NFL Player News

Davis was placed on the reserved/COVID-19 list Tuesday and must undergo a five-day re-entry process after he was deemed a close contact of someone who tested positive for the virus, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

The same goes for Cole Beasley, leaving the team very thin at WR while Stefon Diggs (knee) and Emmanuel Sanders (foot) are still nursing minor injuries. It might not be the prettiest week of practice in Buffalo, but there's a good chance QB Josh Allen has each of his top four wideouts healthy for the season opener against Pittsburgh on Sept. 12. Seemingly the No. 4 receiver, Davis figures to get some snaps every week but might need an injury in front of him to see enough volume for mainstream fantasy value.

Beasley and teammate Gabriel Davis have been removed from the Bills' facility and now must undergo a five-day reentry process after they were deemed close contacts of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Patriots QB Cam Newton currently is stuck in the same five-day process, albeit for different reasons. Beasley and Davis thus figure to miss the entire week of practice as well as the preseason finale against Green Bay on Aug. 28. Beasley probably wouldn't have played anyway, given his lengthy NFL track record and familiarity with OC Brian Daboll's scheme. The veteran slot receiver likely will return to practice next week, giving him two weeks to gear up for a Sept. 12 season opener against Pittsburgh.

McKenzie caught seven of eight targets for 72 yards while rushing once for four yards in Saturday's preseason win over the Bears.

McKenzie also returned three punts for 51 yards. He's got the top return job pretty much sealed up, but he's slowly proven himself in the passing game during his Bills tenure, and a big outing like Saturday could keep him involved offensively when the regular season begins. McKenzie can provide value in leagues that allow you to count offensive stats and return yardage for the same player. He's almost certain to open the season as Buffalo's No. 5 receiver, and he's continued to look like a guy that would be able to fill Cole Beasley's role in the slot should anything ever happen to the latter.

Jones caught four of five targets for 41 yards in Monday night's 23-21 preseason loss to the Saints.

Jones hauled in a couple of passes for first downs from quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Jacksonville's lone scoring drive of the first half. The veteran figures to be a reliable outlet for Lawrence should he be named the Jags' starter as expected, and Monday's performance helped that notion. With top wideout DJ Chark (finger) likely missing the whole preseason, Jones' rapport with Lawrence could be useful early in the upcoming campaign.

Callaway caught all five of his targets for 104 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 23-21 preseason win over the Jaguars.

Callaway was the star of the show, hauling in a 43-yard touchdown while being interfered with to cap New Orleans' opening drive. He then made an incredible, one-handed catch while outstretched for a 29-yard score two series later. In doing so, the second-year pro showed a great connection with quarterback Jameis Winston, which should bode well for Callaway as he approaches the regular season. With Michael Thomas (ankle) and Tre'Quan Smith (undisclosed) sidelined to this point, Callaway has operated as the Saints' top wideout and impressed in that role. Smith seems a safe bet to be ready to play Week 1, but Callaway certainly has capitalized on his recent opportunity, putting his stock on the rise as coach Sean Payton likely embraces a more vertical passing game this season.

Collins (undisclosed) returned for Monday's brief walkthrough practice, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

The Texans held Collins out of this past Saturday's preseason game at Dallas as a precautionary measure as he tended to a "muscle pull," per Drew Dougherty of the team's official site. Coach David Culley said during postgame media availability that Collins could have played, and the fact the rookie third-round pick was back on the field Monday indicates the lack of severity of the injury. Collins will look to make his presence felt again in Saturday's exhibition finale against the Buccaneers.

Mickens secured his only target for minus-4 yards in the Buccaneers' 34-3 preseason loss to the Titans on Sunday.

Mickens logged a solid 27 snaps from scrimmage Saturday, but the fact he did virtually nothing with them while fellow wideouts Cyril Grayson and Tyler Johnson combined for a 6-78 line certainly doesn't help his chances at a roster spot. Moreover, Mickens didn't get any reps as a returner, a role that he'd almost certainly need to shine in to help secure a roster spot. The good news for Mickens is that he should once again be afforded ample playing time in the preseason finale against the Texans on Saturday.

Smith (undisclosed) isn't slated to play in Monday's preseason game versus the Jaguars, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Smith was sidelined Aug. 4-16 with an unspecified injury, but he has taken part in practice since Tuesday, so it's only a matter of time before he's cleared for game action, assuming no setbacks. Once he's available to the Saints offense, he'll serve as the team's No. 1 wide receiver as long as Michael Thomas' recovery lasts from June ankle surgery, which is expected to extend into October. For this career, Smith has averaged 13.9 YPC and 9.3 YPT while scoring 14 TDs on 119 targets across 40 games.

Butler was waived by the Eagles on Monday.

Butler failed to make the cut as the team reduced the roster down to 80 players. The Cardinals' fourth-round selection in 2019 will hope to latch on with another team, but Butler's chances of playing in the NFL this season are slim.

The Cardinals activated Isabella (undisclosed) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday

After his second bout on the reserve list during training camp, Isabella finally is back and will attempt to make a play for a spot on the regular-season roster with just one preseason game to go Saturday at New Orleans. Behind the top WR quartet of DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore, Isabella's primary competitor for depth chart slotting likely is fellow third-year pro KeeSean Johnson.