NFL Player News

Shepard (hamstring) has no injury designation for Sunday's game against the Rams.

He returns to a tricky matchup after missing two games, as the Rams often use top cornerback Jalen Ramsey in the slot. Shepard never quite made it back to full practice participation, but he said Wednesday that he was ready to play, and he should see his share of targets with Kenny Golladay (knee) and Saquon Barkley (ankle) both sidelined. Kadarius Toney (ankle) is listed as questionable but expected to play, while Darius Slayton (hamstring) appears closer to truly questionable.

Toney (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams, though "all signs point to him playing," according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Toney and Sterling Shepard figure to take two of the top three receiver spots, with the other potentially going to Darius Slayton, who is listed as questionable after missing the past two weeks with a hamstring injury. Kenny Golladay (knee) is officially ruled out, while John Ross gives the team a deep-threat alternative if Slayton is out or limited (or even if he's not). It's a messy situation ahead of a difficult matchup with the Rams, but it's possible the chaos works in Toney's favor again, following a 10-189-0 receiving line on 13 targets in the Giants' Week 5 loss to Dallas.

Claypool (hamstring) was a full participant in practice Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against Seattle, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Claypool followed the same pattern as last week, when he upgraded to full participation Friday after a limited practice session Thursday. He produced 130 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos on game day, and Claypool is poised for another productive outing Week 6, this time in front of a national audience in primetime against the shaky Seahawks secondary.

Williams (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens.

Williams didn't practice Wednesday and Thursday and then wasn't spotted at Friday's session either, but it looks like the Chargers are inclined to take a decision on the wideout's Week 6 availability down to game day. In any case, with the team kicking off against Baltimore at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Williams' status will be clarified prior to the first wave of kickoffs this weekend. If he ends up out or limited for the contest, added snaps behind Keenan Allen would be available for Jalen Guyton and Josh Palmer, and to a lesser degree KJ Hill.

Metcalf (foot) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Metcalf has been dealing with a foot issue for a few weeks now, which limited him Wednesday and kept him off the practice field entirely Thursday. Clearly, the Seahawks don't want Metcalf to take on any undue stress, though he could have used the reps to get up to speed with Geno Smith, who is taking over under center with Russell Wilson recovering from finger surgery. Despite it all, Metcalf has been his typical productive self this season, compiling a 25-383-5 receiving line on 38 targets through five games.

Washington (groin) was a full participant in practice Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against Seattle, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Washington should feature in three-receiver sets with JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) done for the season, but he's already had opportunities to do so and failed to take advantage, with both Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool having missed a game this season. Now that he's back from the groin injury that kept him out of last week's win over Denver, Washington will look to add to his season totals of nine catches for 99 yards against the leaky Seattle secondary.

Hill (quad) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Washington after returning to a limited practice Friday.

In the wake of missing sessions Wednesday and Thursday, Hill was back on the field Friday, with coach Andy Reid noting that the Chiefs' top wideout was "bouncing around pretty good" in his return to practice, per Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star. Moreover, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports that Reid seemed optimistic about Hill's Week 6 status. Fortunately for those planning to use Hill in fantasy lineups this week, Kansas City kicks off against Washington at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Taylor landed on the injury report Friday with an illness and is listed as questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Bears, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Landing on the injury report this late in the week is not a good sign for Taylor's availability in Week 6. The 25-year-old has played only nine offensive snaps since Week 1, so if he is unavailable it shouldn't have an impact on the Packers' offensive rotations. However, Green Bay is already without Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring), so they may need to add a wideout to the active roster before the showdown with their division rivals.

Williams (knee) wasn't spotted at practice Friday, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

We'll have to see how the Chargers list Williams on Friday's final injury report, but given that the wideout didn't practice Wednesday and Thursday, his status for Sunday's game against the Ravens is cloudy. If Williams is out or limited this weekend, Jalen Guyton, Josh Palmer and perhaps KJ Hill would be in line to see added Week 6 opportunities behind Keenan Allen.

Mooney (groin) has no injury designation for Sunday's game against the Packers.

It was the same deal last week, with Mooney listed on the injury report before logging a full practice Friday and avoiding a game designation. He's showing signs of Year 2 improvement with a 64.5 percent catch rate and 8.4 yards per target, but he's averaging only 6.2 targets per week overall and 5.3 per game with QB Justin Fields as the starter. It is possible Mooney gets some extra looks if Allen Robinson (ankle, questionable) is limited or unavailable, though A-Rob returned to practice Friday.