NFL Player News

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that Wicks (calf) isn't in line to practice this week, Zach Kruse of USA Today reports.

Though LaFleur didn't definitively rule Wicks out for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, the third-year wideout is highly unlikely to play while he continues to manage a calf injury he sustained in last week's win over Arizona. Wicks' expected absence could be offset by the potential return of fellow wideout Christian Watson (knee), who is in the midst of his third week of practicing with the team and may be activated from the PUP list ahead of Sunday's contest.

Miller secured his only target for 14 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-9 loss to the Lions on Monday night.

Miller logged nine snaps on offense, as Chris Godwin's (fibula) absence and Mike Evans' in-game injuries -- a broken collarbone and concussion -- opened some opportunities down the Buccaneers' receiver depth chart. While Evans and Godwin are both already ruled out for Sunday's Week 8 road matchup against the Saints, Miller looks likely to remain in a fairly insignificant reserve role.

Johnson failed to bring in his only target over 15 snaps but returned four kickoffs for 95 yards and ran back three punts for 34 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-9 loss to the Lions on Monday night.

One week after Johnson posted a career-best 4-64-1 receiving line, the second-year wideout was back to being a nonfactor on offense. Johnson did continue to offer solid production on returns, which included a season high on kickoff-return yardage. However, with Mike Evans (IR, collarbone/concussion) and Chris Godwin (fibula) guaranteed to be unavailable in Week 8 against the Saints, Johnson will at least have a chance to continue filling a reserve role on offense.

The Broncos signed Rowan to their practice squad Wednesday, Jon Heath of Broncos Wire reports.

Rowan originally signed with Denver as an undrafted free agent back in May but he ultimately was waived during August roster cuts. Now he's back with the team as a member of the practice squad but probably won't get see snaps anytime soon barring an injury to a wideout on the active roster.

Brown missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury, but he's on track to play this Sunday against the Giants, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A return to practice Thursday would support the notion that Brown's hamstring injury is minor. There was no sign of trouble in Sunday's win at Minnesota, with Brown catching four passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns while playing 92 percent of snaps and handling a 100 percent route share.

Jones (ribs) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Jones was cleared of a rib injury to play in the Bengals' Week 7 win over the Steelers, when he played two snaps on special teams and recorded a fair catch on a punt. He's still nursing the injury, but a full practice Thursday or Friday would put him on track toward being available for Sunday's game against the Jets.

Brown missed Wednesday's practice due to a hamstring injury.

It's the first time this season he's missed practice due to an injury. There was no sign of trouble in Sunday's win at Minnesota, with Brown catching four passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns while playing 92 percent of offensive snaps and handling a 100 percent route share.

The Buccaneers placed Evans (collarbone) on injured reserve Wednesday.

A report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport earlier Wednesday suggested that Evans suffered a "clean break" of his collarbone and could be back in eight weeks or fewer. That's optimistic relative to past cases of NFL players returning from collarbone fractures, but it's at least clear that the Bucs have hope to get Evans back later this season. For now, he's officially ruled out for the next four games on injured reserve, with surgery scheduled this week.

Watson (knee) was limited in practice Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

For the third week in a row, Watson continues to operate with a cap on his practice reps as he puts the finishing touches on his recovery from the torn ACL in his right knee that he suffered Week 18 of last season. The Packers are particularly cautious with returns from serious injuries, but on Wednesday the wide receiver said, "My goal and my plan is to play this week," per Schneidman. The first step in Watson's return will be the Packers listing him as something other than 'Out' on Friday's practice report, after which the team will need to activate him from the reserve/PUP list Saturday afternoon for him to have a chance to be active at Sunday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.

Oliver (knee) did not participate in Wednesday's practice.

Oliver has missed the Titans' last five games due to a knee injury. He'll have two more chances to return to practice this week and give himself a chance to be available for Sunday's road game against the Colts. Chimere Dike will continue to serve as the Titans' primary returner on kickoffs in Oliver's absence.