NFL Player News

Samuel (pectoral) is active for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Samuel had been listed as questionable after he was a limited participant in practices throughout the week while nursing the pec injury, which kept him out for last Sunday's win over the Seahawks. The Bills will be without top wideout Amari Cooper (wrist) in Week 9, potentially opening the door for Samuel to take on more snaps. However, while Cooper was out of the picture from Weeks 1 through 6 before arriving in a trade with Cleveland, Samuel wasn't a noteworthy fantasy producer, as he averaged 16.3 yards from scrimmage per contest and failed to find the end zone during that six-game stretch.

Thornton is inactive for Sunday's game against the Titans.

With Thornton and K.J. Osborn not in uniform Sunday, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker are available to handle the Patriots' Week 9 wideout duties. In the wake of his healthy scratch Sunday, it's possible that Thornton could be moved ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

Legette (toe) is listed as active Sunday against the Saints, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Legette was a midweek addition to the Panthers' Week 9 injury report due to a toe issue, culminating with back-to-back limited sessions. With his status now confirmed for Sunday's contest, he'll be among the top wide receivers for quarterback Bryce Young along with Jalen Coker, David Moore, Jonathan Mingo and Deven Thompkins.

Burton is a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Despite having quarterback Joe Burrow lobby for Burton earlier this week to get more playing time moving forward, the rookie wideout will end up on the inactive list in Week 9, even with two other receivers in Tee Higgins (quadricep) and Charlie Jones (groin) sitting out with injuries. With Burton out of the mix, the Bengals will have Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin and Kendric Pryor as their available depth options behind No. 1 wideout Ja'Marr Chase.

Chark (groin) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns.

The Chargers activated Chark (groin) from injured reserve Saturday, but he'll have to wait at least another week before making his season debut. In his continued absence, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer and Simi Fehoko are set to lead the Chargers' Week 9 wideout corps, with Jalen Reagor and Derius Davis also on hand.

Higgins (quadricep) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Higgins carried a doubtful designation into Sunday, so his inclusion on the inactive list for the second game in a row comes as no surprise. The wideout didn't practice in any fashion this week, so he could face an uphill battle to make it back in action for the Bengals' Thursday night matchup with the Ravens in Week 10.

Ford-Wheaton (Achilles) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Commanders, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

As expected, Ford-Wheaton will be in street clothes after drawing a doubtful tag. He played through the Achilles issue during the Giants' Week 8 loss to the Steelers, but he may have suffered a setback, as he didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday of Week 9 prep. Ford-Wheaton's absence shouldn't impact the Giants' offense, as he's played only two offensive snaps in seven appearances, but he is one of the team's top special-teams players.

Cooper (wrist) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Even though Cooper took a questionable tag into the weekend after a trio of limited practices due to the left wrist issue, the prevailing expectation was that the wideout would be ready to go by Sunday. Cooper apparently wasn't able to make enough progress with his wrist leading up to kickoff, however, prompting the Bills to make him inactive in what will be his first absence of the season. With Cooper out of the mix, wideouts Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman as well as tight end Dalton Kincaid could see their target shares increase.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that he expects Johnson to play about 10-to-15 snaps in Sunday's game against the Broncos, Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports reports.

Harbaugh noted that Johnson is still familiarizing himself with the new playbook after the Ravens acquired him from the Panthers on Tuesday, so the veteran wideout won't be handed a full role right off the bat in his team debut. Eventually, Harbaugh envisions Johnson providing a field-stretching weapon who's capable of burnishing the depth at receiver behind starters Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Johnson should eventually settle into a regular spot alongside Flowers and Bateman in three-receiver sets, but Johnson is unlikely to see the steady volume in the passing game he enjoyed in Carolina, where he had been averaging 8.3 targets per game over his seven appearances.

Davis (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles but appears to be a "longshot" to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Though head coach Doug Pederson characterized Davis as a game-time decision when he last spoke to the media Friday, the receiver seemingly hasn't made enough progress from the shoulder injury he suffered in last Sunday's loss to Green Bay to give it a go in Week 9. Davis practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday through Friday, but unless his condition has dramatically improved when he's evaluated early Sunday, he'll likely be included on Jacksonville's inactive list, which will be released 90 minutes prior to the 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. With Christian Kirk (collarbone) out for the season and Davis expected to sit out Sunday, added opportunities in the passing game should be available for wideouts Parker Washington and Tim Jones as well as tight ends Evan Engram and Brenton Strange. Brian Thomas (chest) -- who is listed as questionable but expected to play -- should also be locked in as Jacksonville's No. 1 option at receiver.