NFL Player News

Darden failed to bring in his only target, rushed once for 11 yards, returned one punt for 43 yards and ran back one kickoff for 17 yards in the Buccaneers' 38-3 win over the Bears on Sunday.

With Antonio Brown (ankle) and Scotty Miller (toe) unavailable and Jaydon Mickens no longer on the roster, the rookie got a solid amount of opportunity on both offense and special teams against Chicago. Darden was in on 13 plays from scrimmage in addition to his six special-teams snaps, and with Brown and Miller still expected out in Week 8 against the Saints, it appears Darden is set to garner active status for the second consecutive game.

McLaurin was sidelined from Wednesday's practice by a hamstring injury, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

McLaurin was erroneously listed with an ankle issue earlier Wednesday, but the actual health concern is to the part of the body that has affected his practice reps the last two weeks. His absence from the first session of Week 8 prep may be maintenance-related, but his status nonetheless should be watched closely to ensure his availability isn't in peril for Sunday's game in Denver.

Harris (hamstring) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

Since hurting his hamstring Week 5 in Washington, Harris hasn't been able to practice in any capacity. Until he does, he'll be a tough sell to be available for game action. Still, Harris has two more sessions to make a case for a return Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Bourne was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to a shoulder injury, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Cox notes that Bourne fell on his shoulder on his 46-yard reception in this past Sunday's win over the Jets, but so far there's nothing to suggest that the wideout's Week 8 status is in danger. That said, Bourne will presumably need to practice fully Thursday or Friday in order to head into Sunday's game against the Chargers minus an injury designation.

Beckham (shoulder) logged a limited practice Wednesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Beckham continues to manage a right shoulder sprain, but it's an injury he played through in Week 7, after not practicing any capacity beforehand. Given the longer turnaround for the Browns' Week 8 game Sunday against the Steelers -- Cleveland hosted the Broncos in a Thursday game Week 7 -- Beckham looks on track to be available once again, barring any setbacks in practice over the next couple of days. Meanwhile, fellow wideouts Jarvis Landry (knee) and Donovan Peoples-Jones (groin) didn't practice Wednesday, making their Week 8 statuses less certain.

Brown was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice for non-injury reasons, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

The Titans have managed Brown's practice reps all season, though it's usually been attributed to a knee issue rather than just "rest." The new designation could be taken as a minor sign of progress, especially after Brown dealt with an illness last week on top of the lingering issues with his knees. He looked healthy while roasting the Chiefs for 133 yards and a touchdown in the Week 7 win, and he'll now take aim at the division-rival Colts on Sunday.

Hopkins (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Packers, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Despite not practicing at all this week, Hopkins will be a game-time decision with the expectation that he'll be available Thursday, Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic on Wednesday. Hopkins is notorious for gutting out injuries and suiting up on game days, so it would be something of a surprise if the Cardinals include him among their inactives. Official word on Hopkins' status won't be known until 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.

Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) is traveling to Arizona for Thursday's game against the Cardinals and hopes to be activated from injured reserve ahead of the contest, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reports.

The Packers have until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday to activate Valdes-Scantling from IR. They might have been inclined to wait another week, until Davante Adams and Allen Lazard both landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. With the team's wideout group severely depleted, Valdes-Scantling is hoping to play in Thursday's game without first completing a practice, and after missing the past three weeks due to a hamstring injury. It's a situation where a pitch count would make sense if Valdes-Scantling suits up, though he could still see plenty of targets on limited snaps if his hamstring feels OK.

Parker (shoulder/hamstring) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

The Dolphins held a walk-through session Wednesday, so what Parker is able to do at practice Thursday and Friday will provide a better indication of whether he'll suit up Sunday against the Bills. With that in mind, head coach Brian Flores said that he's "hopeful" the wideout can progress enough over the next couple of days in order to give himself a shot to return Sunday following a three-game absence.

Robinson (ankle) was limited at practice Wednesday.

Robinson seems to be progressing by the week as he tends to an ankle injury. During Week 6 prep, he logged just one limited session, while he upped that to a pair of limited sessions last week. The wideout now looks poised to turn in at least three limited practices Week 8, setting him to enter Sunday's game against the 49ers in better health. While he's earned at least 82 percent of the offensive snaps in six of seven games this season, Robinson seems to have been the victim of bad luck on the health front and uneven quarterback play from Andy Dalton and Justin Fields. Robinson has mustered just 23 catches (on 40 targets) for 250 yards and one touchdown to date.