NFL Player News

Brown (knee) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

Brown was unavailable for Sunday's loss to the Saints due to the knee injury, but he's putting himself on a good path to suit up Week 6 against the Chiefs. The rookie third-round pick should be able to avoid an injury designation if he can practice with no limitations Thursday or Friday.

Smith-Marsette (toe) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

Smith-Marsette has been unavailable the past two games due to the toe injury, so it's a good sign to see him back at practice. The rookie fifth-round pick could avoid an injury designation for Sunday at Carolina if he can practice without limitations within the next couple days.

Williams was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice due to a knee injury.

Williams logged 58 of the Chargers' 75 offensive snaps in Sunday's 47-42 win over the Browns, catching eight of his 16 targets for 165 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers didn't suggest that Williams sustained a major injury in that contest, so it's possible he's just getting some maintenance for his knee heading into this weekend's contest against the Ravens. That being said, fantasy managers will still want to track Williams' activity in practice over the next two days to ensure he's on a path to play in Baltimore.

Mooney (groin) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday.

Mooney has been a regular on Bears injury reports this season, but his health concerns haven't affected his ability to suit up for games. He hasn't visited the end zone through five contests, but his overall receiving line of 20-261-0 on 31 targets is reasonable enough working with Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields. Fields (rib/knee) was able to practice fully Wednesday, while No. 1 wide receiver Allen Robinson (ankle) showed up on the report for the first time this season as a non-participant. The extent of Robinson's health concern is unknown, but Mooney would stand to benefit if the former misses any time or is inhibited on game days.

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

Robinson has avoided the injury report so far this season until Wednesday, while No. 2 wide receiver Darnell Mooney (groin) has been a mainstay. With both players banged up at the moment, it'll be interesting to see in what capacity they'll be out there Sunday against the Packers, assuming they're active. Robinson has two more sessions this week in which to fit in some activity and set himself up to be available.

Washington (groin) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Washington missed the Week 5 win over Denver, in which fellow Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. With Smith-Schuster out of the picture, Washington should step in as the No. 3 wideout behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool (hamstring), though it'll likely be the latter two taking most of Smith-Schuster's slot work while Washington works on the perimeter. In any case, Washington will first need to prove he's healthy enough to play, with two more practices on tap before Sunday's game against Seattle.

Claypool (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Claypool missed the Steelers' Week 4 loss to Green Bay with the hamstring issue, but he returned to catch five of six targets for 130 yards and a touchdown in the Week 5 win over Denver. He played only 55 percent of the offensive snaps in the contes, despite JuJu Smith-Schuster exiting early with a shoulder injury that's since been deemed season-ending. Claypool's limited practice participation Wednesday suggests he's on track to suit up again Sunday against Seattle, though the fact that he's still having his reps managed could indicate that an increase in playing time sans Smith-Schuster won't necessarily be immediate.

Jefferson missed Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury.

The ankle injury is a new one for Jefferson, as is the foot issue that kept fellow wideout Adam Thielen off the practice field Wednesday. However, both played at least 90 percent of snaps in Sunday's 19-17 win over Detroit, and there hasn't been a report to suggest either injury is serious. All eyes will be on Minnesota's injury report Thursday, as the star wideouts are joined by running backs Dalvin Cook (ankle) and Alexander Mattison (shoulder), the latter of whom also missed Wednesday's practice.

Thielen missed Wednesday's practice with a foot injury.

He was one of six Vikings to sit out the session due to an injury, with the group including Thielen, Justin Jefferson (ankle) and running back Alexander Mattison (shoulder). Top back Dalvin Cook (ankle), meanwhile, was a limited participant. The Vikings haven't suggested any o the aforementioned non-participants are dealing with serious injuries, and each of Thielen, Jefferson and Mattison handled full workloads in the dramatic Week 5 win over Detroit. The team now has a Week 6 contest at Carolina on tap, with an injury report that's sure to attract the attention of fantasy managers. A return to practice Thursday would alleviate most concerns regarding Thielen.

Hopkins (illness) missed practice Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

The Cardinals haven't indicated that Hopkins' illness is related to COVID-19, but if not, he shouldn't be at risk of missing Sunday's game against the Browns. Through five weeks, Hopkins has produced a 23-312-4 receiving line on 34 targets.