NFL Player News

Robinson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay.

Robinson was a limited practice participant Thursday and Friday after sitting out Wednesday. That's one more limited practice than he managed last week, when he ultimately played through a questionable tag and caught four of seven targets for 53 yards in a 24-14 loss to the Packers. Robinson likely will play through the injury again, with his status to be confirmed when the Bears release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Toney (ankle) won't play in Sunday's game against the Panthers, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Toney didn't practice at all this week, as he held out to rest after aggravating his right ankle injury in the first quarter of the Week 6 loss to the Rams. His next chance to play will be a Monday night game against the Chiefs in Week 8, while the Giants are left with an injury-riddled receiver group in the meantime.

Shepard (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Carolina, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Shepard is one of four New York pass catchers listed as questionable, along with wideouts Darius Slayton and John Ross and tight end Evan Engram. Meanwhile, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney have been ruled out, not to mention running back Saquon Barkley. It's a messy situation ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but Shepard managed limited practice participation Thursday and Friday, hinting that his return to the injury report isn't too serious. There's little doubt he'll see targets, if he avoids the inactive list and makes it through the game without an early exit.

Slayton (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

If he suits up, Slayton will be on the field for the first time since hurting his hamstring in Week 3. The Giants could be counting on Slayton to immediately take on a prominent role in a receiving corps that will be without both Kadarius Toney (ankle) and Kenny Golladay (knee).

Brown (illness) returned to practice Friday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Brown, who has been dealing with the effects of a case of food poisoning, missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, but his return for Friday's session has him trending toward active status Sunday against Kansas City. However, the Titans' final Week 7 injury report will reveal whether the wideout heads into the weekend with an injury designation.

Johnson is expected to serve as the Buccaneers' No. 3 receiver in Sunday's game against the Bears, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Johnson went without a target while logging his second-lowest snap share (16 percent) in the team's Week 6 win over Philadelphia, but a larger role should be on the horizon after Antonio Brown (knee) was ruled out for Sunday's contest. Beyond starters Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the only other healthy receiver on the roster is Jaelon Darden, who appears more likely to contribute as a return man rather than on offense. That leaves Johnson as the most obvious candidate to join Evans and Godwin in three-receiver sets, and while the latter two players will likely command most of Tom Brady's attention, Johnson could still carve out a role as a secondary target. Along with Brown, the Bucs will be without top tight end Rob Gronkowski (ribs) for a fourth straight game, while No. 2 TE O.J. Howard (ankle) is banged up after drawing a season-high seven targets last week against the Eagles.

Erickson (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Erickson was concussed in last week's loss to Minnesota, but he'll have a chance to return without missing any additional game action if he can gain clearance from an independent neurologist before Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. If Erickson's able to suit up, he'll likely occupy his customary role as the team's punt returner to go with a handful of snaps at wide receiver. He has been targeted just twice through six games, catching both for 42 yards.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said he expects Smith to play at least 15 snaps in Sunday's game against the Giants, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

A healthy inactive through the Panthers' first five games, Smith, a rookie sixth-round pick, finally got the chance to make his NFL debut in last week's 34-28 overtime loss to the Vikings. He took eight snaps on offense in that contest, drawing two targets and recording two receptions for 20 yards. With Terrace Marshall (concussion) having been ruled out for Sunday's game and with Alex Erickson (concussion) listed as questionable, Smith is the only healthy receiver on the roster aside from starters DJ Moore and Robby Anderson. As such, Smith should be the top candidate to join Moore and Anderson when the Panthers roll out three-wide formations, though Carolina is also expected to make frequent use of two-tight end sets featuring Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble. A true starting role might not be on tap for Smith, but the projected spike in his snaps could be enough to make him an intriguing, cost-effective option to fill out a DFS lineup.

Brown (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game in Green Bay, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

With both Curtis Samuel (groin) and Cam Sims (hamstring) ruled out, Brown could match or even top his snap share (80 percent) and target volume (six) from the Week 6 loss to Kansas City. However, the rookie has caught just eight of 20 targets for 81 yards, unable to make an impact despite averaging 44.6 snaps in his five appearances. Brown missed Week 5 with a minor knee injury that's apparently still lingering, but he didn't appear to be limited in his Week 6 return and isn't listed on the final Week 7 injury report.

Hill (quadriceps) returned to practice Friday, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Hill's return to the field after logging back-to-back absences Wednesday and Thursday bodes well for his availability for Sunday's game against the Titans. Friday's final injury report will reveal whether or not Kansas City's top wideout heads into the weekend carrying an injury designation.