NFL Player News

Samuel (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Samuel's absence from the Football Team's first practice of the week isn't a promising early sign he'll be able to play in the season finale against the Giants, though he at least has two more chances to practice before Sunday. He last played Week 14 and has made only five appearances this season, logging 25 or fewer snaps each time.

Crowder (calf) will return to practice Wednesday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Crowder has missed the last pair of games with a calf injury and will be back on the field after he was unable to practice in any capacity across the last two weeks. It's not yet clear whether he'll have any limitations Wednesday, but any participation in practice is encouraging for his chances of returning for Sunday's season finale versus the Bills.

Berrios is dealing with a quad contusion and won't practice Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

That said, the report notes that head coach Robert Saleh said he "isn't overly concerned" about Berrios' quad issue, with the wide receiver's absence Wednesday being more of a maintenance day. If Berrios is able to return to practice Thursday in any capacity, he would presumably be on track to play Sunday against the Bills. Berrios is coming off a big Week 17 game in which he totaled eight receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets to go with two carries for 12 yards and another score. Though Berrios is still likely to see plenty of involvement on offense if available for the season finale, he'll probably see at least a slight drop in targets and touches if one or both of Elijah Moore (quadriceps) and Jamison Crowder (calf) are cleared to play.

The Panthers are expected to place Marshall on injured reserve Wednesday with an unspecified injury, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Once the transaction is completed, Marshall won't be eligible to play in Sunday's season finale in Tampa Bay. Marshall's rookie season is thus on the cusp of coming to an end, with the second-round selection having struggled to justify the hype he generated coming out of training camp and the preseason. Through 13 appearances, Marshall secured only 17 of 30 targets for 138 yards. He has yet to score his first NFL touchdown.

The Jaguars activated Mickens (undisclosed) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Mickens was sidelined for the Jaguars' Week 17 blowout loss to the Patriots after landing on the COVID-19 list. He has suited up for five games for Jacksonville since being claimed off Tampa Bay's practice squad, but he's mostly operated on special teams. He's expected to return to his usual return duties during Week 18.

Palmer secured three of five targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 34-13 win over the Broncos.

Palmer split the Chargers' No. 3 receiver role with Jalen Guyton, as Mike Williams (illness) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the contest. Palmer played 31 of the team's 67 offensive snaps, one fewer than Guyton. With Keenan Allen and Williams both appearing healthy ahead of a Week 18 matchup with the Raiders, Palmer can't be counted on to fill a significant role in Los Angeles' passing attack in the regular-season finale.

Guyton caught both of his targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 34-13 win over the Broncos.

Guyton and teammate Joshua Palmer shared the Chargers' No. 3 receiver role Week 17 after Mike Williams (illness) activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the contest. Guyton played on 32 of the Chargers' 67 offensive naps, while Palmer played just one fewer snap.

Hinton secured two of five targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Chargers.

Hinton also completed his only pass attempt for one yard. The 24-year-old played a larger role than usual Sunday with both Jerry Jeudy (illness) and Tim Patrick (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hinton was in on 60 percent of the Broncos' offensive snaps and was tied with Courtland Sutton for the second-most targets of any Denver pass catcher. Unfortunately, Hinton was unable to take advantage of his opportunities. If Jeudy and Patrick return in Week 18, Hinton would hold little fantasy value in a matchup with the Chiefs.

McKenzie caught one of two targets for six yards and rushed once for three yards in Sunday's 29-15 win over the Falcons.

Just as a welcome door opened for McKenzie in Week 16 due to the absences of Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis, allowing him to post an 11-125-1 line, it shut just as quickly when his two teammates returned from the COVID-19 protocols to play this week against Atlanta. McKenzie should serve in his jack-of-all-trades role the rest of the way, barring injury to one of his teammates higher on the depth chart. While he has a tendency to sneak into the end zone on occasion, he won't be catching 11 balls on a single afternoon again anytime soon.

Raymond (illness) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Raymond missed Sunday's loss to the Seahawks after being placed on the COVID-19 list last week, but he's now back on the active roster ahead of the season finale. The 27-year-old has 44 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns this season, and he should work as Detroit's No. 3 wide receiver this weekend against the Packers behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds.