NFL Player News

Dell (calf) didn't practice Wednesday, but the Texans are optimistic that he'll be available for Sunday's game against the Broncos, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Per Wilson, Dell had imaging done on his calf after this past Sunday's 24-21 loss to Jacksonville. Dell's injury is regarded as relatively minor, but he'll likely need to increase his practice participation Thursday or Friday to get the green light to play against Denver. If the rookie wide receiver is unable to play, it would be a major loss for Houston's offense, considering Dell has piled up 25 catches for 369 yards and five touchdowns in his last four games.

Wilson (shoulder) isn't practicing Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

The rookie wideout missed three of Arizona's past four games with the shoulder injury and didn't practice at all last week. With a Week 14 bye around the corner, the Cardinals may not have much reason to bring Wilson back for Sunday's game against the Steelers.

Douglas (concussion) wasn't spotted participating in practice Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Though head coach Bill Belichick was previously unwilling to confirm as much, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald relays that Douglas entered the NFL's concussion protocol after being forced out of this past Sunday's loss to the Giants. Given that Douglas was previously diagnosed with a concussion Oct. 8 and proceeded to miss the Patriots' ensuing Week 6 game, the wideout may face an uphill battle to clear the five-step protocol ahead of this Sunday's game against the Chargers. If Douglas is sidelined Week 13, DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton would be in line to lead the team's receiver corps.

Brown (knee) was spotted at practice Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Brown, who Wilson relays is dealing with a knee contusion, has missed two straight games. The wideout's presence at practice Wednesday offers hope that he could return to action Sunday against the Broncos. The Texans' will release their first Week 13 injury report later Wednesday, when the extent of Brown's practice participation will be known.

Drummond was cut from the Lions' practice squad Wednesday.

Drummond joined Detroit in the spring as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan. After being unable to make the squad out of camp, he secured a practice squad spot, which resulted in one elevation to the active roster in Week 5 against the Panthers. In a corresponding move, the Lions signed fellow wideout Tom Kennedy to the practice squad.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday that Lazard will suit up for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Lazard was a heathy inactive for the Jets' Week 12 loss to the Dolphins, a likely result of the veteran wide receiver having struggled with drops and ill-timed penalties in his first season with the Jets. Prior to the benching, Lazard had a consistent starting role on the outside opposite Garrett Wilson, but it's possible that the 4-7 Jets will look to work rookie Jason Brownlee in more at Lazard's expense. Brownlee played all but one of the Jets' offensive snaps against Miami with Lazard inactive.

Burks is still working through concussion protocol, but head coach Mike Vrabel is hopeful the second-year wideout will return Sunday against the Colts, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The 23-year-old wideout has missed three straight games due to a concussion suffered back on Nov. 2, and he previously missed Weeks 4 through 6 due to a knee sprain. In his five appearances this season, Burks has just eight receptions for 122 yards, but Tennessee's passing attack is also bottom five in the league in terms of passing yards. Fantasy managers should stay tuned to Burks' practice activity this week, but whenever the wideout is able to return, he could emerge as more of a downfield threat with strong-armed rookie Will Levis having since displaced veteran Ryan Tannehill as the team's starting quarterback.

Thompkins failed to record a single rushing attempt or target in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Colts.

Thompkins four offensive snaps Sunday accounted for his lowest total of the season. The second-year wideout also played eight special teams snaps in the contest, calling for a fair catch on both of his return opportunities. Thompkins' minimal usage on offense keeps him far off the fantasy radar heading into a Week 13 matchup with the Panthers.

Irwin reeled in his lone target for 25 yards in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Steelers.

Irwin played a very small role against the Steelers, despite seeing the field for the second-most offensive snaps (31) behind Ja'Marr Chase (38) and ahead of Tyler Boyd (27). The fourth-year wideout has found himself on the field more with Tee Higgins (hamstring) missing the last three games, but his one target Sunday was his lowest after seeing a total of nine targets in the two weeks prior. If Higgins can return in Week 13, Irwin would assume his usual depth role at receiver. The Bengals visit the Jaguars in Week 13.

Shakir caught three balls on five targets for 47 yards during Sunday's 37-34 overtime loss to the Eagles.

Shakir comes with some risk on a week-to-week basis because the Bills offer so many other weapons in the passing game, but he's now had 45-plus yards in four of his last five games while never falling below 66 percent of the offensive snaps. As teams continue to shade attention toward studs Stefon Diggs and Dalton Kincaid, there will be open seams available to secondary options like Shakir and No. 2 wideout Gabe Davis, who posted a 6-105-1 line in Sunday's loss. Shakir is far ahead of any of the receivers underneath his No. 3 spot in the WR corps, as Deonte Harty carries a 13-113-1 line and Trent Sherfield comes in at 7-53-0. Shakir, meanwhile, sits at 25-410-2, proving useful for those in deeper leagues.