NFL Player News

Agholor (concussion) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Agholor, who last suited up Week 15, is thus trending toward a return to action Sunday against the Dolphins. If he clears the NFL's five-step concussion protocol ahead of the regular-season finale, he would be in line to head New England's wideout corps along with Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne. Kristian Wilkerson, a standout performer in the Patriots' Week 17 win over the Jaguars, would likely be a candidate to see a major role reduction if Agholor plays.

Grant didn't practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.

Grant may have picked up the injury in the Bears' Week 17 win over the Giants on Sunday, when he was limited to only 11 snaps (six on offense, five on special teams). If he can't get back on the practice field before week's end, he'll likely sit out the Bears' season finale in Minnesota.

Meyers (thigh) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Meyers was listed as questionable with the same injury for Week 17, but he proceeded to play through the health concern in Sunday's win over the Jaguars, playing 56 of the Patriots' 72 offensive snaps and finishing with eight catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. With no reported setbacks coming out of that contest, Meyers may have just received some extra maintenance to begin Week 18.

Houston listed Conley (knee) as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

Conley has played through the knee injury the past few weeks, and his limited activity Wednesday indicates he's on track to do so again in Sunday's season finale versus the Titans. He has 22 receptions for 323 yards and two touchdowns through 16 games this season.

Irwin was activated off of the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

The wide receiver was placed on the COVID list Dec. 31, forcing him to miss the team's Week 17 win over the Chiefs. Irwin will return to his depth role behind the likes of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, as well as in the returning game ahead of the Bengals' regular season finale against the Browns.

Crowder (calf) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

While Crowder is back on the practice field after missing two straight games with a calf injury, fellow slot receiver Braxton Berrios (quad) is absent to start the week. How the snaps and targets are divided between the two will be an interesting development to track if both are cleared to play Sunday against the Bills, though the Jets already have some packages in place to get Crowder and Berrios on the field together.

Cleveland was restored to the Broncos' practice squad from the practice squad COVID-19 list Wednesday, Aric DiLalla from the Broncos' official site reports.

Cleveland has appeared in six games for the Broncos this season but none since Week 10. Now cleared to return to the team, Cleveland will work to earn another shot with the Broncos' active roster in Week 18 against the Chiefs.

Smith (chest) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

After picking up a chest injury Week 16 against the Dolphins, Smith didn't log any practice reps last Wednesday through Friday and was ruled out ahead of this past Sunday's contest against the Panthers. His return to on-field work during the first session of Week 18 prep is a sign that he's trending in the right direction, but his activity level over the next two days will be key to determine whether he'll be available this weekend in Atlanta.

New York activated Slayton (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, MIchael Eisen of the Giants' official site reports. Slayton was then listed as a limited participant on the Giants' estimated practice report due to a shoulder injury, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger.

Slayton's return from the list and participation in practice -- albeit in a limited capacity -- sets the stage for him to play Sunday against Washington after missing the Week 17 blowout loss at Chicago. He'll likely be a starter and get plenty of snaps if his conditioning is OK, but there's not much upside for the New York passing game with Jake Fromm likely starting at quarterback.

Watkins (knee) was a full practice participant Wednesday.

Watkins will be on the field Saturday against the Cowboys, but he still hasn't caught more than four passes in a game this season, and his snap share dropped well south of the usual range in two of the past three weeks. His fantasy floor is low, and his upside is modest in a run-heavy offense.