NFL Player News

Worthy (shoulder) won't return to Friday's game versus the Chargers in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Worthy took a hit directly to his right shoulder from TE Travis Kelce on the first drive of the contest while running an underneath route. He was in visible pain as he went to the sideline and then was escorted off the field and immediate to the X-ray room before being ruled out. With Rashee Rice suspended for the first six games of the season and Jalen Royals (knee) inactive, the Chiefs are left with Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jason Brownlee and Nikko Remigio for the rest of Week 1.

Worthy is questionable to return to Friday's game against the Chargers in Sao Paolo, Brazil due to a shoulder injury.

Worthy was a victim of some friendly fire on the Chiefs' opening possession when he was sideswiped by TE Travis Kelce on an underneath route. He remained down for a bit before making his way to the sideline in visible pain. After team trainers checked him out, Worthy then made his way to the locker room.

Flournoy reverted to Dallas' practice squad Friday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Flournoy played 14 snaps on special teams after the Cowboys elevated him for their season opener at Philadelphia, but now he'll head back to the practice squad until further notice. Dallas has just four healthy wide receivers on its active roster, so it wouldn't be shocking if they considered elevating Flournoy from the practice squad again in Week 2 versus the Giants.

Watkins (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game at Seattle, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Watkins suffered a high-ankle sprain during San Francisco's preseason opener versus the Broncos, and it's now looking like there's a good chance he'll have to sit out Week 1 action as he continues to recover. The 49ers have just four healthy wide receivers going into the weekend, so there's a good chance they make a practice squad elevation prior to kickoff Sunday.

Thornton is a candidate to see added work early on this season, with Rashee Rice (suspension) set to miss the Chiefs' first six games, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

In Rice's absence, Xavier Worthy is in line to have a high profile in the passing offense, while Hollywood Brown and Thornton also figure to factor in, per Rapoport. Thornton earned a roster spot with a strong training camp, and now the speedster has a chance to make his mark out of the gate this season. Also in the team's WR mix are veteran option JuJu Smith-Schuster, with Jason Brownlee and Nikko Remigio on hand as well.

Noel is set for a larger role for the Texans on Sunday versus the Rams due to both Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Braxton Berrios (hamstring) being ruled out for the game, Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Both Kirk's duties out of the slot and Berrios' as a punt returner appear as if they'll fall on Noel's shoulders in the latter's pro debut. A rookie third-round pick, Noel racked up an 80-1,194-8 line on 125 targets at Iowa State last season and also turned 13 punt returns into 199 yards (15.3 per), earning Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year honors in the process. Noel, along with rookie second-rounder Jayden Higgins, will be in the mix for targets from QB C.J. Stroud behind top WR Nico Collins.

Higgins is in line for an elevated role in the Texans' passing game Sunday against the Rams after fellow WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) was ruled out for that contest.

Higgins isn't a candidate to take on Kirk's role in the slot, as fellow rookie Jaylin Noel should handle most of those duties, but targets have opened up a bit behind top option Nico Collins. In three appearances this preseason, Higgins recorded a modest 5-40-0 line on seven targets. However, the 2025 second-round pick is coming off a final season at Iowa State in which he averaged 13.6 yards per catch and 8.6 yards per target, so he could make a bigger impact if he's deployed on routes further down the field.

Young (hamstring) won't play in Sunday's matchup against the 49ers, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Young downgraded from limited practice participation Wednesday to a DNP on Thursday, making it no surprise he'll miss Sunday's divisional contest. The fourth-year wideout played almost exclusively on special teams last season (228 special teams snaps), failing to catch his only target across 14 appearances. With Young and Jake Bobo (concussion) sidelined in Week 1, Cody White is expected to play as the Seahawks' No. 4 wideout.

White (shoulder) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the 49ers, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Despite White opening Seattle's week of practice with consecutive limited sessions, he'll suit up for the team's regular-season opener Sunday. The Michigan State product appeared in four games with the Seahawks last season, catching two of his three targets for 44 yards while also contributing on special teams (49 snaps). White is expected to play a similar role ahead of the 2025 season.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Jennings (calf) is "good to go" for Sunday's contest at Seattle, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports. "He's had a real good week," Shanahan added. "[He's] gotten better and better throughout the week, and I'm excited to see him out there Sunday."

Jennings logged limited practices Wednesday and Thursday due to the calf injury that's impacted him at times since the offseason program, but he also gained some clarity with his contract this week when he and the 49ers agreed to $3 million in play-time incentives for the 2025 season. He'll open the campaign with Ricky Pearsall as the top wide receivers for QB Brock Purdy in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk, who is on the reserve/PUP list as he completes his recovery from the ACL and MCL tears that he suffered Week 7 of last year. Jennings put together a career-best 77-975-6 line on 113 targets in 15 regular-season games in 2024.