NFL Player News

Jefferson (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis Wednesday.

According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, head coach Kevin O'Connell asserted earlier Wednesday that Jefferson was in line to increase his practice workload this week, but the wide receiver maintained his listed activity level from Week 10 prep. He's entered his second week of a 21-day window in which to be activated from injured reserve, but as O'Connell noted Wednesday, the Vikings remain in the evaluation phase as it pertains to Jefferson's return to action. Jefferson thus will use Thursday and Friday to put himself on a potential path to be activated and thus available Sunday at Denver.

Evans was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to a quadricep injury.

Since late August, Evans has dealt with two different lower-body injuries, first to his groin prior to Week 1 prep before he suffered a hamstring issue Week 4. His availability for game days hasn't been affected, though, and he continues to put up massive numbers working with a new quarterback in Baker Mayfield. Overall, Evans is on pace for a 10th consecutive 1,000-yard season, considering he has 737 yards through nine contests. In the end, his practice reps will need to be monitored this week to make sure he isn't in danger of sitting out Sunday at San Francisco.

Johnson didn't practice Wednesday due to a thumb injury, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Johnson played 53 snaps on offense and caught one of his four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Packers, but he may have emerged from the game with the thumb injury. With an absence from practice to begin Week 11 prep, Johnson's status is worth monitoring ahead of Sunday's game against the Browns. If the wideout ends up out this weekend, Calvin Austin and Allen Robinson could step into expanded roles alongside George Pickens.

Head coach Sean McVay said Nacua (knee) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

McVay added that Nacua's reps are being capped as a precaution due to the swollen knee that has bothered him since the Rams' Week 8 loss in Dallas. Since then, he suited up for a Week 9 loss at Green Bay, where he gathered in three of seven targets for 32 yards, before using the team's Week 10 bye to rest up. Still, the aforementioned health concern continues to affect Nacua, so his status will be one to watch closely as this Sunday's game against the Seahawks draws closer.

Wilson was listed as limited participant on Wednesday's practice estimate due to an elbow injury, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The Jets conducted a walk-through session Wednesday, so what Wilson does Thursday in a standard practice should provide added clarity with regard to his status ahead of Sunday's game against the Bills. In a 16-12 loss to the Raiders in Week 10, Wilson was a bright spot for the New York offense, hauling in nine of his team-high 14 targets for 93 yards.

Jones (knee) was limited at practice Wednesday, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Jones missed six of the Jaguars' last seven games due to a knee injury before he was arrested Monday for a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. His status for Sunday's game against the Titans is unclear and he may also miss more time beyond Week 11, be it due to the injury or his recent arrest.

Samuel (toe) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday.

Samuel sat out Week 9 due to a toe injury, but he was able to play this past Sunday in Seattle, where he handled a 51 percent snap share on his way to two catches (on six targets) for six yards. The issue may persist for weeks, but he'll have opportunities Thursday and Friday to prove he's good to go ahead of Sunday's game versus the Giants.

Shenault (ankle) logged a limited practice Wednesday.

Shenault has missed each of the Panthers' last three games, but his ability to get in a limited practice Wednesday should be a step in the right direction for the wideout. Considering the amount of time he's missed, he'll likely need to ramp up to a full participant Thursday or Friday if he's going to suit up Sunday against the Cowboys.

Robinson (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Since making his season debut Week 3, Robinson has had the occasional cap placed on his practice reps, but his availability for game days hasn't been affected for eight straight contests. Due to a carousel of quarterbacks during that stretch, he's managed only a 29-204-1 receiving line on 36 targets. Robinson will have a pair of sessions this week to put himself in a position to avoid a designation ahead of Sunday's game at Washington.

Collins (calf) was on the field for Wednesday's practice, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The extent of Collins' practice participation won't be known until the Texans release their first Week 11 injury report later Wednesday, but the wideout is taking a step in the right direction after he was unable to practice in any capacity last week before sitting out Sunday's 30-27 win over the Bengals. Collins leads the Texans this season with 631 receiving yards, but rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was able to manage just fine without his top receiver Week 10. Stroud completed 23 of 39 attempts for 356 yards, one touchdown and one interception, with Noah Brown (7-172-0 line on eight targets) stepping up to account for nearly half of the yardage total.