewing portion of practice again Friday, his status for Sunday's game against the Raiders remains in serious doubt. After a round of likely DNPs, Evans' return may have to wait until Week 10, though the veteran wideout has been known to play despite logging DNPs. It could be another patchwork week at wide receiver for the Niners.

Watson (ribs) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's contest at New England.

Despite being limited on all three of the Packers' Week 9 injury reports due to the broken rib he sustained during last Thursday's win against the Panthers, Watson will be available to Green Bay's offense. It stands to reason he'll wear some sort of protection around his midsection Sunday, but he nonetheless is a plug-and-play option due to his 42-708-6 line on 66 targets through the first eight games of the campaign.

Egbuka (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Chicago.

Egbuka has missed the last two games due to a concussion and a foot injury, and while he's cleared the protocol for head injuries, the latter issue has lingered into this week. After opening Week 9 prep with a DNP on Wednesday, he's logged back-to-back full sessions, but head coach Todd Bowles also relayed to Greg Auman of Fox Sports on Friday that Egbuka will be a game-time decision. Considering the Buccaneers have an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday, there won't be many options to pivot to if Egbuka ends up being inactive.

Mitchell and Omar Cooper will be the Jets' top wide receivers with Garrett Wilson (concussion) unavailable for Sunday's game at Kansas City, ESPN's Rich Cimini reports.

Mitchell is coming off the best performance of his career -- a 7-141-1 receiving line on 26 routes (nine targets) in last week's 38-33 loss to Las Vegas. Cooper also ran 26 routes but finished without a target, despite topping 100 yards in back-to-back games beforehand. Both wide receivers now have a big opportunity with Wilson out of the lineup against a Kansas City defense that's missing cornerbacks Mansoor Delane (shoulder) and L'Jarius Sneed (IR - knee).

Pickens (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Indianapolis, Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Pickens' practice reps were capped all week due to a lingering hamstring injury. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer told Yarrish on Friday that he's "hopeful" Pickens will be able to suit up this weekend, and Dallas will confirm as much about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1:00 p.m. Et kickoff.

Boston (calf) was a full participant in Friday's practice and doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at New Orleans, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

With Boston upgrading from limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday to full participation Friday, he should be fine for his usual role as a near-every-down player in a young Cleveland offense. It'll be his first chance to work with Shedeur Sanders extensively outside of a practice environment, as the Browns reportedly won't start Deshaun Watson (head) even if he clears concussion protocol before the game.

Moore (shoulder) was still wearing a non-contact jersey at Friday's practice, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.

Moore will likely be managing his shoulder injury for much of the remainder of the season, as he's dealing with an AC sprain that can pop out of place with contact. Moore should be fine for Monday night's game against the Vikings after returning to the lineup last Sunday against Baltimore.

Head coach John Harbaugh said Nabers (knee) "practiced fully" Friday and will be "full go" for Sunday's game at Philadelphia, Matt Citak of the Giants' official site reports.

That's not to say Nabers won't be tagged with a designation once the Giants post their final Week 9 injury report Friday, but it appears his absence from Thursday's practice due to a knee issue was merely a blip on the radar. He's strung together four consecutive 100-yard performances, a stretch in which his receiving line sits at 36-509-2 on 51 targets. Nabers' presence will be key for New York's offense led by J.J. McCarthy, who will be making his second start of the season since assuming the Giants' QB1 role.