NFL Player News

The Ravens downgraded Brown (thigh) to out for Sunday's game against the Bears.

Brown mustered just one limited practice throughout the week before being listed as questionable Friday, only for the Ravens to err on the side of caution by holding him out of Sunday's contest. Sammy Watkins and rookie Rashod Bateman are expected to serve as the primary options at receiver for the Ravens, who are still awaiting clarification on the status of starting quarterback Lamar Jackson (illness), who is listed as questionable.

Godwin (foot) is not listed on the injury report ahead of Monday's contest against the Giants.

The Buccaneers ruled out Antonio Brown (ankle) for his fourth consecutive game, but Godwin appears to have no issues entering Monday's matchup. The star wide receiver had seven receptions for 57 yards in last week's loss against Washington despite a similar practice cadence, so it's fair to suggest Godwin will be able to produce at his usual level come Monday.

Shepard (quadriceps) will not play Monday against the Buccaneers, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Shepard failed to practice all week, so this designation wasn't surprising. Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and Darius Slayton will once again take over as the top three pass catchers, with the possibility of running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) also mixing into the target-share equation if he sheds his questionable designation in time for the prime-time matchup.

Reynolds could realistically finish the season as the Lions' top wideout, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.

Detroit's ill-fated offseason plan to lean on Tyrell Williams (concussion) and Breshad Perriman as its starting receivers has gone about as poorly as possible. While the 5-foot-8 Kalif Raymond has flashed a couple of times this year as the de-facto No. 1 wide receiver in their stead, it's fair to wonder how many other teams would even consider Raymond for a key offensive role -- especially since this is the first time in six years he's reached 10 receptions in a season. While Reynolds is no worldbeater himself, his lanky frame and decent speed are reminiscent of former Lions wideout Marvin Jones, and he presumably has an established rapport with quarterback Jared Goff (oblique) after spending four years with him in Los Angeles from 2017 to 2020. While Reynolds' team debut Sunday against Cleveland may not go well with temporary backup Tim Boyle under center, it is not a stretch to think that Reynolds could make a name for himself down the stretch once Goff is back in action.

Pettis, who was placed on injured reserve Friday, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Pettis played in just three games with the Giants this season, recording 10 receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown primarily as a depth fill-in with a number of starters out due to injury. the 26-year-old has played in just 10 games since the start of last season and has yet to play a full 16 games in any season since being drafted back in 2018.

Taylor will not play in Sunday's matchup with the Vikings due to an abdominal injury, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official website reports.

No surprise here, as Taylor was unable to practice all week. He has not factored into the Packers' receiving game this season, but he has been their primary kick returner. It is unclear who will replace him, but Amari Rodgers figures to be the most likely option.

Patrick and the Broncos agreed Friday on a three-year, $30 million contract extension, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

The deal includes $18.5 million guaranteed and is a nice early birthday present for Patrick, who turns 28 next week and hadn't previously had much financial security since entering the NFL in 2017 as a undrafted free agent out of Utah. He played his way on to Denver's Week 1 roster in 2018 and has emerged as a key cog in the team's pass-catching group over the past three-plus seasons. Patrick has appeared in all 10 of Denver's games thus far in 2021, producing 37 receptions for 523 yards and four touchdowns on 53 targets.

Cooper (illness), who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday after testing positive for the virus, won't be available for Sunday's game against the Chiefs nor the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game against the Raiders in Week 12 due to his status as an unvaccinated player, The Dallas Morning News reports.

Vaccinated players who test positive for the virus are eligible to resume team activities once they're asymptomatic for a 48-hour period and submit two negative test results 24 hours apart, whereas unvaccinated players are subject to an automatic 10-day quarantine. With that timeline in mind, Cooper will be forced to sit out two games because of the quick turnaround for the Cowboys' Week 12 contest. While Cooper is out, the Cowboys are likely to move CeeDee Lamb to a perimeter spot opposite Michael Gallup, allowing Cedrick Wilson to slide into Lamb's regular position out of the slot. On the plus side for Cooper, his stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list should give him some extra time to heal up from the hamstring injury that has hindered his production and limited his snaps in recent weeks. Cooper's next chance to play again will come Dec. 2 in New Orleans in a second straight Thursday game for Dallas.

Boykin (finger) won't play Sunday against the Bears.

Boykin popped up on the Ravens' Week 11 injury report Friday and will now sit out at least one game with his finger injury. The absence of the 2019 third-rounder is of more import to his team's wideout depth than it is to fantasy managers, however, given that Boykin has just one catch in five games this season.

Montgomery (finger) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Eagles.

Montgomery has mostly been a part-time slot receiver this season, but he picked up a handful of backfield snaps in the first quarter of last week's game at Tennessee with Alvin Kamara (knee) inactive, only to then suffer an injury of his own. Other players might be more likely to play through a finger injury, but Montgomery needs to catch passes to be useful even if he's lining up in the backfield. With both him and Kamara out this week, the Saints may bring Tony Jones (ankle) back from injured reserve to work behind expected starter Mark Ingram in the backfield. The team also has Dwayne Washington, a core special teamer who has taken all of 86 snaps on offense in 47 regular-season games with the Saints.