NFL Player News

Smith-Schuster (concussion) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game against the Rams.

After sitting out the Chiefs' Week 11 win over the Chargers due to the concussion he sustained a week earlier, Smith-Schuster cleared up most of the concern about his availability for the game against the Rams by returning to practice Wednesday as a full participant. He maintained that level of activity Thursday and Friday, and his lack of a designation heading into the weekend implies that he's officially cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol. With Kadarius Toney (hamstring) sidelined this weekend and with Mecole Hardman (abdomen) on injured reserve, both Smith-Schuster and tight end Travis Kelce should enjoy prominent roles in the Kansas City passing attack in the matchup with the Rams.

Toney (hamstring) is listed as out Sunday against the Rams.

Toney's absence is hardly surprising considering he was unable to practice in any capacity this week after aggravating his hamstring injury against the Chargers last Sunday. The 2021 first-round pick has been limited to five appearances with the Chiefs and Giants this season. His absence Sunday will likely free up more work for Justin Watson and Skyy Moore behind the Chiefs' top two wideouts, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that he expects Brown (foot) to play Sunday against the Chargers, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The Cardinals designated Brown for return from injured reserve last Wednesday and had him out on the practice field again this week. Kingsbury said Wednesday that the speedy wideout was likely to be on a pitch count in his first game back after missing more than a month with foot injury, but Brown at least sounds like he's on track to play for the first time since Week 6. The Cardinals will have until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to officially activate Brown from IR for this weekend's game.

Williams (ankle) wasn't spotted at practice Friday, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.

Williams didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, so his apparent absence from Friday's session has the wideout trending toward missing Sunday's game against the Cardinals. If Williams is ruled out for the contest later Friday, the stage would be set for Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter to see expanded opportunities at wide receiver this weekend alongside Keenan Allen.

Toney (hamstring) didn't practice Friday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Toney has been absent for all three of Kansas City's practices this week after leaving early in last Sunday's win over the Chargers due to his latest hamstring injury. He'll almost certainly have an injury designation upon the release of Friday's injury report, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Toney ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams.

Smith (illness) practiced fully Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Smith missed practice Wednesday and Thursday due to an illness but has recovered in time to get the green light for Sunday's game against Denver. He was called out by the coaching staff for fumbling on a punt return in the Week 11 loss to Baltimore, but Smith doesn't appear to have been demoted from that special-teams role. He also plays regularly on offense, though his impact has been limited, as Smith has topped 30 receiving yards only once in 2022.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Robinson (ankle) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

While the Rams played their first game without the injured Cooper Kupp (ankle) in their Week 11 loss to the Saints, Robinson stepped in as the team's new nominal No. 1 wideout and finished with four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown on five targets. Robinson looks to have picked up an ankle injury of his own along the way, with Los Angeles listing him as a limited participant in both of its first two Week 12 injury reports. Even if Robinson is cleared ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, he'll likely be working with a third-string quarterback in Bryce Perkins, who handled most of the first-team work this week with Matthew Stafford (concussion/neck) ruled out for Week 12 and with John Wolford (neck) having been limited. Robinson's injury along with his shaky quarterback situation make him difficult to deploy in fantasy lineups with much confidence, even in a game where the Rams could be forced to pass frequently as heavy underdogs.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Gage (hamstring) won't play Sunday in Cleveland, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Even with the benefit of a Week 11 bye, Gage didn't demonstrate enough progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury during practices Wednesday through Friday for the Buccaneers to feel comfortable with him suiting up this weekend. With Gage set to miss a fourth straight game, Godwin should operate as the Buccaneers' primary slot man, while Julio Jones will get more opportunities to work out on the perimeter opposite Mike Evans.

Milne (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Milne is slated to miss his first contest of the 2022-23 campaign as a result of a foot injury. Though the 23-year-old's offensive opportunities have been limited this season, he's seen work as a returner on both kickoffs and punts across Washington's first 11 weeks. In his absence, Antonio Gibson is likely the next man up to handle kick returns, while Jahan Dotson is expected to operate as the team's primary punt returner in Sunday's matchup versus Atlanta.

Raymond caught four of six targets for 35 yards during Thursday's 28-25 loss to Buffalo.

Despite DJ Chark (73 percent of offensive snaps) returning to a prominent role in his second game back from an injury, Raymond (79 percent) remained a fixture in the lineup alongside No. 1 wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown (88 percent). However, Raymond yet again came a long ways from producing a fantasy-worthy line, and he remains without a touchdown this season. With Jameson Williams (knee) a threat to steal snaps in the coming weeks, no fantasy managers should be counting on Raymond for statistical production down the stretch.