NFL Player News

Gage (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

Gage has managed to play through a hamstring concern all campaign, and the state of the Bucs' receiving corps on any given week has determined his workload, as his targets have ranged from two in the season opener to 13 in Week 3. Mike Evans is atop Tampa Bay's receiving corps, but all of Gage, Chris Godwin (knee), Julio Jones (knee) and Breshad Perriman (knee/hamstring) have had a cap on their reps this week. As a result, Friday's injury report could give a sense of Gage's potential to produce Sunday against the Falcons, assuming he again is on pace to be available.

Allen (hamstring) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Following back-to-back missed practices, Allen remains iffy at best for Sunday's game against the Browns. If he ends up out this weekend, Joshua Palmer (ankle) and DeAndre Carter would be in line for added Week 5 WR opportunities alongside Mike Williams.

Godwin (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

The Buccaneers' receiving corps continues to boast a handful of banged-up players, with all of Godwin, Julio Jones (knee), Russell Gage (hamstring) and Breshad Perriman (knee/hamstring) having a cap in their reps this week. With regard to Godwin, he's coming of a 7-59-0 performance on 10 targets in the team's Week 4 loss to the Chiefs, so he'd be in line for a large target share Sunday against the Falcons if he's available. Friday's injury report could clear up his status entering the weekend.

Reynolds (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Reynolds is one of four receivers on Detroit's Week 5 injury report, but he at least appears to be in a better spot on the health front than Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) and Quintez Cephus (foot), who were both non-participants in practice for the second day in a row. Unless St. Brown takes a step forward in his practice activity Friday to improve his chances of putting an end to a one-game absence Sunday at New England, Reynolds could be one of the top candidates to absorb the No. 1 wideout's vacated target volume. Reynolds will first have to move past his own ankle concern, but while St. Brown was out for last week's 48-45 shootout loss to the Seahawks, Reynolds drew eight targets and turned those looks into seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Thomas (foot) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

With back-to-back absences on his ledger this week, Thomas seems to be trending toward another DNP on Sunday versus the Seahawks. He does have one more chance to practice this week, but if he sits out again Friday, the Saints may rule him out for Week 5 action. Elsewhere in the receiving corps, Jarvis Landry logged another limited session Thursday, putting him in a better spot to join Chris Olave and Marquez Callaway as the team's primary wide receivers this weekend.

Higgins (ankle) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

The Bengals haven't yet sounded the alarm about the possibility of Higgins sitting out Sunday's game against the Ravens, but the wideout has had his reps capped for two straight days while he manages the ankle injury. He may need to take part in Friday's practice as a full participant to avoid taking an injury designation into the weekend.

Jones (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

After sitting out the Jaguars' Week 4 loss to Philadelphia, Jones has now had his reps capped in both of Jacksonville's first two practice sessions of Week 5. According to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, head coach Doug Pederson expressed optimism that Jones will be ready to play Sunday against the Texans, but the wideout will likely need to upgrade to full practice participation Friday to head into the weekend without an injury designation.

Chark (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

After missing one practice and participating in a limited fashion twice last week, Chark was expected to play this past Sunday against the Seahawks before the Lions ruled him out a day in advance of the game. This time around, he mixed into drills Thursday after sitting out Wednesday, which also happened for fellow wide receiver Josh Reynolds (ankle) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (hip). Meanwhile, Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) and D'Andre Swift (shoulder/ankle) have yet to practice this week, so Chark could be on pace for a significant snap count Sunday in New England if he's able to get rid of his designation ahead of a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. For his part, Chark said Wednesday that his ankle feels "times 10" better than it did a week earlier, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Hill (quad) was listed as limited at practice Thursday, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Hill's addition to Miami's injury report after practicing fully Wednesday makes his status worth tracking in advance of Sunday's game against the Jets. Also limited Thursday was Jaylen Waddle (groin), which sets the stage for Friday's final injury report to provide added clarity with regard the health of the team's Week 5 wideout corps, which will be catching passes from Teddy Bridgewater with Tua Tagovailoa (concussion/back/ankle) out this weekend.

Waddle (groin) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Though he's not out of the woods just yet, Waddle's return to practice in some capacity after sitting out Wednesday's session is a good sign for his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Jets. If he's able to upgrade to full activity Friday, Waddle will likely enter the weekend without an injury designation and shouldn't face any restrictions with his snap count. He will, however, be catching passes from a new starting quarterback in Week 5, as Teddy Bridgewater is filling in for Tua Tagovailoa while the latter signal-caller is in the NFL's concussion protocol.