NFL Player News

Watson (quadriceps) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official website reports.

The wide receiver was limited at practice for the second consecutive day to open the week. Watson has missed the Bucs' last two games while dealing with a quadriceps injury, but his ability to practice early in the week bodes well for his chances to play in Sunday's wild-card contest versus the Eagles.

Perriman (hip) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The Buccaneers are fairly banged-up at wide receiver as they move on to the postseason. Chris Godwin (knee) is out for the season, Mike Evans (hamstring) upgraded from limited Wednesday to full Thursday, Cyril Grayson (hamstring) hasn't practiced this week, and both Perriman and Justin Watson have had a cap on their on-field reps. Assuming Perriman is able to suit up Sunday against the Eagles, he should mix into three-wide sets with Evans and Tyler Johnson.

Evans (hamstring) was a full participant at Thursday's practice, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

With the upgrade from being limited at Wednesday's walkthrough, Evans is good to play through the hamstring injury that he picked up in Week 15 against the Saints. While suiting up the last two games of the regular season, his snap shares of 75 and 72 percent were below his typical 80-plus, but he still managed to gather in 10 of 14 targets for 136 yards and three touchdowns. In a receiving corps down Chris Godwin (knee) for the Buccaneers' playoff run, Evans is the clear top option at wide receiver, and significant volume is likely with the likes of Cyril Grayson (hamstring), Breshad Perriman (hip) and Justin Watson (quadriceps) tending to health concerns.

Smith-Schuster (shoulder) practiced Thursday, but head coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers have yet to determine if the wideout will be ready to play in Sunday's wild-card game against the Chiefs, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports. "We just started the 21-day window," Tomlin said, in reference to Smith-Schuster being designated for return from injured reserve Thursday. "What transpires out [on the practice field] and a lot of other questions are part of the equation."

The Steelers plan to evaluate Smith-Schuster again during their final practice of the day Friday before reassessing if he'll be a realistic option to play Sunday. The Steelers' decision to clear Smith-Schuster for practice was somewhat surprising, as the prevailing assumption was that he would miss the rest of the season after he was shut down in mid-October when he required surgery on his right shoulder. Before landing on IR, Smith-Schuster appeared in five games and recorded 15 receptions for 129 yards and no touchdowns on 28 targets.

Morgan (hamstring) is questionable for Saturday's wild-card matchup against Las Vegas.

Morgan was held out of Tuesday's practice session with his hamstring injury, but he was a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday. However, his status shouldn't significantly impact Cincinnati's offensive plans.

Ward (back) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

The Eagles capped Ward's reps Wednesday while he managed his back issue, but his ability to practice fully Thursday suggests he'll be ready to go for Sunday's wild-card game in Tampa Bay. Ward is coming off a two-catch Week 18 outing in which he played a season-high 57 percent of the snaps in the Eagles' blowout loss to the Cowboys, but that was mostly a byproduct of head coach Nick Sirianni deliberately resting fellow receivers DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins for most of the second half of the regular-season finale. As such, Ward will likely be in line for a steep drop in playing time for the playoff opener.

Higgins (foot) doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Saturday's playoff game against the Raiders.

Though the wideout was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday and Thursday, coach Zac Taylor downplayed Higgins' foot issue, confirming that the 2020 second-rounder is slated to play this weekend, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Higgins was among the key players rested by the Bengals in Week 18, but he's poised to suit up Saturday alongside fellow WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd and should see his share of targets from QB Joe Burrow in the team's wild-card matchup.

Pittsburgh activated Washington (illness) activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Washington landed on the list Jan. 8 and didn't play in the the Steelers' regular-season finale against the Ravens, but the wideout will be available for Sunday's playoff opener against Kansas City. While his return bolsters Pittsburgh's wideout depth, Washington's fantasy upside is capped by the fact that Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and Ray-Ray McCloud also are in the mix. Additionally, JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) has progressed to the point that he's been designated to return from injured reserve, which gives him a chance to return to the lineup Sunday.

Smith-Schuster (shoulder) returned to practice Thursday after the Steelers designated him for return from injured reserve.

Smith-Schuster was placed on IR back on Oct. 16 after suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery, but now that he's been cleared to practice, the Steelers will have a 21-day window in which to activate the wideout to the 53-man roster. While the transaction potentially paves the way for Smith-Schuster to play in Sunday's wild-card game in Kansas City, his availability likely will hinge on how he fares in practice Thursday and Friday.

Coach Zac Taylor relayed Thursday that Higgins (foot) is line to play in Saturday's playoff opener against the Raiders, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

Higgins popped up on the team's injury report Wednesday, when he was listed as a limited practice participant due to a foot issue. However, Taylor subsequently clarified that the wideout maybe "took one or two less reps than normal," per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. The team's upcoming injury report will reveal whether Higgins heads into the weekend with an official injury designation or fully cleared to play Saturday.