NFL Player News

Atwell (coach's decision) is inactive for Thursday's tilt against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

Atwell was with the Dolphins during the offseason until the Rams traded for him Aug. 27, though he should be fairly well-versed in the team's playbook after spending each of the past five campaigns with Los Angeles. It seemed Atwell could have a fairly big role in the Dolphins' thin wideout corps, but now that he's back with the Rams, he'll be competing with the likes of Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith and Jordan Whittington for playing time (and active status) behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. It remains to be seen if Nacua will be suspended by the league at some point; if that were to happen, Atwell could move into a more significant role.

Watkins (coach's decision) is officially inactive for Thursday's game against the Rams, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

After flashing during the preseason, Watkins will be a healthy scratch to begin the regular season. Presumably, veterans Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel and rookie second-rounder De'Zhaun Stribling will see the lion's share of the 49ers' snaps at wide receiver in Week 1.

Brown is expected to miss four weeks with the ankle injury he suffered in Monday night's loss to the Seahawks, Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network reports.

Brown is believed to be dealing with a high-ankle sprain that may require a stint on injured reserve, per NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. The good news is he suffered the injury on a Wednesday, which gives him a few extra days to rehab this week, but it's still looking like the star wideout will miss multiple games. While Brown is sidelined, the Patriots will need to lean on Romeo Doubs at wideout, while DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams all figure to take on larger roles. Hunter Henry is also a candidate to see a bigger target share while Brown is sidelined.

Patrick (groin) did not participate at practice Thursday.

Patrick was estimated as a non-participant on the Jets' official injury report Wednesday, and he evidently isn't in any better shape a day later. Unless he's able to manage at least a limited practice Friday, he'll probably sit out Sunday's game at Tennessee.

Walker (groin) was listed as a limited participant at the Ravens' walkthrough practice Thursday.

Walker continues to nurse a groin injury ahead of Week 1, logging his second straight limited session Thursday. The wide receiver will have one more chance to notch a full practice Friday before the team takes on Indianapolis in the regular-season opener Sunday. If Walker is unavailable in Week 1, rookie wideout Ja'Kobi Lane could see an uptick in opportunities in his regular-season debut.

Mims (foot) was listed as a full practice participant Thursday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Mims sustained a foot contusion in the Broncos' Aug. 28 preseason finale against the Vikings, but after having no limitations in the team's first official practice of the regular season, he'll be ready to go for the opener Monday in Kansas City. On the Broncos' unofficial depth chart, Mims is listed as a starting receiver along with Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton, though second-year wideout Pat Bryant drew plenty of positive buzz during training camp and the preseason and could push Mims for No. 3 duties.

McMillan (knee) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

McMillan has been tending to a knee injury since early August, a scenario that sidelined him for the entire preseason slate. With back-to-back capped sessions under his belt, he still has some work to do to make himself available for Sunday's game at Cincinnati. Friday's practice report will reveal if McMillan enters the weekend with a designation ahead of that matchup.

Meyers (thumb) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Per Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, Meyers was donning a non-contact jersey for the second day in a row while aiming to protect his injured right thumb. The fact that he's practiced in some fashion during the first two days of Week 1 prep is generally a positive sign for Meyers' status heading into Sunday's game against the Browns, but he may need to turn in a full practice Friday to avoid taking a designation into the weekend.

The 49ers elevated Hodge from the practice squad to the active roster for the team's Week 1 game against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

Hodge was released by the Falcons at the start of free agency in March and didn't garner any interest until he had a tryout with the Bills in late July. He eventually joined an injury-ravaged 49ers receiving corps on Aug. 5 but didn't survive roster cuts before being signed to San Francisco's practice squad. It's unclear if any of the other six wide receivers on the active roster will be healthy scratches, but even if he's available for the season opener, he likely wouldn't be in line for many offensive snaps with all of Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson ahead of Hodge in the WR pecking order.

Flowers (hamstring) was a full participant at Thursday's walkthrough.

Flowers was listed as a limited participant Wednesday but upgraded to all activity Thursday, putting him on track to play in Sunday's season opener against the Colts. After leading the Ravens with 1,211 receiving yards last season, Flowers is set to reprise his role as Lamar Jackson's top target under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.