NFL Player News

Doubs (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday.

Doubs has missed the last three games due to a right high-ankle sprain, but he signaled that he was closing in on the later stages of his recovery by joining the rehab group on the side last Thursday. The rookie fourth-round pick has now participated in an official practice, potentially setting up a return to action Sunday in Chicago. The Packers have a Week 14 bye on tap, so they could opt to play it safe with Doubs. Having said that, if he's able to do enough to suit up this weekend, he'll he joining a receiving corps that has seen fellow first-year player Christian Watson emerge as the team's No. 1 receiver across from Allen Lazard during Doubs' absence. Whenever Doubs returns, he may not be better than third or fourth in the pecking order in Green Bay's passing game.

Gallup missed Wednesday's practice while recovering from an illness, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Gallup had season highs for catches (five) and yardage (63) last Thursday against the Giants, and he should have enough time to get healthy before Sunday's matchup with Indianapolis. If not, Noah Brown and Jalen Tolbert would be the top candidates to take over more receiver snaps.

Pascal was a limited participant at Wednesday's walkthrough due to a groin injury.

Seeing as Pascal played a season-low nine offensive snaps against the Packers, the wideout presumably picked up the groin injury sometime in the first half of the Eagles' primetime win. The extent of the issue remains unclear, but it's encouraging to see Pascal at least get some work in during the first session of Week 13 prep. He'll have two more opportunities to log a full practice before Philadelphia needs to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against the Titans.

Hill isn't listed on Miami's Week 13 injury report Wednesday ahead of a game in San Francisco on Sunday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Hill dealt with cramps during Sunday's 30-15 win over Houston, and head coach Mike McDaniel pulled most of his starters anyway once the team banked a 30-point lead at halftime. Cramps shouldn't be as much of an issue for Hill this weekend on the West Coast, though he tends to play a few less snaps than other top receivers because of how often he's targeted when on the field and how much energy he expends on each play. The concern for this week -- so much as there can ever be one for a player like Hill in the midst of a career year -- is a matchup on the road with one of the best defenses in the NFL. He's still an auto-start in season-long formats but might be less popular than usual for DFS this week.

James didn't practice Wednesday due to a knee injury, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

With touchdown catches in two straight games, James seemingly is on the upswing in the Giants' passing game, but his health is now a question mark as the team begins Week 13 prep. His absence from practice Wednesday is somewhat of a concern, but he at least has two more opportunities to mix into drills this week before he potentially is given a designation ahead of Sunday's contest against the Commanders.

Chase (hip) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

According to Hobson, Chase noted earlier Wednesday that his injured hip feels good enough to play at least "some reps" Sunday against the Chiefs, and his continued participation in practice supports that notion. That said, unless the Bengals' star wideout returns to full practice participation by Friday, he'll likely head into the weekend with an injury designation.

Coutee didn't practice Wednesday due to a non-COVID illness.

Coutee will have two more opportunities to clear his current aliment before the team needs to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against the Cowboys. If he's unable to suit up, Isaiah Rodgers and Ashton Dulin would be candidates to replace Coutee as the Colts' primary punt returner during Week 13.

Smith was a limited participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice due to a groin injury.

Smith has tended to back and knee issues this season, the latter of which has affected his practice reps the previous two weeks. Now, a new health concern has arisen, placing a cloud over his status prior to Sunday's contest against the Titans. Smith hasn't missed a game on the campaign and has earned an 86 percent snap share or better in 10 of 11 outings, so assuming he's out there this weekend, he'll remain a regular target of quarterback Jalen Hurts.

The Cowboys designated Washington (foot) for return from injured reserve Wednesday.

Just as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported would be the case earlier Wednesday, the Cowboys have cleared Washington to practice for the first time since he fractured his right foot in an Aug. 1 training camp workout. Because he's spent the past four months recovering from surgery, Washington may need more than a trio of practices before gaining clearance to play, so he's far from a safe bet to be activated from IR ahead of this Sunday's game against the Colts. The Cowboys will have a 21-day window to evaluate Washington for a return to the 53-man roster, so a Week 14 or Week 15 debut may be more realistic for the 26-year-old receiver.

Raiders head coach. Josh McDaniel said Wednesday that Renfrow (oblique) is getting "close" but won't necessarily be available when first eligible to return from injured reserve Week 14 against the Rams, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

It's perhaps unfortunate for the Raiders that they play on a Thursday the same week that Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller (hamstring) both are eligible to return from IR. On a brighter note, the Raiders seem to expect both players to return at some point in December, if not for the matchup with Los Angeles in Week 14.