NFL Player News

Samuel (groin) didn't practice Wednesday, Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic reports.

John Keim of ESPN.com reports that Samuel did some work on a side field, along with fellow injured wideouts Terry McLaurin (hamstring) and Dyami Brown (knee). Head coach Ron Rivera has been optimistic about Samuel avoiding a second stint on injured reserve, but that could be in the cards if the receiver doesn't return to practice within the next few days.

McLaurin missed Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury, Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic reports.

McLaurin dealt with a minor hamstring injury the past two weeks, ultimately playing in both games and even putting up a 7-122-1 receiving line in the second. Three days after his big performance in the loss to Green Bay, the star wideout was held out from practice with a new injury, though he did some work on a side field with the training staff, per John Keim of ESPN.com. A return to practice Thursday or Friday would confirm the ankle injury is minor, and potentially allow McLaurin to suit up for Sunday's game in Denver. Fellow Washington wideouts Curtis Samuel (groin) and Dyami Brown (knee) also missed Wednesday's practice, while Cam Sims (hamstring) made his first appearance since Week 4.

Peoples-Jones (groin) won't practice Wednesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Peoples-Jones was active for last week's win over the Broncos, but he didn't play after injuring his groin during pregame warmups. Given that he's not practicing to begin Week 8 prep, his status for Sunday's game against the Steelers is murky. In any case, Peoples-Jones' fantasy utility is tied to the availability of fellow wideouts Jarvis Landry (knee) -- who also won't practice Wednesday - and Odell Beckham (shoulder).

St. Brown looks on track to serve as a top-three receiver for the Packers in Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Davante Adams and Allen Lazard are on the reserve/COVID-19 list, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) is uncertain to return from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game. Only Lazard has been officially ruled out for the contest, while Adams looks unlikely to clear the necessary COVID-19 protocols ahead of Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff and Valdes-Scantling's status is more up in the air. Randall Cobb is the safest bet for targets among Green Bay wide receivers, but St. Brown could be right in the mix for the snap lead, especially if Valdes-Scantling doesn't play. St. Brown played exactly 12 snaps in each of Green Bay's past three games, and for the season he has more special-teams tackles (four) than targets (three). He hasn't seen much playing time on offense since putting up 21-328-0 on 36 targets as a rookie in 2018.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury expects Hopkins (hamstring) to play in Thursday's game against Green Bay, though the wideout may be treated as a game-time decision, Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports.

Game-time call or not, Hopkins looks like he'll be good to go for a nationally televised matchup with a fellow NFC heavyweight. Still, Hopkins likely will be listed as questionable on the final injury report, after missing practice both Monday and Tuesday. The Cardinals haven't revealed whether he's on track to get in any work in at Wednesday's practice, though it'll likely just be a walk-through session.

Cobb could operate as quarterback Aaron Rodgers' primary target in Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Davante Adams has accounted for a whopping 33.2 percent of the Packers' targets this season, placing him well ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling (17.6 percent) and Allen Lazard (11.6 percent) for second and fourth place on the team, respectively. Green Bay could be in danger of missing all three players Thursday, however. After testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Adams -- who is vaccinated -- appears unlikely to clear all protocols ahead of the game's 8:20 p.m. kickoff, while Lazard was placed on the list Tuesday as a close contact of Adams and isn't eligible to play due to his status as an unvaccinated player. Meanwhile, Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) could return from injured reserve this week, but because he hasn't even resumed practicing as of Tuesday, his availability is in major question. That leaves Cobb as the most-trusted receiver available to Rodgers, as none of Equanimeous St. Brown, Amari Rodgers, Malik Taylor or practice-squad wideout Juwann Winfree have much of a track record in the NFL. Running back Aaron Jones and tight end Robert Tonyan likely will have expanded roles in the passing game as well, but Cobb -- who is averaging only 23.4 snaps and 2.6 targets per contest -- presumably will be in store for the biggest uptick in opportunity. Adams' status still bears watching heading into Thursday, but Cobb at least looks like a decent speculative pickup for fantasy managers aiming to fill out their Week 8 lineup with a receiver with a high target floor.

Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said that Parker (shoulder/hamstring) will participate in Wednesday's walk-through practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Flores added that he's "hopeful" Parker will be able to practice Thursday and Friday to put himself on track to play in Sunday's game against the Bills. Parker has missed three straight games, but the Dolphins haven't placed him on injured reserve, an indication that the team expects him to return sooner than later. Meanwhile, Will Fuller (finger) isn't expected to come off IR prior to the Week 8 matchup.

Miller (toe) was spotted running off to the side at Wednesday's practice, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller has missed four straight games due to a turf toe injury, and though the Buccaneers haven't yet officially designated him for return from injured reserve, the 24-year-old's presence at practice off to the side is an encouraging sign. As soon as he's back to full health, Miller will be eligible to return to the active roster, but head coach Bruce Arians also has yet to offer a meaningful update on the wideout's recovery progress. Meanwhile, Antonio Brown (ankle) remains absent from practice and is walking with the assistance of a single crutch.

Shepard (hamstring) was in uniform and going through stretches before Wednesday's practice, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

The Giants won't release their first Week 8 injury report until Thursday, but all of Shepard, Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) are at least moving in the right direction, with each of the three -- plus running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) -- suited up for stretches Wednesday. New York faces the Chiefs on Monday, and it won't come as any surprise if multiple players end up being game-time decisions for the final contest of the week.

Toney (ankle) is dressed for Wednesday's practice and was spotted going through stretches with his teammates, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

The same goes for Kenny Golladay (knee), Sterling Shepard (hamstring) and Saquon Barkley (ankle), each of whom also missed the Week 7 win over Carolina. It's unclear which of the four, if any, is expected to return this week, and a Monday night matchup with the Chiefs makes things a little more difficult from an injury standpoint, especially if the Giants end up with multiple game-time decisions. New York will release its first official injury report Thursday, and if Wednesday is any indication, Toney should at least have a shot at limited participation.