NFL Player News

Smith-Schuster (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

This comes as no surprise considering Smith-Schuster underwent season-ending surgery to his shoulder earlier this week. James Washington, Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool will split a bigger piece of the target share with the five-year pro sidelined indefinitely.

Bateman (groin) was activated off injured reserve Saturday.

It'll be interesting to see how much playing time Bateman receives with Sammy Watkins (hamstring) unavailable, though the emergence of Devin Duvernay and James Proche does give the team some flexibility. The 2021 first-round pick is a dynamic playmaker and could pair well with the mobility of Lamar Jackson, but fantasy managers likely should temper expectations at least initially until a better understanding of his usage is revealed.

The Broncos designated Jeudy (ankle) to return from injured reserve Saturday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

It's important to note this designation does not mean Jeudy will be able to play Sunday against the Raiders. It sounds like Jeudy also won't quite be healthy in time for the upcoming Week 7 matchup against the Browns, which takes place Thursday, but he's certainly on pace to suit up for the Oct. 31 battle against Washington if he misses the aforementioned prime-time affair. That timeline seems to track with the comments coach Vic Fangio made earlier this month suggesting Jeudy would be closer to the front end of the 6-8 week return timeline following a high-ankle sprain. Jeudy's practice status will be something to monitor next week as the team prepares for Thursday's contest.

Winfree was elevated to the active roster Saturday.

It appears Winfree will be replacing Malik Taylor, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday. Winfree had an up-and-down training camp that came to an abrupt end due to a preseason shoulder injury, but the 25-year-old is back and healthy. Winfree has played in five games over the past two seasons, exclusively on special teams.

Treadwell was elevated from the Jaguars' practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Dolphins, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Treadwell also joined the active roster in Week 2 against the Broncos but failed to haul in his lone target. He's unlikely to play a significant role against Miami.

Merritt was elevated from the practice squad Saturday.

Merritt will get his first call-up to the active roster with both Will Fuller (finger) and DeVante Parker (shoulder/hamstring) inactive for Sunday's London contest. The 24-year-old has played in just one NFL game to date.

Ford was elevated from the practice squad Saturday.

With Will Fuller (finger) and DeVante Parker (shoulder/hamstring) unable to play in Sunday's contest across the pond, Isaiah Ford and Kirk Merritt will act as depth along the team's receiving corps. Ford made his first appearance with the active roster last week but played just three offensive snaps, catching his lone target.

Watkins caught three of his five targets for 44 yards in Thursday's 28-22 loss to the Buccaneers.

Right now, it's clear that Watkins is ahead of Jalen Reagor (no catches on three targets) on the depth chart, at least when it comes to how Jalen Hurts sees it. While Reagor has played more snaps in every game but one this season, Watkins has generally produced equal or better numbers from game to game though neither has gone for more than 53 yards over the past four weeks.

Reagor did not corral any of his three targets in Thursday's 28-22 loss to the Buccaneers.

Reagor wasn't even targeted in the second half and once again saw fewer targets than Quez Watkins. Although it didn't register in the box score, the TCU product did draw a 45-yard pass interference call to set up the Eagles' first touchdown of the day. Still, he has just four catches on nine targets over his last three games.

Taylor (illness) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Taylor dealt with an illness that landed him on the injury report, and it now appears that he's in danger of missing Green Bay's Week 6 matchup against the Bears. While it's not yet clear whether the 25-year-old has tested positive for COVID-19, the Packers could have limited depth at wide receiver Sunday since Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) is on IR.