NFL Player News

The Jaguars downgraded Chark (chest) to out for Thursday's game against the Dolphins.

Chark initially took a questionable designation into the Week 3 matchup, despite failing to practice Wednesday after being listed as a limited participant on the injury reports Jacksonville released Monday and Tuesday. The Jaguars had some optimism earlier Thursday that Chark might be able to play through the injury on a short week, but he'll ultimately be forced to the sidelines for the first time in 2020. With their top wideout not suiting up, the Jaguars will likely lean on Keelan Cole, Laviska Shenault and Chris Conley as their primary options in three-receiver sets. Dede Westbrook, who has been inactive for the Jaguars' first two games, should also dress for the first time this season, and he could play a role in the passing game.

Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady said Thursday that he wants to get Samuel more involved in Carolina's future game plans, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports. "Good things happen when the ball is in his hands," Brady said of Samuel.

Samuel has taken on offensive snap shares north of 70 percent in both of Carolina's first two games of the season, logging 10 targets and five rushing attempts between the two contests. While Samuel may continue taking a back seat to D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson in the passing game, he could be a candidate to take on more work as a runner as the Panthers look to replace star back Christian McCaffrey (ankle), who is expected to miss the next 4-to-6 weeks. Mike Davis is in line to start at running back Week 3 against the Chargers, but he likely won't be asked to take on as much volume as McCaffrey has handled as a runner and pass catcher over the past couple of seasons. With that in mind, Samuel could emerge as a de facto change-of-pace option behind Davis, as the 24-year-old has proven adept as a ballcarrier in limited opportunities thus far during his career. Over his three-plus seasons in the NFL, Samuel has carried 36 times for 309 yards (8.6 average) and three touchdowns.

Sims (toe) was listed as limited on Thursday's injury report, Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic reports.

Washington held Sims out of Wednesday's practice due to a toe injury, so his elevation to some work Thursday is a step in the right direction as the team prepares for Sunday's game at Cleveland. So far this season, he's a close second in offensive snap share (86.8 percent) behind No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin (93.4). That said, Sims has accounted for just six catches (on seven targets) for 103 yards and no touchdowns through two games.

Beasley (hip/thumb) is back on the practice field Thursday after missing Wednesday's session, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

We'll see if Beasley gets a "limited" or "full" designation, but it sounds like minor aches and bruises and we're not really concerned about his status for the Week 3 tilt against the Rams. The slot receiver has produced a 9-128-0 line on 13 targets through two games.

Kirk (groin) isn't on the field for the open portion of Thursday's practice and will go down as a non-participant for the second straight day, Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Kirk sustained the groin injury in the Cardinals' Week 2 win over Washington, and though he wasn't forced to exit the contest and played 61 percent of the offensive snaps, his movement was clearly affected by the issue. The Cardinals will see if the back-to-back maintenance days are enough for Kirk to heal up, but he'll likely need to practice in at least a limited fashion Friday just to garner a questionable designation heading into Sunday's game against the Lions. If Kirk ends up sitting out Week 3, added reps at receiver could be in store for Andy Isabella, Trent Sherfield and/or KeeSean Johnson.

Watson (shoulder) isn't participating in the open portion of Thursday's practice, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

For the second straight day, Watson is destined to go down as a non-participant in practice. Unless he's able to fit in some activity during Friday's session, Watson would be at risk of missing Sunday's game against the Broncos. If that's the case, the Buccaneers could keep rookie Tyler Johnson active as the No. 4 receiver behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller.

Crowder (hamstring) won't practice Thursday, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Meanwhile, coach Adam Gase indicated it's "doubtful" that Crowder will play against the Colts on Sunday. Breshad Perriman (ankle) is also trending toward a Week 3 absence, which sets the stage for Chris Hogan (ribs) and Braxton Berrios to head the team's wide receiver corps this weekend.

Reagor will have surgery Thursday to repair the torn UCL in his right thumb, Jeff Skversky of 6 ABC Philadelphia reports.

News of Reagor's thumb injury didn't surface until Wednesday, when he was a spectator in the Eagles' first Week 3 practice. Though he was able to play through the compromised thumb in Sunday's loss to the Rams, Reagor is now set to miss game action after going under the knife. The Eagles haven't outlined a timeline for Reagor return and may not until surgery is completed, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday that the rookie wideout is likely headed for injured reserve, which would keep him sidelined for at least three games.

Chark (chest) is moving in the right direction in advance of Thursday night's matchup against the Dolphins, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Chark enters this week with a "questionable" tag after logging limited practice sessions Monday and Tuesday before sitting out Wednesday completely. It seems like this is something that can be chalked up to the Jaguars taking a cautious approach, but nonetheless, Chark's status will be worth checking up on prior to the team's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff, when the final decision on his status will be made. Should Chark end up suiting up for his regular role, the matchup against Miami would be a favorable one. Through two games, the Dolphins have allowed the third-most standard fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, which includes a combined 30 catches for 454 yards and three touchdowns.

Cleveland (hip) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Cleveland wasn't able to suit up against the Steelers in Week 2 due to a hip injury, but he now appears back to full health. The rookie seventh-round pick looks like he'll be available against the Buccaneers on Sunday, but he's not likely to materialize as a productive fantasy option.