NFL Player News

McMillan (knee) is listed as inactive Sunday at Cincinnati, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

A knee issue has been impacting McMillan since early August, and while he appeared to look like his normal self early in the week, he was limited on all three Week 1 injury reports before the Buccaneers listed him as doubtful for Sunday's game. Now that McMillan officially is unavailable, he'll focus on getting healthy for a Week 2 matchup with the Browns on Sunday, Sept. 20. Rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst and Tez Johnson will be the reserve wide receivers for Tampa Bay behind starters Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin in the season opener.

Odunze (calf) is active for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Despite being a limited participant throughout Week 1 prep while managing the calf injury that first cropped up Sept. 3, Odunze has received the green light to play in the Bears' season opener. Odunze should handle his usual starting role, and the Bears haven't provided any indication that he'll have his snaps limited as a result of the injury.

Pierce (heel) is expected to play a decent amount of snaps Sunday against the Ravens, though it isn't expected to be his usual full allotment, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

Despite being limited in all three Week 1 practices, Pierce wasn't given a designation for Sunday's contest, clearing him to return after first recovering from offseason ankle surgery and then tending to a heel injury this week. If he indeed can't handle his normal workload, he'd be a risky play, perhaps needing one of his noted splash plays to reap rewards in the season opener. Josh Downs, Keenan Allen and Ashton Dulin are the top healthy Colts wide receivers if Pierce cedes snaps to the rest of the position.

Nabers' (knee) status for Sunday's game against the Cowboys remains "murky at best," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Nabers was able to practice without limitations during Week 1 prep, but he took a 'questionable' tag into the weekend after a week in which both he and head coach John Harbaugh were non-committal about the wide receiver's potential to play Sunday. Nabers himself told Evan Barnes of Newsday on Thursday that he had to weigh the long-term implications when he eventually returns from the torn ACL and meniscus that he suffered in his right knee Week 4 of last season. The Giants play on Sunday Night Football in Week 1, so if Nabers is listed as inactive, fantasy managers won't have many options to turn to for scoring purposes between SNF and MNF. New York brought two WRs (Braxton Berrios and Dalen Cambre) off its practice squad Saturday to join Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney and Odell Beckham, likely with a potential absence from Nabers in mind.

Brown, who was officially placed on injured reserve Saturday, is expected to miss about six weeks due to a right high-ankle sprain, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Patriots deactivated Brown just three days after he sustained the injury in the third quarter of Wednesday's 13-10 loss to the Seahawks. Though recovery timelines for high-ankle sprains often range from 4-to-6 weeks, the Patriots quickly determined that Brown's injury is "a little more serious," which likely takes a return from IR in Week 6 when first eligible off the table. While their No. 1 wideout is sidelined until early November, the Patriots will have to lean more heavily on Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams as their primary receivers.

Stribling (ankle) is expected to miss at least one month after he was diagnosed Sunday with a deltoid sprain of his left ankle, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Stribling saw plenty of playing time early in his NFL debut during Thursday's 27-7 win over the Rams, drawing no targets but taking the field for 21 of the team's first 26 offensive snaps before going down with an injury. Initial tests ruled out an Achilles injury for Stribling, but the second-round rookie will still require some down time as a result of the ankle sprain. According to Rapoport, Stribling is seeking multiple medical opinions on his injury, and while surgery isn't yet planned, the 49ers haven't dismissed the possibility of the wideout needing an operation. The 49ers will likely hold off on placing Stribling on injured reserve until a decision is made on a treatment plan.

Odunze (calf), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Carolina, is expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Odunze made an early exit from practice Sept. 3 due to a right leg injury that was confirmed as a calf issue upon the Bears posting their first Week 1 practice report Wednesday. He proceeded to log three consecutive limited sessions, and Rapoport's report implies Odunze won't be among the team's inactives for the regular-season opener. Chicago will post such a list approximately 90 minutes before a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, and if he's active, Odunze will join Luther Burden as the top wide receivers available to quarterback Caleb Williams.

Washington is unlikely to agree to a contract extension with Jacksonville before the start of the season, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

With no extension imminent, Washington appears set to play out the current season without a new deal in place. The Jaguars wide receiver is coming off a career year, and Wolfe's report indicates talks explored a contract in Michael Wilson's range (three years, $75M) before stalling for now. Washington is in the final season of his four-year rookie contract, and it's still possible an extension gets worked out after Week 1.

The Giants elevated Berrios from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday ahead of Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.

Berrios was among New York's roster cuts Aug. 30, but he found himself back on the team's practice squad one day later, with an expectation that he'd have a Week 1 role. If Malik Nabers (knee) is inhibited or not able to suit up Sunday night, Berrios could be a factor on offense, but his most likely path to snaps is as a returner, as he's averaged 24.9 yards per kick return and 11.3 yards per punt return during his seven-year career.

The Eagles elevated Covey from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.

With the entirety of the Eagles' wide receiver corps healthy, Covey was likely elevated for his value on special teams. There is a good chance Covey takes punt and kick return reps away from Makai Lemon and Will Shipley, keeping the wide receiver and running back fresh for offensive possessions.