NFL Player News

Brown (knee/hand) didn't practice Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Brown was limited Wednesday, but his practice reps have been managed for quite some time now, so his downgrade in participation Thursday isn't necessarily a red flag. With that in mind, it wouldn't surprise us to see the wideout approach Sunday's playoff game against the Ravens minus an injury designation upon the posting of Friday's final injury report.

Smith-Schuster (knee) didn't practice Thursday.

Though Smith-Schuster wasn't on the Steelers' Wednesday injury report, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com suggests "that's the same knee issue (the wideout has) had all year, so it's not a concern." With that in mind, there's a chance Smith-Schuster heads into Sunday's playoff game against the Browns minus an injury designation, an outcome that will be confirmed one way or the other upon the release of Friday's injury report.

Mooney (ankle) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Mooney injured his ankle near the end of the Bears' Week 17 loss to the Packers. The issue has kept him off the practice field this week so far, but he has one more session to prove his health ahead of Sunday's 4:40 p.m. ET kickoff in New Orleans. If he's able to suit up, Mooney previously put up a 5-69-1 line on six targets against the Saints back in Week 8.

Robinson (hamstring) didn't practice Thursday.

Robinson has sat out the second session of the week for three straight weeks, the result of a hamstring injury. Still, he's been able to suit up on game day, whether it came down to the wire (Week 16) or he was cleared on the last practice report of the week (Week 17). Assuming he suits up Sunday at New Orleans, Robinson will be looking to put together a similar performance to the Bears' Week 8 matchup against the Saints, in which he gathered in six of seven passes for 87 yards and one touchdown.

Cooper (lower leg) announced via his Instagram account that he underwent surgery Thursday, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.

Cooper missed some time late in training camp with an undisclosed injury, which was revealed to be a hamstring issue during Week 1 prep. Since then, he only appeared on the practice report Week 2 with a foot concern and didn't miss any games all season en route to a career-high 92 catches (on 130 targets) for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns. It's unclear if Cooper's recovery will extend into the offseason program, but even if it does he has plenty of time to get healthy for the 2021 campaign.

Beasley (knee) is listed as questionable for Saturday's wild-card matchup with the Colts.

Beasley made his first appearance on the practice field in two weeks Thursday, logging a limited session. There's a cloud hanging over his head regarding his availability this weekend, which also can be said for Stefon Diggs (oblique). The status of both will be confirmed about 90 minutes before Saturday's 1:05 p.m. ET kickoff.

McKenzie (ankle) practiced fully Thursday and does not have an injury designation for Saturday's playoff game against the Colts.

The Bills have some injury issues within their lethal wide receiver corps, as McKenzie looks to have shaken his issue while Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley are both questionable for Saturday. It would appear McKenzie and Diggs are highly likely to suit up, while Beasley seems like a true 50-50 proposition. If the latter falls on the bad side of that see-saw, McKenzie -- typically a jet sweep and gadget option -- could see a few extra looks in the team's high-powered offense in an attempt to keep a stout Colts defense on its toes.

Diggs (oblique) is listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice and is officially questionable for Saturday's playoff game against the Colts.

Given that the Bills have not sounded overly concerned about the injury and Diggs was out there practicing to some degree Thursday, we feel pretty good about the star receiver's status for Saturday. Overly cautious managers will have the benefit of this being the first game on the wild-card slate, so Saturday's game-day inactive list should affirm Diggs is suiting up.

McLaurin (ankle) is questionable for Saturday's wild-card matchup with the Buccaneers, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

McLaurin didn't practice at all last week but still gutted out a high-ankle sprain Week 17 against the Eagles, hauling in seven of eight targets for 40 yards and one touchdown. He got in some reps on the practice field this week, but his status won't be confirmed until about 90 minutes before Saturday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. If he takes the field, McLaurin should be among Alex Smith's (calf) top targets, assuming the QB also is directing the offense.

Guyton (hamstring) finished the 2020 season with 28 receptions for 511 yards and three touchdowns across 16 games.

The second-year player provides an example that high snap counts don't necessarily translate into fantasy success. Despite playing the 12th-most snaps of any wide receiver in 2020 and posting the third-highest average depth of target among wideouts with at least 40-plus targets (16.0), Guyton was hardly a factor in his first season as a starter. Content to use the 23-year-old as blazing speed decoy and not much more, Guyton caught three or more passes just three times all season, with two of those efforts coming in down the stretch with Keenan Allen (hamstring/COVID-19) and Mike Williams (back) both sidelined. There's a distinct possibility Guyton could be even less of a focal point depending on how the Chargers change their offense in 2021. With Anthony Lynn now gone, a system that relied heavily on a speed threat to open up the field for numerous crossing routes could fall to the wayside, leaving Guyton possibly on the outside looking in when it comes to the team's No. 3 wide receiver role.