NFL Player News

Williams (knee) was limited to individual work at Thursday's practice and won't take part in team drills for another week or two, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Robert Saleh said Thursday that Williams, who came off the active/PUP list Wednesday, is "a lot further ahead than we anticipated," per Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record, but he declined to state whether the veteran wideout will have his snap count limited to start the season. That seems positive for Williams' chances of being available Week 1 versus the 49ers, though as he works his way back from a torn left ACL suffered Week 3 last season, it remains likely that the big-bodied contested catch specialist will need time to ramp up his effectiveness. Once at 100 percent form, Williams figures to operate as the Jets' clear No. 2 wide receiver behind Garrett Wilson, with Xavier Gipson, Allen Lazard and Malachi Corley options to factor into three-wide sets.

Claypool is still being evaluated for a toe injury, Alec White of the Bills' official site reports.

Claypool has now missed over a week of practices, and his status for Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears is in question. The Bills signed the 2020 second-rounder this offseason as a high-upside dart to fill out their receiving room, but right now Claypool is no certainty to even make the Week 1 roster, which is in a huge state of flux after a top three of Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel.

Hollins (leg) is not practicing Thursday, NFL.com reports.

The severity of Hollins' injury remains undisclosed, but it could well impact his availability for Saturday's preseason matchup against the Bears. Coach Sean McDermott has stated that Josh Allen and the starting offense will get some action Saturday, so sitting out would be a notable opportunity missed for Hollins. The big-bodied journeyman is competing with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, KJ Hamler and Chase Claypool (toe) for a depth role in Buffalo's wide receiver room.

Diggs missed Wednesday's practice with a minor injury after taking a hard hit Tuesday, Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Diggs thus seems unlikely to play in Friday's preseason game against Pittsburgh, giving other WRs an opportunity to take first-team snaps in what likely will be a brief appearance for QB C.J. Stroud and other starters. It sounds like Diggs should be healthy well before the regular season, keeping him on track to team up with Nico Collins and Tank Dell for a formidable Big 3 at wide receiver.

Kirk and other starters are scheduled to play "a series or two" in Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City, Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union reports.

Kirk and TE Evan Engram are the returning standouts in a new-look group of pass catchers, with Calvin Ridley (Titans) and Zay Jones (Cardinals) having been replaced by Gabe Davis and first-round pick Brian Thomas. There's been no report of any injury trouble for Kirk this spring or summer, after he missed the final five games of last season to undergo core muscle surgery. Prior to suffering the injury Week 13, he led the Jaguars in targets, catches and receiving yards, averaging 5.1 receptions for 69.2 yards on 7.6 targets per game.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that there's no long-term concern about Reed's calf injury, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

It sounds like Reed won't be out for long after first missing practice Wednesday. That said, the Packers have a well-earned reputation for being cautious with injuries, so Reed figures to miss additional practices even if his calf issue doesn't elevate to the level that would cause him to miss a game in the regular season. He's locked in as Green Bay's slot man in three-wide formations, but there is some question about how much playing time he'll get in 12 personnel with two tight ends. The good news for fantasy managers is that Reed was a clear priority whenever he was on the field last year, drawing targets on a team-high 23.1 percent of routes and taking 11 carries for 119 yards and two TDs over 16 regular-season games. If that kind of usage continues (or improves), he'll stay relevant for fantasy even without the two-wide snaps.

Watson is on track to practice Thursday after getting hit on the knee at the end of Wednesday's practice, Paul Bretl of ESPN La Crosse 105.5 FM reports.

Watson apparently meant it when he downplayed his knee bruise after Wednesday's practice. It looks like it won't cost him any reps, and the more important thing is that he's avoided hamstring injuries (or any other muscular issues) throughout the offseason and now into training camp. There's still some question about target volume in an offense with so many weapons, but Watson's combination of height and speed should make him an important part of the offense as long as he avoids the hamstring problems that plagued him in his first two professional seasons. The Packers are optimistic that Watson figured out the root cause of those problems and then addressed the muscular imbalance/asymmetry with his legs.

Coach Todd Bowles suggested Thursday that McMillan and other rookies will play in Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

McMillan has spent a lot of time with the first-team offense at training camp and reportedly caught a lot of passes from Baker Mayfield, seemingly putting the third-round pick on track to replace holdover Trey Palmer as the Bucs' No. 3 receiver. Most of the Tampa starters will be held out Saturday evening, but McMillan looks to be an exception in light of Bowles saying that "all the rookies" will play. McMillan figures to get playing time early in the game while Kyle Trask is under center.

Nabers and other starters aren't expected to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Lions, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Raanan suggests the starters could play the following Saturday against Houston, although there's been nothing from the team to confirm that so far. Nabers has drawn rave reviews throughout training camp, apparently looking the part of a sixth overall pick (and then some).

Harrison (ankle) is expected to miss Saturday's preseason opener against the 49ers, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

The Oregon State product is expected to continue battling for a depth spot in Tennessee's wide receiver corps once he returns from injury. If Harrison is absent Saturday, Sam Schnee and Bryce Oliver are expected to see more preseason reps.