NFL Player News

Samuel brought in six of 12 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown and rushed once for two yards in the 49ers' 30-12 win over the Giants on Thursday night.

With fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) sidelined, Samuel took full advantage and paced the 49ers in receiving yards and targets on the night. The versatile fifth-year pro has upped his receiving yardage total over that of the prior game in each of the last two contests, and he recorded his first receiving touchdown of the campaign via a 27-yard scoring grab with 5:58 remaining that sealed the win for San Francisco. Samuel struggled with injury last season, but his 17-247-1 line through the air and 8-48-1 tally on the ground through three games offer a reminder of what he's capable of when his health is clicking on all cylinders. Samuel next takes aim at the Cardinals in a Week 4 home matchup a week from Sunday.

McCloud is lining up with the 49ers' starting offense Thursday against the Giants, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) is sidelined for the game and Jauan Jennings was expected to step into the starting offensive unit. However, it appears that McCloud will instead get the first look, though Johnson should rotate in at times.

Metcalf (ribs) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

For most players, back-to-back absences to kick off the week wouldn't be a great sign for a player's upcoming availability, but coach Pete Carroll relayed to Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune on Monday that Metcalf likely would "need a couple days" in order to recover from the rib injury he sustained Week 2 at Detroit. In any case, Metcalf will have one more chance this week to mix into drills before potentially getting a designation for Sunday's contest against the Panthers.

Robinson (knee) is listed as active Thursday at San Francisco.

Robinson thus will be making his first appearance since tearing the ACL in his right knee Week 11 of last season. Considering he's been listed as limited on all nine of the Giants' practice reports to kick off the campaign, he likely will play second fiddle to Parris Campbell out of the slot Thursday. Still, Robinson will be among New York's active wide receivers along with Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Campbell, Jalin Hyatt and Sterling Shepard.

New Orleans signed Merritt to its practice squad Thursday.

Just two days after being cut by the team, Merritt is back with the Saints' organization. With Jamaal Williams (hamstring) still missing from practice, it would not be surprising if New Orleans saw fit to elevate a running back for Sunday's game at Green Bay.

Jennings is expected to be in line for more playing time in Thursday's game with Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) inactive for the contest, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey are likely to rank as the top priorities in the Niners passing game Week 3, but the absence of Aiyuk at least opens up more opportunities for Jennings and Ronnie Bell to play alongside Samuel in two- and three-wide sets. While serving as the 49ers' No. 3 wideout in the first two games of the season, Jennings has handled 33 percent and 48 percent snap shares between Weeks 1 and 2 while accruing a 2-51-0 receiving line on four targets.

Aiyuk (shoulder) is listed as inactive Thursday against the Giants, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.

Aiyuk played through a left shoulder injury during the 49ers' Week 2 win at the Rams, handling 30 of 57 offensive snaps on his way to three catches (on six targets) for 43 yards. He proceeded to be listed as a non-participant on Monday's practice estimate before capping Week 3 prep with back-to-back limited listings. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Thursday afternoon that Aiyuk was unlikely to suit up versus New York, and indeed that has come to pass. With Aiyuk sidelined, Jauan Jennings is the top candidate to absorb the former's typical workload alongside Deebo Samuel, but rookie Ronnie Bell, Ray-Ray McCloud and practice-squad call-up Chris Conley also may get in the WR mix for San Francisco.

Meyers (concussion) was listed as a full practice participant Thursday.

Meyers, who was inactive for the Raiders' Week 2 loss to the Patriots, was a limited practice participant Wednesday, but the wideout's full participation in Thursday's session has him trending toward a return to action Sunday against the Steelers. The Raiders haven't yet confirmed whether Meyers has cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, but added clarity on that front will arrive no later than Friday, when Las Vegas posts its final Week 3 injury report.

Watkins (hamstring) didn't practice Thursday.

Watkins left Week 2 early with a hamstring strain and never returned. In his place, veteran Olamide Zaccheaus ran 18 routes as the slot receiver but wasn't targeted against the Vikings. With the Eagles playing Monday night, Watkins has an extra day to heal up.

San Francisco elevated Conley from its practice squad ahead of Thursday's game versus the Giants, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

With Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) trending towards sitting out in Week 3, the 49ers saw fit to bring Conley up from their practice squad to provide depth at wide receiver. However, given Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey are all healthy, Conley's path to targets is nearly nonexistent.