NFL Player News

Bateman (undisclosed) returned to practice Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

An unspecified issue caused Bateman to exit Monday's practice early, but his return to the field Wednesday aligns with head coach John Harbaugh's previous assertion that the wideout wasn't dealing with anything major. As the 2024 campaign approaches, Bateman has a chance to see an uptick in production in his fourth year while working as one of Lamar Jackson's top targets alongside 2023 first-round wideout Zay Flowers and star tight end Mark Andrews.

Baker and fellow rookie Ja'Lynn Polk have made their mark through the Patriots' first six training camp practices, according to Evan Lazar of the team's official site.

With Kendrick Bourne recovering from a knee injury that could limit him early on this season and DeVante Parker no longer in the mix, targets are up for grabs in New England's wide receiver corps this coming season. Baker -- whom the team took in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft -- has made some highlight-reel plays in camp, and the UCF product has a chance to contribute as a rookie if he can parlay his big-play potential into a steady role early on. Such an outcome appears plausible, with slotting in a wideout corps that will continue to feature DeMario Douglas and also includes K.J. Osborn, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Reagor and Tyquan Thornton still to be determined.

Polk and fellow rookie and Javon Baker have been "as advertised" through six training camp practices, according to Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site.

Lazar notes that Polk -- whom the Patriots took in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft -- has been featured out of the gate with other regulars in the team's offense as a reliable underneath target. With Kendrick Bourne recovering from a knee injury that could limit him early on this season, Polk would appear to have a path toward becoming an immediate contributor in New England's passing game as a rookie. Whether that translates to fantasy relevance right away hinges on what sort of volume the Washington product sees in an offensive attack that could lean heavily on the run. As the season progresses Polk could emerge as key a pass catcher for whichever quarterback ( Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye) is behind center.

Valdes-Scantling's first-team reps have dwindled amidst a slow start to training camp, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Chase Claypool's absence due to a toe injury might have seemed like an opportunity for Valdes-Scantling to get more reps and deep targets, but Buscaglia notes that the former Packers and Chiefs wideout has mostly been working with backups and not making any noise. Valdes-Scantling could end up on the roster bubble, even though he'll be guaranteed $2.25 million for 2024.

Toney left Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

The 2021 first-round pick has a lengthy history of lower-body injuries, which is part of why he's probably competing for return work more so than a regular role on offense at this stage of his career. The Chiefs might still have something in mind for Toney off the bench, but he's unlikely to get enough snaps for mainstream fantasy value even if the injury turns out be minor and he returns to practice fairly soon.

Brown (illness) returned to practice Wednesday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Brown should jump right back in with the first-team offense after missing a few days due to an illness. Wednesday will be one of the few practices so far in which all of Brown, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy have been available, as Worthy missed some time earlier in training camp with an illness of his own.

Pierce and rookie Adonai Mitchell have rotated playing time between the first- and second-team offenses through the first week of training camp, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Mitchell and Pierce are battling for the No. 3 receiver role in the offense. It's still early in camp, but it's notable that Pierce as the veteran didn't immediately get all the reps with the first unit. Pierce has underwhelmed by averaging just 554 yards and two touchdowns in his two season with the Colts, so there's some risk he could quickly lose playing time to Mitchell, a 2024 second-round pick.

Mitchell and Alec Pierce have rotated playing time between the first- and second-team offenses through the first week of training camp, Indianapolis 93.5 The Fan reports.

Mitchell and Pierce are battling for the No. 3 receiver role in the offense. It's early in the contest, but it's notable that Mitchell as the rookie didn't immediately begin camp with the second unit. The Colts used the 52nd pick in the 2024 Draft on Mitchell, a combine standout who made a strong impression in spring practices.

Claypool missed Tuesday's practice due to a toe injury, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

The free-agent signee suffered the injury Sunday. While it isn't expected to be a long-term issue, Claypool is on the roster bubble, so any missed time could end up costing him as he takes aim at one of the Bills' final receiver spots.

Head coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday that St. Brown missed practice due to a hamstring injury, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

St. Brown signed with the Saints in April after spending the last two seasons with the Bears. He missed 10 regular-season games in 2023 due to separate hamstring and pectoral injuries, and he finished the season with five catches for 62 yards on six targets. St. Brown is battling Cedrick Wilson and A.T. Perry for the No. 3 wide receiver spot behind Chris Olave (hip) and Rashid Shaheed.