NFL Player News

Waddle (shoulder) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Though Waddle's reps have been capped both of the past two days, the health of his shoulder is a lesser concern for his Week 18 fantasy prospects than the state of the Miami quarterback room. Head coach Mike McDaniel has all but ruled out Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) for a second straight game, while top backup Teddy Bridgewater (knee) has been limited in practice the past two days while battling a dislocated finger on his throwing hand. Bridgewater appeared to be doing more work Thursday than he did Wednesday, but rookie seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson could be trending toward his second career start at this stage of the week. The Dolphins' final Week 18 practice Friday should provide more clarity on the status of Waddle heading into the weekend, as well as Miami's plans at quarterback.

Cooper (hip/rest) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Even though Cooper's practice reps have been managed to some degree over the past month, his most recent absences or limitations have also been attributed to "rest." The way that Cooper has been listed on injury reports suggests the Browns aren't overly concerned with the hip issue, and the wideout shouldn't face many restrictions in the likely event he's cleared to play in Sunday's season finale in Pittsburgh. The 7-9 Browns aren't in contention for a playoff spot, but the opportunity to play spoiler to a division rival with postseason ambitions in addition to giving the receiver one final chance to build rapport with quarterback Deshaun Watson heading into the 2023 season should be reason enough for head coach Kevin Stefanski to hand Cooper something close to a normal snap count Sunday.

Watson (hip) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

Watson, who hurt his hip Week 16 at Miami, now has logged more work than a week ago, when he managed just one capped session before the Packers made him questionable ahead of this past Sunday's game against the Vikings. He ended up playing 60 percent of the snaps in that contest but hauled in just one of five targets for 11 yards. In the end, Friday's injury report will unveil if Watson has a designation for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Lions.

Hardman (pelvis) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Raiders after practicing in a limited fashion Wednesday and Thursday.

Hardman, who last suited up Week 9, may end up being a game-time decision for the contest. If he's cleared to play, he'll likely be subject to a limited workload, according to Charles Goldman of USA Today. Head coach Andy Reid said after Thursday's practice that, if active, Hardman will be subject to a similar restriction with his snaps that Kadarius Toney previously faced in his return from a three-game absence due to injury Week 15, noting that he'll be "holding [Hardman] back, I'm sure, if we get to that point." Reid wasn't willing to put a number on Hardman's snap count, but if the speedster is active, he looks like he might be sharing the No. 3 receiver role with Toney and Justin Watson.

Burks (groin) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Jaguars.

The wideout was added to the Titans' Week 18 injury report Wednesday, after the groin injury resulted in him being a limited participant that day. He then failed to practice in any fashion Thursday, but head coach Mike Vrabel downplayed concern about the rookie's status after the session, telling Jim Wyatt of the team's official site that he thinks Burks will "be OK." Given that the AFC South title is on the line Saturday, expect Burks to do everything he can to be available for the contest. Official confirmation of his status will arrive once Tennessee's inactive list is posted 90 minutes ahead of the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Johnson (hip) was a full practice participant Thursday.

Johnson's availability for Sunday's regular-season finale with the Browns temporarily looked to be in flux after the hip issue kept the wideout off the practice field Wednesday, but his ability to take every rep a day later clears up any concern about his status. Though health hasn't been much of a concern for Johnson this season -- he's played in all 16 of the Steelers' games to date while playing no fewer than 74 percent of the offensive snaps on every occasion -- the 26-year-old wideout has seen his production dip considerably following the retirement of longtime starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. With either Kenny Pickett or Mitchell Trubisky under center in 2022, Johnson has produced 84 receptions for 844 yards on 137 targets and still has yet to record a touchdown.

Jeudy (ankle) will be a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Jeudy's reps are being capped for the second straight day, but the Broncos haven't yet suggested that the third-year wideout is dealing with any sort of setback with the ankle issue that resulted in him being listed questionable ahead of last week's game against the Chiefs. He was ultimately cleared to play in the Broncos' eventual 27-24 loss, playing 89 percent of the offensive snaps en route to recording seven catches for 38 yards on eight targets. Assuming he gets the green light for Sunday's season finale against the Chargers, Jeudy should once again fill a high-volume role in the Denver passing attack.

Hinton (hamstring) won't participate in practice Thursday, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

In his return from a two-game absence from a hamstring injury this past Sunday, Hinton handled a 47 percent snap share and failed to haul in either of his two targets in Denver's 27-24 loss to Kansas City. Though the Broncos didn't suggest Hinton experienced any sort of setback in Week 17, his absence from the team's first two Week 18 practices perhaps suggests otherwise. Whatever the case, Hinton will likely need to practice in some fashion Friday in order to have a legitimate chance at suiting up this weekend against the Chargers.

Anderson (back) wasn't spotted on the field during Thursday's practice, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

With consecutive absences from practice to begin Week 18 prep, Anderson doesn't appear to be in a good spot as Sunday's game in San Francisco approaches. Unless Anderson can fit in some on-field activity Friday, he could be ruled out upon the release of the Cardinals' final Week 18 injury report. If Anderson is sidelined for the season finale, a few extra snaps could be opened up for A.J. Green and/or Andre Baccellia.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Moore will be listed as out for Saturday's game due to a lacerated right hand, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

The injury prompted Moore's early exit from last Sunday's win over the Broncos and resulted in his practice reps being managed carefully for Week 18. Though the rookie wideout doesn't appear to be dealing with a long-term concern, he'll sit out the regular-season finale with the hope of being back to full strength for the start of the postseason. Once healthy, Moore may not have much of a role for Kansas City, as the Chiefs have all their other key receivers available now that Mecole Hardman (pelvis) has been reinstated from injured reserve. The second-round pick out of Western Michigan finishes the regular season with 22 catches for 250 yards on 33 targets to go with 24 yards on three carries.