NFL Player News

Mickens (abdomen) did not practice Thursday, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Mickens has missed back-to-back sessions due to an abdominal issue, so he only has one more opportunity to upgrade his reps before Sunday's contest in Los Angeles. Jaelon Darden, who was inactive Week 2, could be in line to operate as Tampa Bay's top return man if Mickens misses time.

Johnson secured one of two targets for five yards across 17 snaps from scrimmage during the Buccaneers' 48-25 win over the Falcons on Sunday.

Through two games, Johnson has logged three targets overall, and he could be set for a nice bump in opportunity in a Week 3 showdown against the Rams. With Antonio Brown being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, there's a strong chance the veteran wideout misses at least the game versus Los Angeles, a development that would elevate Johnson to No. 4 receiver status, at minimum. It's also likely Johnson could essentially share No. 3 duties with Scotty Miller in such a scenario, considering he outpaced the latter -- who has yet to see a target over the first pair of contests -- by five snaps last week.

Miller, who didn't draw a target on 12 offensive snaps in the Buccaneers' Week 2 win over the Falcons, could be set for a bigger role in Week 3 against the Rams after Antonio Brown was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Brown still has an outside chance at being able to take the field Sunday; the veteran wideout is believed to be vaccinated and therefore will only need to produce two negative COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart in order to be cleared. Absent that development, however, Miller would likely bump up to Brown's No. 3 role, with Tyler Johnson serving as the No. 4 option or perhaps even rotating in with Miller on occasion. Miller has yet to draw a target through two games, playing a total of 20 snaps from scrimmage.

Mickens didn't practice Wednesday due to an abdominal injury, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Mickens wasn't expected to practice Wednesday after picking up a hip injury during Sunday's win over the Falcons, but he ended up being listed on the injury report with an abdominal issue. The 27-year-old likely will need to practice in some capacity Thursday or Friday to have a chance of suiting up this weekend against the Rams.

Beckham (knee) was listed as a full practice participant Wednesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

In most cases, a player practicing fully to begin the week would foreshadow an active status on game day, but prior to session, head coach Kevin Stefanski fell short of declaring that Beckham would be able to play Sunday against the Bears, per Scott Patsko of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. If the Browns elect to have the wideout suit up this weekend, it's possible that he'll be eased back into the mix. Beckham's potential return arrives at a good time, with teammate Jarvis Landry (knee) out for at least three games due to a sprained MCL.

Raymond (thigh) was limited in Wednesday's walkthrough.

As he was on the Lions' final Week 2 injury report, Raymond logged a capped session Wednesday due to a thigh issue. He proceeded to be active this past Monday in Green Bay en route to two catches (on two targets) for 18 yards while logging a 63-percent share of the offensive snaps. Tyrell Williams isn't expected to be available Sunday against the Ravens, which again would thrust Raymond into a large role. Still, an active Raymond would be competing with fellow wide receivers Quintez Cephus, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Trinity Benson for reps.

Mooney (groin) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday.

Mooney was bothered by a back injury in both of the first two weeks of the campaign, but now a groin injury is impacting his practice reps. The results have been modest through two games, with the second-year receiver gathering in 11 of 15 targets for 92 yards and no touchdowns. Assuming he follows the same path this week. Mooney could produce Sunday against a Browns defense that has given up 9.5 YPT to wideouts this season (11th worst in the NFL).

Crowder (groin) didn't practice Wednesday.

Head coach Robert Saleh indicated earlier Wednesday that the Jets are hoping to work Crowder back into the mix Sunday against the Broncos, but with an absence at practice to kick off Week 3 prep, the slot man now has just two more opportunities to participate in practice ahead of the weekend.

Shenault (shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday.

Shenault was injured during this past Sunday's loss to the Broncos, but it looks like he escaped any notable damage to his shoulder and a full practice Wednesday puts the wideout on track to play this weekend against the Cardinals. After catching just two of his seven targets for minus-3 yards versus Denver, in Week 3 Shenault will look to revert to the form he displayed in Jacksonville's season opener, which led to a 7/50/0 stat line on 10 targets.

Higgins missed Wednesday's practice with a shoulder injury, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor didn't elaborate on Higgins' injury earlier Wednesday when he revealed that the wideout would miss practice. There was no sign of Higgins playing through injury based on his Week 2 box-score line, as he caught six of his team-high 10 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown while playing 91 percent of offensive snaps in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Bears. He'll face the Steelers this weekend if he's healthy enough to play, while either Auden Tate or Mike Thomas will step up to a top-three role if Higgins is out.