NFL Player News

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

In his return to action last Thursday at Philadelphia from a four-game absence, Shepard reeled off six catches (on eight targets) for 59 yards and one touchdown. Considering he's listed with toe and shoulder issues, he seems to be dealing with lingering effects from his turf toe injury and likely banged up his shoulder as well. However, Shepard was on the field Thursday, which bodes well for his ability to gut out the health concerns ahead of Monday's game against the Buccaneers.

Thomas (ankle/hamstring) took part in practice Thursday, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

With a high-left ankle sprain mostly behind him, Thomas now is dealing with a Grade 1 hamstring strain suffered in practice last week. While he hasn't suited up since Week 1, he's setting himself up for a return to action Sunday at Chicago with his appearance at practice Thursday. Thursday's injury report will inform how much work Thomas was able to handle.

Smith-Schuster (knee) practiced fully Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Smith-Schuster's absence from practice Wednesday appears routine and he'll be a go for Sunday's game against the Ravens. The 23-year-old is coming off his busiest game of current campaign, as he was on the field for 65 of a possible 79 offensive snaps in this past Sunday's 27-24 win over the Titans, en route to racking up nine catches (on 14 targets) for 85 yards.

Johnson (toe) returned to a full practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Johnson, who sat out Wednesday's session, returned to the lineup last weekend after a Week 6 absence due to a back injury and proceeded to rack up nine catches on 15 targets for 80 yards and two TDs in the Steelers' 27-24 win over the Titans. With a full practice under his belt Thursday after managing his toe issue, Johnson is poised to handle his usual starting role against the 5-1 Ravens on Sunday.

Brown (undisclosed) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean reports.

Bacharach points out that the wideout missed last Thursday's practice with a listed knee issue before returning to a full session Friday and playing this past Sunday. It's quite possible that pattern could be repeated in advance of this weekend's game against the Bengals.

Lazard (core) participated in Thursday's padded practice, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

One day removed from the Packers opening his 21-day window to be activated from IR, Lazard took part in individual drills. He underwent core muscle surgery on Oct. 1, after which he was given a recovery timetable of "a month or a little bit more," per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Considering the Packers next play Sunday, Nov. 1 against the Vikings, Lazard seemingly has a chance to return this weekend. Still, Green Bay has been cautious with other key skill-position players (Davante Adams and Aaron Jones) this season, so Lazard may have a better chance to suit up Week 9 at San Francisco.

Patrick (hamstring) will be listed as a non-participant on Thursday's practice report, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com notes that Patrick was able to work out on side field with the Broncos' other rehabbing players, but his absence from the main group for the second day in a row doesn't bode well for his odds of gaining clearance for Sunday's game against the Chargers. Before a ruling on Patrick's status for the weekend is made, the Broncos will see what he's able to do in the team's final Week 8 practice Friday. Should Patrick be inactive against Los Angeles, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and DaeSean Hamilton would likely serve as the Broncos' starting wideout trio.

Harry (concussion) missed practice again Thursday, Andrew Callahan of Boston Herald reports.

With Harry looking iffy for Sunday's game against the Bills and Julian Edelman possibly in line to miss time with a knee issue, the Patriots' healthiest options at wide receiver are currently Damiere Byrd, Gunner Olszewski and Jakobi Meyers.

Crowder (groin) will return to a limited practice Thursday, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports.

That's a step in the right direction for Crowder, who last suited up in Week 6. Meanwhile, fellow starting wide receiver Breshad Perriman remains in concussion protocol and won't practice Thursday. Crowder was downgraded to doubtful by the Jets in advance of Week 7 action before being made inactive this past Sunday against the Bills. However, his return to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's session offers hope that he may be able to resume action this weekend against the Chiefs.

Perriman (concussion) won't take part in Thursday's practice, Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record reports.

With back-to-back absences at practice to begin the week, Perriman has made no tangible progress through the NFL's concussion protocol since suffering the head injury in Sunday's loss to the Bills. Unless Perriman gets back on the field in some capacity at Friday's practice, he'll likely be sidelined for this weekend's matchup with the Chiefs. With slot man Jamison Crowder (groin) also iffy for the contest, the Jets could be forced to rely on Denzel Mims, Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith as their main weapons in the passing game.