NFL Player News

Slayton is expected to play at least the first half of next Sunday's preseason finale versus the Patriots, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.

Slayton logged 13 snaps on offense in preseason Week 1 against the Jets, which resulted in one catch (on three targets) for eight yards. After joint practices with the Browns this past week, coach Joe Judge held out the starters this Sunday in Cleveland. With the Giants' dress rehearsal for the regular season in the near future, Slayton will be one of the key skill-position players for Daniel Jones alongside Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, assuming Saquon Barkley (knee) and Kenny Golladay (hamstring) don't receive clearance to suit up.

Shepard is slated to play at least the first half of next Sunday's preseason finale against the Patriots, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.

Shepard hasn't seen game action so far during exhibition season, but he'll be out there next weekend with Daniel Jones, Darius Slayton and Evan Engram, at least. The question marks are Saquon Barkley (knee) and Kenny Golladay (hamstring). If both aren't cleared to suit up, Shepard would serve as the top pass-catching option for the Giants offense.

Hodge caught two of four targets for 21 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 17-13 preseason win over the Giants.

Hodge opened the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter, helping his case to earn Cleveland's fifth receiver job behind Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Hodge will hope to close out the preseason well with another good showing next Sunday versus the Falcons.

Diggs (knee) caught passes from Josh Allen during Sunday's walkthrough practice, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.

The Bills wore jerseys (sans pads) and shorts, but Diggs' presence was an encouraging sign as he looks to put a knee injury behind him. The issue has kept him out of practice since Aug. 9, a span in which he missed the team's first two preseason games. It's unclear if coach Sean McDermott will entertain the thought of getting Diggs some in-game reps in Saturday's exhibition finale Saturday against the Packers, but the wide receiver's progress this week will be one to monitor closely to get a sense of his health.

Peoples-Jones caught his only target for 13 yards in Sunday's 17-13 preseason win over the Giants.

Peoples-Jones' grab came on the first play of the second quarter. That followed an early touchdown reception from teammate KhaDarel Hodge, who's hoping to improve his stock. However, having reportedly worked with Cleveland's offensive starters recently, Peoples-Jones could be competing more with Rashard Higgins than Hodge heading into this season, when Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry undoubtedly will be the top two receiving options. As a rookie last year, Peoples-Jones finished with 14 catches for 304 yards and two touchdown while also serving as a kick and punt returner.

Coach Sean McDermott said Diggs (knee) won't take part in practice Sunday, but the wide receiver is "trending in the right direction," Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Sidelined since Aug. 9 due to a knee injury, Diggs has missed all on-field work, including practices and two preseason games, in the interim. McDermott hasn't made a decision on whether Josh Allen will be allowed to play in the Bills' exhibition capper Saturday against the Packers, but it could be tied to Diggs' own availability. Thus, if Diggs makes the requisite progress this week, there's a chance Allen and Diggs will get a possession or two of in-game reps prior to Week 1.

Raymond did not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Steelers, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After logging as many snaps in the preseason opener as No. 1 wideout Tyrell Williams, Raymond was the lone receiver to join Williams and starting quarterback Jared Goff in getting rested Saturday. However, Breshad Perriman, the starting complement to Williams on Detroit's current depth chart, perhaps only played because he missed the opener with a hip injury. Meanwhile, the reps given to rookie standout Amon-Ra St. Brown certainly were a product of his youth rather than his need to prove anything. In any case, Raymond clearly seems to be an important part of the Lions' plans this year. His preseason may be over, but look for Raymond to take snaps on offense and as a return man when the Lions take on San Francisco in Week 1 of the regular season.

Johnson secured his lone target for 43 yards while recording one carry for no yards in Saturday's 26-20 preseason win over the Lions.

Johnson played 52 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps Saturday, and he made the most of his lone target in the win. During the team's second possession, Ben Roethlisberger connected with Johnson on a 43-yard reception down the middle of the field on third down. The 2019 third-rounder has brought in all six of his targets during the preseason, and he's totaled 103 yards across the first three exhibition games.

Smith-Schuster hauled in five of his six targets for 39 yards in Saturday's 26-20 preseason win over the Lions.

Smith-Schuster and the first-team offense had a chance to work with Ben Roethlisberger on Saturday, and the 2017 second-rounder led the team in receptions. However, his 7.8 yards per catch ranked last among the Steelers' main pass catchers, and he failed to haul in a diving attempt in the second quarter that would have resulted in a 17-yard touchdown. Smith-Schuster was on the field for 64 percent of the offensive snaps in the preseason win and should see plenty of work during the regular season, but his efficiency is somewhat concerning after he had a career-low 6.5 yards per target in 2020.

Coach Vic Fangio relayed that Sutton (knee) is slated to play in Denver's preseason finale this coming Saturday against the Rams, Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post reports.

With the 25-year-old bouncing back from an ACL tear that limited him to one game on 2020, we suspect that Sutton's anticipated lone preseason appearance won't be extensive. As Week 1 approaches, the 2018 second-rounder already is locked into a starting wideout job along with Jerry Jeudy, with the duo profiling as the favorites to lead the Broncos in targets this year, regardless of who starts at QB for the team.