NFL Player News

Shepard (concussion) will take contact during Wednesday's practice, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Shepard has been working through the league's five-step protocol since suffering his second diagnosed concussion of the season Week 5. He's been a limited participant in practice the last two weeks, but his ability to absorb contact Wednesday suggests he could be listed as a full participant in the Giants' first injury report of Week 9, which will be released Thursday. Even if Shepard upgrades to full participation, he'll still need to receive clearance from an independent neurologist later this week in order to play in games, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Shepard isn't a lock to be removed from the protocol in time for Monday's tilt with the Cowboys.

Thielen (hamstring) will return to practice Wednesday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Coach Mike Zimmer didn't outline the extent of Thielen's involvement, but it's a strong bet the wideout will be a limited participant rather than a full one. Thielen was held out of last Thursday's 19-9 win over Washington with the intention of making it back for Week 9 in Kansas City. His practice participation throughout the week should provide a good hint about his availability for Sunday.

Chark picked up a quadriceps injury but is expected to take part in Wednesday's practice.

It isn't clear if Chark will be a limited or full participant in Wednesday's session, but either activity level would put him on track to play in Sunday's home game against Houston. His matchup appears favorable given the Texans' recent struggles on defense, though they held Jacksonville to 12 points back in Week 2, with Chark catching seven passes for 55 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Houston has surrendered a league-high 13 touchdowns to wide receivers, and only the Giants have allowed more yards. A season-ending pectoral tear for J.J. Watt won't help.

Jones hauled in two passes on as many targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Texans.

Jones made his debut as a Raider on Sunday in Houston after being scratched from the lineup in Week 7, still fresh off his trade from the Bills as he continued to learn the new playbook. Jones logged 22 offensive snaps against the Texans, which placed him behind fellow receivers Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow and Trevor Davis, as expected. A similar level of involvement should be on tap for Jones in Week 9 against the Lions, who could be without starting defensive backs Darius Slay (hamstring) and Tracy Walker (knee).

Isabella played one snap on offense and six plays on special teams during Sunday's 31-9 defeat at New Orleans.

A 2019 second-round selection, Isabella has been buried on the Cardinals' WR depth chart this season, being inactive one time and otherwise averaging six offensive snaps per game in his seven appearances. The sparse workload has contained him to five touches for 24 yards from scrimmage, keeping him out of the fantasy limelight even when injuries sidelined position mates. It's unclear if or when Isabella will make a consistent impact as a rookie, but he can't be trusted at the moment.

Byrd hauled in two of five targets for 18 yards during Sunday's 31-9 loss at New Orleans.

Since sitting out Weeks 4 and 5 with a hamstring injury and being limited to 22 percent of the snaps on offense upon his return Week 6, Byrd has received his usual workload of at least 80 percent of those plays in two consecutive games. His production has been dismal for an outside receiver -- 10.5 YPC and 6.6 YPT on 27 targets through six appearances this season -- but the aforementioned workload gives him a chance, albeit slim, to make weekly contributions.

Sherfield (knee) was a limited practice participant Tuesday.

Since becoming a regular part of the passing game Week 4, Sherfield has received at least 52 percent of the offensive snaps in five straight games and as many as 80 percent two times during that span. His output has been lacking, though, as he's totaled four catches (on 10 targets) for 80 yards and no touchdowns. Wednesday's injury report will give a sense of his odds to suit up Thursday versus the 49ers.

Perriman was unable to haul in any of his four targets during Sunday' 27-23 loss to the Titans.

Though he had yet to link up with Jameis Winston to that point, Winston looked Perriman's way deep in the final moments of Sunday's loss with the Buccaneers attempting a comeback. However, Titans defensive back Logan Ryan seemed to run Perriman's route ahead of him and picked the pass off. After the game, head coach Bruce Arians blamed Winstons' two INTs on the receivers, including Perriman. The fourth-year player has been incredibly inefficient this season with just three catches for 16 yards on 16 targets. Sunday brings a Seahawks team that has surrendered plenty of passing yards this season, but expect them to be accumulated by the likes of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans instead.

Grant caught two of three targets for 32 yards during Monday's 27-14 loss to Pittsburgh.

Grant helped keep the Dolphins alive early in the fourth quarter when, down by 10 and facing a third and long, he found a spot along the sideline and snagged a 15-yard pass from a scrambling Ryan Fitzpatrick for the first down. As Miami's luck would have it, the team lost a fumble on the very next play. Grant got a nice contract in the offseason and while a big part of his value is as a returner, the Dolphins have not found many ways to get him the ball in an otherwise feeble offense. Monday's 32 yards marked a season high, and he's on pace for his smallest offensive output since his rookie season.

Humphrey signed with the Saints' practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Humphrey was waived by the Saints on Saturday but will remain with the organization after going unclaimed on waivers. The undrafted rookie saw action in four games and wasn't targeted on 41 offensive snaps.