NFL Player News

Higgins (personal) returned to practice Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Bengals' looming Week 2 injury report will clarify whether Higgins, who missed Thursday's practice for personal reasons, was a limited or full participant, but the wideout still needs to progress through the NFL's concussion protocol in order to be cleared to play in Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Evans (calf) is practicing Friday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Evans practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday and sat out Thursday's session, so the extent of his participation Friday will be worth monitoring. Julio Jones (knee) also is practicing Friday, while Chris Godwin (hamstring) appears to be a DNP. An official designation for Evans' status Week 2 will be disclosed alongside Friday's injury report.

Isabella (back) isn't expected to play Sunday against the Raiders, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Isabella didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday due to his back strain, and it appears as though he'll be held off the field in Week 2. However, his injury isn't considered a long-term issue, so it's possible that he returns for the Cardinals' Week 3 matchup against the Rams on Sept. 25. Isabella's likely absence will leave Arizona particularly shorthanded at wide receiver since Rondale Moore (hamstring) is also expected to be sidelined.

Hardman (ankle) caught three of his four targets for 49 yards and recorded one carry for a four-yard loss during Thursday's 27-24 win over the Chargers. He also came away from this game with an unspecified ankle injury, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Hardman was seen having his left foot retaped on Kansas City's sideline after he appeared to leave the field with a slight limp during the second half of Thursday night's game, according to Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star. The wideout was ultimately able to return and recorded an 11-yard reception on his final pass of the game, thus finishing tied with running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the team's second-most targets behind tight end Travis Kelce (seven targets) in Week 2. However, it appears that Hardman is not out of the woods yet, as Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned postgame that he was still dealing with an unspecified ankle injury. While his return to the field is an encouraging sign for the wideout's availability moving forward, it will be worth monitoring his status over the team's extended 10-day break heading into Week 3 against the Colts.

Watson caught both of his targets for 50 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's 27-24 win over the Chargers, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the game that the wideout also picked up a shoulder injury, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Watson's first catch of the season was a 41-yard strike from Patrick Mahomes that cut the Chiefs' deficit to three. The score marked the veteran wideout's first touchdown since 2019, when he caught 15 passes for 159 yards and two scores -- all career highs -- for the Buccaneers. Watson added a nine-yard catch at the end of the third and was pushed out of bounds by Asante Samuel. It's unclear when Watson picked up the injury, but he'll have 10 days to clear the issue before Kansas City returns to action against Jacksonville on Sept. 25.

Palmer snared four passes on eight targets for 30 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 27-24 loss to the Chiefs.

Palmer ultimately was top two in terms of routes run and offensive snaps among the team's wide receivers with Keenan Allen (hamstring) sidelined, but the second-year wideout didn't really make do with the additional opportunities. It appeared as if quarterback Justin Herbert and Palmer had a bit of a disconnect throughout the first half whether it be ball placement or precision of routes, but a touchdown in the waning seconds of the loss did end up salvaging what would have been a disappointing outcome for Palmer's fantasy managers. The Chargers, who saw Herbert labor through an apparent rib injury throughout the later stages of the fourth quarter, will have 10 days to heal up before squaring off against the Jaguars in Week 3.

Williams corralled eight receptions (10 targets) for 113 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 27-24 loss to the Chiefs.

The absence of Keenan Allen (hamstring) opened the door for Williams to become the primary option throughout the first half of the primetime contest, but the Chiefs held the big-bodied target to just two catches in the second half, and zero in a critical fourth quarter that saw the Chargers cough up the lead. The Chargers, who also saw starting center Corey Linsley (knee) and starting right tackle Trey Pipkins (ankle) leave with respective injuries in the second half while quarterback Justin Herbert gutted through an apparent rib injury, will have 10 days to regroup before the team squares off against the Jaguars in Week 3.

Valdes-Scantling brought in two of seven targets for 13 yards in the Chiefs' 27-24 win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

The speedster tied Travis Kelce for the team lead in targets, but as his final line demonstrates, he did little with them. Valdes-Scantling had displayed good chemistry with Patrick Mahomes in Week 1 by hauling in all four of his targets, but with the duo working together for the first time this season, there's bound to be some inefficient weeks as the season unfolds. Valdes-Scantling's first opportunity to bounce back from Thursday's quiet performance comes in a Week 3 road clash with the Colts a week from Sunday.

Smith-Schuster brought in all three targets for 10 yards in the Chiefs' 27-24 win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

After producing a solid 6-79 line on eight targets against the Cardinals in his Chiefs debut on Sunday, Smith-Schuster was much quieter four days later. The veteran wideout saw four players log more targets than his three, and he was utilized strictly in a short-area role as his numbers imply. Smith-Schuster's production could well fluctuate a good bit from game to game as Patrick Mahomes enjoys more freedom to spread the ball around with Tyreek Hill no longer part of the air attack, but he'll aim to boost his numbers back up against the Colts in a Week 3 road contest.

Taylor (hamstring) was listed as a limited participant on the Bengals' injury report Thursday.

Taylor sat out practice Wednesday while dealing with a lingering hamstring injury, so his limited participation is an encouraging sign for his availability heading into Cincinnati's game against Dallas on Sunday. The 28-year-old recorded 31 yards on punt returns while playing 13 of his 21 total snaps on special teams in Week 1. It's likely that Tyler Boyd would handle the Bengals' punt-return duties should Taylor ultimately be unable to suit up in Week 2.