NFL Player News

Sims (hamstring) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official website reports.

Sims was sidelined for the team's Week 7 loss to Miami due to a hamstring injury he picked up a week prior. The return specialist didn't practice at all last week, so his return Wednesday, albeit in a limited fashion, is certainly encouraging. Sims will have two more opportunities to upgrade to a full participant before the team needs to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against the Eagles.

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

It's the same injury that resulted in Waddle being listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's 16-10 win over Pittsburgh. He suited up from that contest, finishing with four receptions for 88 yards on five targets while playing 79 percent of the snaps on offense. He'll likely play through the injury again Sunday in Detroit, though Tyreek Hill has seen far more targets than Waddle ever since the 23-year-old started making regular appearances on the injury report, first with a groin injury and now due to the ailing shoulder.

St. Brown (concussion protocol) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

The Lions' receiving corps is particularly banged up, with DJ Chark (ankle) and Quintez Cephus (foot) on injured reserve, rookie Jameson Williams (knee) more than a month away from making his debut and Josh Reynolds (knee) unable to practice Wednesday. While St. Brown entered the concussion protocol this past Sunday at Dallas, he may not have a head injury, as head coach Dan Campbell expressed confidence Monday that the team's top wide receiver will be cleared to play Sunday versus the Dolphins, per Tim Twentyman of the team's official site. With some activity under his belt this week, St. Brown is trending in a positive direction on that front.

Samuel (hamstring) isn't practicing Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Samuel played 86 percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, but he came out of the game with a hamstring injury and was deemed day-to-day. If Samuel can't play this Sunday against the Rams, it'll mean more snaps for Jauan Jennings and Ray-Ray McCloud, and possibly extra targets for Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey.

Evans (ankle) doesn't have a designation for Thursday's game against the Ravens.

Evans opened Week 8 prep as a non-participant in practice due to the ankle issue before logging back-to-back limited showings, which was enough to clear him for game action. The Buccaneers will be without Russell Gage (hamstring) at wide receiver Thursday, while Julio Jones (knee) will be a game-time call. Regardless, Evans and Chris Godwin will serve as the top options at the position for quarterback Tom Brady.

Bateman (foot) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game in Tampa Bay, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Bateman went from not listed on the injury report Monday to a non-participant Tuesday to a full practice participation Wednesday. That final development puts him on the right side of the questionable tag, with confirmation on his status to arrive about 90 minutes before the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff Thursday. With tight end Mark Andrews (knee) also listed as questionable after not practicing at all this week, Bateman could be tasked with a larger-than-usual share of Baltimore's targets against a Tampa Bay defense that's missing four of its top six players in the secondary.

Coutee (concussion) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice.

Coutee was sidelined for the Colts' Week 7 loss to the Titans after suffering a concussion a week prior. His return to practice is certainly a positive sign, but it's possible he still has a few hurdles to clear before being completely removed from the league's protocols.

Robinson (undisclosed) wasn't listed on the Giants' injury report Wednesday, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports.

While Robinson was able to play through an unknown injury after limping off the field in the first half of this past Sunday's win at Jacksonville, he wasn't targeted after halftime, finishing with six catches (on eight targets) for 50 yards. With a few days to rest up, he was able to avoid the first Week 8 practice report entirely, clearing him to be among quarterback Daniel Jones' top wide receivers Sunday in Seattle.

Thomas (foot) didn't practice Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas made a brief appearance during the team stretch prior to the session, but he again isn't healthy enough to mix into drills. Fellow wide receiver Jarvis Landry (ankle) also is tending to an injury, leaving rookie Chris Olave, Marquez Callaway and Tre'Quan Smith as the available wide receivers for quarterback Andy Dalton to begin the week. Thomas' status should continue to be monitored over the next two days, as the Saints haven't yet ruled him out for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Metcalf (knee) participated in Wednesday's walk-through session but won't practice, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.

Metcalf was carted off the field this past Sunday at the Chargers and eventually was diagnosed with a patellar tendon injury. While the wide receiver pushed to practice Wednesday, he'll begin Week 8 prep as a non-participant. Head coach Pete Carroll told Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune that Metcalf "feels a little better" Wednesday, but the wide receiver is "going to be real quiet for the next couple days." Metcalf's availability for Sunday's game against the Giants is up in the air, but an absence would place Marquise Goodwin and Dee Eskridge into larger roles alongside Tyler Lockett.