NFL Player News

Metcalf (foot) didn't practice Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

While tending to a foot injury the previous two weeks, Metcalf's practice reps have been managed prior to suiting up in back-to-back contests, so Thursday's absence may be a part of the Seahawks' plan to keep him as fresh as possible. Still, his status will be one to monitor Friday to make sure he's trending toward playing Sunday night at Pittsburgh.

Darden (coach's decision) is inactive for Thursday's game against the Eagles.

Darden was selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he'll be held out for the fifth time in the first six weeks of the season. The 22-year-old played mainly on special teams in his lone appearance this year.

Both Claypool (hamstring) and James Washington (groin) were listed as limited practice participants for the second day in a row Thursday, but Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that the team may simply be managing their reps in the wake of losing JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) for the season.

In Week 5, Claypool was limited Thursday before returning to a full practice Friday and heading into last Sunday's game against the Broncos minus an injury designation. It's plausible that pattern is repeated this time around, and if so Claypool and Diontae Johnson could be busy this weekend against the Seahawks, with Washington in line to serve as the team's WR3, if active. Meanwhile, Batko suggests that part of the void created by Smith-Schuster's absence could be accounted for by increased usage of two-TE alignments, featuring Pat Freiermuth and Eric Ebron.

Westbrook-Ikhine (hamstring) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Though his hamstring injury prevented him from playing in last week's win over the Jaguars, Westbrook-Ikhine should be good to go Monday against Buffalo after opening Week 6 prep as a full participant. Unfortunately for Westbrook-Ikhine, Julio Jones and A.J. Brown were also full participants Thursday after recently contending with their own hamstring injuries, so Tennessee should have its two receivers available for the first time together since Week 3. Even if Westbrook-Ikhine supplants the banged-up Chester Rogers (groin) as Tennessee's No. 3 wideout Monday, there likely won't be enough targets for him to deliver a useful fantasy line.

Mooney (groin) was limited at practice Thursday.

With another limited showing under his belt, Mooney has been listed as such in 10 of the past 11 Bears injury reports. Still, it hasn't impacted his ability to suit up on game days, so even if he enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest versus the Packers, he doesn't seem to be a candidate to sit out. Through five outings this season, Mooney has been hit or miss, with three games below 40 receiving yards, one with 100-plus yards and overall no touchdowns.

Robinson (ankle) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Since arriving in Chicago as a free agent in March 2018, Robinson has missed just three of 53 games. It's unclear if his current ankle concern will result in a fourth DNP, but it isn't especially encouraging that he hasn't been able to practice this week. Robinson will have one more chance to do so before the Bears will be required to give him a designation or remove it entirely for Sunday's contest against the Packers.

The Vikings listed Thielen (foot) as a non-participant in Thursday's practice.

For the second straight day, both Thielen and fellow starting wideout Justin Jefferson (ankle) were labeled as non-participants in practice, despite both being spotted on the field and in uniform during the open portion of Thursday's session. The fact that Thielen and Jefferson were both present at the facility and taking part in work off to the side can at least be taken as a positive, though both will likely need to log limited participation in Friday's practice for fantasy managers to feel more confident that the two will suit up Sunday in Carolina. With four touchdowns through five games on the heels of a 14-TD 2020 campaign, Thielen remains Kirk Cousins' favorite red-zone option, but Jefferson has seemingly supplanted the veteran as the top overall target in the passing game.

Williams (knee) wasn't spotted at Thursday's practice, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.

After logging a DNP on Wednesday, the starting wideout's status will need to be monitored closely as Sunday's game against the Ravens approaches. If Williams ends up limited or out for the contest, added snaps behind Keenan Allen would be available for Jalen Guyton, Josh Palmer and perhaps KJ Hill.

Jefferson (ankle) was listed as a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Though Chad Graff of The Athletic reported earlier Thursday that Jefferson was present at the facility and expected to turn in a limited practice after he wasn't in attendance for Wednesday's session, the wideout ultimately went down as a non-participant on the Vikings' official report for the second day in a row. The Vikings may have just been exercising some extra caution with Jefferson, who expressed confidence that he'll be ready to play Sunday in Carolina. The extent of Jefferson's involvement in Friday's practice will likely dictate what designation -- if any -- he carries into the weekend.

Claypool (hamstring) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Claypool was limited for a second straight practice session as he continues to manage a hamstring injury that sidelined him in Week 4. Friday's final injury report will reveal whether or not Claypool is able to practice fully to close the week and approach Sunday night's contest against the Seahawks minus a Week 6 injury designation.