NFL Player News

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that Nacua (knee) has a "unique" injury that may require him to miss more than the required four games while on injured reserve, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

The Rams conveniently have a Week 6 bye that affords Nacua and other teammates on IR some extra recovery time before a potential return Week 7 against the Raiders, but McVay's comments suggest that the second-year receiver is no lock to be ready for activation when first eligible. The team officially placed Nacua on IR on Wednesday due to a PCL sprain in his right knee that he suffered in Sunday's season-opening loss to Detroit, which was an aggravation of the bursa sac issue that he sustained Aug. 4. As long as Nacua is sidelined, Cooper Kupp will be the Rams' clear top wide receiver, with Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson the next players up at the position.

Wilson (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Wilson wasn't able to suit up Week 1, but he's now logged four consecutive limited practice sessions to kick off the regular season. The ankle injury the rookie third-round pick suffered in training camp also prevented him from playing in any preseason action. The rookie seems to be making progress, but he'll likely need to upgrade to full participation in practice Thursday and/or Friday to have a chance at making his NFL debut this Sunday in Denver.

Hopkins (knee) isn't listed on the Wednesday's injury report, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Hopkins played just 17 snaps in this past Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Bears after being listed as questionable due to a knee injury entering the game. He isn't in danger of missing Sunday's home opener against the Jets, and while it remains to be seen how much Hopkins will be deployed, head coach Brian Callahan is optimistic that the veteran wide receiver will have a larger role, per Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site.

Perry (hand) was a full practice participant Wednesday.

Perry didn't play Week 1 against the Panthers after sitting out practice last Thursday and Friday due to a hand injury. The issue isn't affecting his on-field reps this week, however, indicating he's good to go for Sunday's visit to the Cowboys. Perry thus will be in consideration for wideout reps alongside Cedrick Wilson behind starters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Wednesday that Legette "played fast" and was "fantastic" in his regular-season debut in last Sunday's loss to the Saints but still has a long way to go, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Legette played 58 percent of snaps and ran a route on 66 percent of Carolina's pass plays in the Week 1 loss, leading the Panthers in targets (seven) and catches (four) despite splitting playing time with Jonathan Mingo. The rookie caught each of his first three targets for 31 yards, before reeling in just one of four targets in the fourth quarter (for four yards) while presumed No. 1 receiver Diontae Johnson was resting on the sideline. Johnson and Adam Thielen presumably are locked into their roles, but Legette could take more playing time away from Mingo as soon as Week 2 against the Chargers.

Williams practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday due to an ankle injury.

On the heels of a breakout Week 1 performance against the Rams in which he produced a 5-121-1 receiving line on nine targets, plus a 13-yard carry, Williams is tending to a health concern, which may stem from the first-half play in which he appeared to get banged up. He finished out the contest, but the Lions will take it easy on the third-year wide receiver as the team begins prepping for this Sunday's game versus the Buccaneers.

Downs (ankle) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Downs, who continues to make progress in his recovery from a high-ankle sprain that he sustained Aug. 7, told James Boyd of The Athletic that he felt "70 percent" last week and is now feeling in the "80-to-90 percent" range. At this stage, the wideout says that the key to him feeling capable of playing this Sunday against the Packers rests in his ability to run and cut without thinking about his ankle.

Jennings (ankle) will be a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.

Jennings made a brief exit during Monday's win against the Jets, but he ultimately played 35 of 72 offensive snaps en route to five catches (on five targets) for 64 yards. The elevated target count may have been due to fellow wideout Deebo Samuel getting more work in the backfield with Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) sidelined. In any case, Jennings will join McCaffrey with a cap on his reps to kick off Week 2 prep, meaning the situation bears watching to see if the former will remain more involved Sunday in Minnesota, assuming he's active and the latter isn't.

Whittington could see an expanded role after the Rams placed Puka Nacua (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday.

A rookie sixth-round pick, Whittington was the subject of considerable hype this summer but played only two snaps on offense in a 26-20 overtime loss to the Lions in Week 1. Whittington at least made himself noticeable with a one-yard touchdown run wiped out by a penalty, a 20-yard kickoff return and a tackle on special teams. The door has now been cracked open for Whittington to take on a more substantial role on offense with Nacua out for at least four games. He may still be fourth in line for snaps at receiver, however, as the Rams used Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson as their wideout trio for nearly every snap after Nacua's injury in the Week 1 loss, and that could be the plan again Week 2 at Arizona.

Kupp is expected to take on greater volume in the Los Angeles passing attack for at least the next four games after the Rams placed Puka Nacua (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.

Kupp becomes an obvious favorite to lead not only the Rams but the entire NFL in targets while Nacua is sidelined for at least Weeks 2 through 5. Even with Nacua playing two quarters in Sunday's 26-20 overtime loss to the Rams, Kupp was still the only player in the NFL with more than 12 targets during the opening week of the season, reeling in 14 of 21 looks for 110 yards and a touchdown (and adding two carries for 10 yards). The biggest remaining question in terms of Kupp's fantasy value is whether he's able to stay healthy while handling such massive workloads, after lower-body injuries had a major impact on his 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Either way, he should stay busy this Sunday at Arizona, facing a defense that was one of the league's worst in 2023 before giving up four total touchdowns to the Bills in Week 1.