NFL Player News
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Bryce Oliver WR | TEN
Titans' Bryce Oliver: Won't play Sunday
Oliver (knee) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Colts, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
The Youngstown State product is now in line to miss his sixth consecutive game due to a knee injury. Oliver has appeared in two games for Tennessee this season, contributing primarily on special teams (47 snaps on special teams and 11 on offense). While he's sidelined again in Week 8, Chimere Dike is expected to serve as the Titans' primary kick returner.
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Calvin Ridley WR | TEN
Titans' Calvin Ridley: Won't play Sunday
Ridley (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Colts, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
With Ridley slated to miss his second straight game, Elic Ayomanor, Van Jefferson and Chimere Dike will continue to lead the Titans' WR corps this weekend. Ridley's next chance to play will arrive Sunday, Nov. 2 against the Chargers.
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Josh Downs WR | IND
Colts' Josh Downs: Set to return Sunday
Coach Shane Steichen said Friday that Downs has cleared concussion protocol and will play Sunday against the Titans, Amanda Foster of the Colts' official site reports.
The wideout was trending in the right direction after practicing fully Thursday, and with Downs past the concussion that sidelined him Week 7, he'll reclaim his role in a Colts' WR corps that also features Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce. In six games prior to his concussion, Downs compiled a 26-217-1 line on 34 targets, a pace that has given the 2023 third-rounder a degree of fantasy utility in deeper formats and makes him a lineup option for those in need of WR help with six teams on bye this week.
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A.J. Brown WR | PHI
Eagles' A.J. Brown: Not practicing Friday
Brown (hamstring) isn't practicing Friday, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.
A third straight missed practice is bad news for Brown and his fantasy managers, although Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said earlier Friday that the wideout doesn't need to practice this week in order to play in Sunday's game against the Giants. Brown did work out on the side Thursday while his teammates practiced, with Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer suggesting that the wideout was on track to play Sunday. A third missed practice may have changed that expectation, with Brown now highly likely to have a game designation on the final injury report later Friday.
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Nico Collins WR | HOU
Texans' Nico Collins: Still not practicing
Collins (concussion) isn't practicing Friday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
That also applies to Christian Kirk (hamstring), and with the duo having missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, both players could be ruled out for Sunday's game against the 49ers later Friday. If that's the case, Xavier Hutchinson, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Braxton Berrios would be in line to handle Houston's Week 8 WR duties.
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Christian Kirk WR | HOU
Texans' Christian Kirk: Third straight DNP on Friday
Kirk (hamstring) remains a non-participant in practice Friday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
Kirk and Nico Collins (concussion) haven't practiced all week. Both wide receivers presumably will be ruled out for Sunday's game against the 49ers, though official confirmation won't come until the Texans post their injury report later Friday.
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A.J. Brown WR | PHI
Eagles' A.J. Brown: Could play without practicing
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Friday that Brown (hamstring) does not necessarily need to practice this week in order to play in Sunday's game against the Giants, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Sirianni didn't say if Brown will return to practice Friday after missing the previous two days. Reports on Thursday suggested Brown is still expected to play this week, but another absence Friday might change that thinking, despite what Sirianni said about Brown being able to play without practicing.
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Darius Slayton WR | NYG
Giants' Darius Slayton: Coach optimistic for Week 8 return
Head coach Brain Daboll said Friday that he's optimistic about Slayton's (hamstring) availability for Sunday's game against the Eagles after Slayton had "two good days" of practice Wednesday and Thursday, Dan Solomone of the Giants' official site reports.
Slayton was listed as limited Wednesday and Thursday. Barring an upgrade to full participation Friday, Slayton may carry a questionable designation into Sunday's game after sitting out the Giants' past two contests. Daboll's optimism suggests Slayton will likely suit up barring a setback.
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Josh Palmer WR | BUF
Bills' Joshua Palmer: Ruled out for Sunday
Coach Sean McDermott said Friday that Palmer (knee/ankle) won't play Sunday against the Panthers, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.
With Palmer unavailable, look for Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir to lead the Bills' Week 8 WR corps, while Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers and Elijah Moore will be available to mix in. Palmer's next chance to see game action will arrive Sunday, Nov. 2 against the Chiefs.
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Curtis Samuel WR | BUF
Bills' Curtis Samuel: Cleared to return Week 8
Samuel (ribs) won't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Panthers, coach Sean McDermott said Friday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.
Samuel will practice without limitations Friday, paving the way for the veteran wide receiver to reprise his role as the primary kickoff returner on special teams and a depth option on offense. He sat out Buffalo's Week 6 loss to Atlanta, but a Week 7 bye provided him enough time to recover.