NFL Player News

The Dolphins hope Parker (shoulder/hamstring) will be able to practice in some capacity Friday, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Parker missed the team's Week 5 loss to the Buccaneers, and he was unable to participate in practice Wednesday or Thursday. The 28-year-old could have a chance to suit up for this weekend's matchup with the Jaguars if he can practice Friday. If able to play, Parker should have an improved outlook thanks to the expected return of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (ribs).

Evans secured two of four targets for 27 yards in the Buccaneers' 28-22 win over the Eagles on Thursday night.

Evans was targeted in the end zone and drew a pass interference penalty on Darius Slay midway through the third quarter to set up a Leonard Fournette one-yard touchdown run, but he otherwise had a relatively quiet night. The temporary downturn is likely just a blip on the radar for Evans, who'd averaged 6.5 receptions, 92.3 receiving yards and 1.0 touchdown in 9.8 targets over his previous four games. The 28-year-old will look to boost his numbers back in a Week 7 home matchup against the Bears a week from Sunday.

Godwin brought in all five targets for 43 yards in the Buccaneers' 28-22 win over the Eagles on Thursday night.

Godwin checked in third on the team in receptions but had a relatively quiet night, falling under the 50-yard mark for the first time this season. The fifth-year wideout opened the season with a nine-catch, 105-yard, one-touchdown tally against the Cowboys, but the reception and yardage totals from that game remain his high-water marks, and he hasn't scored in four consecutive contests. Godwin will look to rectify all those matters at the expense of the visiting Bears in a Week 7 matchup a week from Sunday.

Smith secured two of four targets for 31 yards in the Eagles' 28-22 loss to the Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Despite the Buccaneers playing with a short-handed secondary that was further depleted when Richard Sherman was forced from the contest with a hamstring injury, Smith couldn't make a significant impact on a night when the entire Eagles passing attack underwhelmed. The speedy rookie did record his fourth catch of over 20 yards on the season, but his total tally on the night was a considerable disappointment after Smith had turned in a 14-199 effort on 19 targets over his previous two games. Smith will look to bounce back against the Raiders in Week 7 road battle a week from Sunday.

The Chiefs signed Fountain to their practice squad Thursday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

Fountain was cut from the Chiefs' active roster Tuesday after failing to appear in any of the team's first five games. Back in a lesser role, he'll hope to be promoted to the active roster again at some point later in the campaign.

Grant (groin) was limited in practice Thursday.

Grant didn't appear on the injury report Wednesday, implying that he picked up the issue during practice. The fact that he was still able to take the field in any capacity is positive, though his status for Sunday's game against the Packers remains ambiguous. In his first game with the Bears, Grant played only two offensive snaps. He could see an increased role in Week 6 if Allen Robinson (ankle) is unable to play.

Metcalf (foot) didn't practice Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

While tending to a foot injury the previous two weeks, Metcalf's practice reps have been managed prior to suiting up in back-to-back contests, so Thursday's absence may be a part of the Seahawks' plan to keep him as fresh as possible. Still, his status will be one to monitor Friday to make sure he's trending toward playing Sunday night at Pittsburgh.

Darden (coach's decision) is inactive for Thursday's game against the Eagles.

Darden was selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he'll be held out for the fifth time in the first six weeks of the season. The 22-year-old played mainly on special teams in his lone appearance this year.

Both Claypool (hamstring) and James Washington (groin) were listed as limited practice participants for the second day in a row Thursday, but Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that the team may simply be managing their reps in the wake of losing JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) for the season.

In Week 5, Claypool was limited Thursday before returning to a full practice Friday and heading into last Sunday's game against the Broncos minus an injury designation. It's plausible that pattern is repeated this time around, and if so Claypool and Diontae Johnson could be busy this weekend against the Seahawks, with Washington in line to serve as the team's WR3, if active. Meanwhile, Batko suggests that part of the void created by Smith-Schuster's absence could be accounted for by increased usage of two-TE alignments, featuring Pat Freiermuth and Eric Ebron.

Westbrook-Ikhine (hamstring) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Though his hamstring injury prevented him from playing in last week's win over the Jaguars, Westbrook-Ikhine should be good to go Monday against Buffalo after opening Week 6 prep as a full participant. Unfortunately for Westbrook-Ikhine, Julio Jones and A.J. Brown were also full participants Thursday after recently contending with their own hamstring injuries, so Tennessee should have its two receivers available for the first time together since Week 3. Even if Westbrook-Ikhine supplants the banged-up Chester Rogers (groin) as Tennessee's No. 3 wideout Monday, there likely won't be enough targets for him to deliver a useful fantasy line.