NFL Player News

Rams coach Sean McVay said Nacua (ankle) will be limited in practice Wednesday , Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

Nacua is back on the practice field for the first time since suffering a low left-ankle sprain versus Baltimore in Week 6. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Nacua is expected to return to the starting lineup Sunday versus New Orleans, but unless he's able to upgrade to full practice reps Thursday and/or Friday, the star wideout will likely carry an injury designation into the weekend. McVay confirmed Wednesday that barring any setbacks, Nacua is trending toward a return versus New Orleans, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pearsall (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

He hasn't practiced or played since Week 4, and the 49ers haven't provided much information beyond listing him as such on the final injury report. They did elect not to place Pearsall on injured reserve, hinting at a week-to-week outlook even though he's now been out for more than a month. In any case, the continued absences from practice don't bode well for a Week 9 appearance this Sunday at the Giants.

Wicks (calf) didn't practice Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Wicks missed a Week 8 win over the Steelers after hurting his calf Week 7 at Arizona. He may not have much of a role even when he's healthy, as the Packers just got Christian Watson back in the lineup and then saw him put up 84 yards in his first game of the year.

Mooney (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

After missing Week 6 with a hamstring injury, Mooney has topped an 80 percent offensive snap share in back-to-back games, albeit with just nine targets and 79 yards in that time. His projection for Week 9 at New England partially depends on the health of QB Michael Penix (knee) and WR Drake London (hip), both of whom missed the Week 8 loss to Miami.

Downs (hip) didn't practice Wednesday.

In his return from a concussion in the Colts' Week 8 win over the Titans, Downs was on the field for 64 percent of the team's snaps on offense en route to catching all three of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown. He now has two more chances to practice fully before the Colts' final injury report is posted head of Sunday's game against the Steelers. Also missing practice Wednesday was fellow wideout Anthony Gould (knee), which currently leaves Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin and Adonai Mitchell as Indy's top healthy options at the position.

Burden (concussion) didn't take part in Wednesday's practice.

Burden didn't return to this past Sunday's loss at Baltimore after being concussed early in the third quarter. He was joined as a non-participant Wednesday by fellow WRs Rome Odunze (heel), DJ Moore (hip/groin) and Olamide Zaccheaus (knee). Burden himself will need to gain clearance from an independent neurologist in order to have a chance to play Sunday at Cincinnati, but a DNP to begin Week 9 prep isn't exactly a great sign for upcoming active status.

Zaccheaus (knee) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

The Bears' top four wide receivers all also logged DNPs to begin Week 9 prep: Rome Odunze (heel), DJ Moore (hip/groin) and Luther Burden (concussion) in addition to Zaccheaus. On Monday, coach Ben Johnson termed Zaccheaus "day-to-day" due to a knee injury, per Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network, so he seemingly has a good chance to mix into drills before week's end. Nevertheless, Chicago's situation at the position bears watching in the coming days to see who may be available Sunday in Cincinnati.

Moore (hip/groin) did not practice Wednesday.

Moore wasn't assigned an injury designation Week 8 against Baltimore despite logging a DNP/LP/FP practice slate, and the Bears could have a similar plan in mind ahead of Sunday's road contest against the Bengals. Fellow wideouts Rome Odunze (heel), Luther Burden (concussion) and Olamide Zaccheaus (knee) also missed practice Wednesday, as did top running back D'Andre Swift. Moore corralled four of seven targets for a season-high 73 receiving yards versus the Ravens in Week 8, and if he manages to suit up versus Cincinnati while other notable skill-position players remain sidelined, an opportunity to build upon that momentum may present itself.

Coach DeMeco Ryans noted that Collins, who practiced Wednesday, is technically still in concussion protocol but is expected to be cleared in the next few days, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

It remains to be seen if Collins will be listed as a limited or full participant in Wednesday's session, but the wideout is nonetheless trending toward a return to action Sunday against the Broncos. Also back at practice Wednesday for the Texans was fellow WR Christian Kirk (hamstring), who last saw game action in Week 5.

Odunze (heel) did not practice Wednesday.

Odunze and fellow top wideout DJ Moore (hip/groin) were both held out of practice Wednesday, as were rookie Luther Burden (concussion) and veteran slot option Olamide Zaccheaus (knee). Given the plethora of injuries facing Chicago's wide receiver corps, it's possible the team is simply taking a cautious approach to the beginning of Week 9 prep. Odunze will have two more chances to get back on the practice field before receiving a tentative game-day injury designation ahead of Sunday's road contest against the Bengals. He brought in seven of 10 targets for 114 yards during the team's Week 8 loss to Baltimore, Odunze's second 100-yard game of the season.