NFL Player News

Higgins (hamstring) remained limited at practice Thursday, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

What Higgins is able to do at practice Friday should determine whether he approaches Sunday's game against the Ravens with an injury designation or cleared for Week 17 action. The same applies to fellow wide receiver Tyler Boyd (concussion), with Alex Erickson next up for extra snaps if either Higgins or Boyd are out or limited this weekend.

Boyd (concussion) was limited at practice Thursday, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

As was fellow receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), which sets the stage for Friday's practice to determine whether each of the duo approach Sunday's game against the Ravens with injury designations or cleared to play. If one or both end up out or limited this weekend, Alex Erickson would be in line for added work Week 17.

Grant (ankle) logged a limited practice Thursday, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Prior reports suggested that Grant's high-ankle sprain would prevent him from playing Sunday against the Bills, but his limited session Thursday suddenly brightens his odds of suiting up in the regular-season finale. According to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com, Grant was spotted catching passes during individual drills Thursday, suggesting he was able to move around decently well.

Powell (foot) did not practice Thursday, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Powell played through his foot issue during last weekend's loss to the Chiefs, but he's now missed back-to-back practices. The Falcons would need to delegate another option in the return game if Powell can't suit up Week 17 versus the Buccaneers.

Chark (shin) remained sidelined at practice Thursday.

With Chark now having logged consecutive DNPs, his status for Sunday's game against the Colts is cloudy. If he ends up missing Jacksonville's season finale, added snaps and targets will be available for Laviska Shenault, Keelan Cole and Chris Conley.

Allen (hamstring) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.

Coach Anthony Lynn has already acknowledged that there's a "good chance" Allen will be unavailable for Sunday's season finale against Kansas City. If Allen is out this weekend, Jalen Guyton (hamstring) and Tyron Johnson would be in line for added pass-catching opportunities Week 17.

Robinson (groin) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Robinson went down as a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, though he was present for the session and sported a no-contact jersey while he worked out. According to Bill Voth of the Panthers' official site, Anderson ditched the jersey for the portion of Thursday's session that was open to the media, and his listing as a full participant on the official report implies he did in fact take contact in some capacity. With that, Anderson looks like he'll enter Sunday's season finale against the Saints without any restrictions.

Hill (hamstring) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Hill's absences from consecutive practices to begin Week 17 only adds further fuel to the notion that the wideout won't suit up Sunday against the Chargers. If Hill is inactive for the contest, it shouldn't be taken as an indication that the star wideout suffered a setback with his right hamstring coming out of his appearance Week 16 versus the Falcons. Instead, the Chiefs are expected to exercise caution with most of their key starters and any banged-up players in the regular-season finale as Kansas City has already locked up the AFC's No. 1 seed. Even if Hill practices Friday and approaches the weekend without a designation, he'll likely handle only a limited role as the Chiefs aim to preserve his health for the playoffs.

Shepard (rib) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

The Giants' injury report was replicated for a second straight day, which left Golden Tate (calf) as a non-participant and tight end Evan Engram (calf) as limited. There's no reason to believe Shepard is in danger of missing Sunday's regular-season finale against the Cowboys, especially with a playoff berth on the line. Friday's practice report will give a sense of the wide receiver's ability to suit up this weekend.

Beasley (knee) didn't practice Thursday.

With Beasley more week-to-week than day-to-day at this stage, he could be ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins as soon as Friday. If that ends up being the case, added Week 17 opportunities would be available for some combo of Gabriel Davis, Isaiah McKenzie and Andre Roberts.